Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
T wo months later
Bree and Adam sat having their morning coffee at the large round table in the kitchen’s nook. “Bree, we are attending a get-together at the home of the man whose company I want to acquire, a week from today. If you need a dress, you’d better hurry and pick it out. It’s a formal affair. He wants everyone in tuxes and evening gowns.”
“That seems odd for a “get-together”, she made finger quotes. “That term makes it sound like it would be a casual outing.”
Adam shrugged. “I know but it is what it is.”
“Well, it so happens, I’ve been looking at this gorgeous gown online, and I’ve seen it at a boutique at the Cherry Creek shopping center. I’ll head down there today with Lilly. I’m sure the ladies there will love to watch Lilly while I try the dress on, assuming they have my size.”
“And if they don’t?”
“They have lots of gowns, so I’ll find something appropriate. Don’t worry.”
“Get Lilly a fancy little outfit while you’re out. I’m sure she’ll look adorable.”
“Oh, face it, you’ll like whatever she’s dressed in because she is adorable. Have you asked Carole to babysit?”
“No, I thought we’d take her to my parents for the night. Mom will love having her granddaughter overnight. Then we can go to breakfast and pick her up the following day. They probably would have come and picked her up, but I don’t want them driving at night. It’s too dangerous.”
“I agree. That sounds good. Madelyn will be thrilled.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“The boutique opens at ten. I’ll be there right when they open and still be home in time to put Lilly down for her nap, even though she’ll probably fall asleep in the car on the way home.”
Bree stood.
Adam did, too. He took Bree in his arms.
She smiled and looked up at him. “What’s this about?”
“I just wanted to hug you.” Then he leaned down, kissed her forehead, and then her cheek. “Have fun today.”
She pulled back, her forehead wrinkled and cocked her head a little, then she gave it a slow shake. “Oh, I will. I like nothing better than spending your money.” I wonder what he meant by those kisses. That’s not like him.
He barked out a laugh. “If only that were true. You never buy anything for yourself. Now, Lilly, that’s a different story. Neither of us can resist buying her things. We’ll have to start using one of the other bedrooms for all her toys.”
Laughing, Bree stepped back out of his arms. “On that note, you need to go to work, and I need to get showered while Lilly is having her morning nap.”
He released her. “Okay, I’m outta here. See you tonight. I want a fashion show after dinner. You and Lilly.”
“I think that can be arranged. By the way, who is this person having the get-together?”
“People. Wade and Stacy Danvers, from Danvers Industries. They are the same couple we had to get married for in order to even be in the running for acquiring his company.”
“Ah. I understand. I should get something conservative today then.”
“Not on your life. I want to show off my beautiful wife. Get something sexy that shows off your figure.”
“In that case, the dress I have in mind is perfect. I could show you online, but I think you’ll enjoy the surprise more if I wear it.”
“That’s fine, I’ll see it when I get home. Have a great day.” He left through the door to the garage.
Bree wondered if it was such a good idea to have Lilly staying with Madelyn and Rocky overnight. She and Adam had been dancing around each other since the night of the wedding. They hadn’t indulged in anymore late-night kisses, but could they in a week, when Lilly was gone? Was she playing with fire if they did?
One week later
Bree hadn’t given Adam a fashion show when she bought the dress so this would be the first time he had seen it. She walked down the stairs to the large foyer at the front door. Her dress rustled just the slightest as she moved.
Adam was there, with Lilly, waiting. “About time, we’re—” He looked up and nothing came out of his mouth. Then he recovered and whistled. “Wow. You look spectacular.”
She was pleased with his reaction. After seeing herself in the full-length mirror in her room, when she’d finished getting ready, she had to agree. She looked amazing in this dress.
The dress was a dark midnight-blue and covered in thousands of tiny crystal beads, so the garment looked like she was wearing the night sky. It literally shimmered when she moved, catching every ray of light in the room. She wore sandals with a tiny black strap over her toes and one around her ankle. They had four-inch heels and forced her to take small steps or risk spraining an ankle or, worse yet, breaking a leg.
The bodice of the dress had spaghetti straps, a deep V-neckline, and skimmed her body to below the hips where it flared out to the hem, allowing lots of movement with every step. She held a small evening clutch covered in the same material as the dress, crystals and all.
She turned in a circle, and the skirt of the garment swung out, baring her legs as it did. When she halted, the dress shimmered to a stop. She gazed at Adam. “Well, what do you think? Will I do, or is it too much for the get-together tonight?”
Adam closed his mouth. “You look beautiful. I love the gown. I think it’s perfect for tonight. Do you need a wrap? The air gets a little chilly after the sun goes down.”
“I have a matching shawl. The weather is still warm enough the shawl should be enough.” She looked at him up and down. “You look very handsome in your tux. I haven’t seen you in one for years. I’d forgotten how well you filled one out.”
Adam looked down at Lilly. “Don’t you think your mommy looks beautiful? Hmm. Pretty, huh?”
She looked over at Bree and held her arms out. “Mama. Mama.”
With tears in her eyes, Bree took the baby from Adam. “Did you hear her? She said ‘mama’. Her first word. Oh, I think I’m going to cry.”
Adam placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Don’t do that, honey. You’ll ruin your makeup.”
She flashed him a gaze that she hoped said she didn’t think he was funny. “I’ll cry if I want to and if it ruins my makeup, I’ll fix it.”
Adam backed up a step, his hands up in front of him. “Sorry. You’re right, but I don’t like to see you cry. It…hurts me.”
Bree got a lump in her throat when she looked at him. “Ah, I don’t want to hurt you. I’m just happy. They would be happy tears.”
He frowned and his eyebrows furrowed. “They are still tears. I don’t like it.”
She grinned. “Okay. How about you take our girl here and get her in her car seat and I’ll get the diaper bag?”
Adam took Lilly from Bree. “Come on, sweet pea. You get to spend the night with Grandma. She and Grandpa will spoil you rotten and you’ll have a great time. Mom bought a bed for her. Did I tell you that?”
Shaking her head, Bree grabbed the diaper bag off the living room sofa. “No, but I’m not surprised. She wanted to be prepared. I would have done the same.”
He walked out to the garage and settled Lilly into the back of the Lincoln Navigator.
Adam bought the vehicle specifically because it was safer for Lilly.
Bree placed the bag in the backseat next to Lilly. She pulled out a teething ring for her to play with and chew on during the trip to Adam’s parents’ ranch. The journey would take them close to an hour because the ranch was about forty miles away. Then they would have to double back to Denver and the party at the Danver’s home.
Adam said the couple was old-fashioned.
Bree thought about the circumstances of her marriage and didn’t regret her decision for one moment. She was happy. The only problem was she was falling in love with Adam, and she was fairly sure he was falling in love with her.
He wasn’t at the point of admitting it to her, but she felt it just the same.
They arrived at Madelyn and Rocky’s home pulling into the driveway.
Madelyn rushed out of the front door and was down the steps and next to the SUV practically before Adam cut the engine.
At just over five feet tall, with a slender frame, the woman wasn’t very big. Her still blonde hair was shot through with gray and pulled into a long braid down her back.
“Where is my baby?” the older woman said as she opened the back door and extricated Lilly from her car seat. “There is my girl.” She pulled the baby into her arms and hugged her, then placed little kisses all over Lilly’s face.
Lilly giggled at her grandmother’s antics.
“Come on inside. You have a few minutes, don’t you?”
“Yes, we can come in for just a minute.” Adam came around the vehicle and helped Bree to the ground.
Madelyn turned her gaze toward Bree. “You look beautiful, my dear.”
“Thank you. I want us to make a good impression on his future client.”
Adam grinned and placed a hand at her waist as they headed inside. “She sounds so sure this guy will be my client. I like a wife with a positive outlook.”
“You should,” intoned a gravelly voice. Adam’s father, Rocky, stood just inside the screened-in porch. It faced west so they could see the mountains. He and Madelyn came out here and had coffee in the spring, summer and fall months. He held the door open for Madelyn and Lilly. And then for Bree.
In looking at Rocky, Bree saw what Adam would look like in thirty years. Tall and fit, with wide streaks of silver shooting through his dark hair on each side of his head at the temples. Those same blue-gray eyes twinkled with mischief. And at the outer corner of his eyes were wrinkles from a lifetime of sorrows and laughter.
Adam held the door, while his father followed the women in.
Rocky began tickling Lilly, making her giggle. And he talked baby talk to her, eliciting laughter from the rest of the adults.
“What?” He lifted his shoulders and put out his hands, palms up. “She understands me, don’t you buttercup?”
Adam shook his head, but he was smiling. “We need to get going. I don’t want to be late to this function.”
“No. Definitely not.” She turned her gaze toward Madelyn. “Call if you need us.”
Madelyn rolled her eyes. “We’ll be fine. I raised six rambunctious children. I think I can handle one sweet baby.”
“And I’ll help, too.” Rocky kept his attention on Lilly. “Son, I know you and Bree are nervous leaving her for the first time, but everything will be okay. Your mom and I are good at this. You’ll see. Now, go. Have a good time at your party tonight, and we’ll see you tomorrow for brunch.”
Adam chuckled. “Okay, we’re going.”
Bree leaned over and gave Lilly a kiss. “You be good for Grandma and Grandpa. Can you do that for Mama?”
“Mama. Mama.”
Bree still wanted to cry from happiness.
“Oh, when did our girl start talking?” Madelyn smiled at Lilly.
“Tonight, as we were about to leave. I almost cried,” said Bree.
“But I made her angry, and then she didn’t want to cry anymore,” said Adam.
Bree widened her eyes. “Are you saying you did that on purpose?”
Adam shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it? Does it really matter if I did it on purpose or not, as long as the desired outcome was achieved.”
“Oh, men!” cursed Bree.
Adam laughed. “Let’s go. You can be mad at me in the car on the way to the party.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I will be.”
The drive to the party was quiet for the first half as Bree stewed.
“I can’t believe you manipulated me like that.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I didn’t plan it. It just happened.”
“Well, don’t let it happen again. I don’t like it.”
“Oh, Bree. You know I didn’t do it on purpose…at least, consciously. I definitely didn’t want to be late, though, and that might have played into it.”
She rolled her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest, knowing since her hair was done in curls down to the middle of her back, it wouldn’t be messed up. “Okay. It didn’t hurt anything, but you should know, if anyone asks about Lilly, that’s what I’m leading with. Her first word.” Bree couldn’t help but smile. “Mama. I still can’t believe it.”
Adam chuckled. “We’ve both been working with her to say it. I don’t know why you’re surprised.”
“Because she said it without coaxing, and she knew that it meant me. She held out her arms.” She patted her chest.
He reached over and laid his right hand on her leg. “I’m glad you’re so happy. You deserve every bit of happiness, Bree. I want you to know that.”
She covered his hand with hers. “I am happy, Adam. I didn’t know I would ever be this happy again after losing Brad. But it’s like he’s here and telling me it’s time to let go. Time to grab for my happiness.”
Adam stared at her.
It was still light outside, and she could see his face. “Adam? What is it?”
He closed his eyes, swallowed and shook his head. “It’s just odd, because I’ve been feeling the same thing. I mean literally. It’s like Brad has been here for me, too. Saying it’s time to move on. To let the past go and embrace the future.”
“I agree with him. We need to concentrate on Lilly. She is my happiness.”
“I know and I’m glad. She’s definitely mine, too.”
Bree wondered if Adam could truly be happy in a marriage like theirs. He was a man, after all, and had never been a celibate one. He and Brad used to laugh over his conquests. Was it just because Adam had never found love? Would he even be open to it if he saw it? Could he eventually love her?