Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
MADDOX
Violet shuffled into my bathroom, her hair mussed and her eyelids heavy.
“Morning, sweetie.”
She yawned as I picked her up and set her beside my sink. Then I went back to shaving, half of my face still covered in shaving cream.
There were two scratches on my shoulder from Natalie’s nails. Having just come from the shower, I was only wearing a towel around my waist so I pivoted, not wanting Violet to ask how I’d gotten the marks.
“Why were you whistling?” she asked.
“Oh.” I hadn’t realized I’d been whistling. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just in a good mood.”
A damn good mood.
Last night with Natalie had been the best night I’d had in years. Sex, phenomenal sex, was part of it. But the other part of my good mood was just... Natalie. She made me happy.
“I like it when you whistle.” Violet yawned again and gave me a sleepy smile .
“Me too.” I finished shaving, rinsed my face and patted it dry. Then I left Violet, content on the counter, and went to the closet to get dressed.
In a pair of jeans and a simple gray sweater, I collected my daughter, taking her to the bedroom where the bed was still made from yesterday.
After I’d gotten home from Natalie’s, I’d spent an hour in the office, not wanting to wash her scent off my body quite yet. Then when I’d suspected Violet would be waking up soon, I’d hurried through a shower.
“I need to talk to you about something,” I said, sitting beside her.
Her shoulders stiffened. “What?”
“It’s about Natalie. She’s going to come back and hang out with you today.”
“Okay.” She relaxed. “What about Mommy? She said we could go shopping.”
“And you can.” When—if—Cece followed through, I’d have a little alone time with Natalie. “But Natalie is going to be around a lot more.”
“As my nanny?”
I shook my head. “No. As my girlfriend.”
Violet dropped her eyes to her lap, her fingers tugging at her cotton pajamas.
“How do you feel about that?”
She lifted a shoulder. “What about Mommy?”
“Your mom will always be your mom.” There was an unspoken message there, one that Violet didn’t miss. Cece wouldn’t change, something Violet was beginning to understand.
My daughter was too smart for her own good at times.
“Mom doesn’t make you whistle.”
“No, she doesn’t.” I took one of Violet’s hands and pressed it between mine.
“I like Natalie,” she whispered.
“Me too. Want to take her on a date tonight?”
“I can go too?”
I nodded. “Just the three of us.”
“What if Mommy is still here?”
“She can hang out with you for a while today. But she’s going to be sleeping at a hotel tonight. And while I’m working, Natalie will be here. Then we’ll go to dinner.”
If Cece surprised me and entertained Violet all day, I’d be shocked. Hence why Natalie was coming over because I was betting that we’d need backup.
“Okay. Can I have breakfast?”
“Sure.” I kissed her hair and led her to the hall. We passed her room and I glanced inside, not seeing Cece. Her suitcase was open on the floor and the bed was unmade. “Where is your mom?”
“She was getting some coffee.”
I was surprised that Cece had let Violet out of her sight. Not because she’d missed her, but because Cece was in enemy territory. I’d assumed she would have used Violet as a shield around my parents.
The house was quiet as we made our way to the kitchen. The door was closed to Mom’s office. I’d heard the garage door open and close earlier. That had probably been Dad disappearing to Holiday Homes.
I’d send them both an all-clear text later once Cece was gone.
Violet and I found Cece in the kitchen, sitting at the island with a steaming mug of coffee. She was dressed in a pair of jeans and a turtleneck. Her hair was perfectly styled and her makeup artfully applied.
“Morning,” I said .
“Hi.” She barely looked at me, but smiled at Violet.
“Would you like breakfast?”
“No, thanks.”
“Suit yourself.” I went to the pantry, smirking that I’d kissed Natalie here last night.
Violet chose cereal and I set her up beside Cece at the island.
Other than Violet’s crunching, silence consumed the kitchen, awkward and tense. Cece refused to make eye contact. I poured my own cup of coffee and watched my daughter eat, the occasional dribble of milk dripping down her chin.
When she was finished, I took her bowl and put it in the dishwasher. “Can you go get dressed? I need to talk to your mom for a few minutes. Grown-ups only.”
Violet frowned but obeyed, trudging from the room. Her footsteps paused past the first wall.
“Violet,” I warned.
“Fine.” She huffed and this time she actually obeyed.
“How was your night?” Cece’s teeth ground together when she finally looked at me.
“Good.”
“Is it really appropriate for you to leave Violet in the middle of the night to visit your nanny?”
“Natalie,” I corrected, keeping my voice even. “And I don’t think you get to talk to me about what is and is not appropriate, considering you used to fuck Rip in my bed.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“I didn’t notice a car outside. Would you like me to order you an Uber to take you to a hotel?”
“If you’re going to be disappearing every night, then maybe Violet should stay with me there.”
“Absolutely not. You can take her shopping today if you’d like, but I expect her back by five. We have plans tonight.”
“You made plans? I rarely get to see her. You’re taking her away from California. I fly all the way up here and you make plans?”
There was so much I could tackle in her statement. So much to throw in her face. But I’d said it all before and it hadn’t mattered. It wouldn’t now. “Yes, we have plans.”
“Unbelievable. I’ll be back for Violet before lunch.” She huffed and slid off her seat, marching out of the kitchen, but before she could disappear, I called her name.
“Cece.”
“What?” She spun around and crossed her arms.
“Natalie will be here today. She’s important to me. She’s important to Violet. I expect you to show her the same respect I’ve shown your boyfriend, and by that, I mean you need to keep your mouth shut.”
“Seriously?”
“I’m glad we understand each other.”
With a hair flip and an eye roll, she disappeared, leaving me in the empty room.
I shook my head, rubbing at the ache forming behind a temple. It was never easy with her. But I was giving Cece a day and then I suspected she’d be gone. She’d throw her temper tantrum and fly home.
My phone vibrated in my pocket like it had been all morning and I was sure that a string of emails and voicemails would greet me when I got to my desk. But all of that was going to have to wait until Cece was gone and Natalie was here. Where she belonged.
Last night had been the turning point. Like I’d warned her, I wasn’t going to wait. I wasn’t taking this slow.
Maybe it was foolish, given my history with Cece, but my gut screamed that Natalie was the one. It was the same feeling I’d had when I’d started Madcast. It was the same feeling I had when someone pitched a hit show.
I knew.
Soul deep.
I took out my phone and pulled up her name, hitting the screen.
“Hi,” she answered with a sniffle that made me stand straighter.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, too brightly. “Still want me to come over and hang out with Violet?”
“If you’re up for it.”
“Of course.” Another sniffle.
“Nat, what’s wrong?”
She blew out a long breath. “I quit my job. And I gave up Magdalena.”
“Magdalena?”
“My 1969 mint-green Volkswagen bus. She’s been at the mechanic, and I realized this morning if I’m going to pay for school, I need a vehicle that doesn’t require specialty parts when she’s broken down.”
“You named your car Magdalena.”
“Um . . . yes. Don’t you name your cars?”
“No.” But it didn’t surprise me in the least that she did. “Do you want to stay home today?”
“I’ll be fine. A lot is changing.”
“For the better?”
“For the best,” she whispered. “Don’t worry about me. I’m good. See you soon.”
“Bye.” I refilled my coffee, then lingered outside of Violet’s room as Cece packed her luggage. I hauled her suitcases to the front door and waited for her Uber to arrive. She promised to be back by eleven, which meant noon .
Not ten minutes after Cece left, Natalie pulled up in her Subaru.
“So who is that?” I asked, motioning to the car as she came inside the foyer.
“My dad’s. He loaned it to me. He doesn’t name his cars either, but I’m considering calling him Barney.”
I chuckled and pulled her into my arms. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She melted into me, rising on her toes as I brought my lips down to hers. The kiss wasn’t long enough, and if Cece showed up like she’d promised, I’d ignore whatever was on my calendar and take Natalie to my bedroom.
We tore ourselves apart, both turning to freeze at the blue eyes waiting.
Violet had definitely been watching as I’d kissed Natalie.
My daughter studied us, her eyes darting back and forth, then she smiled at Natalie. “Can we play with my Christmas presents?”
“Absolutely.” Natalie whipped off her coat, winked at me and let my daughter steal her away.
I went to my office with a smile on my face.
It only lasted through the morning.
Because by noon, when Cece was supposed to be back for Violet, I received a text that her plans had changed and she’d already hopped on a plane for California.
“Fuck.” My curse echoed through my office.
I shouldn’t have been surprised. With my attitude yesterday and today, I’d pissed her off. Add in Natalie, and it wasn’t a shock that Cece had chosen to leave rather than deal with circumstances like an adult in order to spend time with her child.
But it had never been about Violet. Cece was uncomfortable and therefore she was gone.
And I’d be the one to deliver the news to my girl .
I found Natalie and Violet in the kitchen, raiding the fridge. The chef had his earbuds in, chopping herbs on the opposite end, as far from Violet as possible. He kept one eye on her, another on his knife.
“Hi, Daddy.” Violet looked past me as I strode into the room, probably wondering if Cece was here.
“We were just going to make sandwiches for lunch, keep it simple.” The smile on Natalie’s face faded when she noted my expression. “What happened?”
I nodded to Violet, my heart breaking.
Natalie’s shoulders fell.
“Violet, I need to talk to you, princess.”
“Why?” She studied my face for a long moment. Then her chin began to quiver. “Mom left, didn’t she?”
Fucking Cece. I wouldn’t forgive her for this. For any of it. How could she not take one look at Violet and see an amazing little girl who just wanted to be loved?
“Yeah. She left.”
The first tear fell down Violet’s cheek and I opened my arms.
But she didn’t turn to me. She turned to Natalie.
“I’m sorry, Violet.” Natalie closed the fridge and knelt beside my daughter.
The first sob escaped Violet’s mouth and then she flew into Natalie’s arms, clinging to her as she cried. “I hate her. I hate her! She didn’t even bring me a Christmas present.”
Natalie wrapped her up tight and closed her eyes, stroking Violet’s hair. “I’m sorry.”
Hearing Violet cry was too much, so I walked over, dropped down, and held them both.
It took Violet a while to stop, but when she did, we let her go and I wiped the tears off her cheeks. “I love you. ”
“I love you too,” she whispered, her tiny mouth turned down.
“Let’s have some lunch. Then we’ll have fun the rest of the day.” I’d call my assistant and tell him to cancel my meetings for the rest of the week. I needed to spend time with my daughter. And I wanted Natalie with us.
“What kind of fun?” Violet asked.
“I thought we could drive out and look at the place where we’re going to build our house. Then maybe we could go sledding. Or to a movie.”
“Sledding,” Natalie and Violet said in unison.
So we went sledding. Afterward, we drove past our new property and Violet squealed when she saw the pond. Then we went to a movie, just the three of us.
In a way, it felt like the first day of our new life.
“Who’s hungry?” I asked as we left the theater.
“Me.” Violet and Natalie both raised their hands. They’d eaten an entire tub of popcorn and a bag of M&M’s.
“Okay, we need to make one more stop, then we can go to dinner.”
“Where are we going?” Violet asked.
“You’ll see.” I winked, taking her hand.
Violet grabbed Natalie with her other and we swung her between us while Natalie looked over with those beautiful blue eyes and breathtaking smile.
“Thank you,” I mouthed.
If not for her, I don’t think Violet would have recovered so quickly from Cece’s disappointment today. As we’d driven around town, bouncing between activities, Violet had asked Natalie questions about her own mother. How old she’d been when she’d left. How many Christmas presents Natalie’s mom had forgotten to give her .
For Violet, knowing that she wasn’t alone in this seemed to help her cope.
Natalie had mentioned Judy a few times throughout the day, and each time Violet would look to me and smile.
Mom had said last night that Natalie fit.
I knew it.
So did my daughter.
Natalie was Violet’s Judy.
We piled into the car and drove away from the theater, heading across town.
“Where are we going?” Natalie asked.
“I was going to buy you some flowers for our first date.”
“Aww.” She smiled. “That’s sweet.”
I grinned and kept on driving.
During the movie, I’d excused myself under the ruse of refilling the popcorn and using the bathroom. Really, I’d swiped Natalie’s phone so I could call her father.
After a quick introduction, I’d asked him if he knew about Magdalena.
Garrett had told me everything, about how the bus had been Natalie’s mother’s, and despite his hatred of that vehicle, Nat had always loved it. His voice had been so loud and deep that I’d had to listen with the phone an inch from my ear.
He’d given me the mechanic’s name and number, and I’d told Garrett we’d meet soon. Then I’d made another call.
“Where are we going?” Natalie sat straighter in her seat, recognizing the street I turned down. This part of Bozeman was made up of industrial buildings and a lumberyard.
Not a flower shop in sight.
“Like I said, I was going to buy you flowers but I had a better idea.” I slowed and pulled into the garage’s small lot, parking in front of the first bay door. When I’d spoken to the owner, he’d promised to stick around until we arrived. “We’re going to rescue Magdalena.”
“Maddox.” Natalie pressed her hands to her cheeks. “This is too much.”
I shook my head. “Let me do this.”
“Maddox—”
“Consider it your Christmas present. From Violet and me.”
“No. It’s too much. Way too much.”
“Do you love Magdalena?”
“Who’s Magdalena?” Violet asked from the backseat.
“My car,” Natalie answered.
“Your car is named Magdalena? Daddy, why doesn’t our car have a name?”
“Well, this is a rental. I don’t know if you name rental cars.”
“You can,” Natalie said.
“Okay, then we’ll just have to come up with one. You can pick.”
“James,” Violet declared with a nod.
“I like it.” Natalie reached back for a fist bump. “What about a middle name?”
Before Violet could answer, I held up a hand. “How about you introduce us to Magdalena, I’ll pay for whatever repairs she needs, then you two can discuss a middle name for James over dinner?”
Natalie sighed. “You can’t pay for Magdalena to get fixed.”
“It’s happening, babe.” Eventually she’d get used to lavish gifts because there were many in her future. “Come on.”
She opened her door and moved to the back to help Violet out, and then we met with the shop owner. And met Magdalena.
The bus screamed Natalie. The moment I spotted it, I knew I’d do whatever was necessary so she could drive that bus for as long as she wanted .
I thanked the mechanic, who assured me that he’d have the new parts installed soon, and Magdalena would be as good as new in a couple of weeks.
With that settled, I loaded Violet and Natalie into James and drove us to dinner. We talked about everything over a large supreme pizza. Natalie’s favorite foods. Violet’s favorite movies. My favorite part of the day.
This.
Our first date.
The best first date of my life.
With any luck, the last first date.
“Thank you for coming in,” the waitress said as she delivered our check to the booth.
Behind her, another waitress walked by carrying a skillet heaped with ice cream.
Natalie and Violet shared a look.
Kindred sweet tooths.
I held up a hand before the waitress could set down the bill, then pointed to the dessert. “We’re going to need one of those.”
Natalie cleared her throat.
“Make that two.”