by Claire Adams
“We have to do this again,” Maxine said, as she stood from the table.
“Thank you for joining us,” I said when it became obvious that Maddox wasn’t going to thank her.
“Oh, of course. It was such a pleasure meeting you.” Maxine pulled me into a hug, and Darrell shook my hand.
“Call your mother more often,” she said as she hugged Maddox. He promised he would call her the next day, and I could only imagine what an earful he’d give her. He shared a very brief goodbye with his father as I smiled and nodded, unsure of what to say or do. They exited first, with us trailing behind.
“Your parents are nice,” I said as we waited on the valet. Maddox’s eyes were still dilated, and it was obvious that we both were struggling with words.
“Yeah.” He swallowed. “They know how to entertain an audience.”
“I guess that’s where you learned it,” I offered, and he nodded.
The valet was taking a little longer than usual, and the silence between us was beginning to stretch out longer than I liked.
“Look, I’m really sorry about what I said,” I blurted out. “I had no idea, and I never would have even mentioned children had I known.”
His car arrived, and he didn’t speak until we were pulling out of the restaurant’s street.
“I should apologize,” he said at last. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you. I didn’t want you to think this was anything serious, at least, not yet. And I haven’t been on a date since Abby came into my life, so I didn’t even know how to tell you.”
I contemplated his words.
“Do you have her full time?” I asked.
“Yeah, my friend watches her during work hours, but I can take off as much time as I need.”
We fell into an awkward silence.
“She doesn’t even look like you,” I said.
“Thank goodness.” He chuckled, and the thick atmosphere lightened up. “But no, she really doesn’t. She actually looks more like Nick, my friend.”
Something dawned on me.
“She was at the fundraiser,” I said. “With the guy with the long blond hair.”
“Nick.” Maddox nodded. “That’s them.”
“Is she a handful? I remember when Belle that was age. God, I just wanted to kick her.”
He laughed. “Abby can be pretty bad. She’s a little parrot right now, repeats everything she hears. I have to keep reminding Nick about that. It’s not good when your 3-year-old runs around the grocery store cursing up and down like a sailor.”
“Belle did that too,” I said. “Lacey washed her mouth out with soap, and that stopped it pretty early on.”
“That actually works?” he asked. “Seems a bit much for a curse word.”
“Oh, you didn’t hear the words Belle repeated,” I said. “Lacey loves reading, well, adult erotica and sometimes reads passages aloud when she thinks Belle’s sleeping. I think I learned a few things from the kid.”
“I guess we all make mistakes,” he said as he pulled up to my apartment. “I’ll walk you up.”
We made polite conversation as we climbed the stairs, but Maddox wasn’t nearly as affectionate or flirty as he had been earlier. I supposed there was no coming back from my comments, and in all honesty, I couldn’t blame him.
I thanked him for walking me up, and slipped my key into the lock of my door, preparing for the inevitable. He’d let me go, say he was sorry, and wish me the best in my future endeavors. It was odd, I mused; I’d never been fired at the end of a date before. Because that’s what this was, right? A date with my employer?
“I’ll see you on Monday,” he said after a moment of silence. I blinked, unsure if I heard him correctly.
“Yeah, of course. Thank you for dinner,” I said, and we exchanged a pleasant goodbye.
I changed into a more comfortable outfit, but I wasn’t ready to call it a night. I glanced out of the window on the other side of my apartment and caught a glimpse of him driving away.
Guilt was eating me alive. I had basically told a single father that having children wasn’t worth it, and that children didn’t belong in this world. That, and I condemned divorced couples. Of course, he’s divorced. I should have figured that an attractive man in his mid to late 30s had been married at least once. I realized then that I didn’t know much about Maddox. Maybe he’d been married several times? Abby was only three years old, so there was a possibility that he hadn’t been single for long. He also didn’t even mention the mother once on the drive home. Was the scar too new?
I groaned, feeling like complete shit. He had every right to hate me, and even more to fire me.
I knew if I ended the night like this I would stew over my emotions and pull my hair out, so I slipped on a pair of boots and a coat and drove to Lacey’s.
Unlike her, I didn’t have a copy of her house key, and it took nearly 15 minutes of ringing her phone for her to finally answer the door.
“Belle’s asleep,” she said, as she let me in.
“Don’t lie; you were sleeping, too.” I gestured at her pajamas and messy hair. She shrugged and yawned.
She followed me to the kitchen. “Maybe. What’s the matter?”
“Oh, Lace.” I pulled out a bottle of wine, poured a glass, and finished it in one chug. Lacey’s eyebrows raised.
“Looks like I’m going to need one too,” she said. She took her own long stem from the cabinet and poured herself a glass.
“His parents showed up to dinner, and we ended up having a weird double date,” I said, and Lacey grimaced. I had no other way to describe it, but disastrous came to mind.
“That would ruin the mood for anyone,” she said, and I shook my head.
“It wasn’t bad, but during dessert, his mom started showing me pictures of a 3-year-old girl. His 3-year-old girl, Lacey. A daughter.”
Lacey gasped and quickly refilled both of our glasses.
“He has a daughter,” she repeated. “Are you sure?”
“Positive, we talked about it a little in the car afterward,” I said.
“Oh, Everly, after everything you said about children.” She shook her head and pushed the tall decanter my way. “You can have the bottle.”
“I was planning on it,” I groaned. “He has to hate me.” Each word I’d uttered was like a slap across my memory, a twisting knife of guilt in my gut.
“I can’t believe you didn’t know. Was he hiding her the entire week?” she asked, and I tilted my head.
“That’s a good point,” I said. I couldn’t believe he’d hid her for so long. “He has full custody, but she wasn’t ever there during dinner. Actually, there’s not a single sign of a child in his entire mansion.”
“Everly, it’s time you started looking for another job,” Lacey said. “This is way too complicated for you.”
“He hasn’t fired me,” I said. I couldn’t give up or walk out on my job. It wasn’t an option. Besides, I really didn’t want to leave Maddox just yet.
“But he could at any moment. Really, you need to start applying or try and get your job at Saint Padres back. He’s just some guy, Everly. This is your future we’re talking about.”
I finished my glass. “Yeah,” I said, pretending to agree.
But I wasn’t entirely sure if he was just some guy anymore, or if he was something more. I knew in my bones that my feelings were stirred.
Chapter Seventeen
Maddox
I woke to an entirely empty house the next morning. It was a lazy morning, and I took my time climbing out of bed and dressing for the day. The previous night played in my mind like a movie, Everly’s curves silhouetted in the light, her seductive smile, a teasing, flirty glance between us. And then the bad parts repeated themselves. My parents walking toward us, Everly making room at the table. Everly’s face as my mother showed her pictures of Abby.
The shock had been apparent, the first moment of confusion as her eyebrows furrowed and she mouthed Abby’s name to me, framed like
a question. She had played along, leaving such an impression on my mother that she left me countless voicemails and texts telling me to marry Everly as soon as possible. She thought Everly was a suitable mother for Abby. I almost laughed. If only she knew the truth.
I hadn’t expected Everly to want to come back to work, but she hadn’t argued when I mentioned that I would see her on Monday. I still expected a formal text thanking me for the opportunity but politely stating she had found another position and couldn’t work for me anymore, but the text never arrived.
Instead, I could only assume that there was still a part of Everly that was interested. What exactly she was interested in was still a mystery.
I walked to Nick’s house within the first hour of waking. He welcomed me, heavy bags beneath his eyes that revealed just how late he had stayed up and how early he’d woken up. A new painting waited in the living room, paint still fresh and bright. So, he’d gotten bit with some sort of inspiration, which meant he had stayed up until odd hours watching another slasher film. I could only hope that Abby hadn’t watched it as well.
“She’s still sleeping,” Nick said, motioning toward the room where she stayed. “Want me to wake her up?”
“Nah, I’ll let her sleep in a little longer,” I said and made myself a cup of espresso in his kitchen.
“So, how was it?” Nick asked, straight to the point. He hadn’t been all for the date, but he was still the supportive best friend nonetheless.
“Started off perfect,” I said. “She was beautiful, we flirted. It felt like a date, not like a boss taking his employee out to test meals.”
“You took her to Lumiere, right?” he asked. “You haven’t even taken me there.”
“I’m not dating you,” I said pointedly. “You want to take one of your women there, just use my name.”
He nodded. “I’ll let you know when I finally find one I like enough for a second date,” he said and nudged my arm. “Go on? It started off good?”
“Well, and then halfway through dinner, guess who showed up?” I looked at him.
“Let’s see.” He furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. “The only other people who go to Lumiere who would ruin a date would be…oh, no.” He shook his head.
“Yup,” I said. “My parents. And of course, Everly was more than okay with making room at the table and inviting them over.”
“Aww man,” Nick shook his head. “What a drag.”
“For a minute there, I thought I was in the clear. Mom loved her, Dad doesn’t hold opinions on anything really, and Everly was getting along with the both of them. And then, after I was starting to breathe again, Mom pulled out her phone.”
Nick gasped. He knew where it was going.
“Showed her pictures of Abby. Bragged about her beautiful grandchild. Even said Everly and Abby should go see a Broadway show together.” I sighed, reliving the moment in my head.
Nick’s eyes bulged, and I finished my espresso as he struggled to speak.
“I don’t even know what to say,” he said. “I mean, I know you were planning on telling her sometime, but that’s a real shitty way of finding out.”
“I know,” I agreed.
“What did she say?” he asked. “Was she pissed off?”
“Not much. My parents left, and she apologized for what she said on Thursday. We talked a little about Abby, and Everly’s niece, who is two years older. I said I’d see her on Monday, and dropped her off at home.”
“No first kiss?” Nick asked with a grin. I placed my mug in his sink and rolled my eyes.
My eyes widened, remembering the tension and how the air had seemed to go thick with it around us. “It definitely wasn’t the time for that,” I said.
“Damn. That’s tough.” Nick made his own cup of espresso as Abby walked out of her room. She rubbed her eyes and ran to me, her bare feet slapping against the stone floor. Her hair was a mess, and she still had on her pajamas.
“Daddy!” She hugged me, and I asked her how her night was.
“Fun. Uncle Nick helped me paint,” she said. “I’m not done, though.”
“Think you’ll finish it this week?” Nick asked. She nodded. “Good, then I can sell it at my next gallery, and you can finally start paying me for babysitting you.”
“Daddy pays you!” She giggled. Nick gave her a cup of milk and she chugged it.
“How was the date?” she asked.
Nick laughed, knowing I couldn’t exactly explain what happened to Abby.
“It was good,” I said, not wanting to get her hopes up. She was becoming way too invested in Everly, not to mention curious about my dating life.
“Thanks for keeping her for the night,” I said to Nick as Abby ran to her room and gathered her things. She came back dressed in mismatched clothes, but thankfully had managed to slip on her own shoes. She hugged Nick goodbye, and we hurried off to home.
“What’s for breakfast?” Abby asked as we entered our house. She threw her shoes on the floor, and I raised my eyebrows. “Sorry.” She whined as she picked them up and placed them neatly inside the closet next to the front door.
“How about French toast, egg and mushroom muffins, and home fries?” I offered, and Abby perked up. She absolutely loved French toast, and was starting to really enjoy the egg and mushroom muffins. “I’ll even let you deliver some to Uncle Nick when we’re done.”
“Okay!” she said and removed her own coat. She was at that age where she wanted to do everything herself.
“Go brush your teeth first and get changed. I’ll start with breakfast,” I said.
“But I want to help!” She crossed her arms. She also was at the age where she wanted to help me do everything.
“Teeth brushed, clothes changed. Now,” I ordered, lowering my voice. She instantly responded to what Nick liked to call the dad voice, and ran upstairs. I chuckled and started prepping the kitchen. No matter what my mood was from the night before, my little girl always put a smile on my face and warmed my heart.
I poured the egg and mushroom mixture in a muffin tin and placed it in the oven, and whipped up a quick French toast batter for several thick slices of old bread that I’d been meaning to turn into breadcrumbs. The potatoes were blanched and diced and waited on an oiled skillet to heat. With everything ready to cook, I took a moment to breathe, and leaned against the counter.
I couldn’t believe what I had gotten myself into. How could a woman like Everly, with so much potential in her future, ever be interested in a man like me? I had lied to her, technically was still lying to her about not knowing how to cook. Maybe the one lie was a deal breaker. Maybe she was just waiting to tell me.
I had just dropped the potatoes in the skillet and dipped a few pieces of bread into the batter when the doorbell rang. I couldn’t find an apron to wipe my hands with.
“I’ll get it!” Abby yelled as I heard her tiny feet thump down the stairs. “It might be Uncle Nick!”
It wasn’t unusual for Nick to stop by in the mornings looking for some breakfast. It was a good thing I had made extra for that very reason.
“You’re lucky we didn’t go out to eat,” I called as I heard two footsteps enter the house. I found an apron and was wiping my hands when I turned and walked out of the kitchen. “You’d starve every morning if I didn’t feed you.”
“I would?” Everly stood in the entryway of my house next to Abby. “I find that very hard to believe.”
“Everly,” I said, letting the apron fall to the floor.
“Everly!” Abby squealed and looked up at the beautiful redhead next to her. She had trouble saying Everly, and it came out more as Eh-veen.
“You’re Abby, right?” she asked with a tight smile.
“Yup!” Abby said.
I glanced between the two of them.
“It smells good,” Everly said and looked toward the kitchen. She wore a white turtleneck and slim fitting jeans with fur-lined boots. Her hair was loose, thick, wavy strands falling around her s
houlders, and I wondered how they would feel between my fingers. Her eyes were still barely smudged with makeup from the previous night, and her cheeks were lit with a small amount of blush. She was beautiful, and there was something about seeing her smiling at Abby that made her seem even lovelier.
“Daddy cooked breakfast,” Abby said. “You want some?”
Everly raised an eyebrow and glanced at me. “He did?” she asked. “Is it safe to eat?”
I chuckled. “I’ll get the plates ready.” They followed me into the kitchen, where Everly casually checked out the breakfast. I knew I was going to have to come up with an excuse, but she seemed more interested in helping me finish the French toast and potatoes than questioning me about my sudden cooking skills. I pulled out the muffin tin, and her eyebrows had raised slightly as I set two egg and mushroom muffins on each plate.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Abby had said as we sat at the table with full plates.
“You’re sweet,” Everly said as Abby stuffed her face. “My niece is a little older than you.”
“What’s her name?” Abby asked.
“Belle,” Everly said.
“That’s a pretty name!” Abby swallowed a piece of her muffin.
“Well, I think Abby is a really pretty name,” Everly offered, and she seemed surprised when she bit into her muffin. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning as Everly and Abby spoke. Everly wasn’t bad with kids; in fact, she was wonderful.
Abby blushed, and she looked at me with wide, blue eyes.
“It’s not a bad name,” I joked.
“Daddy.” Abby frowned.
“Don’t listen to him,” Everly said. “Dads never know anything.”
“Does your dad know anything?” Abby asked, and I choked on a potato.
“He actually doesn’t,” she said.
“How do you like your breakfast, Abby?” I asked, desperate to change the conversation.
“It’s good. But Uncle Nick makes cinnamon rolls that I like better.”
Everly laughed.