She shuffled Maddie to the door and told her to sit in the reading chair, and she'd be there in a moment.
"I'm sorry," she said, as soon as they were alone. "I don't know where that came from. She said it yesterday at Katie's, too. Maybe she's missing her mom."
"I don't think so. Maybe she sees that you treat her better than her mother ever did."
"I don't want her to get confused. It's probably not wise to let her call me something like mommy. I mean, if things didn't work out, then I'd be another loss in her life."
He cocked his head. "Is something not working out between us?" He prowled toward her. "Yesterday, everything was perfect."
"Yes, but yesterday isn't forever."
He touched his lips softly to hers. "Every day is the first day of forever."
He was halfway through his set when his phone vibrated in his pocket, and he snuck out of the studio to answer it. They were busy listening to playbacks, so the timing was perfect.
"This is Alex."
"Hey man, it's Pablo."
What the hell was Pablo calling him for? The last time he'd seen him was at his father's memorial.
"What's up? Where have you been?"
"You know," there was a chuckle. "Living the dream." There was a moment of silence. "Did you hear that Drive Shaft is being inducted into the Rock Music Hall of Fame?"
"Yes, I saw that. Congrats." He read about it and knew his father would have laughed. Bastian Cruz never cared for the awards. He lived for the music.
"That's why I'm calling. Since your father isn't here, we thought you might want to sit in for him at the awards ceremony. I know it's last minute, but you're not an easy man to get ahold of."
"Should have asked a fan. They have no problems getting to me."
"What do you say? We also have a limited tour starting that week for a month, and we'd love for you to join us."
When he was a kid, he wanted to be just like his father. He dreamed of playing in the band and going on tour with his father's bunch of rowdies. Through a child's eyes, everything looked exciting and glamorous until birthdays and Christmas were forgotten, and phone calls never came.
Red walked out of the studio and leaned against the wall.
"Hey, Pablo, give me a minute." Alex put his hand over the phone. "Drive Shaft wants me to fill in for my father for the music awards and the following mini-tour."
"Holy shit."
"I know, but I've got Maddie."
Red lifted his brow. "Dude, you can't pass this up. It's a once in a lifetime deal. That was your dad's band. How many people can do that? Besides, you have Mercy, and I'm sure she'll understand and watch Maddie."
He was right. It was a gift. He brought the phone up to his ear. "I'm in. When do I have to be there?"
"As soon as you can. We need to get you up to date with your dad's guitar riffs."
"I'll try to get out there within a day or two."
"See ya soon, kid."
He hung up and rolled his eyes. No one had called him kid in years.
Red slapped him on the back. "Let's tell the group."
"Hopefully, we can find a fill-in for the concert." He hadn't considered the Fireman's Fundraiser, but knowing Samantha, she wouldn't want him to miss the opportunity.
When he went back inside, he got the blessings of the band; now, all he had to do was get Mercy's.
Chapter Twenty
Mercy glanced at Maddie, who stood on a stool playing in a sink full of water. She was a curious little thing, and today's experiment was to see what would float.
Mercy believed that hands-on was the best way to learn, and she let Maddie try anything as long as she couldn't ruin it or get hurt. That was why her outside table was covered with things that didn't float like oven mitts and shoes so they could dry.
"Hey, Mads … should we make that banana pudding your dad likes so much?"
"Yes." Maddie clapped her sudsy hands, wiped the moisture on her shorts, and jumped down from the stool to get the bananas.
"How about you mix the pudding, and I cut the fruit, and then we can both place the vanilla wafers?"
She high-fived Mercy and took a seat at the table. It was beautiful to see the once quiet little girl come out of her shell.
Every once in a while, she talked about her mom, and it broke Mercy's heart to hear the stories about Maddie trying to wake her or when a nice lady came and took her to a sleepover. The only thing Mercy could figure was social services had picked her up.
"Are you happy, Maddie?"
"Yes."
Mercy gathered the ingredients and sat down beside her little helper.
"I'm glad." As a child, she spent hours in the kitchen cooking and baking with her mom. During those times, she learned the greatest lessons of her life, like patience, and that failure was okay, and although differences of opinions were tough, that's what makes us individuals.
She poured the milk into the pudding mix. If her mother knew she used instant, she'd be disowned.
"If we hurry, this will be ready by the time your daddy comes to get you."
"Is it a surprise?"
"Sure." Mercy ruffled her hair. "Surprises are nice."
On reflection, Alex was a pleasant surprise. He was a reasonable man or at least seemed to be. How funny that she'd completely disregarded him as a love interest. It's been said that opposites attract, and Alex was north to her south. He was famous, and she was forgettable, and yet, they seemed to have a connection beyond simple attraction. Somehow she was tethered to him by something deeper. Was it their twin desires to make sure Maddie's life was stable? She came from a place of love and wanting every child to have
