Staring at my daughter, I shake my head. There’s a one-night-stand code written somewhere in the world. Audrey and I shouldn’t be interacting. She shouldn’t be close to Perry. That’s almost like time travel. The world will collapse if they come near each other.
Colt glances at me with his hands on his waist. “I asked you to check on her, not to—what’s bothering you?”
I laugh because he’s right. Nothing’s wrong with going to the bakery, buying a few cookies, and dropping them by the B&B. It’s not like I’m proposing.
“Nothing.” I wave a hand.
“Your tone is reassuring.” He presses his fingers against his forehead. “Listen, I swore I wouldn’t get involved. We all did—”
“Who are we?”
“That’s not important.” He pauses, takes a few steps closer to where I stand, and lowers his voice. “You had an unplanned night. It doesn’t happen often, but you seemed to have fun before and after.”
I run a hand through my hair. “Jesus, does everyone know about it?”
Earlier today, when I went to drop Perry at her preschool, one of the other dads dropping off his kid smirked and nodded at me. Once we were away from the children, he said, “Nicely done.”
This is why I shouldn’t sleep with tourists. Everyone in town is making it more than what it was, and I don’t want Audrey to become a sour memory.
“That was last night,” I explain. “I’d rather keep my distance.”
“What happened to the guy who used to see these moments for exactly what they are: opportunities. You met a hot, available woman visiting here for a couple of weeks. Enjoy what’s happening between the two of you. There’s nothing more to it.”
“I need to think about my daughter.” My voice rises to a volume that makes Perry freeze. Waving at her, I say, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, Cupcake. Why don’t you put your boots on and find your backpack? We need to go.”
Colt shakes his head and tilts it toward Perry. “She’s precious. I adore her. There’s a difference between thinking about your child and putting your life on hold indefinitely. Since your divorce, you’ve become neurotic. Sometimes I wonder if you’re protecting Perry or yourself.”
I look at the ceiling because I don’t have time to deal with this nonsense. My love life isn’t on hold. It’s permanently closed. Can’t he see that I have a child to raise and a company to run?
“Last night, you were being yourself. The normal Colin Bradford I look up to and respect. Not this guy who can’t see himself beyond”—he waves his hands—“whatever it is that you became after you divorced her.”
We’ve never discussed my marriage or the end of it. I was too busy in New York running a company and trying to make a new life. I’m ashamed to confess that while I was with Remi, we never visited my family. Mom and Dad always flew to us. I put so much on hold back then, and now . . . am I putting something else in limbo?
Is he calling me a mess? Probably. And he’s not wrong. I doubt it has anything to do with my ex and a lot to do with me. I am Perry’s only parent, and making up for the absence of her mother is hard. As awful as it is, Remi chose not to be in our daughter's life. I prefer it that way if she was only going to continue treating both of us as she had leading up to the divorce. Like a nuisance and an obstacle in her way of success. It’s best she’s still in New York where she can’t hurt Perry when my little girl is old enough to understand.
There’s nothing wrong with meeting a woman, sleeping with her, and moving on with my life.
I shake my head, not denying his observation but not correcting him either. Perry is almost ready to go, and I’m not discussing my romantic life in front of her. Just because we’re speaking in hushed voices doesn’t mean she can’t hear, and her brain is like a sponge. She absorbs everything around her, and at some point in her life, she might pull that information out and digest it.
“It’s time for us to go.”
“Sure, go on with your life,” he says with annoyance. “If you could see yourself from the outside, you’d be begging yourself to stop being so mechanical. Be a little more mature about what happened with Audrey. There’s nothing wrong with having a friend for a couple of weeks. She’ll leave once she realizes that Winter Valley Bed & Breakfast isn’t for sale.”
“Mechanical?” I ask and laugh. “That’s new. I don’t even want to know what it means. Say thank you to Uncle Colt, Cupcake.”
Perry runs to him and hugs him tight. He hugs her back, and says, “Make sure Daddy takes you to see the unicorn before dinnertime. He promised he will.”
Chapter Eleven
Colin
I hate my brother.
Once we’re outside his place, Perry starts in. “I want to meet the unicorn.”
Telling my daughter there’s no such thing as unicorns is almost as cruel as denying the existence of fairies, Santa, and the Easter Bunny. I have to handle this issue with the truth but without taking away her childhood fantasies.
“He’s talking about a pretend unicorn, Perry.”
She stares at me and blinks twice. “Can I see it?”
“It’s just a lady in a unicorn costume.”
Her mouth opens wide. “Like Santa’s helper, who uses his suit while he’s working?”
“Exactly,” I agree, relieved she’s going to let this whole business go. My kid is really mature for a four-year-old.
She claps her small hands, the sound muffled by her mittens. “I want to see her.”
This is a bad idea.
“Perry, we’re going home,” I say firmly.
“Unicorn,” she says, crossing her arms. “You promised.”
Colt knows what words to use to make things happen. He’s aware that I don’t break promises to Perry. He’s going to pay for this. I’m not sure how yet, but he will.
“She might not be wearing the costume,” I warn.
Perry’s eyes narrow, and for a second, a smidgen of hope lets me breathe effortlessly. She’s going to let this go. She gives a tiny shrug. “Okay, we can meet her without it.”
“We can try another day,” I insist.
“You promised,” she repeats.
I sigh. My options are disappointing my daughter and setting a bad precedent or doing something stupid.
Stupidity wins.
The sun has set. The lampposts and twinkle lights decorating the trees illuminate the town. Perry points at the twinkle lights as we make our way toward the bakery. We count the stars, the trees, and the big candy canes hanging around Main Street. When we arrive at Cookie Cutter Bakery, Becky apologizes because she’s sold out. I guess I can make it up to Audrey if I order some takeout from the taco shop.
It’s getting colder as the minutes pass. My house is closer than the B&B, so I decide to fetch my SUV before we head to visit Audrey.
“We’re just here for a couple of minutes,” I warn Perry as I unbuckle her seat belt. “You say hi, and then we go back home.”
“Okay,” she agrees, giving me a sweet smile.
We make our way into the building, and a delectable aroma of vanilla, chocolate, and what I would guess is ginger welcomes us. Perry and I walk toward the kitchen where the inviting scent of baked goods, home, and warmth is pulling us.
This is a bad idea. What if she doesn't like chicken tacos? What if she’s busy?
When I swing the kitchen door open, I can’t help but smile at the picture in front of me.
Audrey grins from ear to ear as she stares at a table filled with cookies.
“You could open a bakery,” I suggest.
She looks up at me, and her eyes widen. I smile at her appearance. She looks cute with her messy hair powdered with flour, streaks of what I think is red frosting on her cheek, and an apron that has a picture of two buns and reads: hands off my buns.
The corner of my lip stretches slightly upward as I remember touching her buns. Pushing her sweet, round ass closer to me as I thrust inside her. My heart thumps wildly, and I want t
o reach forward and slide a hand around her waist to pull her close to me.
I crave her mouth.
My eyes dart toward her lips. The memory of last night is fresh and warm in my mind, just like the cookies on the table.
Everything comes to a halt when Perry’s voice fills the room. “Are you the unicorn?”
Audrey’s eyes stay glued on my daughter for a few seconds, then move up to me and back to Perry.
“We came to check on you. Colt lost track of time and skipped the cookie service,” I explain poorly and look at the table. “I believe you fixed the issue.” I hold up the brown paper bag from the taco shop a few doors down. “We brought you dinner to make up for the cookies.”
She grins. “Life is better with cookies.”
“Daddy, can I have one?”
Audrey tilts her head to the side, pursing her lips. The seconds pass slowly, and the atmosphere thickens.
What is she thinking? I don’t owe her an explanation, do I?
Why do I feel like I should’ve warned her about Perry? Not warn her but share about my daughter.
It’s not serious, so you don’t owe her anything.
“You can take a couple if your dad agrees.” Audrey breaks the silence. Her voice is neutral, but her face grimaces. “Since no one seems to be in charge, I took the liberty to bake. This could be a part of the fun activities promised in the brochure. You can go home to your . . . family. I’m fine.”
The way she pauses and emphasizes the word family sounds strange. I don’t want to read much into it and add Audrey’s strange tone to my already convoluted brain.
Colt is right.
The old me would’ve seen this differently. This would be a chance to have a good time without worrying about tomorrow.
Without thinking, I grab my opportunity. “Perry and I have our dinner too. Mind if we join you to eat?” I freeze after I blurt my question. Where did that come from?
I said grab an opportunity, not do something stupid. You’re already on the town’s radar.
The gossip tree is going to be talking about us until next spring. I already got a strange look when I ordered more than our usual.
“Yes!” Perry’s voice tells me this idea has more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese.
I internally groan. What have I done? Now I can’t back down from eating with Audrey without having a disappointed girl on my hands.
Audrey shakes her head. “Thank you, but my evening is booked. I’ll be eating my weight in cookies and planning my new career.”
“Though it sounds like a great idea, and you clearly have the cookies to execute it,” I say, glancing at the mess she’s made, “you need to have a good meal.”
“We haven’t officially met.” Audrey approaches us and squats to Perry’s eye level, glossing over my proposal. “I’m Audrey. Who are you, beautiful fairy?”
“Perry,” my girl answers. “Are you a unicorn?”
Audrey looks up at me, and I shrug. “Colt mentioned it, which is why we came to visit. I explained to her that you’re a pretend one. Like the Santa who came to the library last week.”
“I’m an honorary unicorn,” she clarifies. “If I was real, you wouldn’t be able to see me. Real unicorns hide in enchanted forests.”
Perry studies her for a couple of beats. “Can you grant me a wish?”
“Genies grant wishes. Unicorns help magical creatures cross over the rainbow. Santa brings you presents, but sometimes, he grants special wishes too.” Audrey’s explanation blows my mind. How can she produce nonsense that sounds unreal but fascinating for a small child?
Perry smiles at her. “Can I be a unicorn like you?”
“You’re a fairy, and that’s more special,” Audrey assures her.
My sweet girl looks up at me. “I’m special.”
“Indeed, you are, Cupcake.” I bend over and kiss the top of her head. “The most special fairy in the world.”
“Can we eat now?” Perry asks.
“Audrey?” I cock an eyebrow, waiting for her answer and hoping she says yes.
There I go, back to my nonsense.
“I’d be honored to have dinner with a fairy,” she responds, making Perry grin brightly.
“Then we’d better set the table.”
Chapter Twelve
Colin
Perry convinced us to watch a movie on the projector in the parlor of the B&B after dinner. She fell asleep within five minutes with her head on my lap.
“Thank you,” Audrey says quietly. “This was better than eating cookies in my bedroom while googling how to join the circus and where to get acrobat training.”
“Nice choice, but I’ve heard that fire breathing and fire eating professionals earn more. You should look into that,” I joke.
“I’ll add it to my list, right next to fire walking and tightrope walking.” She glances at Perry. “She’s incredible.”
I grin at my little ball of energy. She spent a part of the dinner time drawing with Audrey.
“I appreciate you being patient with her.”
“Are you kidding me? She’s fantastic. I had a blast. This was a nice change of pace.” She pauses and places her hands on her lap. “Mind if I ask where her mom is?”
“We divorced,” I answer tightly.
“Is she in the picture?”
I shake my head. “Motherhood wasn’t for her—or marriage. We split when Perry wasn’t even a year old. The divorce was finalized a year later. I got custody of Perry, and so far, she hasn’t reached out to visit her.” Sometimes, it feels like my failed marriage is a letdown to my little girl. Over many sleepless nights, I’d stayed up wondering if I should’ve tried harder. If Perry needed both of us. But Remi was never there when we were a family. My daughter deserves more than that.
“She’s lucky to have you for a dad.”
I reach out to take her hand without thought. It feels warm and soft and small in mine. It feels right, just as it did when I was soothing her while she spoke to her boss.
What is it about you, Audrey, that makes me lose my mind and behave recklessly?
Not recklessly but out of character.
We go back to watching the movie, but it isn’t long before Audrey falls asleep too. Watching them both relaxed loosens the tight grip on my heart I’ve been carrying for years. Instead of combing through all the thoughts swirling in my head, I wake her as the credits roll.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” I whisper against her hair and breathe in her scent. It’s like flowers, cookies, and home. “We need to go home.”
She opens her big eyes and stares at me, startled. “Did I fall asleep?” She yawns and snaps her mouth shut.
She’s adorable.
Her raspy voice reminds me of this morning when I accidentally woke her up. In a different time, I would’ve taken her home or stayed here with her.
A small voice in my head whispers, what if?
Perry’s presence reminds me there can’t be an if in this lifetime.
“Time for bed,” I mumble.
“Again, thank you for everything,” she says while I try to stand without waking Perry.
Audrey stands and stretches.
“It was my pleasure.” I lean forward and brush my lips along her cheek, touching the corner of her lips but controlling myself. A kiss could lead to a lot more, and we have to stop right here.
When I pull away, her questioning eyes stare at me.
“What?”
She shakes her head and goes upstairs without saying another word.
“I heard you were over at the B&B until eight thirty last night,” Morgan smirks when I step into his office.
“I thought gossip was beyond you,” I mock. See? Town gossip.
My brother’s eyes narrow, and he scratches the side of his jaw, studying me seriously. “What’s happening, Colin?”
“Absolutely nothing,” I respond immediately. “Colt forgot to deliver the cookies, and we dropped by to check on her. She needed to
eat and forget her goal for a couple of hours.”
“And so you generously facilitated the escape,” he says sarcastically.
“Glad we understand each other. Now can I borrow your truck?”
He grunts and tosses me the keys. “I like her.”
Unease settles in my gut. “What does that mean?” I swallow hard. “You want to date her?”
He laughs. “You’re an idiot. Of course, I don’t want to date her. She’s great, funny, and smart. Somehow, she loosens your tight ass when she’s around. I’ve seen glimpses of the old Colin, and that’s what I like the most about her.”
“Stop right there, Morgan,” I say, but it sounds more like a warning.
Audrey Reed is only here for a limited time. The days I’ve spent with her have been good and different. I can’t deny that she’s gorgeous and that every time I see her, I want to kiss her. We don’t have much time left together. As much as I’d like to enjoy it, we can’t.
What if Perry gets attached to her?
I don’t want to even think about what can happen. If it was up to Perry, everyone she knows would live in Winter Valley with her.
“Touchy,” he jokes.
“Morgan, drop it,” I order. This time my voice booms throughout his office. “I understand that you don’t care who you sleep with or what happens afterward. My daughter’s feelings matter a lot. She already has a mother who can’t be bothered to acknowledge her.”
My brother’s face changes from amusement to anger. The good thing about a large family? We give each other a hard time, but our loyalty is deep. “You know I agree with you about your ex. She’s horrible, and we’re all working to ensure that Perry doesn’t miss out on anything from her absence. But is it Perry’s feelings you’re guarding? Or yours?”
Morgan’s voice echoes all morning with the same question. I drive to Aspen to do a final inspection on the site. Then I make my way to St. Churchill where I meet with a potential client. I’m back in Winter Valley by ten. Two hours after I left Morgan’s place his words are still resonating in my head.
Holiday with You Page 6