He looked to Mercy for an answer while she stared at him. It was Maddie who made the decision. "Can I make the pancakes?" She slithered under the table and popped out the other side. "With a smiley face?"
"That's the only kind." Maisey lifted her chin at Alex. "Okay with you, Dad?"
"Yes, but I want extra love in mine."
As soon as they left, he turned his attention back to Mercy. "This doesn't change the way I feel about you."
"I care about you too, and that's what worries me."
"I'm not a cheater."
"How do you know? You've never had a long-term relationship."
He let her hand go. "Maybe not, but I've also never had a girl I wanted to turn into long-term until I met you. If this is going to work, you have to trust me."
She drew in a deep breath. "If this is going to work, you need to earn my trust."
"I don't like your husband."
"Deceased husband, and you could never despise him as much as I do.”
He got up and moved next to her. "I hate that he took your trust before I could ever earn it."
Moments later, Maddie and Maisey were back with breakfast. And as they ate, he looked at what he'd started to believe was his family. Doc was right; DNA didn't make a daddy.
Alex sat in his first-class chair and thought about the last two days. Mercy was reserved but loving. They never got the alone time he craved. Time to prove to her that she was his, but they spent family time together with Maddie.
Heartbreaking is when your child cries because you're walking away. A significant part of him battled with getting on the plane, but he made a commitment and would honor it. Even that ate at him because he made a bigger commitment to Maddie and failed her.
The flight crew made their announcements, and in minutes, the plane was in the air. There was no turning back now. He opened his carry-on to grab the music Pablo emailed and found Maddie's bear. This was no accident. She'd put it there for him. Was it so he'd remember her, or was it to protect him? He smiled, brought it to his nose, and inhaled her scent. She always smelled like lavender, just like Mercy—Mommy Mercy. She would make a great mom—did make one for Maddie. While he was gone, he had some thinking to do about his life. Where it was and where he wanted it to be.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mercy woke up with a ball of heat tucked next to her and stroked Maddie's hair away from her face. It had been three days since Alex left, and they were the longest of her life. Somewhere between he's not her type and his flight to Los Angeles, she fell in love with him.
It didn't work in her favor that Maddie had pulled every other heartstring she had.
Maddie's sleepy eyes fluttered open, and she stared into Mercy's. This was supposed to be her life—beautiful daughter, faithful husband, satisfying job. People say you can't have it all, but why not?
She kissed the top of Maddie's head. "Are you hungry?"
She snuggled closer to Mercy. "Five more minutes."
Mercy laughed. "We can cuddle all day if you like."
"Where's Daddy?" She asked the same question about ten times a day.
"He's in Los Angeles. We get to see him on television tonight."
"I am so excited."
"Me too, sweetheart."
Alex deserved some credit; he called several times a day and sent flowers to both of them. Maddie's were the bright-colored daisies, and hers were red roses. If she dug deep into the meaning, those indicated love, but would a man who loved her leave?
She was being ridiculous and knew it. This was on his bucket list, and dreams should be realized, or at least chased. Who could fault him for wanting to play in his dad's band?
It was more than playing at the awards ceremony for Alex. This was all about the validation his father never gave him. To step on stage and into his father's shoes meant that he'd made it. He had craved his dad's approval and never got it, so this gig was a way of putting that to rest. If Alex Cruz was good enough to play his father's music, he must be good enough.
"How about we get a bowl of cereal and veg out on the couch with cartoons or a Disney movie?"
Maddie was halfway off the bed. "Little Mermaid." She ran barefooted to the living room.
Mercy was certain by the time she got there, Maddie would already have the television tuned to the Disney Channel, a gift from Alex before he left.
"Cheerios or Apple Jacks?" she asked.
"Cheerios," Maddie answered.
A few minutes later, they cuddled beside each other and watched Princess Ariel find her happily ever after.
At two o'clock, Alex called. He had his own ringtone that Maddie picked out. It was barking dogs, and when Mercy asked why, all she said was she liked dogs and her daddy.
Kids were simple. There was no deception; they were who they were.
"Do you want to answer?" She handed her phone to Maddie, who squealed an excited hello.
For the next ten minutes, she watched her grow more animated, telling Alex about Ariel and Prince Eric and how someday she would marry a prince, and they could all live in the castle together.
"Daddy wants to talk to you."
Why did her heart flutter every time? She was supposed to be mad at him but who didn't love a bad boy who turned out to be a good man. He'd accepted responsibility for a child that wasn't even his because he wanted her to have a better life. How could she not love him for that?
"Hey, you. Are you nervous?"
Though he'd never admit it, she thought he probably was. This wasn't a crowd of fifty thousand, it was millions across the
