“If you want, but I should warn you—the whole bathroom can become a splash zone.”
“I won’t melt,” she assured him.
As Cassie followed Braden up the stairs, she saw that the monochromatic color scheme continued on the upper level. His house was beautiful but incredibly bland and she wondered why he hadn’t made any changes to the decor since his wife’s death. Of course, the little girl in his arms was probably the answer to that question—no doubt Saige kept him so busy that painting was the last thing on his mind. But she couldn’t help but think his daughter would benefit from a little color being added to her surroundings.
So she was pleasantly surprised to see that Saige’s bedroom was beautiful and colorful. The room was divided horizontally by white chair rail, with the lower part of the walls painted a rich amethyst color and the upper part done in pale turquoise. On the wall behind Saige’s crib, her name had been painted in dark purple script with the dot above the i replaced by a butterfly. A kaleidoscope of butterflies in various shapes and sizes flew across the other three walls so that the overall effect was colorful and fun and perfect for a little girl.
“This is amazing,” Cassie said, as she traced the outline of a butterfly and realized it wasn’t a decal but hand-painted.
“My cousin, Jordyn, helped decorate in here.”
“She’s incredibly talented,” she noted. “Of course, she is Jay Addison, the illustrator of graphic novels.”
“How did—” He shook his head, realizing the answer even before he’d finished asking the question. “My mother.”
Cassie nodded. “She was at the library when I was unpacking the latest installment of A. K. Channing’s series.”
“Apparently she spends a lot more time at the library than I ever realized.”
“Some people golf, others knit, your mother likes to read.” She noted the bookshelf above the little girl’s dresser. “And she’s obviously passed her love of books on to her granddaughter.”
“Saige never goes to sleep without a story,” he admitted.
“Wee?” his daughter echoed hopefully.
“After your bath.”
Which turned out to involve a lot of plastic toys and plenty of splashing, resulting in a more exhausting and time-consuming process than Cassie had anticipated. When Saige was finally clean and dry and dressed for bed, Braden asked Cassie if she could keep an eye on the baby while he cleaned up the bathroom. She happily agreed.
“P’ay?” Saige said hopefully.
“No play,” her father said firmly. “It’s bedtime.”
“Wee?”
“Yes, Daddy will read you a story in a little bit,” he promised. “Why don’t you let Cassie help you pick out a book?”
His daughter took Cassie’s hand and led her across the room to the bookshelf. Apparently she knew what story she wanted, because as soon as Cassie lifted her up, she grabbed Goodnight Moon and hugged the book to her chest.
“Kee,” Saige said.
“Hmm...you’re going to have to help me with that one,” Cassie said. At the Book & Bake Sale, the little girl had said “kee” when she wanted a cookie, but Cassie didn’t think that was what she wanted now.
“Kee,” she said again, stretching out her free hand toward her bed.
“Ahh, monkey,” Cassie realized, plucking the toy out of the crib.
Saige took the monkey from her and hugged it to her chest, too.
“All set now?”
The little girl nodded, even as her mouth opened wide in a yawn.
Cassie carried her to the rocking chair by the window and sat down with the baby in her lap.
Saige looked toward the door. “Da-da?”
“He’ll be finished up in a minute—after he wipes up all the water you splashed on the bathroom floor,” Cassie guessed.
Saige responded by snuggling in to her embrace, the back of her head dropping against Cassie’s shoulder. She lifted a fist—the one still clutching the sock monkey—to rub her eye.
“You’re a sleepy girl, aren’t you?”
Saige’s only response was another yawn.
“Do you want me to read your story or are you waiting for Daddy?”
“Wee,” Saige replied, offering her the book.
So Cassie took it from her hand and opened the cover. She began to read, not needing to look at the page to recite the words of the classic story she’d read aloud at the library more times than she could count.
And although it wasn’t a long story, Saige’s eyelids had drifted shut before the little bunny had wished good night to half of the objects in the great green room. But Cassie read all the way to the last page before setting the book aside. Still, the baby didn’t stir.
Cassie continued to sit with her, the weight of the little girl in her arms filling her heart and reminding her of the dreams she’d tried to put aside. Dreams that had teased and tempted for many years but so far remained unfulfilled.
Tonight, Braden had given her a glimpse of the life she’d always imagined in her future. A home, a husband, a family. It wasn’t so much—and yet it was everything she’d always wanted. And being with Braden and Saige, she was tempted to let herself dream again. To believe that she might one day be part of a family again, maybe even this family.
Of course, she was getting way ahead of herself. She hadn’t known Braden very long and didn’t know him very well, and it would be foolish to hope that one night could lead to a lifetime together.
You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep rereading the last one.
Great—not only was Megan quoting words of wisdom from Pinterest, now those words were echoing in the back of Cassie’s head.
Maybe it was clichéd advice—and maybe it was true. Maybe it was her own past experiences that were preventing her from moving forward with her life. And maybe, if she let herself open her heart, she might discover that Braden and Saige weren’t just characters in her next chapter but in every chapter of the rest of her life.
* * *
It didn’t take Braden long to wipe out the tub and dry off Saige’s toys, but when he made his way across the hall after completing those tasks, his daughter was already asleep. And in that moment, looking at Saige snuggled contentedly in Cassie’s arms, he knew: she was the one.
Cassie was the perfect mother for his little girl—the mother that Saige deserved.
Now he only had to convince her of that fact.
He didn’t think it would be too difficult. Cassie had admitted that she wanted to be a wife and a mother and, coincidentally, he needed a wife and a mother for his daughter. It was, from his perspective, a win-win.
The fact that he didn’t—wouldn’t—love her, didn’t have to be a barrier to a future for them together. He could be a good husband—affectionate and faithful—without opening up his heart. And he would do everything in his power to make Cassie happy, to show her how much he appreciated her presence in their lives.
“I think you have the touch,” he said, speaking quietly from the doorway.
“It doesn’t require any special magic to get an exhausted child to sleep,” Cassie pointed out.
“If you were ever here at two a.m., you’d know that’s not true,” he commented dryly.
“She doesn’t sleep through the night yet?”
“Most nights she does,” he acknowledged. “But lately she’s decided that two a.m. is playtime. She doesn’t wake up because she’s wet or hungry, she just wants to play. And then, after being up for half the night, she has a three-hour nap at my mother’s house.”
“Fiona, one of the moms in Toddler Time, went through something like that with her little guy,” Cassie told him. “He would sleep at day care but not at home. According to her pediatrician, it’s not uncommon with babies
who want to spend time with their working parents.”
“Well, giving up my job isn’t really an option,” he noted. “And my mom’s trying to break her of the habit by limiting her naptime during the day.”
“That might be why she fell asleep so easily tonight,” Cassie noted.
“Or maybe you tired her out, making her chase all of those trains around the track.”
“You’re giving me too much credit,” she told him.
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve seen you with the kids at the library—from babies to teens,” he reminded her. “You have an instinctive ability to empathize and relate to all of them.”
“I love working with kids.”
“Did that broken engagement destroy all hope of having your own?”
“No,” she denied. “But I would like to have a husband before the kids and, so far, that hasn’t worked out.”
“Well, maybe you’ll luck out someday and meet a fabulous guy who already has a child,” he suggested. “Perhaps an adorable little girl.”
“That would be lucky,” Cassie said lightly.
“Or maybe you’ve already met him.”
“Maybe I have,” she acknowledged. “And maybe I specifically recall the fabulous guy with the adorable little girl warning me not to fall for him.”
He leaned down to lift his sleeping daughter from her arms and touch his lips to Cassie’s. “But that was before he started falling for you.”
He tucked Saige into her crib, ensuring that her sock monkey was beside her, then he took Cassie’s hand and led her back downstairs.
“Why don’t you sit down by the fire?” he suggested. “I’ll be there in just a sec.”
She went into the living room, but when he returned with their glasses and the rest of the bottle of wine, he saw that she was standing by the fireplace, looking at the photographs lined up on the mantel. Several were of Saige, the rest were various other members of his family.
She set down the picture in her hand—a candid shot taken at Lauryn and Ryder’s wedding—and accepted the wine he offered.
“It was big news when they got married,” she commented. “A daughter of Charisma’s most famous family stealing the heart of America’s hottest handyman.”
He nodded. “But not quite as big as when my brother Ryan married Harper, daughter of soap actor Peter Ross. We had actual paparazzi in town to cover that event.”
“It really is a small world, isn’t it?” she mused. “The first time I ever saw Ryder Wallace was on Coffee Time with Caroline, which was produced by your sister-in-law, and now he’s married to your cousin.”
“And his sister is married to my brother Justin.”
“Apparently it’s even smaller than I realized.”
“Especially if you’re a Garrett,” Braden remarked. “I swear, I can’t move in this town without bumping into someone I’m related to. And it will only get worse when Ryan and Harper move back from Florida and Lauryn and Ryder return from Georgia.”
“But you don’t really mind,” Cassie guessed. “I can tell by all these photos—and your mother’s stories—that your family is close.”
“We are,” he agreed. “As much as they drive me crazy at times, I don’t know what I would do without them.”
“I miss that,” she admitted.
“Being driven crazy?”
She smiled as she shook her head. “Being part of a family.”
“A Day with the Garrett Clan might cure you of that,” he suggested. And if she didn’t run screaming, that would be his cue to take the next step.
“A Day with the Garrett Clan sounds like an event you’d sell tickets to,” she teased.
“Maybe I’ll suggest that in advance of the next family gathering, but this one is an informal welcome home barbecue at my parents’ place on Sunday for Ryan, Harper and Oliver. You should come.”
“If the whole family is going to be there, I’m sure your parents won’t want extra people underfoot.”
“Are you kidding? My mother is happiest in complete chaos—and I know she’d be thrilled to see you there.”
“Aren’t you worried that she might make a big deal out of me being there with you?” she asked cautiously.
He grinned. “Everyone will make a big deal out of you being there with me.”
“Are you trying to talk me into or out of going to this barbecue?”
“Into,” he assured her. “I very much want you there with me. I want you to meet my family and I want them to meet you.”
Still, she hesitated. “I just think it might be too soon.”
“Why?”
“Because I have a really lousy track record with relationships,” she admitted.
“Most people go through a few failed relationships before they figure out how to make it work—or even realize that they want to.” He slid his arms around her, drawing her closer. “We can make this work, Cassie.”
“Do you really think so—or are you just saying that to get me into bed again?”
“If I wanted to get you into bed again, I wouldn’t waste my breath on words,” he said.
“What would—” She shook her head. “Forget it. I don’t want to know.”
He dipped his head, but paused with his lips hovering just a fraction of an inch above hers. “I think you do want to know. And I think you really want me to kiss you.”
She responded by lifting her chin to breach the scant distance and press her mouth to his.
He believed what he’d said to her—that they could make a relationship work—and the powerful chemistry between them was only one of the many reasons. And when she was in his arms, it was an unassailable reason.
He knew a relationship required more than physical attraction. Passion was the icing on the cake rather than the base layer, more decorative than essential. But it was also able to transform something good into something spectacular. And making love with Cassie was spectacular.
He liked who she was and everything about her. She was warm and kind and compassionate, beautiful and smart and funny. He enjoyed spending time with her, talking to her and making love with her—but he wasn’t going to fall in love with her.
It wasn’t just that he was unwilling to risk heartbreak again—it was that he didn’t have anything left in his heart to give to anyone else. The failure of his marriage—and the sense that he had failed the woman he’d vowed to love, honor and cherish—had undoubtedly broken a piece of his heart. But only a piece, because the rest was filled with the pure love he felt for Saige, and he didn’t want or need anything more than that.
But his daughter did, and he owed it to Saige to give her the life that her birth mother wanted for her. A real family. A whole family. He didn’t believe Lindsay would ever be able to take Saige away—and hopefully, after their conversation today, she wouldn’t even try—but he did agree that his little girl needed a mother. And he couldn’t imagine a woman who would be more perfect for the role than the one he was kissing right now.
They were both breathless when she finally eased away from him. He lifted a finger to her chin, tilting her head back so that he could look into her beautiful dark eyes. “Will you stay with me tonight?” he asked.
“For a while,” she agreed.
“That’s a start,” he said, and led her down the hall.
Chapter Fourteen
Cassie was in way over her head.
She knew it, and she didn’t care. When she was with Braden, when his hands were on her body, it was difficult to care about anything but how good he made her feel. And he instinctively knew how to make her feel really good.
She’d never had a lover who was so closely attuned to the wants and needs of her body, but Braden was nothing if not attentive. He used her sighs and
gasps and moans to guide his exploration of her body, and his own lips and his hands to lead her slowly and inexorably toward the ultimate pinnacle of pleasure.
She followed not just willingly but eagerly, their discarded clothing marking the path to his bedroom. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that they were venturing into dangerous territory—but she didn’t care. Her body already knew him and wanted him and her heart refused to heed the warnings of her mind.
His hands stroked down her back, over the curve of her bottom, drawing her closer. She touched her mouth to his chest, and let her tongue dart out to taste his skin. He tasted good. Hot. Salty. Sexy. She skimmed her lips down his breastbone, then flicked her tongue over his nipple, eliciting a low growl of approval. She reached down between their bodies as her mouth moved to his other nipple, and wrapped her hand around the rigid length of him. She felt him jerk against her palm, and was pleased to know that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
She started to move lower, her mouth trailing kisses down his belly, but he caught her arms and hauled her up again, his tongue sliding deep into her mouth in a kiss that was so hot and hungry it made her head spin and her knees tremble.
She tumbled onto the mattress, dragging Braden down with her. He pulled away only long enough to sheathe himself with a condom, then he parted her thighs and thrust into her. She gasped with pleasure, instinctively tilting her hips so that they were joined as deeply and completely as possibly.
He filled all her senses. She could see nothing but the intensity of his deep green eyes locked with her own; hear nothing but the roar of blood through her veins; taste nothing but the sweetest passion when his mouth covered hers again; feel nothing but the most exquisite bliss as their bodies merged and mated and...finally...leaped over the precipice together.
* * *
She was still waiting for her heart to stop racing when she heard a soft sound somewhere in the distance. While she was attempting to decipher what it was and from where it had come, Braden was already sliding out from beneath the covers that he’d yanked up over their naked bodies sometime after they’d collapsed together.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, brushing a quick kiss over her lips, having shifted gears from lover to father in the blink of an eye.
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