Chapter Eight #2
It was a thrilling, sickening feeling. A sudden whoosh of the heart and a sinking of the stomach. Dread and desire intermingled with a knowledge that the whole thing was hopeless.
How could that have happened?
In such a short time and with a man like him?
How could she have been so recklessly foolish?
Parading his faults through her brain, Evie turned sharply and walked towards the end of the store, hiding her panic.
‘You need books. Reading together is a great way to bond.’ She blocked out an image of Rio sprawled on a bedcover covered in pink dancing fairies, reading to a small, dark haired girl who adored him.
This was hard enough without making it worse for herself.
Her hands shook as she selected books from the shelves, conscious of his steady scrutiny.
‘What’s going on, Evie? When we came into this store you were hell bent on punishing me—you dragged me round pink fairy wings, handed me dolls and stuffed toys bigger than I am—and suddenly you look like the one who is being punished. You look like someone who has had a terrible shock.’
‘No,’ she answered quickly. Too quickly. ‘Not a shock.’
‘I wish you’d tell me why you’re upset. Or is this still because you’re thinking about my daughter?
’ He sat down on a chair in the reading area.
He should have looked ridiculous, stretching his powerful body and long legs amongst the small bean bags and tiny colouring tables, but he didn’t look ridiculous.
Evie doubted Rio could look ridiculous anywhere.
He had that ability to blend with his surroundings that came with confidence and self-assurance.
‘Of course I’m thinking of your daughter.
’ Picking another two books from the shelf, she flicked through them.
‘That’s what we’re doing here, isn’t it?
’ She wished he’d stop looking at her. Suddenly, she was afraid that everything she was feeling might show on her face.
The feelings growing inside her were so new she hadn’t got used to hiding them yet.
‘So we’ve done fairy wings, dolls, stuffed toys, games—’ he listed them one by one, a trace of irony in his voice ‘—is there anything else you think she would like? What does a little girl really want?’
What does a little girl really want?
Evie stared for a moment, the question opening a deep rift inside her. It was the one thing she was able to answer with complete confidence. ‘All a little girl really wants is her daddy,’ she said huskily. ‘The rest is just icing on the cake.’
‘You’re sure?’ Rio tucked the phone between his ear and his shoulder as he opened the email. ‘Yes, I have it here…I’m reading it right now…I’ll make all the arrangements.’
When he finally ended the call, he knew his life had altered irrevocably. It was done. The lawyers had finally confirmed it. Elyssa was going to come and live with him. The courts had awarded him custody.
His gaze slid to the small mountain of toys that had been neatly stacked in one corner of the Penthouse, a testament to Evie’s dedication to her task.
His little girl would want for nothing, not that he was kidding himself for one moment that the future was going to go as smoothly as that one shopping trip.
For a start there was his own inexperience to take into account, and then there was the inescapable fact that Elyssa had spent the past few years with a woman so self-absorbed that the needs of her child had largely gone unnoticed.
Whichever way you looked at it, there was a rocky road ahead.
Staring at the toys, he suddenly wished Evie was there to guide him through more than just his choice of doll.
But that was a crazy thought, wasn’t it? A selfish thought, because he had nothing to offer her. Not even a defence against her accusation that he’d used her.
He had.
He’d done what needed to be done, without a flicker of conscience. But he didn’t need to use her a moment longer. Their charade could end. Evie could get on with her life—could concentrate on making her grandfather proud.
She could go home for Christmas.
He sat there for a long moment and for once his phones were silent.
Through the wraparound glass of the luxurious Penthouse, he could see that the snow was falling again and immediately he thought how pleased Evie would be.
She loved snow.
Rising to his feet, he decided he needed to tell her, but when he searched the Penthouse there was no sign of her. At some point during his endless phone calls, she’d gone out.
Antonio entered the suite in response to his urgent call. ‘Miss Anderson has gone to the park, boss.’
‘What do you mean, she’s gone to the park?
It’s seven degrees below freezing and it’s still snowing—’ Rio prowled across the thick carpet.
The snow was floating past the window, thick flakes that landed on the ground and settled.
The streets were virtually empty of people and traffic, everyone trapped indoors because of the weather.
For the first time in over a decade the pond in the park had frozen over.
A few ducks waddled sorrowfully across the ice.
Staring through the window, he peered through the swirling flakes but failed to spot her.
‘What the hell is she doing in the park?’
Antonio cleared his throat. ‘She’s building a snowman, boss.’
‘She’s—what?’
‘A snowman.’ Antonio was smiling. ‘It’s surprisingly good, actually. She’s managed to—’
‘Spare me a description of the snowman.’ Rio spoke through his teeth. ‘Did she leave a message for me?’
‘Yes. She said to tell you that she needed fresh air and that she’d be back when she was finished.’
‘Where exactly is she?’
‘The far side of the pond, sir. Shall I call your driver?’
Rio strode across the room and snatched his coat from the back of the chair. ‘No. I’ll walk.’
‘In that case, perhaps you would give this to Evie, sir, with my compliments.’ Antonio dug his hand in his pocket and withdrew a carrot. ‘I went down to the kitchens and found it for her. She might find it useful.’
Rio stared at it. ‘Call me stupid,’ he said slowly, ‘but I can’t for a moment imagine what possible use she will have for a single raw carrot.’
‘Then you’ve obviously never made a snowman, boss. It’s for his nose. I tried to get a slightly smaller one, but the kitchen—’
‘All right—I get the picture.’ Feeling out of touch with everyone around him, Rio pushed the carrot into his pocket and strode across the room to the private elevator.
As he reached the doors, he paused, his mind exploring an idea.
His instinct was to reject it instantly, but for once he fought that instinct.
Why not?
It would please her and he certainly owed her a small bite of happiness after the way he’d treated her.
Having delivered his instructions to a bemused Antonio, Rio left the hotel and crossed the snowy street, wondering what on earth he was doing chasing a girl across a park in the freezing cold.
He found her kneeling in the snow, scooping snow into balls and adding them to a snowman, who was now wearing her hat.
Her hair spilled over the shoulders of her quilted jacket and her cheeks were pink from the cold.
Her lips were moving and at first he thought she was talking to herself, and then he realised that she was singing.
‘Five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens—’
‘—and a girl with double pneumonia,’ Rio drawled as he walked over to her. He pulled the carrot out of his pocket and handed it to her. ‘Here. Give the guy a nose so that you can come inside and warm up.’
‘I’m fine. I’m happy here. Thanks for the carrot.’ Without looking at him, she pressed it into the snowman’s face and sat back on her heels. ‘What do you think?’
Rio decided that this was probably one of those occasions when honesty was not required. ‘Spectacular,’ he said tactfully. ‘A real gladiator of a snowman.’ Why wasn’t she looking at him? He changed his position so that he could get a better look at her face and saw that her eyes were red.
He’d made her cry.
Forced to confront the damage he’d caused, Rio gave a bitter smile. The fact that she’d still been prepared to help him despite her own personal agony made him feel about as small as the snowflake that landed on his hand.
She pulled off her gloves and blew on her hands to warm them. ‘There’s no need to go overboard. I know you think I’m crazy.’
He thought she was astonishing. As brave as she was beautiful.
‘I’m no judge of snowmen.’ He dug his hands in his pockets. ‘I’ve never seen anyone make one before. But you clearly find it an absorbing occupation so I’m willing to be converted.’
‘You’ve never made one yourself?’
‘Never.’
‘Then you’re missing out.’ She pushed two pebbles into the snow above the carrot and then sat back to admire her handiwork.
Rio fought the sudden desire to roll her in the snow and warm her up in the most basic way known to man. ‘You need to move the pebble on the left up a bit—they’re not even. He’s squinting.’
Flakes of snow settled on her hair as she shifted the pebble. ‘What are you doing out here, Rio? Shouldn’t you be on the phone, brokering some deal or sorting out a crisis?’
‘I left the phones in the Penthouse.’
She managed a smile. ‘All three of them? Won’t the business world crumble?’
Rio suddenly discovered that he couldn’t care less. ‘Come back inside with me.’
The smile vanished. ‘I’m happy here.’
‘You’re soaked through and freezing.’
‘I love the snow.’ Lifting her face into the falling flakes, she closed her eyes. ‘If I keep my eyes shut, I’m a child again.’
Rio felt the tension flash through his body. ‘And that’s a good thing?’