The Surprise Holiday Dad (7 page)

While she was pouring, in breezed tall red-haired Paige. “Is there enough for me?” she asked in a soft Texas accent.

“You bet. This won’t keep you awake?” None of the remaining patients were listed as Paige’s, so presumably she’d be heading home.

“Caffeine doesn’t bother me, and I like to unwind before facing my little tyrant. Oh, and the baby, too.” Paige fixed herself a cup.

Adrienne laughed. “I can’t imagine anyone but you describing Mike as little.”

“Oh, he’s a sweetie.” Leaning on the counter, Paige took a swallow with obvious relish. “How’re things going with Wade Hunter? Mike seems to like him.”

Adrienne explained that he was babysitting tonight. “Reggie gets overexcited. I hope Wade can deal with that.”

“As a cop, he should be good at conflict management and defusing tricky situations,” Paige observed. “It’s part of their training.”

“With six-year-olds?”

“You have a point.”

A quiver of uneasiness ran through Adrienne. It was nine o’clock, Reggie’s bedtime. Should she call to say good-night? She’d stopped doing that because it interrupted Mary Beth’s evening and because her nephew insisted he was too grown up.

“You missed the divorce party,” Paige remarked. “Zora threw quite a shindig.”

“I heard.”

“It’s sad when people get divorced,” the taller woman said. “In this case, though, anyone could’ve predicted Andrew wouldn’t keep his pants on. Tigers don’t change their stripes.” She tossed her cup in the trash. “I’ll brew more coffee before I go.”

“Please don’t bother. I can do it.”

A pink-garbed hospital volunteer peeked through the open door. “Did somebody mention brewing coffee? That’s my job.”

“Renée! I didn’t expect to see you tonight,” Paige greeted the new arrival. “This is above and beyond the call of duty.”

“Another volunteer called in sick, and I wasn’t busy.” In her sixties, with a rectangular face and graying hair, Renée Green was a fixture around the hospital. “I’m glad to be useful.”

Although Adrienne had met the woman before, it took a moment to make the link between her and Paige, who greeted each other jovially. According to the hospital grapevine, Renée had recently found the son she’d long ago relinquished for adoption—none other than Paige’s brother-in-law, Lock.

“If you’re offering to make coffee, you have my gratitude,” Adrienne told her.

“I’m here for another two hours. I’ll make a fresh pot now and another before I go.” As Paige departed, Renée went to the cabinet for the coffee and filter. “Did you see the darling cakes at the divorce party? I took a picture, if you’re interested.”

Out of courtesy, Adrienne agreed to see it. On Renée’s phone the image showed two cakes, one white with a bride on top and one black with a groom. They were aiming toy pistols at each other.

“Well, there’s a cheery image,” Adrienne said.

“Being a widow, I’ve thought I might want to marry again, but this kind of thing makes me leery.” After disposing of the dregs of the coffee, Renée rinsed the carafe. “Not that my boyfriend’s the cheating type. His problem is being a control freak.”

With Renée’s openness about such personal matters, it was easy to see why she had a lot of friends. Adrienne couldn’t imagine sharing her feelings that readily. “I can’t bear having anyone try to control me.”

“Neither can I.” The older woman regarded her sympathetically. “Is something worrying you?”

“Why do you ask?”

Renée indicated the disposable cup Adrienne had squished in her hand. “I’d say that shows tension.”

“It’s my babysitting arrangements,” she admitted.

“Wade’s watching your nephew tonight, isn’t he?” Renée said. “I haven’t met him yet, but Lock speaks highly of him. I’m sure he’ll do fine.”

Were there any secrets in this hospital? Adrienne sighed. “I should call him before I get too busy.”

“You’ll feel better if you do.” Renée finished preparing the pot, switched it on and went out.

Adrienne pressed Wade’s number. He answered on the second ring, sounding out of breath. “Wade Hunter.”

“It’s Adrienne,” she said. “Just making sure—”

“Reggie scraped his knee.”

“How badly is he hurt?” she demanded. Although the hospital didn’t have an emergency room, the town’s urgent-care center remained open until midnight.

“Nothing serious. I was about to patch him up.” In the background, she heard voices. Reggie’s, another boy’s and a woman’s, too.

“Where are you?”

“Playing catch in the street with some of the neighbors.” Away from the phone, Wade said, “Don’t touch it with your dirty hands. Let the blood wash the germs away.”

Blood? Adrienne’s stomach tightened. “Does he need stitches? He’s up-to-date on his tetanus shots.”

“I’ll handle it, Doc,” Wade said. “Where’s the first-aid kit?”

“There’s one in the downstairs bathroom and more supplies in the master bath.”

Before she could say more, his voice cut in. “Oops, I’d better go. See you in the morning.” He clicked off.

Adrienne stared at the phone as if it could transport her instantly home. Playing in the street? Running around at bedtime? And her little boy was injured. Instinct commanded her to rush to his aid. Surely she could slip out for half an hour.

Her phone rang. “Dr. Cavill,” she answered.

It was the charge nurse, to report that the baby who’d concerned her earlier was showing signs of distress. The mom was being prepped for surgery.

Adrienne had to scrub in. She could only hope Wade was as competent as he seemed.

Chapter Seven

On her way home Saturday morning, Adrienne started to head for Mary Beth’s house before remembering that Reggie wasn’t there. She felt a twinge of anxiety even though Wade had called last night after she finished the C-section.

Reggie’s scrape had been cleaned and dressed, he’d assured her. Also, the neighbors they’d been playing with had invited them to go sailing this morning.

“We’ll be out of your way while you’re sleeping,” he’d said.

It was on the tip of Adrienne’s tongue to protest that she didn’t know those particular neighbors very well. Bob and Lisa Rosen had moved in recently, and she wasn’t sure they were careful sailors. All she said, however, was, “Be sure he wears a life jacket and sunscreen. Sunglasses, too.”

“Check. And we’ll see you before we go.”

Sailing should be a good experience for Reggie, she told herself. Usually on weekends, Reggie either spent the morning with friends or had to tiptoe around the house while Adrienne dozed.

After parking in her garage, she entered via the utility room. The washing machine was humming. In her tired state, she stared at it before registering that Wade was running laundry. He must be doing the colored garments, since only the whites remained in a basket she’d left.

He’d set aside her delicate underwear. Cheeks heating, Adrienne realized he’d sorted her bras and panties. She could hardly complain, since he’d done her a favor.

Glancing into the hazy mirror over the laundry sink, she shuddered at the reflected image. Bad enough to be several years older than this guy; no reason to show up with hair askew, makeup faded and dark circles under her eyes.

From her purse she took a brush and compact to perform some minor repairs. It might be silly, but she felt better.

She found Wade and Reggie in the den, on the floor reading a picture book. Below her nephew’s shorts, a gauze bandage wrapped his knee. Adrienne resisted the urge to remove it and examine the injury.

Two sleeping bags were spread on the carpet, indicating they’d both slept down there last night. It must have been like a campout, she thought.

When was the last time Reggie and I just had fun?
Even the best moments were always weighted by an awareness of her responsibilities.

“Did you guys eat breakfast?” Adrienne asked.

The faces that looked up at her bore a strong family resemblance, from the welcoming smiles to the raised eyebrows. “Toast and jam,” Reggie replied.

“And milk,” Wade added.

Although she usually served cereal and fruit, that sounded fine. “Thanks for starting the wash.”

“I figured Reggie’s old enough to learn how to run a load now that he’s six.”

In her perpetual rush to get chores out of the way, Adrienne hadn’t considered that her nephew might be capable of doing laundry. “He helped you?” Oh, dear, had that included sorting her lingerie?

Perhaps guessing her concern, Wade said, “He measured the soap and set the water temperature.”

Reggie’s nose wrinkled. “Laundry stinks.”

“Including yours, little buddy.” Setting the book aside, Wade gave him a nudge. Reggie shoved back. Pretend-punching each other in the shoulder led to a wrestling match on the floor.

Adrienne dodged their flailing limbs. “A pair of tough guys, huh?”

Wade let his son climb on top. “I win!” Reggie crowed.

“You’re too strong for me,” replied his father.

Bittersweet appreciation filled Adrienne. Since Vicki’s death, she’d tried hard to be both mother and father. She’d done all right as mom, but she couldn’t fill the role that came naturally to Wade.

Oh, for heaven’s sake, stop assuming you should be all things to all people.

“I’ll be in the kitchen,” she said.

The place was spotless except for a glass in the sink. Adrienne recalled Wade saying he’d grown up in a chaotic home. Like her, he must have developed the habit of cleaning up as a way to restore order.

A minute later, Reggie came into the kitchen to give her a hug. She relished the feel of his small body pressed against hers. Little kids didn’t stay little forever, and she cherished this stage.

“It’s fun having a dad.” He tilted his face up. “Thanks, Aunt Addie.”

“For what?”

“My birthday surprise.” Then, with a pride he rarely displayed for chores, he said, “I’m going to roll up my sleeping bag and take it upstairs.”

“I’m impressed,” Adrienne said. “You’re acting so grown-up.”

“Dad’s teaching me.” Beaming, the little boy scurried out.

Behind him, Wade ducked his head. “He’s giving me more credit than I deserve.”

“Regardless, you’re a good influence.” She took a container of yogurt out of the fridge.

Wade eyed it dubiously. “You consider that breakfast?”

“And you cook every morning?” she challenged.

“It’s just that you’re a doctor. I thought you’d be more...”

“Fussy?”

“Any answer to that would be wrong, so I’ll pass.” Turning a chair backward, he straddled it. “As you can see, we survived the night.”

“You applied that bandage very neatly.” She refrained from commenting that had her nephew gone to bed at his usual hour, he’d have avoided the injury altogether.

“But you were worried.” Arms resting on the chair back, Wade added, “Any pointers about how I should handle things differently in future?”

She’d expected defensiveness, not a request for a critique. “You did great. First time out, you hit a home run.”

“That’s generous.” He watched her aslant.

Not fully trusting her, Adrienne supposed. Well, she didn’t fully trust him, either, but she was getting there.

“I’m beginning to understand how much Vicki cheated you and Reggie out of,” she said. “You’re so good with him, it’s hard to imagine you being deprived of him all these years. And him of you.”

His gaze was reflective. “When she broke things off, I had no idea she was pregnant. Eight and a half months later she phoned, hysterical, to say she was in labor. I showed up at the hospital, anxious to see my son. She had security kick me out. Claimed I was creating a disturbance.”

“That sounds like my sister.” Adrienne had also been on the receiving end of Vicki’s mood swings. “She inherited bipolar disorder from our dad.” He’d died of a drug overdose when she was twelve and Vicki was only seven.

“I should never have left Reggie to grow up in a situation like that.” Wade shook his head. “They lived with your mom, right? What was she like?”

“Kindhearted, to a fault,” Adrienne said. “Unfortunately, that meant she never stood up to my father or my sister about getting treatment. She died of cancer when Reggie was two. I’d just finished my residency at UCLA. I moved back here for his sake.”

His expression softened. “No wonder you weren’t happy about me mucking with your plans to adopt him.”

“And—” She broke off.

“And you still aren’t,” he finished.

Perceptive man.
“But you are good for him.” Although hard to admit, it was true. “You’re a world away from the other guys Vicki dated, and from what I expected.”

“Glad to hear it.”

What an idiot her sister had been to reject a guy like this. He stood head and shoulders above Vicki’s other boyfriends as well as the jerks who’d let Adrienne down over the years. If she’d been in her sister’s place... But she hadn’t. And any attraction between them had to be kept at bay. Their first responsibility was to take care of their little boy, and that meant maintaining an emotional distance between her and this man.

Reggie scampered in. “I put everything away, Dad. Can you come next Friday night, too?”

Although she appreciated the help, Adrienne doubted they should start counting on him as a regular babysitter. “Wade might have to work.”

“Yeah, although I’d like to, my hours are going to be irregular,” he said.

That gave Reggie pause for about five seconds, before he blurted, “What about Thanksgiving? You could stay over that night. I’m tired of spending holidays with my sitter.”

Adrienne gave a start. Although Thanksgiving was only two weeks off, she’d been so focused on planning Harper’s wedding the following day that she’d assumed her arrangements were fine with her nephew.

Wade looked surprised. “You work on Thanksgiving?”

“My shift starts at eight. The trade-off is that I’m free on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.” Adrienne tried not to feel defensive.

“That sounds as bad as police work,” Wade observed.

“So you’ll stay over?” Reggie pressed.

Like it or not, Wade was part of their lives now. And Adrienne
had
been less than thrilled about the prospect of eating their holiday meal at a restaurant. “I suppose we could cook dinner here, the three of us.”

“I’m afraid I already have a commitment,” Wade said. “My father’s counting on me.”

Adrienne hoped her regret didn’t show. “I understand.”

“I have a grandpa?” Reggie gave a little hop. “I want to meet him.”

Seeing the dismay in Wade’s eyes, Adrienne recalled what he’d mentioned about his father’s drinking. She waited for Wade to cough up an excuse. Instead, he sat down and took Reggie onto his lap.

“I’m not going to lie to you,” he said. “My father isn’t the grandpa type. I’m not sure he was ever the dad type, either. I used to take care of him as much as he took care of me.”

“Is he sick?” the boy asked.

“In a way,” Wade told him. “He has a disease called alcoholism. That means he sometimes acts like he loves drinking more than he loves his family. After my mother left, I did the laundry and fixed meals. Once in a while I had to sober him up in the morning so he could go to work. He’s a good man at heart, but right now he isn’t ready to be a grandfather.”

Reggie pressed his lips together, thinking. Adrienne had discussed alcoholism with him before. Was he remembering a tipsy Vicki falling off a step stool the morning of his second birthday and bruising her hip? She’d cursed a blue streak, and they’d had to cancel the celebration while they took her to the emergency room.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll wait till he’s ready.”

“Honestly, I’d rather spend Thanksgiving with you,” Wade told him. “But I did promise.”

“You should always keep a promise,” the little boy responded firmly. “It hurts when people let you down.”

“Yes, it does.” She was glad Wade was reinforcing that value. “It’s good to keep your word, even though it’s our loss.”

“My loss, too.” Wade glanced at his watch. “We’d better be going.”

After making sure Reggie had his key and arranging for Wade to phone if their sailing trip took longer than expected, Adrienne went to catch some sleep. Normally, she had trouble relaxing when Reg was with anyone other than his most relied-upon caretakers. Today, though, she wasn’t as tense as she’d expected.

* * *

E
VEN
AFTER
THE
chill wind over the water was nothing but a memory and the abrasions on Wade’s hands from helping to sail the boat began to heal, Saturday’s outing lingered in his mind.

Reggie’s energies were channeled as he cooperated with his new friends, eight-year-old Fred and his older sister, Marlys. They taught him the terminology of sailing, such as
boom
and
rudder, tacking
and
jibing,
and the directions:
aft, bow, port
and
starboard
instead of
back, front, left
and
right.
They also divided the task of scanning the waves for migrating whales, each child responsible for his or her own sector.

As for the parents, Bob and Lisa Rosen formed a smooth team. They spoke to each other and the children with respect, teaching while having fun. When a couple playful dolphins appeared, they shared in the youngsters’ glee.

Being part of a family was fun. Wade regretted having to turn down Adrienne and Reggie’s Thanksgiving invitation. He’d meant what he’d said about commitments, though. And if Daryl was alone on the holiday, he was likely to sink into depression and resume binge drinking.

As for Bruce, presumably his girlfriend was taking care of him. Besides, the old man must be steaming about Wade’s new job, of which word had almost certainly reached him by now. Every time Wade considered phoning, his temper started to rise in anticipation of an argument. So far, he hadn’t followed through.

Wade and Adrienne had scheduled their visit with the attorney for Thursday at 1:00 p.m. Wade didn’t have to use his lunch hour; since he’d worked two nights this week to catch a man faking a disability claim, Mike let him take the afternoon off.

Once again, Adrienne beat him to the office. When she rose to shake hands, Wade noticed that her deep rose blouse brought out the color in her cheeks. “Nice outfit,” he said.

“My favorite store was having a sale.” She gazed up at him warmly. Her blond hair, tied back with a ribbon, gleamed with golden overtones.

“Did you do something different with your hair?”

“Highlights,” she told him. “I figured I’d be too busy next week with the wedding.”

“It makes you look younger.”

She winced. “Uh...thanks.”

“
Even
younger,” he corrected, and she smiled. Age appeared to be a sensitive topic, although based on what Vicki had said when they were dating, he estimated her sister was a mere three years older than he was.

In Geoff’s inner office, they explained that things were going well. As before, the attorney recommended drafting a formal custody arrangement.

“I’m not ready for that,” Wade said.

“Neither am I.” Adrienne tapped the armrest of her chair. “But we could start to firm up a schedule.”

That made sense. “I can pick up Reggie at his sitter’s most Saturday mornings.”

“That would be fine.” She sounded relieved.

“I’m not sure where we’ll go, though.” Certainly not to Daryl’s place.

“I’d be happy to draw up a list of activities,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be complicated. Kids like simple things, like visiting the beach or a playground.”

“You seem to be moving toward a consensus rather nicely. I don’t usually see such cooperation.” Geoff cleared his throat. “However, I’d like to caution that you may both be averse to confrontation. If you’re holding back, sooner or later you’ll run into problems.”