Capturing You (Maple Grove Romance Book 1)

by Katana Collins

  She nodded with such exuberance, Lydia was certain the girl was gonna get whiplash.

  “I said a bad word?”

  “Yep,” both Cam and Maddie answered.

  Lydia’s eyes rolled back into her head, replaying the words she just said. After a few moments, Cam offered her the answer. “The ‘C’ word.”

  “Crap?” she said again, this time laughing. “Crap’s not a bad word.”

  “It’s not?” Maddie asked, mischief glistening in her almond eyes.

  “No—” Lydia looked up to find Cam glaring at her. “Oooh—yes! Yes, it is a bad word. I was just… um, making sure you really knew that it was bad. It was a test. You passed.”

  Maddie’s eyes narrowed, but she let the subject drop. Lydia sent an apologetic glance to Cam. Rolling his eyes, he turned his attention back to the sink.

  She flipped the page to the next image and was hit with the most beautiful dark eyes she had ever seen. The tiniest wrinkles from a huge smile framed those coffee bean eyes. Her head was thrown back in laughter and red hair spilled over her back, cascading in long, soft curls. Porcelain skin, fiery hair. The woman in the picture was sitting in Cam’s lap and it looked like he was tickling her, also laughing.

  Lydia stole a quick glance at Cam. He looked almost the same, except for a few lines now etched deeper in his face. She’d seen him smile a couple of times since they’d met—but nothing like this. This was a whole other type of smile. Laughter—pure, unfiltered happiness. They looked like the perfect couple. The quintessential happily ever after.

  Lydia couldn’t remember the last time someone tickled her. Had a guy ever done that to her? Jason never even kissed her unless in an attempt to initiate sex.

  She swallowed, burying her sadness—a sorrow she couldn’t exactly explain. She traced the length of the photograph, the plastic covering crinkling as she reached the middle. Maddie was eagerly awaiting her next critique.

  “And this must be your mother.” Mostly, she saw Cam in Maddie—the dark hair, the olive skin. But those eyes—those wide, brown eyes were all her mother. “She is stunning. And this photograph is stunning. You caught a beautiful moment between your mom and your dad.”

  At the mention of his wife, Cam straightened, dropping his towel and stalked over to the table where the girls sat. Hovering with the same intense hum of an aircraft, he wiped his hands on his jeans. “When did you take this?”

  Lydia met Cam’s electric eyes with hers. “You didn’t know?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve never seen this picture before in my life.” He shifted his attention back to Maddie. “When did you take it?” His voice sounded strained, teetering on the edge of togetherness and anger.

  Maddie shrugged. “A few years ago. When Mom first gave me the camera… you didn’t know I was watching.”

  “Maddie, it’s not nice to take pictures without telling people,” Cam scolded.

  Lydia huffed.

  “Excuse me?” he asked. “Is there something you wish to interject here? In this conversation between a father and his daughter?”

  “Nope,” she responded, pressing her lips together in a firm line. It was an attempt to butt out—admittedly, a not so successful attempt. When she glanced back at Cam and Maddie—both still staring at her—she sighed, her side swept bangs feathering out like a fan. “Well, it’s just, that’s exactly what I do every day. To truly capture someone as naturally as possible, you sort of do have to photograph them when they’re not looking. For better or for worse.”

  “Usually more for worse in your industry, right?” he muttered, glaring at her. Those blue eyes narrowed and a surge of electricity shivered just beneath her skin at the intensity. She quickly turned to Maddie to escape his gaze.

  “This is the absolute best photograph you’ve shown me,” Lydia told her. “It’s stunning. And that’s what documentary photographers do. Of course, they do get permission before starting their project.” She shot Cam a pointed look. “But you’re a fly on the wall. My professor once told me there are two types of photographers—ones who create the scene and ones who find the scene. Your forte is finding the scene.”

  The doorbell rang, and Cam shut the leather portfolio, grabbing his wallet from a back pocket. “That must be the pizza.”

  ‡

  Chapter Six

  Cam could have kissed the pizza delivery boy right on his pimpled nose for interrupting. He thought back to that night in Maddie’s picture—he remembered it well—when Hannah had given Maddie her camera. It was several months before Hannah’s death, and the surgery she’d had six months earlier seemed to be working perfectly. She was healthier than she had felt in years and there was a hope, a shining light in their house, that hadn’t been there in previous months. Maddie had been so excited about her camera, she’d asked to go outside to photograph something before bedtime. Hannah showed her how to load the film and sent her off with a loving pat on the tush. When the door shut, Cam had given Hannah a different kind of pat on the ass, at which point she spun around and hopped into his arms, kissing him. They fell into his favorite recliner, and he tickled her as she squirmed on his lap.

  If he thought really hard, he could almost remember the sound of her laugh, though it was quickly fading from his memory. Every now and then he’d be in the grocery store and get a whiff of her perfume, or some stranger would walk by who smelled just like his wife, and he’d immediately be brought back to their past. He used to spray that damn perfume on her side of the bed just so he could pretend as if she were still sleeping next to him. And he once came home to find Maddie curled up, crying, on some of Hannah’s clothes piled on the floor of their closet. It was soon after that he boxed her stuff up and moved it into the attic.

  He paid the pizza boy and carried the box of half cheese, half pepperoni into the kitchen. The portfolio was nowhere in sight. He plopped the greasy box down in the center of the table. “Grub’s on.”

  “Extra cheese, right?” Maddie asked, a serious look on her face and an index finger pointed at her father.

  “Of course. You think I’d make that mistake again?” He leaned over to Lydia and spoke in an exaggerated whisper. “One time I forget to order the extra cheese and you would’ve thought someone had served pizza with maggots on it.”

  “There was barely any cheese on it,” Maddie argued.

  “There was plenty of cheese. But not enough for my little Mouse.” He sent her a wink and then looked back to Lydia. Her gray eyes studied him with a look that he couldn’t quite read. He flipped open the pizza box and served Maddie a slice.

  Lydia pulled back from the pizza, covering her mouth with a delicate hand. Cam glanced at her from the side as he served Maddie the first slice. “Is there a problem?”

  She shook her head, but her hand stayed cupped around her mouth, thumb resting on the side of her nose. A couple of veins in her neck popped out, straining to… what? Not gag?

  “It’s pizza,” Cam sounded a little more irritated than he meant to. He took a breath and forced his voice to calm. “What could be so awful about pizza?”

  She hesitated, dropping her hand to her lap. “Nothing—er, pizza’s great. Who doesn’t love pizza?”

  Man, this woman was exhausting. He’d always considered himself a pretty mellow guy. Sure he had a temper about the things that mattered. Usually, though, he was not quick to anger… but damn if she didn’t try his patience. He cut her a slice and tossed it onto her plate. A little bit of grease was already pooling at the sides and in the pockets of the pepperoni. Her face twisted in a grimace that she quickly tried to transform into a smile.

  “Could I bother you for some silverware?”

  “Silverware?” Cam repeated. “To eat pizza?”

  “I got it.” Maddie bounced up, grabbing a knife and fork from a drawer and dropping it beside Lydia’s plate.

  Little by little, Lydia picked the cheese off of her pizza, then dabbed the grease off of her pepperoni, carefully arranging it evenly
back on top, sans cheese.

  “Everything okay?” Cam asked again.

  “Everything’s great.”

  Maddie watched them, head bouncing back and forth like she was watching a ping-pong tournament.

  “You don’t sound like everything’s great,” Cam said as he bit into one of his two slices.

  Carefully, Lydia cut her pizza into little bites. “It does look great. It’s just kind of embarrassing. I’m lactose intolerant.”

  Well, damn. Now he just felt guilty. Jumping up, he moved to the fridge, looking inside. “Can I make you something else? A sandwich, maybe?”

  “Really, Cam, I’m fine. I’ll eat the pepperoni and pick the cheese off. I’m pretty used to it.”

  Reluctantly, he sat back down at the table. “You’ll let me know if you’re still hungry, right?”

  “It’s pretty good pizza, I have to say. Even without cheese.”

  “I was getting worried that I’d have to find you some caviar or something to eat, city slicker.” Cam grinned, shooting a wink to Maddie, who was close to finishing her slice. “Tell me, does this mean that you’ve never had a true slice of greasy New York pizza?”

  “’Fraid not,” she said. “There is this vegan place by my apartment which makes a decent soy—”

  “Ewwww!” Cam and Maddie chanted at the same time laughing. “Vegan pizza?” Cam cringed. “Sacrilegious.”

  “No, it’s really good! It’s not as greasy—”

  “But that’s what makes it so good.” Maddie folded her slice over and took a final bite. Sauce and cheese were spread across her cheeks like some sort of messy Rorschach test.

  “Uh-huh.” Lydia’s lip curled, and she grabbed another paper towel, dabbing it over the surface of her pepperoni again.

  Cam watched as Lydia took little nibbles of cheese and crust. Heat flared in his gut as her tongue darted out, catching a bit of tomato sauce on her lips. Casting his eyes down at his own plate, he willed himself to not stare at her. Just because the girl makes cute nibbling sounds when she eats didn’t excuse her from the earlier issues of the day. She certainly hadn’t earned his trust yet. He raised his eyes once more to her and fought the urge to smile. And damn was it hard to stay angry with someone who ate pizza the same way they would quiche.

  She looked up, catching his eye. The air between them was thick as the corners of her lips tugged to her eyes in a nervous smile. She shifted in her seat, dropping the forkful of pizza back on her plate. Lydia worried her lips between her teeth—a habit that was already driving Cam nuts. Why was it that women thought that was sexy? Only—she didn’t look as though she was trying to be alluring. She looked nervous… uncomfortable with their eye contact.

  Heat flared through Cam’s body, leaving a shiver in its wake. His skin grew slick with sweat as he raked his eyes back down to her breasts. Lydia’s shoulders twitched and he couldn’t help but wonder if she had felt the moment too, the same shiver of excitement he just had. If Maddie hadn’t been sitting right next to him, he would have cursed at his own damn reaction.

  “You gotta eat it like this.” Maddie showed her with the remaining crust how she had it folded just perfectly.

  “You’d be surprised how much harder it is to eat like that when there’s no cheese holding the sauce in place. But I’ll try.” She lifted her pizza to her mouth and took a slow, small bite. A glob of sauce slipped off the edge of the lilting crust, falling against her chin and neck, splattering her with tomato sauce.

  She laughed, and the gorgeous sound rained over Cam. Dropping the slice back on her plate, she threw her hands up in playful surrender. There was no use in pretending to be mad at her—she was clearly here to make an effort with his daughter. He finally released the chuckle he’d been suppressing and tossed the paper towels her way.

  “See?” she said through her laughter. “This is why I eat my pizza with a knife and a fork.” Lydia looked over at Maddie, who was laughing so hard, her top lip was curling back above her teeth. It was a laugh that he’d only heard a handful of times over the past year. That sharp reality left a pang in his chest.

  Lydia leaned forward and tickled Maddie, wiping at her face with a paper towel as well. “And you. Look at your face. You’re a mess.” Maddie fell off the chair into Lydia’s arms. Cam watched as this stranger—a woman who he had personally seen react poorly to children in public—cradled his daughter, rocking her back and forth while tickling her.

  Was it possible that he totally read her wrong seven months ago? And this morning?

  Her chestnut brown hair spilled over her shoulders and onto Maddie’s face and neck, getting pizza sauce everywhere. Her blouse wasn’t straight. In that moment with his daughter, she was just about the most beautiful sight of imperfection he’d ever been witness to.

  Maddie was gasping between giggles, desperate for air. The deep belly laughs rumbling the whole house. “Stop!” she cried out in a fit of laughter. “Mom, stop!”

  Lydia froze, and the entire kitchen went still like someone had dumped ice water on them. Maddie scrambled to get back into her chair, face red and flushed. She looked down at her plate, avoiding all eyes.

  Lydia rushed to straighten her clothes. She cleared her throat and went back to dabbing the oil from her pizza.

  “It’s okay, Mouse,” Cam finally said.

  “It’s only because we were just looking at her picture.” She kept her eyes glued to her plate.

  Cam nodded. “I know. It’s an easy mistake to make.”

  Maddie took several steadying breaths. “I need to use the bathroom.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lydia said after Maddie ran out of the kitchen and down the hall. “I didn’t know that would be so emotional for her. I should have, of course…”

  He cleared his throat. “I think she’s just embarrassed. I’ll go check on her if she’s not back in a few minutes.”

  Lydia raised her eyes to meet his; they were large and wet like two rainclouds. Her hair was still rumpled like bedhead and pink lip gloss was smeared from her bottom lip. She had a fleck of pizza sauce on her cheek. His mind immediately went to thoughts of her waking up in his bed looking just like this, sans the pizza sauce. His groin tightened and he shifted in his seat making the necessary adjustments as subtly as he could. “You’re kind of a mess over there, yourself,” he said.

  Lydia immediately moved to smooth her hair and straighten her shirt. Cam shook his head. “You don’t have to tidy yourself for me,” he whispered.

  She froze, meeting his eyes once again. A blush crept over her cheeks. “Who says I was doing it for you?”

  He flicked a glance around the room. “I don’t see anyone else in this kitchen.”

  She raised her chin and swiped away a smear tomato sauce from her neck. “Maybe I’ve got a hot date later?”

  “Well then, in that case, you should leave the pizza sauce between your cleavage. Give him something to snack on.”

  She looked down at her breasts where there was a splatter of sauce. With a sigh, she grabbed another paper towel and after dipping the corner in her glass of water, wiped away the last splatter.

  Cam stared at her, his emotions so twisted, he didn’t know whether he wanted to toss the woman out of his house or run his tongue along her body. His breath hitched in his chest as he wondered what her ass would feel like. Muscular from time in the gym? Soft and smooth?

  She swallowed, her eyebrows creasing in just the slightest way under the scrutiny of his stare. And yet, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. A small smile tickled the edge of his mouth.

  One piece of hair arched above all the rest, curving the opposite way and falling into her face. His fingers twitched, aching to feel the silkiness between his hands. He lifted his arm from his lap, and her eyebrows arched. He raised a bit off his seat. And just as it would have become apparent what he was reaching for, her phone buzzed.

  The vibration echoed through the silence. It was enough to shake Cameron back to reality. She checked
the screen and her face twisted into a grimace.

  “That your date?” Cam teased, his hand retreating, reaching instead for her plate and gathering the dishes.

  She snorted. “Yeah. Right.” Tossing the phone onto the table, she leaned forward, helping him gather the plates.

  Their moment had passed. And thank God for that. The last thing he needed was to seduce—or get seduced by some city girl visiting for only a week.

  ‡

  Chapter Seven

  What the hell could Jason possibly want? It had been six months since their breakup and every so often, he would go through these waves of nonstop calling in an attempt to make amends. She thought she’d been perfectly clear when she said ‘I don’t want to see you anymore,’ but maybe he needed a refresher. Lydia glanced up from her phone to find Cameron no longer staring at her with that sexy ferocity he had just a moment before. He was now at the sink, head down, focusing on cutting grease stains with dish soap.

  Sometime between the intense eye contact and Jason’s phone call, Maddie came back downstairs. After a few more minutes, the little girl covered a jaw-popping yawn with the back of her hand, eyelids getting heavy.

  “Hey, little Mouse… why don’t you go get ready for bed? I’ll be up to tuck you in soon.”

  “Aw, do I have to?” she asked, her mouth settling into a pout.

  He barely glanced up from his dishes. “What do you think? It’s a school night.”

  “But I’m not sleepy.” Maddie crossed her arms defiantly over her chest and slumped back into her chair.

  “No arguing.” With just a slight lift of one eyebrow, he shot her a look that said he meant business. “Now, say goodnight to Ms. Lydia.”

  A light illuminated behind her eyes, and she straightened. “Could Lydia tuck me in tonight?”

  “Maddie, I think Lydia has more important things to do.”