wasn’t about her. It was about Amber, and she shouldn’t be in Brady’s room at all. She rushed out and closed the door. “You were the one who wanted me to bring sexy nightgowns and bikinis.”
Penny sighed. “Only because I want my friend back. The one before all the crap piled on her and made her into the glorious woman she is today. I love you, but you seriously need to get laid.”
Checking to make sure she was alone, Maggie said, “I do not need to get laid. I need to support my daughter and make sure her father is a decent man who won’t let her down.”
“You can do both, you know.” Penny had been trying to get her to go out for the past several years. Saying it wasn’t healthy for a woman in her twenties to be cooped up all the time. Between Amber and her mother, there hadn’t been time to do the wild and crazy things that Penny did.
Maggie would never regret her daughter or the time she spent helping her mother. Given the choice, she would do it all over again.
“I can’t do anything with Brady, Penny.” The realization of what that would mean washed over her like a cold shower.
“Why not? He’s there. You’re there. You had a good time last time.” Penny’s voice was soft and coaxing.
Maggie let her gaze drift around the white-and-black room with its unused furniture. She squeezed her eyes shut and thought of her well-loved furniture that had been her mother’s. She caught a hint of Brady’s cologne, a warm rich scent in contrast to his surroundings. She opened her eyes. Regrets were a bitch.
“Because—” Maggie sighed “—if I ruin this for Amber, I’ll never forgive myself.”
Brady scrubbed the weariness from his face as he rode the elevator to his apartment. Maggie would be waiting for him. It was such a foreign concept.
He hadn’t had any kind of long-term relationship since he’d left Tawnee Valley. Only himself to worry about.
As he opened the door, he heard the sound of the television on low. He set his keys and BlackBerry on the side table. The curtains were all shut, blocking out the night skyline. By the flicker of the television screen he could see the table set for two and Maggie curled up on his couch.
She must’ve fallen asleep trying to wait for him. He should have told her not to bother. It hadn’t crossed his mind to call. He always worked late. Checking the kitchen, he found the groceries he’d ordered, and in the fridge were two wrapped plates of food.
It stirred something in him that hadn’t been touched in a while. Something he’d forgotten he wanted, but he couldn’t quite name it. Warmth settled in his chest, pushing away the coldness of the New York fall evening. Some guys could work all the time and have a home life. Brady had never considered it. Too many ties, not enough mobility.
He strode over to the couch and squatted in front of Maggie. His future was tied to hers through Amber. Her hands were tucked under her cheek. In sleep, the tension around her was gone.
She was beautiful. Every time they touched, sensation rushed through his body. Could it just be an echo of attraction based on their shared past?
“Maggie,” he whispered, almost afraid to wake her.
Her nose crinkled in response, and she tried to snuggle deeper into the couch.
He glanced at the table. He’d been a fool to think he’d have any time for getting to know about Amber or that Maggie would get a chance to know him. Work had always come first.
Peterson had been adamant the figures were incorrect. They’d argued over the numbers for five hours. Once they’d come to an agreement, Brady had written a detailed email to both Jules and the team that explained the changes. He would need all day tomorrow to catch Jules up on the state of the project and what needed to be done.
Complications, all of them. And yet, even knowing that Maggie waited, he hadn’t been willing to let any of them drop. What kind of father would he be if he did that to his daughter? Was he even suited to being someone’s father?
“Maggie?” he tried again. Still no response.
He went to his room and searched the upper shelf of his closet for the quilt he’d kept. The cotton was worn in spots, but it always felt warm in his hands. The patterned fabric seemed out of place in his apartment in London and even now, it was a misfit for his lifestyle.
When he returned to Maggie’s side, he shook it out and gently laid it over her. Children had never been part of his plan. Maybe a wife who would have her own career to deal with, but never a child who would suffer from his lack of attention.
After getting a beer, he settled into the armchair and flipped the channel on the television. He should be in bed exhausted, but it felt good having someone else here. Maggie being here felt good. Most women would have waited up to ream him a good one for staying out late. Maybe he still had that to look forward to when Maggie woke.
Maggie stretched beneath the quilt and rolled onto her back. Her eyes blinked open and tried to focus on him.
“Hi.” She sat up, rubbing her eyes. “What time is it?”
“Midnight.” Brady held the bottle between his hands as he leaned his elbows on his knees. “I should have called.”
Her sleepy smile made him forget to breathe. “I didn’t expect you to.”
Would she have expected him to if they were more than strangers? But they were more than strangers. He cleared the lump from his throat. “Did you want to eat?”
She nodded and started to rise, but froze when she saw the quilt. “This is gorgeous. Hand quilted. Where was this hiding? I didn’t see it before.”
Her smile dropped, and color rose in her cheeks.
“I mean…” She cut herself off with a groan and sank into the couch. “I shouldn’t have, but Penny…”
“It’s okay, Maggie.” Brady stood and offered her his hand. “It’s not like I have corporate secrets lying around my apartment.”
He helped her up but didn’t let go. Her body’s warmth reached for him like a lover’s embrace.
“What you see is what you get.” Brady wasn’t sure if he was trying to warn her off or make it clear that he didn’t have anything to hide.
She cleared her throat. “I should have asked before snooping around.”
Her gaze lifted to his and it felt like that night again. Energy pulsing between the two of them. Before there had been cattle lulling and the distant howls of coyotes as the backdrop, not the theme from Law & Order. He wanted to pull her in those last few inches and kiss her. To see if the spark between them could be coaxed into a fire. But he didn’t. He’d never been one to shy away from attraction, but Maggie was different.
She blinked and stepped back. Busying herself with folding the
