Mercy stared at her. As she started to correct Maddie, Katie touched her arm. "I'm telling you, that's Bea at work, just go with it."
She'd have to talk with Maddie, so she didn't get confused, but today was not the time, so she pretended not to hear Mommy. "You ready, sweetheart?"
Chapter Nineteen
Alex woke missing Mercy because moments with her were like eating potato chips—he couldn't have just one. Every time he was with her, he wanted more.
He poured a bowl of cereal for Maddie and made a cup of coffee for himself. Looking at the little girl in front of him, he considered how Aspen Cove had changed his life. The small town he reluctantly moved to brought him a world of frustration with obsessed fans, but it also brought him Maddie and Mercy and a whole cast of characters to color his life.
Maddie might not be his by blood, but she was his by choice.
"Daddy, when are we going to Mommy's?"
He stared at Maddie, confused. "Honey, we can't go see your mom." Hell, he didn't even know where to find her. Eventually, Maddie would want to visit her grave, and Alex would need to know where to find it. "She's in heaven."
"No, I mean, mommy Mercy."
He nearly dropped his coffee mug. "Why are you calling Mercy, mommy? Does she ask you to call her that?"
"No, but I want a mommy, and Ms. Mercy is a good one. She makes me cookies and lets me play in the sink. She rubs my back until I fall asleep when I'm tired. Mommy's should be nice, and she's nice."
He didn't want to mar the memory of Maddie's mother, but he needed more information.
"Was mommy Layla nice?"
Maddie shoved a spoonful of Cheerios in her mouth, and he waited for her to finish chewing and answer. All the while, her brows shifted, and her head tilted this way and that like she was pondering her answer.
"Yes, mommy was nice, but some of the daddies weren't. They yelled, and I don't like yelling."
A lump of sadness lodged in his throat and took two swallows of coffee to force it down. He knew what living in volatility was like. His mother was an emotional yo-yo. When his father was in town, which was rare, they'd have a day or two of a honeymoon phase, and then all hell broke loose.
His childhood was a vicious circle of loneliness, drinking, yelling, and abandonment. Maybe that was why he was determined to give Maddie something better. In the beginning, it was because he didn't want to repeat his father's mistakes and abandon a child that belonged to him. But even after discovering that she wasn't biologically his kid, he knew deep inside she was exactly like him anyway. As the daughter of a groupie, she probably never knew stability. Who knew how many couches she slept on while Layla marked off boxes on her bucket list. How many men were on it?
He studied Maddie to see if he recognized anyone in her features, but when she looked up at him, all he saw was himself. How lucky was he that Layla gifted him with a child—a child he didn't know he wanted or needed until she showed up.
"I'm sorry, Mads. People get angry, and sometimes they yell. That's never fun." He took the seat next to her. "Were you scared?"
She nodded.
"Did anyone ever hurt you?"
She shrugged.
Rage rushed through him, pricking at his skin like angry bee stings. She was five for God's sake, and at five, her life should be filled with sandcastles and ice cream cones.
"No one will ever hurt you again." He made a mental note to take Maddie to Doc's to get a complete physical. She'd need one for school anyway. He hadn't considered a therapist but would talk to Doc about it the next time he saw him.
"Finish your cereal, and I'll comb your hair before we go to Mercy's." Just thinking about the pretty blonde made his body react. He remembered only a handful of times when he'd slept with a woman more than once. Layla was one of them because she was attractive, and if he were honest, a beast in bed, but no matter how much fun those moments were, the time he spent with Mercy was special. They connected on a deeper level.
Maddie finished her cereal and skipped to the bathroom to get the brush and whatever hair tie she chose. Today, Maddie was in a hurry to get to Mercy's, so a single ponytail with a green ribbon was all she wanted.
When it was done, she was out the door. All he'd given her was a place to live, safety, and love, and she bloomed like one of the mammoth sunflowers in Mercy's garden.
"Can you stay with us and go to the park?"
He buckled her into the booster and kissed her cheek. "I wish I could, but Daddy missed some practice yesterday, and he has to lay down his tracks for the album."
She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, and he wondered if that was a learned trait or if it came naturally.
"I'll make it up to you."
Before he could back out, she placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled him closer. "I love you, Daddy."
"Love you too, squirt."
He rounded the car and climbed inside. The drive to Mercy's only took minutes, but in that time, he counted all the blessings he had. There were ones he never knew he needed. While he didn't have the kind of childhood he wished for, he could do better for Maddie.
She was tugging on her seat belt when they pulled in front of Mercy's bungalow. As soon as he let her free, Maddie raced to where she was on the porch.
"Slow down, or you might fall." An ugh sound burst from Mercy when Maddie plowed into her.
"Mommy Mercy, I missed you."
Mercy froze. "Honey, I'm not your—"
"Hey," he broke in before she
