The Surprise Holiday Dad

by Jacqueline Diamond

  Glorious waves rolled through Adrienne. Never before had she been lifted to such heights. Wade’s fierce thrusts melted the last of her resistance, and she soared. With him, beyond him.

  Never end. Never end. Never end.

  But when it did, her body eased into shining mellowness. Blissfully, Adrienne nestled against Wade’s shoulder as he pulled the covers over them.

  * * *

  HE’D NEVER BEEN in love, although he’d mistaken infatuation for love once, fleetingly. Waking in the early-morning light, Wade recognized how little he’d understood.

  When you loved someone, you cared as much for her happiness as for your own. You shared a private world, and you almost didn’t mind that you’d have to be parted occasionally, because you’d always come home to her again. You didn’t have to erect walls to protect your heart, because she was on the inside with you.

  One thing aroused his curiosity. When he’d mentioned protection, Adrienne had stiffened. Was she keen on having children right away? He wouldn’t mind, except that pregnancy could be hard on a woman. But to bring another child into the world, well, how fantastic.

  The clock read 5:22 a.m. Too bad his body didn’t automatically adjust to a Sunday schedule, Wade mused. Unwilling to get up, he leaned over the side of the bed and took his cell phone from his pocket. He’d been meaning to order an instructional guitar DVD for Reg. Might as well do that now.

  Soon he was quietly surfing the web.

  * * *

  ADRIENNE AWOKE IN the gray morning light. There should be sunshine to match her mood, winter or not. Stretching contentedly, she peered up at Wade, who sat absorbed in a tiny illuminated screen.

  Typical male, she thought indulgently. “Morning,” she said.

  “Back at ya,” he teased.

  A quick check assured her that they’d closed and locked the door last night. Any minute Reg might come bounding down the hall.

  Sitting up, Adrienne glanced at Wade’s phone. Abruptly, the air in the room chilled. Why was he studying a website about baby clothes and nursery furnishings?

  “What...” Her throat closed, and she had to swallow before continuing. “What’s that about?” Please tell me you’re buying a present for Cole and Stacy.

  Warmth suffused his face. “I have to admit, you’ve opened a new world to me. I never thought past having my son, but now...”

  “You want a baby.” She struggled to keep her tone even.

  “Only if...” He left the sentence unfinished. “Hey, no hurry. I don’t mean to rush things, but I’ve changed these past few months.” Setting the phone aside, he shifted toward her. “With you, with Reg, I’ve learned a lot about myself and that I really love being a father. Thinking about what you do at work, what your friends are experiencing, that would mean the world to me.” He reached out and stroked her abdomen.

  He couldn’t have hurt her more if he’d slapped her. Tell him now, Adrienne thought.

  The pain ran too deep. She’d finally opened up to a man, grown to love and trust him, only to learn that she’d made a terrible blunder. And it wasn’t even his fault.

  I should have been honest sooner. But she’d never meant to let their relationship develop this far.

  She moved away. “Wade, I’m sorry.”

  “For what?” He studied her uncertainly.

  “Last night...” She hurried on, afraid to stop because she might lose her nerve. “It was a mistake.”

  His eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

  “Not entirely a mistake.” Adrienne hoped she sounded more coherent to him than to herself. “We’re compatible physically. That’s obvious. The thing is, we share so much, from our backgrounds to our devotion to Reggie, that...we shouldn’t confuse that with love. With building a future.”

  Anger flared on his face, as if he’d been stabbed in the back. Which, she supposed, he had been. “You can’t mean that.”

  “I do.” Liar, liar.

  “Why are you saying this?” He shook his head. “Granted, I don’t know much about women, but I’d have sworn—”

  “Please accept my decision.”

  “What decision?” he demanded. “You’re tearing us apart for no reason just when we’re coming together. Sharing a house, sharing a bed.”

  Feeling her back to the wall, she instinctively fought harder. “Did you miss the part about our living arrangement being temporary?”

  “You’re throwing me out?” Wade asked in disbelief. “Adrienne, we need to talk about this.”

  “I can’t.” Her throat constricted. She hadn’t intended to make him leave, but every instinct commanded that she protect herself. The longer she waited, the greater the devastation.

  “Have you thought how this will affect Reggie?” he demanded. “Let’s give it a chance.”

  “I have a right to say no.” She swallowed. “You should respect that.”

  “But...”

  In the hallway, she heard Reggie’s footsteps. “We can’t let him find us like this. It will make everything worse.”

  His jaw tight, Wade swung out of bed and grabbed his clothes. He disappeared into the bathroom.

  The doorknob rattled and held. “Aunt Addie? Why’d you lock the door?”

  Adrienne’s chest hurt. It took all her self-control to rise, pull on a robe from a chair and hurry to the door.

  She gazed down at her nephew’s sweet little face, bright with morning enthusiasm. “Guess I pressed the lock by accident.”

  He accepted the excuse without question. “I’m hungry.”

  “Let’s fix breakfast.” Swinging the door shut behind her, she steered her nephew toward the stairs.

  * * *

  WADE REPLAYED THE conversation in his mind as he showered in the hall bathroom, where he’d scooted as soon as he heard their voices safely downstairs. He still didn’t understand what had happened. Adrienne’s rejection was beyond comprehension. He’d trusted her. Loved her. And assumed she felt the same.

  He must have projected his emotions onto her. Misread her completely. Now he mistrusted all his reactions where she was concerned.

  One thing was clear, Wade decided as he switched off the water. As much as he hated being separated from his son, Adrienne had a right to make him leave her house. He’d have to work extra hard so Reg wouldn’t feel abandoned.

  If that was possible.

  * * *

  WHEN WADE ENTERED the kitchen, Adrienne had no idea what to expect. Anger, most likely, yet he appeared cool, guarded and in control. Also utterly desirable, a sweatshirt defining his chest and jeans hugging his lean hips.

  If only he would meet her gaze, but he didn’t.

  “Hi, Dad!” Reggie waved a spoon, sending milk droplets across the table. Adrienne mopped them with her napkin. Normally she’d have pointed out his carelessness, but she didn’t trust herself to speak.

  “Hey, sport.” At the counter, Wade filled a bowl with cereal. “Listen, remember that suite we looked at?”

  “Sweet?” Reg repeated.

  “Like an apartment.” At the table, his father poured milk into the bowl, avoiding Adrienne’s gaze.

  “Uh-huh.” The little boy sounded puzzled.

  “Well, they called and they have a unit ready for me.” Wade’s smile lasted barely a millisecond. “I have to move in today or they’ll give it to somebody else.”

  The motel hadn’t called, Adrienne thought miserably. Wade had phoned them. But she had no doubt the rest was true. And it was her fault.

  “It’s the holidays!” Reg protested.

  “Here’s how I calculate it,” Wade continued. “I’ll be moving there today. Tomorrow night—that’s Monday—you can sleep over with me and give Aunt Addie a break. Tuesday’s Christmas Eve, and she has the n
ight off, so you guys can celebrate together. The next afternoon, I’ll pick you up after lunch and we’ll open presents at my new place.”

  Under the table, Adrienne clenched her fists. She hated this, his leaving. Yet she’d brought it on herself.

  “I want to spend Christmas with my family,” Reg argued. “My whole family. Dad, don’t go.”

  Anguish etched lines into Wade’s face. She was hurting him and hurting Reggie, Adrienne saw. But blurting out the truth was hardly a solution. At this point it might make things worse.

  At least he’d offered a workable plan. And he hadn’t used his ultimate threat. He could still most likely prevail in court and take her little boy from her.

  She trusted him to rise above that. But the possibility terrified her.

  “Reg, my staying here was always meant to be temporary,” Wade told him. “Just until I found a place where you could stay overnight. The timing’s lousy, but we’ll all adjust. I’ll be right here in town, and we’ll see each other on Saturdays and...other days.”

  “No!” Tears ran down Reggie’s cheeks. When Adrienne reached for him, he shrugged her off. “I want both my parents!”

  “And you’ll have us.” Wade’s chest rose and fell heavily. “Just not together.”

  “You’re ruining Christmas.” His face crumpling, the little boy ran past his father. Adrienne heard him thump up to his room.

  Shaken, she turned to Wade. “I’m sorry that he’s blaming you.”

  He lifted the spoon to shovel cereal into his mouth and then set it down still full. “I’m honoring your request.”

  “Maybe...” She wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence.

  Wade looked straight at her, finally. “Let’s not fight. Let’s not unload on each other the way my parents used to do. I’m not sure about yours.”

  Adrienne nodded. Her parents had staged their share of wrenching battles.

  “Let’s get through the holidays as best as we can and keep things friendly for Reggie’s sake,” he went on. “It’s lucky my father and grandfather weren’t expecting any festivities.”

  “Once Reg gets used to the idea of you living nearby, he’ll be fine.” She hoped that was true.

  “He needs us both,” came his taut response.

  “Then we’ll make sure he has us both.”

  Without further conversation, Wade dumped his cereal in the trash and went out.

  How could she have gone so quickly from utter happiness to heartbreak? Adrienne wondered. And how had she managed to wreck the holidays for everyone?

  She’d figure something out, she told herself as she rose to clear the table. Somehow, she always did.

  Chapter Sixteen

  If Renée Green was trying to drive Wade crazy, she couldn’t have done a better job of arranging her activities the afternoon and evening before Christmas.

  He’d have preferred to postpone further surveillance for a few days, but Bruce refused to hear of it. After receiving Wade’s preliminary report finding nothing suspicious, the old man had wielded his sarcastic tongue with a vengeance. Wade’s detective skills must be severely lacking, he’d snarled, since Renée’s behavior had become increasingly erratic and contradictory.

  According to Bruce, sometimes she accepted his calls or returned them promptly, and other times he heard nothing for hours. She’d sweetly promised to cook a big brunch tomorrow but refused to spend Christmas Eve with him, giving no reason.

  If this were simply a personal matter for Wade, he’d have told his grandfather to stop pestering the woman. Either she was planning a surprise—unlikely, given that Bruce hated surprises and Renée hadn’t shown any interest in party stores, fancy restaurants or other entertainment venues—or she was ill suited to be dating such a rigid guy.

  However, Wade had a job to do. And he was trying his best.

  He logged nearly an hour outside the Sexy Over Sixty Gym directly downstairs from his own agency. He parked behind a large RV and was grateful he didn’t get spotted by any colleagues.

  Then he put in two hours outside the Oahu Lane Shelter, which was holding a pet-adoption event. Wearing a blue volunteer’s uniform, Renée occasionally appeared in the front to greet arrivals and hand out flyers. While Wade admired her kindness and was glad to see animals finding new homes, did two dogs have to mark his tires as they passed?

  Renée’s next stop proved even trickier: Lock’s house on the east side of town. Spending the evening with her son, grandson and daughter-in-law meant she was probably not up to anything questionable. Nevertheless, stung by his grandfather’s insults, Wade resolved to keep an eye on the place. After all, she might spend half an hour here and then head elsewhere.

  Just his bad luck—the only free parking space on the block was directly in front. And if Lock glimpsed Wade, there’d be awkward explanations that might breach confidentiality. Already stiff from his afternoon’s work and growing hungry after finishing the last of the snacks he’d brought, Wade sank down in his seat.

  Well, what else did you have to do tonight?

  Two days ago he’d moved into his new digs and done his best to spruce up the place, literally, with a small pine tree. Even though he’d strung lights and baubles and placed a couple wrapped presents underneath, the display reminded him of some feeble office attempt at holiday decor.

  During their Monday-night sleepover, Reggie’s attempts to act cheerful failed to reassure Wade, because whenever the boy believed himself unobserved, he drooped like a wilting poinsettia. They attended a new animated film, chuckling occasionally while the families around them roared with laughter.

  Camping out in Wade’s living room in sleeping bags was fun, but Reg retreated into moodiness on the early-morning drive home. Home. When Wade delivered his son to Adrienne’s cream-and-blue house, its broad porch and array of flowers struck him as paradise lost.

  He carted his son’s possessions to the front and then moved to the sidewalk until the door opened. Her blond hair and flowing robe haloed by the light, Adrienne reminded him of a dream. Standing there, she gazed at him longingly. Or maybe that was pity he saw in her eyes.

  He still didn’t understand how he’d misjudged her so completely. Or, if he hadn’t, what he’d done wrong.

  Refusing to torment himself or her, he’d spun around and returned to the car.

  They needed to clear the air. Perhaps tomorrow, Christmas Day, when he picked up Reggie after lunch as they’d arranged. Or, better, at a time when the little boy wasn’t present.

  For Reg’s sake, they had to continue as co-parents. But this pain inside Wade, this ache in his heart, wasn’t going to vanish overnight. While it went against the grain to open himself up to more hurt, for Reggie’s sake—and his own—he meant to give her another chance to explain.

  A sharp rap on the side window snapped him into the present. Caught napping. Damn.

  The face glaring at him through the glass belonged to Renée Green. With a sigh, Wade rolled down the window.

  “I don’t know who the hell you are,” Renée snapped. “But I know what you are. You’re a private detective and Bruce hired you, right?”

  No use arguing. “That’s right.”

  “You’d better show some ID or I’m calling the police.”

  Why wasn’t she calling her son, whom Wade had glimpsed earlier inside the house? Keeping her private life to herself, he supposed. “Yes, ma’am.” He dug in his pocket for his license and handed it to her. “It’s not safe standing in the street, Mrs. Green.”

  She glanced around. “There’s no traffic, and I don’t want my son to see me. I’d rather he didn’t know what a controlling jerk I’ve been dating.”

  That seemed a fair assessment of Bruce, Wade thought. “Then may I ask why you’re dating him?”

  Startled, she scowled
at him. “I don’t see that that’s any of your business.” Angling the license in the dim light, she studied the name. “Wade Hunter. You’re his grandson?”

  “Guilty as charged,” he said.

  “You work for my son.”

  He nodded.

  Her eyes narrowed. “Does Lock know about this?”

  “No.” Wade wrestled with how much to disclose and decided the matter had been taken out of his hands. “My grandfather specified that only Mike and I were to be informed.”

  “Bruce hired his old agency.” She released a “huh” noise. “That, I didn’t expect.”

  Wade wished she’d move out of the street. Drunk drivers were especially a threat on holidays, even in quiet residential neighborhoods. Also, she’d begun shivering. “Mrs. Green, why don’t you get in the car so we can talk?”

  “And so you can roll up your window and stay warm,” she retorted.

  “That, too,” he responded mildly.

  With only a brief hesitation, she stomped around the front of the car. Wade cleared his papers and camera off the passenger seat and stuck them in back.

  She folded her sturdy frame into the right front side of the sports coupe. The scent of apple cider and cinnamon drifted from her. “Cramped, isn’t it?” she grumbled.

  “Sorry about that.” Now, how could they deal with this business? “I’d appreciate if you’d clue me in as to why you’re dodging Bruce. I have to fill out a report and my client isn’t going to be pleased if I come back empty-handed.”

  “He’s your grandfather. He’ll forgive you.”

  Hoping he didn’t look as uncomfortable as he felt stuffed in here with this angry woman, Wade said, “That doesn’t mean he cuts me any slack.”

  “I should have figured that.” A streetlight played over the silver glints in her brown hair. “Bruce has plenty of redeeming qualities. He can be amusing and tender. But I refuse to account to him for every moment of my day.”

  “Why not tell him that?”

  “I’ve tried. He says he understands, and then he keeps calling.” She clenched her hands in her lap. “I figured when I refused to cooperate, he’d get the message.”