with his jacket. Daisy wanted to push him away and do it herself. But one look told her that Charlie was more patient with Alex helping than he would have been with her. And Alex did take the time to show him how to do it himself—except for the zipping up part.
“Guess we’ll have to help with that,” he said easily, then zipped the jacket up to Charlie’s chin. Then rising again, he reached down to ruffle the little boy’s hair.
It was a casual movement, but it already spoke of a connection that made Daisy’s insides clench, especially when Charlie flashed him a happy grin.
Turning abruptly, she called Murphy and snapped on his leash. Then the four of them went out the door and headed to the park—just like a family.
She shouldn’t have come. She should have stayed back in her office and got more work done. But the temptation of watching Alex with Charlie was too great. It was terrifying, too. But Charlie was having such a good time.
There was still lots of snow on the ground. Once they got to the park, they built a snowman. And they had a snowball fight. Then Charlie made snow angels.
“A snow devil more like,” Daisy said, laughing as she watched him, then taking photos with the small pocket-size camera she always carried. She got quite a few of Charlie and Alex rolling balls to make the snowman, then more of Alex lifting Charlie onto his shoulders so he could put an old hat on the snowman’s head.
They were laughing as they did it, Alex lurching around in the snow while Charlie gripped Alex’s hair with his free hand and laughed madly. Then Alex tipped his head back to grin up at his son, and the look they shared made Daisy feel as if she’d caught a snowball square in the heart.
Later she nearly did as she helped Charlie pelt Alex with snowballs. She got several shots of Charlie and Alex throwing them at each other. Then Alex took the camera out of her hand.
“What are you doing?” She tried to grab it back.
But Alex held it out of her reach, his green eyes mischievous. “Go play with your son.”
Self-consciously at first, Daisy did. But then she got caught up in Charlie’s enthusiasm. And while she pushed Charlie on a swing and helped him build a little snow dog to go with the snowman, Alex took pictures. Finally, when Daisy said it was time to leave, he set the camera’s timer and hauled them all into a picture together, scooping Charlie up into one arm while he flung the other around Daisy.
And once more when his arm pulled her close, Daisy felt the hum of electricity between them. She felt desire all over again, and knew it for the hopeless feeling it was. It was a relief when the timer went off, the shutter clicked, and he let her go, slung Charlie onto his shoulders and they all walked home.
On the doorstep, when Alex set him down, Daisy smiled politely. “Thank you. He enjoyed that.”
“Did you?” Alex asked.
She heard the pointedness of his tone and chose to ignore it. “Of course.” She fumbled to get the key in the lock. He was wearing sunglasses and before she’d turned away she couldn’t read his expression, but she could still feel the intensity of his gaze.
“Good.” He took the key out of her hand and opened the door himself. Then he pushed it open, let them go in, then followed and shut it behind him.
“I need to get dinner started. Don’t let us keep you. I’m sure you have things to do.” Daisy said briskly and, slipping off her jacket, started toward the kitchen.
“We can get takeout. What do you like?”
“I’m making stew. Charlie likes it.”
“So do I.” Alex smiled guilelessly.
“Alex can stay, can’t he?” Charlie asked.
What was a mother to do? Of course she had to be polite. She was teaching Charlie to be polite.
The evening was interminable. Dinner. Then Charlie’s bath. Then bedtime stories. And awareness of Alex at every single moment. Watching him with Charlie, catching him looking at her when he thought she wasn’t noticing. Charlie’s stories took forever, even though Alex read several of them. Prayers were longer, too, because Alex, of course, was added to them.
“No singing tonight,” Daisy decreed before Charlie could even suggest it. “You need to go to sleep. Remember, your class is going to the zoo tomorrow.” The preschool trip to the Bronx Zoo—and a program about animals in winter—had been much anticipated.
Now Charlie looked up from his pillow and asked, “Can Alex come?”
“No,” Daisy said without giving Alex a chance to reply.
“But—”
“I have to work,” Alex said, sounding regretful. “But we had fun today. We’ll do this again.”
Charlie popped up. “When?”
“That depends on how well and how fast you go to sleep now,” Daisy said, no stranger to manipulative children. She gave him a speaking look.
Charlie sighed, sank back against the pillow and shut his eyes. “I’m sleepin’.”
“So I see,” Daisy said drily, bending to kiss him. “Good night, Mr. Sleepyhead.”
“Night,” Charlie murmured, not opening his eyes.
She stepped back, and found that Alex had taken her place at Charlie’s bedside. He brushed a hand over Charlie’s head, then dropped to one knee and pressed a light kiss on Charlie’s forehead.
The boy’s eyes popped open and small hard arms and one very hard blue cast wrapped themselves around Alex’s neck.
Alex stiffened. And Daisy held her breath.
Then slowly his posture eased, and his arms went around Charlie, too. He scooped the boy up for a fierce hug, burying his face in the crook of Charlie’s neck. Then slowly he drew back and lowered the boy to the pillows again. “G’night, sport.” His voice was rough. He straightened and stood looking down at the little boy for a long moment.
Then his gaze turned to Daisy. Their eyes met. She shut off the light and headed down to the kitchen.
If he wanted to talk, he could do it while she washed the dinner dishes. But frankly, she didn’t know what else there was to say. She began to run water in the sink, all the while aware of exactly where he was, hip propped against the counter beside the refrigerator, watching her.
“Sorry I didn’t get here earlier,” he said over the running water.
“You didn’t need to come at all.” Daisy set the plates in the soapy water.
“Of course I needed to come. But I had to get hold of Caroline. I needed to tell her first.”
Daisy did turn then. “That you had a son? How did she take that after your ‘no children ever’ edict?”
Alex’s mouth twisted wryly. “She was … surprised.”
“I’ll bet.” Daisy turned
