* * *
Adam wadded up the note Mia had left for him on the kitchen table that morning. She needed time to think, away from him. She had taken Rose with her, but she’d call often and let him know how Rose was doing. She’d be at her grandma Tess’s home for the next few days. He was welcome to come visit her anytime. And please, don’t call the police—she hadn’t kidnapped his daughter.
What the hell. He’d never accuse her of kidnapping. That last part really gutted him through and through. Mia would never allow any harm to come to his daughter. He trusted Mia with Rose and knew he wasn’t equipped to take care of the baby on his own. Not yet. Not like Mia could. He missed the both of them, like crazy.
Adam tossed the note, missing the trash can in his office, and rubbed his temples. He had a headache that wouldn’t let up. How had he thought he’d get any work done today? It was a foolish notion. Mia had called him twice already today with an update about Rose. She’d eaten a good breakfast. She’d pooped her diaper. She’d taken her for a walk around the neighborhood with her grandmother this morning.
“When are you coming home?” Adam had asked.
“I don’t know, Adam,” she’d replied coolly. The aloof tone of her voice worried him.
He knew when she did come home, nothing would be the same.
“Adam, Brandon’s here,” Mary announced at his doorway. “He’s waiting for you downstairs.”
“It’s about damn time,” he said, bounding up from his desk. “Thanks, Mary.”
He strode down the stairs to find Brandon in the living room with a drink in his hand, a whiskey. He’d also had a tumbler of vodka ready for him. “So, Mia’s gone?” Brandon held out the glass to him.
He should refuse the drink. Last night, he’d nearly polished off half a bottle and his head still throbbed. “Just one.” He took it from his brother and nodded. “Yeah, she’s gone.”
“Let’s sit outside, Adam. It’s a cool afternoon. It’ll help clear your head.”
“Is that what I need?”
“Oh, I think so, brother.” He led the way outside, where breezes took away the heat of the day. The sun, lowering on the horizon, cast a brilliant gleam on the water. “I have to say, I was surprised to get your call.”
Adam shrugged. He was surprised he’d called his brother, too. Just went to show how crazy confused he was right now. “We might as well start behaving like brothers.”
“You had no one else to call,” Brandon stated and then sat down on a lounge chair.
Adam chuckled, taking a seat, as well. “Okay, guilty.” He really didn’t confide in anyone about personal matters. Trusting his brother didn’t come easy, but Mia and Rose were important to him and oddly, he believed Brandon could help him sort this out. “You know women, Brandon. And you know me.”
“I’m glad to help, bro. Go on. Tell me what happened with Mia.”
“All of it?”
“Everything. I’m no relationship expert, but I’ve made enough mistakes now that I’ve gotten pretty good at rectifying them. And, yes, I do know women.”
Adam spelled it out for Brandon. Telling him exactly how he’d met Mia on the beach. Explaining Rose’s negative reaction to him and how Mia coming to live with him had been necessary, at least in the beginning. He recounted the past few weeks, up to a point.
“Have you slept with her?” Brandon asked.
“Why does that matter?” Adam shot back.
“Just the fact that you’re asking, means you need more help than I originally thought.”
“Okay, yes. Damn it. We’ve been together, more than once. That’s all you need to know. And I think she had feelings for me.”
“Had?”
“I blew it with her.”
“Yeah, well, going behind her back to search for a nanny might do that.”
“I explained the reason I did that.”
“To me, but you never told Mia your reasons.”
“I never had the chance. I wanted her to calm down so I could explain it rationally to her, but then I made that slip about her family and I was forced to tell her I’d had her investigated.”
“The final nail in the coffin.”
Adam nodded and admitted quietly, “I did it for Rose.”
“I believe you, but you’re going to have a hard time convincing Mia about your intentions, because you won’t open yourself up. She’s been telling you all along that’s what she wants. Why are you holding back? It’s obvious you’re crazy about her.”
“It is?”
“Aren’t you?”
Adam gave it some thought. “With Rose came Mia. I think of them as one. I guess I never realized it before. They were a package deal almost from the beginning.”
“You adore Rose. And Mia. They are a gift. All tied up into a bow for you. So what are you afraid of, Adam?”
Adam rubbed his temples again. The pain in his head pounded with the truth. He’d been plagued by guilt and uncertainty for years, safeguarding his heart so securely, that he’d kept himself away from serious relationships and love. He’d hidden behind his work and his need for privacy. “Mia was right. I’ve been closed off a long time. I don’t know how to let anyone in.”
“You let me in, Adam. Of course it took Mom’s health episode to accomplish that, but I think you’re ready to let Mia in. If she wasn’t important to you, you wouldn’t have called me. And don’t give me that business that you were worried about how to get Rose home without hurting Mia in the process. If you want Rose back, all you have to do is go get her. You have legal rights to her, Adam. But you want more than that. And I’m telling you, don’t wait until it’s too late. The clock is ticking. Go after what you want right now. Tell Mia how you feel. And hurry the hell up.”
“I hate it that you’re right,” Adam said, finishing his drink.
“And I hate it that you’ve got a gorgeous woman and child waiting for you.” Brandon smiled. “I’ve had to live knowing you’d saved my life and there was no damn way for me to reciprocate. At least now I feel I may have helped save yours.”
Adam smiled back. “That makes us even.”
“Get your child and woman back first. Then we’ll be even.”
* * *
The front porch swing moaned as Mia rocked Rose in her arms. The quiet sound lulled the baby to sleep. This house had been her home once, when Grandma Tess had taken all of them in, and now she was back, feeling that same sense of loss, the hurt blistering her up inside. Her grandmother was a rock, a solid, rational, wise woman and Mia needed to be here with her now. She needed the comfort Grandma Tess provided. She always knew the right thing to say. Mia was wounded. She’d begun to trust again. She’d believed in Adam Chase. She’d let go her fears and put her faith in the power of her intense feelings for Adam. He’d sure had her fooled.
Initially she and Adam had spoken about her nanny duties and taking it day by day with no real end in sight. Now that the time had come, Mia couldn’t face leaving Rose in the hands of another...a stranger. No matter what had happened between her and Adam, Mia was prepared to forgive and forget in order to live under Adam’s roof and care for her niece, if he allowed it.
If that meant swallowing her pride, she would do it. She’d return to Moonlight Beach and keep out of Adam’s life the best she could. If she didn’t do that, what kind of life would Rose have? She’d have every material thing she might want—Adam’s wealth could provide that—but what about love? What if Adam couldn’t open himself up to loving his own daughter? What if he held back with her, the same way he’d held back with Mia?
She peered at the slumbering angel in her arms. “Sweet Cheeks, your auntie Mia will not abandon you,” she whispered. “Don’t worry.”
Mia was almost lulled to sleep, too. Gentle breezes reaching this far inland soothed her tired bones until the humming roar of an engine coming down the street reached her ears. She opened her eyes and leaned forward in the swing, watching a Rolls-Royce park in front of the house. The
gorgeous car stuck out on this middle-class street, like a diamond among mere stones.
Adam climbed out of the car, and their eyes met. She wasn’t surprised to see him. She knew he wouldn’t let Rose out of his sight for long, but they’d agreed that he’d call before coming over. Of course, Adam hadn’t abided by that rule.
As he wound around the car and approached, a bouquet of lavender roses in his hand caught her attention. Did he think flowers would solve anything? He reached the porch and set one foot on the first step. “Hello, Mia.”
She gasped inside, her heart racing like crazy.
“Adam.”
He glanced at Rose, love beaming in his eyes. “How long has she been sleeping?”
“Only a few minutes.”
“Is your grandma Tess home?”
“Yes.”
“I would like to meet her.”
“Now?”
“Yes, right now. It’s about time I met her. Don’t get up. Let the baby sleep. I’ll knock and see if she comes to the door.”
He walked past her and gave three light raps to the door.
Adam was full of surprises today. Of course Grandma Tess came to the door, and she graciously greeted Adam, bleeder of her heart, and let him inside.
“What on earth?” Mia muttered.
Rose stirred restlessly, stretching out her arms, and Mia pushed off with her bare feet to start the swing swaying again while she strained to listen to the quiet conversation going on in the house.
She sighed. She couldn’t hear a thing.
A short time later, Adam walked out the door, minus the flowers. “Mind if I sit with you?”
She shrugged and he sat down. “I like your grandmother, Mia. She’s a nice lady.”
They spoke softly to keep from waking the baby.
“You were supposed to call to let me know you were coming.”
“I didn’t want to chance you telling me no.”
Adam pushed a hand through his hair. He breathed deeply and turned to face her. “I’ve missed you, Mia.”
“You miss Rose.”
“I miss both of you.” His eyes narrowed as if he was choosing his words carefully. “You know what I saw when I pulled up to the house just now? I saw my family. You and Rose and me, we’re a family. And it doesn’t scare me anymore to think it, to say it or to feel it.”
“Don’t, Adam. You don’t have to pretend. I’ve already decided for Rose’s sake I’ll come back to Moonlight Beach.”
Adam’s eyes gleamed and he smiled. “Oh, so you’ve decided that you can tolerate me. You’re making the ultimate sacrifice for the baby by being in my presence.”
Had he gone crazy since she’d left him? “Why are you smiling?”
“Because you are so full of it, Mia.” What did Grandma Tess say to him?
“I beg your pardon?”
“You are. And if you just listen to me for one minute, I’ll explain about the nanny.”
“Don’t forget about the investigation. I’d love to hear your excuse for that one.”
“Fine. I’ll tell you everything. I hope that’ll make up for hurting you. Because, sweetheart, the very last thing in the world I want to do is hurt you again.”
He was getting to her. His body nestled next to hers, the tone of his voice and the sincere way he spoke only added to her slow melt. “Start from the beginning, Adam. Leave nothing out.”
As Adam spoke about Lily, his little sister who’d looked up to him, who’d followed him around like a lost puppy, who’d trusted him like no other, Mia bit her lip to keep tears from spilling down her cheeks. His voice broke a few times, recounting that horrible day when the tornado ripped through his town and took Lily with it. He spoke of grief and guilt and heartache. About his relationship with his mother and his brother, about how he’d shouldered the blame and let that come between him and his family. He spoke about Brandon, too, and how they’d finally patched up their differences and about how he’d asked Brandon for advice today, needing his brother now more than he ever had before.
Mia was seeing a side of Adam that he’d never revealed. She could relate to the pain they’d endured as a family, the loss, the heartache. “I’m glad you told me.”
“I want there to be no secrets between us, Mia.” He put his arm on the back of the porch swing and even though he wasn’t touching her, his presence surrounded her and she felt safe and protected.
“About the nanny,” he said. “It was just a thought to make your life easier. I’ve seen how hard you work. You come home looking tired and drained at times. I know how much Rose means to you, and you do it without complaint. But you hold down a full-time position, take care of Rose and your grandmother and have to put up with me. It’s a lot of responsibility. The nanny idea came to me, only as a means to provide you with some backup. Believe me, I was going to run it by you, but then we started getting closer and I didn’t want to ruin what we had going. Being with you two in Texas was wonderful. I’ve never been happier, and I did tell you that.”
“You did,” Mia admitted.
“And then Mom got sick and we had to rush home. The whole thing slipped my mind. Mia,” he said, his arm wrapping around her shoulder. “No one could replace you.” The depth of his voice had her believing him.
A tear trickled down her cheek. “Thanks.”
He went on, “Do you remember how we met?”
“Of course, I cut my foot and bled all over you.”
Adam chuckled. “Not quite. But you came to Moonlight Beach to find out what you could about me, right? Why did you do that?”
“I’ve already told you. I couldn’t just turn Rose over to a stranger. I needed to find out what kind of person you were.”
“Exactly. I regret having you investigated now, but weeks ago when all I knew about you were the lies you’d told me, I needed to know the same thing. You were going to live under my roof and help me raise my daughter. What I did wasn’t too different than what you did. We just had different ways of going about it. We were both trying to protect this little girl.” He pointed to Rose, love shining in his eyes. “Because she’s precious to both of us.”
“Adam, the difference is I would’ve answered all of your questions truthfully. You, on the other hand, went out of your way to evade mine.”
“True. That was the old Adam. I don’t like to talk about myself.”
“You really mean you don’t like letting people know you.”
“You know me now, Mia. You know everything about me. And I’m happy about it. Loving you has changed me.”
Hot tingles rose up from her belly. “What did you just say?”
Adam grinned. “I love you, Mia. At first I thought my feelings were just for Rose, but Brandon, of all people, helped me see what was right in front of me. I’m in love with you, Mia. You and Rose own my heart.”
“We do?”
“Yes, you do.”
Adam leaned over and brushed his lips over hers. She’d never known a sweeter kiss. “Oh, Adam.” Tears spilled down her cheeks freely now. She could hardly believe this was happening. She moved closer to him on the porch swing, and his next kiss wasn’t sweet at all, but soul-searching and magical.
“I love you, Adam Chase. I tried really hard not to.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, sweetheart, and thank God you love me. Must’ve been my mad first aid skills.”
A chuckle burst from her lips. “That was it. That’s why I love you so much I can hardly stand it.” The baby fussed, a little sound of displeasure. “Adam, I think the baby wants her daddy.”
“I’ll take her,” Adam said, and she transferred Rose into his arms. Adam cuddled her close and turned to face Mia. “Before she wakes up and howls, I have a question for you.” A hopeful glint entered his eyes.
“What is it?”
“I’ve asked for your grandmother’s blessing and she’s given it to me.”
Mia took a big swallow at the reverent tone in his voice.
&n
bsp; “I’ve never asked this of another woman. Will you come home to Moonlight Beach and be my wife? You, me and our little Rose, we’re already a family, but I want to make it official because I love both of you with all my heart. I’m asking you to marry me, Mia.”
Mia touched his arm and gazed into his beautiful eyes. She no longer had to hold back her love for him; she let it flow naturally, and it was liberating and wonderful. “Yes, Adam. I’ll marry you.”
“We’ll have a good life, Mia. I promise. I want to take you to Italy. We’ll honeymoon there, the three of us.”
“It’s always been a dream of mine.”
“I know, sweetheart. I want to make your dreams come true.”
Their gazes locked, and warmth seeped into her heart. She loved this man like crazy. He would be a wonderful father and an attentive, loving husband. She had no doubt.
“Uh-oh,” Adam said. “Looks like little sleepyhead is waking up. Do you want her back?”
“No, you hold her, sweetheart.”
“Okay, but she’s not going to like this.”
Rose’s eyes opened, she fidgeted and took a glance around.
Her lips parted and they waited for her complaint.
“Coo, coo.” Precious sounds reached their ears.
She gurgled a few times, and then her chubby hand reached up to touch Adam’s face.
His brows lifted, creasing his forehead. “Would you look at that.”
“I’m looking,” she said, awed. Her little Rose had perfect timing.
The baby peered at her daddy’s handsome face. Her mouth opened and spread wide, revealing a gummy toothless beautiful smile.
Adam’s eyes welled up. “I think I’ve won her over, Mia.”
“Adam Chase, only you can win two female hearts in one day.”
“Our sweet little matchmaker helped make that happen.”
“She’s brilliant, just like her daddy.”
Adam kissed her then, and Mia’s heart swelled. Their baby Rose did have a way about her. She was going to wrap them both around her finger.
And there was no place either of them would rather be.
* * * * *
Adam’s story is not only a BILLIONAIRES AND BABIES novel, but is also part of the MOONLIGHT BEACH BACHELORS trilogy by USA TODAY bestselling author Charlene Sands
The Billionaire's Daddy Test Page 17