"But she does matter."
Mercy lifted from her seat. "Prove it." She walked down the steps and into the yard.
"Hey, Maddie," she glanced over her shoulder to Alex, whose thin-lipped expression was all she needed to see. "Your dad is ready to go."
She marched up the steps and into the house to get Maddie's backpack.
Alex rushed toward her, setting his hands on her shoulders. "Can't we talk about this more?"
She shook her head. "What's the point? You need to do what you have to." She pushed the backpack against his stomach. "I'll need most of her clothes and some of her favorite toys."
"Are we going to get past this?"
Why did she give her heart to the wrong men?
Chapter Twenty-One
It broke Alex's heart to see Maddie's tears when he told her he had to go.
"Why, Daddy?"
He folded her shirts and placed them in one of his suitcases because her little Disney Princess one was too small. "It's not forever, honey. It's just a few weeks, and then I'll be back."
"Promise?"
How in the world did his father leave him? Surely, Alex had the same forlorn expression each time his dad took off. The difference was Alex knew he would come back, and since they weren't touring for another year, he'd stay.
"You get to stay with Mercy." Thoughts of her twisted his gut. The look of disappointment on her face hollowed him out.
Part of him understood his father's aversion to attachments. By marrying Alex's mother and offering financial support, he fulfilled what he believed were his obligations.
"How about we call Mercy and ask her to meet us for breakfast?" He closed the suitcase and picked Maddie up. "You can have those chocolate chip pancakes you love."
He held her tightly. The thought of letting her go was painful, but he knew if he didn't do the gig, he'd always regret it.
Maddie wrapped her little arms around his neck. "I love Mercy, and I love you."
"I love you both too." He'd never been in love. All these years, he let another organ rule his life, but this feeling he had deep in his soul was different. Her disappointment in him mattered. He wanted to be more for her too.
He took his phone from his pocket and dialed Mercy.
"Hey," she answered. She always had this breathy thing to her voice that heated him from the inside out.
"Good morning." He shifted to put Maddie higher on his hip. "I know you're mad at me, but I hoped you'd meet us for breakfast at Maisey's."
There was a pause. "I'm not mad at you. I get why you're doing it, but I'm disappointed in your choices."
He walked to the living room and swiped his keys from the table. "I bet you bring your students to tears."
"Only if they're guilty."
"Should I come to get you?" He was already out the door.
"I'll meet you there. When?"
"Now, I miss you, and I'll make it up to you."
"Make it up to Maddie."
He buckled his girl into her booster seat, and they headed to Maisey's, where he let Maddie pick the table. She seemed to like the one in the back corner. They sat there and waited a few minutes for Mercy.
She took his breath away when she entered. Her hair fell in waves around her shoulders. Those jeans she wore were the kind a man could get jealous of with how they hugged her figure.
A smile softened her features, but he saw underlying questions in her eyes.
When he rose and softly kissed her, she hesitated before returning his affection.
"Thank you for the invite." Rather than sit next to him, she took the space beside Maddie. "Hey, kiddo, how are you?"
Maddie shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sad because Daddy is leaving."
Mercy pulled Maddie to her side. "He'll be back. And who knows, maybe we can watch the award ceremony on TV, so you don't miss him too much." She lifted her eyes to meet his. "Do you have anything else you need me to do? I mean, you're paying for far more than what you're getting."
"You are mad at me."
She shook her head. "No, I'm conflicted. I thought you were different, but you're exactly who I thought you were the first time I met you, and I'm mad at myself for falling so fast."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that you're a musician first."
"It's only one part of who I am." Heat raced up his spine. "I'm more than that."
"You're right, and I'm being unfair. I do get it because I also had a bucket list. On the one hand, I'm glad you can fulfill a dream, but this won't be easy on Maddie."
She pulled a coloring book out of her purse and placed it in front of Maddie. "You want to color, sweetheart?" Mercy was like Mary Poppins with a bag that had everything anyone needed.
Maisey sauntered over. "What's it going to be, kids?"
"Pancakes with chocolate chips for the princess, and I'll have a waffle and bacon," Mercy said.
Maisey turned her attention to Alex. "I don't think I have mentioned this, but I like that new haircut. I bet you get a lot more attention now that people can see your eyes.”
Like a woman army crawling across my lawn this morning kind of attention
“Oh, I haven't really noticed because I'm only interested in one woman.” He laid his hand on top of Mercy's.
Maisey sighed. "Young love."
"It's not that serious," Mercy said.
"The hell it's not." He squeezed her hand.
"Looks like you have some talking to do." Maisey glanced at Maddie and then at him. "What are you hankering for?"
"Peace and patience, but I'll settle for pancakes and sausage."
"You got it." She started to turn
