He smiled, and the living room seemed brighter. Deep inside, Mercy knew he wasn't a bad man. He just needed a refresher course on how to be normal. Then again, how normal could a man be when he had women throwing themselves at him at every turn?
He rose and walked toward the door. "See you later, Maddie."
She lifted her head and gave him an uninterested wave. But she seemed happy, and kids generally knew what they wanted, and right now, Maddie wanted a purple dog. At least I won't be missed.
Mercy followed Alex out the door. "What time will you be back to get her?"
He swung around to face her. "What? Now you're my wife?"
"In your dreams, buddy. I just need to know if I should feed her."
He flushed a heated pink. "That would be great. I don't know when we'll finish recording. We're trying to complete an album so we can take the rest of the summer off."
"Good luck." She started for the door but stopped. There was a question that had been bothering her since that day in the bakery. "Hold up." She jogged to where he stood and took in his short haircut. "What's with the hair?"
He ran his hand over the short cut. "I thought it would help me blend in."
She laughed. "Keep thinking that." He would never blend in. There was something about Alex that screamed, "Look at me." She didn't know if it was his hazel eyes that switched from being bluer to more green depending on his mood or the build of a man who looked like he cut wood instead of beating sticks. It could be the smile that no doubt had melted off many pairs of panties from adoring fans. All of those things mixed with a hint of vulnerability made him stand out in a crowd.
Could it already be eight? She looked at the clock once more. After a full day of arts and crafts, a walk, and eating, they were exhausted. Maddie had fallen asleep with a Dr. Seuss book in her hands. Alex was right, she was behind, but she was smart, and it wouldn't take any time for her to get up to speed.
Come fall, she'd be ready for kindergarten. It wasn't hard to teach a willing student because lessons were all around them. There were colors in the garden and along the walk. Seeing wild animals was an ideal opportunity to teach her about them and nature.
She covered Maddie with a blanket and beamed down on the beautiful little girl who frequently gifted her with a smile despite her eyes staying sad. Maddie was a survivor, but Mercy wanted to make her a thriver.
A soft tap sounded at the door, and she went to let Alex in.
The scruff on his chin had thickened in the hours since she'd seen him.
"It's after eight."
"And?"
She leaned in and sniffed him to see if he smelled of alcohol, but he didn't.
"She needs a schedule. Routine is important to kids," she said in a soft tone that wouldn't wake Maddie.
"She isn't going to get that with me. I play until the gig is done."
"That's not going to work now that you have a child." She hoped the sternness of her voice pressed past the whisper.
"We don't even know if she's mine."
She tucked her hands behind her back and clasped them tightly. It was all she could do not to slap some sense into this man.
"Regardless of who created her, she's yours for now, and that means you need to step up and do what's right for her. You can figure you out later."
"She's got what she needs."
"Hardly, when you bring her here, she needs a change of clothes, a toothbrush, a hairbrush, a favorite toy."
"I'm sorry I was unprepared. We left her bear on the couch when we rushed out to get muffins."
"But she has the other things? Like you have a toothbrush for her?" She could see by the lost look in his eyes that he hadn't considered it. "You need to shop."
A deer-in-the-headlights look froze on his face. "I don't know what little girls need."
A growl vibrated in her throat. "She needs what all girls do. Pants, shorts, dresses, underwear, sandals, tennis shoes. Her poor little pinky toe is rubbed raw on the side because her shoes are too small. She needs socks without holes and pretty hair ties. What about books and toys and a bike?"
"All of that?"
"And more. Maddie needs more."
A loud huff whooshed from his lungs. "Can you come with us? I can take time off tomorrow."
"You'll need the whole day."
"I don't have the whole day."
"Figure it out." She glanced at Maddie fast asleep on her couch. "I'll keep her tonight because it seems cruel to wake her, but you don't pay me for nights. Anything over forty hours, I get time and a half."
"I pay you enough at your hourly rate to have you twenty-four seven."
"That would cost you far more than you seem willing to invest."
Chapter Eight
At nine o'clock, Alex pulled in front of Mercy's bungalow. He hadn't taken the time to look at her home yesterday, but in the morning light, he noticed the paint peeling and a missing shutter.
By the looks of things, her neighborhood was one that hadn't been reclaimed yet. Despite the state her house was in, the manicured yard and lush flowers made it bright and homey—a stark contrast to his bungalow with a yard as austere as the interior. He had cement and dirt and a metal chain-link fence. There was nothing soft and inviting, but wasn't that what he wanted?
Something like Mercy's yard would only attract trouble. He could see it now … women offering to be his hoe, weed his garden and be happy to let him fertilize theirs.
He climbed out of his car and checked the back seat to make sure he installed the booster chair correctly. When he was confident it was all right, he walked up the flower-lined walkway
