LITMIR.BIZ

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an old stool out there that I liked to stand on.”

      As Maggie stood, she took Brady’s phone. He was so engrossed in helping Amber that he didn’t notice. On the screen, it showed he was still connected with Jules. She cut off the call and slipped the phone in her pocket.

      “Dad needed this special wrench from above his workbench.” Brady wiped delicately with the paper towel.

      As he cleaned off the blood, Maggie could see that the fall had taken off some skin. Amber leaned forward to watch Brady. Her hair fell forward along her cheekbone. She seemed so fragile right now, even though Maggie had patched up worse in the past.

      “I climbed on this stool and onto the workbench to get this special wrench.” Brady continued his story.

      Just as enthralled with his story as Amber, Maggie handed him some cotton soaked with the cleanser.

      “When I went to get off the workbench, one of the stool’s legs broke and I hit my head on the edge of the old, greasy workbench.” Brady held out his hand for the antibacterial and Band-Aids.

      “Did it hurt?” Amber asked.

      “Bunches.” Brady quickly applied the bandages. “I had to go to the hospital and get stitches and shots and everything. I still have a scar.”

      He touched a spot above his eyebrow and even Maggie leaned forward to see.

      “You had to get shots?” Amber’s voice was a combination of horror and admiration as she examined the scar. She reached out and traced the small, white line.

      Brady nodded. “But you won’t need shots. All done. A little battered and bruised but no worse for wear.”

      He held out a tissue. Amber blew her nose.

      “Will you help me with my homework?” Amber gave him her best I’m-hurt smile. “And maybe we can finish our walk with Flicker?”

      She avoided looking at Maggie.

      “If your mom says it’s okay.” He looked at Maggie then.

      Maggie got caught in his blue eyes. Creases of worry had formed on his forehead and around his eyes. He did care about Amber, even if work had distracted him.

      “Sure, that sounds good.” Maggie watched both of their faces light up and felt warm and cold at the same time. Amber and Brady loved each other already. She could almost believe that he would always be there for Amber. That they would have each other for the rest of their lives. That Brady wouldn’t get tired of being a dad and walk away.

      He wasn’t like her dad. She had to get that in her mind. But he did live in New York and would eventually leave both of them behind. She could only hope he would be good about staying in touch with Amber after he left.

      As she watched them settle at the dining room table with the dog at their feet, chewing on a freshly unwrapped rawhide bone, Maggie couldn’t help feeling as though she was on the outside looking in.

      “I’m going to go finish dinner.” She excused herself, but she could hear the two of them talking in the dining room. It felt right, as if this was how things were meant to be. That they could be a family. Which was ridiculous. Just because he seemed to care for Amber, didn’t mean that he wanted to be anything more with her. And even if he did, it wasn’t possible with his job and her life here. He would never leave New York.

      It all came down to work with him. Brady had obviously taken a work call. During which, Amber must have fallen. Amber’s laughter pulled her attention back to the moment. Maggie could hear the low rumble of Brady’s voice, but not what he was saying. Amber hadn’t said anything about Brady’s involvement. Was she protecting him?

      They had a little over a week left before Brady returned to New York. When he did, their life would go on as it had before, except Amber would know her father was out there. What if Brady wanted Amber to go to New York with him? For a few weeks in the summer? was Maggie ready for that?

      She didn’t want him to walk out of their lives, but what would his involvement in their lives entail? Would Brady pop in and out of their lives whenever it was convenient for him? Would he be here for Christmas and Thanksgiving and Easter? Birthdays?

      “I’m really sorry, Maggie.”

      She set down the cutting knife and turned to face him. He had stopped in the doorway and leaned his shoulder against the jamb.

      “What happened?” She didn’t raise her voice. It even came out without sounding accusatory. For emphasis, Maggie crossed her arms and gave him the look she gave Amber to make her confess the bad deed she’d just committed.

      “She got tangled in the leash.” He almost seemed boyish, looking at her with his head dipped, avoiding saying what would get him in the most trouble. Hoping she’d take whatever explanation he gave. He even dared to give her that sheepish smile that had turned her into mush in high school. Too bad for him it wasn’t high school anymore.

      “And?” Maggie tried not to tap her foot. He sighed. “I let Amber hold the leash.”

      “By herself?”

      “Flicker was doing great.” The tips of Brady’s ears burned red, and she guessed there was more to the story.

      “You let her handle an animal that weighs as much as she does?” Maggie couldn’t keep her hands from flying as she spoke. “Did you think about what would happen if the dog ran out in the street?”

      “But he didn’t.” Brady’s face lost its placating look as he went on the defense.

      “And where were you?” She stepped closer and poked him in the chest. “Where was the great Brady Ward to the rescue? If your hands were free, you could have easily caught her before she hit the ground.”

      “On an important phone call.” He straightened from his leaning position. In high school she would have backed down immediately, but now she didn’t feel an ounce of intimidation.

      “More important than watching Amber?” The fear when they’d come in had merged with her anger at Brady for bringing the dog in the first place until all she could see was red. “You can’t apologize and think that makes it okay. We talked about this. No work when you are with Amber. What part of that didn’t you understand?”

      “The part where I have to sacrifice everything because of something my brother did.” Brady’s eyes flashed. She should have retreated, but she couldn’t. “Work isn’t just money to me. It’s my life. It’s all I have.”

      “Not anymore.” She poked him in the chest with each syllable for emphasis.

      “Do you think I don’t know that? That I sleep well at night? That I don’t think of a million ways to make this work out best for everyone? News flash. I’m not Superman.”

      “And who asked you to be? I didn’t go to New York to drag your ass back here. I thought you needed to know. You were the one who volunteered to come. You insisted you needed to know her.”

      He captured her hand against his chest before she could poke him again. “You were the one who insisted now or never. Were you hoping I’d say never?”

      She sputtered, “No, of course not.”

      “You didn’t feel at all threatened by the fact that Amber is as much mine as she is yours?” The words were softly spoken but hit her hard in the gut.

      His hand held her close to him. The air around them was thick with tension. What was she supposed to say? Yes, she’d gotten used to having Amber all to herself. Would she deny her daughter her father just to keep things the way they were, which was way more comfortable than how she felt right now with Brady so close?

      She should back down, but this was too important. “So why don’t you go in there and tell her? Fess up. Stop being such a coward.”

      “And how do you propose I do that? Just come out and say it? Or should I be like

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