So Wrong (Heart 0f Hope Book 3) Read online

  “The thing is, I plan to be around more, which means I’ll be able to spend more time with Maisie.”

  I supposed it was better late than never. My brain told me it was good for Maisie to be able to see her mother more often, but I didn’t like the idea of sharing Maisie more. “She’ll be glad to hear that. She just finished kindergarten last week.”

  “What? How can she possibly be that old?” She said it the way most parents did, lamenting on how quickly their kids grew up.

  There was an awkward silence for a moment. “Leo is out in the gym now. I wanted to talk to you first. I was hoping we could have lunch together and then we could take Maisie back to New York City for the weekend.”

  I inhaled a quick breath. It seemed like I’d need more than a lunch to vet Maisie’s new stepdad. At the same time, I had to give Veronica props for knowing that I needed meet her new man. As vain and shallow as she could be, she did seem to understand and respect me where Maisie was concerned.

  “Let’s start with lunch and see where it goes.”

  She nodded, “I know you’ll like him, Dylan. He’s good to me.”

  I was good to you, I thought but didn’t say. Of course, “good” was relative. I treated her well, but didn’t spend all my money on her. Chances were, this guy was rich and good to her financially.

  As it turned out, we were both right. Leo Dalton was at least fifteen years older than Veronica, and while I was financially well-off, he was clearly a one-percenter. With that said, he presented well. Friendly. Attentive. Interested. My only concern was that Veronica was his third wife, and he had no children. I wondered if I could send Tessa with them to watch over Maisie.

  After lunch, we drank coffee and talked.

  “We’d really like to bring Maisie back to the city. I’d like to take her to a show and have her get to know Leo,” Veronica said, putting her hand over Leo’s. When we first gotten together in college, she was all over me, but by the time we married, the only time she displayed affection was when we were fucking. The fact that she was openly connecting with Leo suggested their marriage was genuine. I had no doubt she married him for his money, but that apparently wasn’t the only reason.

  I couldn’t think of a good reason to tell her no to the visit. I had full physical custody of Maisie, but Veronica had legal and visitation rights.

  Reluctantly, I nodded.

  “I can see this is difficult for you,” Leo said.

  “It’s not you … I just …”

  “Maisie is Dylan’s whole life,” Veronica said. It was true, but her tone made it sound pathetic.

  “Well, now you can have some time to yourself. Get out and live a little.”

  I frowned at Leo. “My life is just fine.”

  Veronica patted Leo’s hand again, probably to tell him to shut up. “It’s been nearly a year since I’ve seen—”

  “That’s not my fault.” I was getting agitated, which I hated. I needed to stay in control here.

  “I know. I was working hard over the last year. And I loved it, but now I want to slow down some. And I want to see Maisie now that she’s becoming her own person.”

  What the fuck did that mean? She didn’t want to be with her own daughter until she could hold a conversation?

  “I’ll call home and have Tessa pack her a bag.” My gut burned at the idea of letting Maisie go. Not that I worried they hurt her, but I didn’t like being away from Maisie. I was her father, dammit. It was my job to keep her safe and happy.

  “Tessa? Is she—?”

  “She’s Maisie’s … nanny.” Babysitter didn’t sound as professional or rich. I scoffed at myself for getting sucked up in a money contest with Leo. I had more money than I needed, but I’d lose if I went up against Leo financially.

  “Does she live in?” Veronica asked. Why the hell did she care?

  “Next door. She and a few of her friends rent the property next door.”

  Veronica shook her head. “I can’t believe you still live in that little house.”

  “It has everything Maisie and I need.” I finished my coffee, hoping I could keep myself from sounding defensive.

  “You never needed much, did you?” Veronica smiled as if she was being friendly.

  “Just a family.”

  She flinched.

  “Let me call Tessa.” I stood and excused myself as I pulled out my phone. I walked outside the restaurant and pushed the speed dial for Tessa’s number.

  “Hello?” She picked up the phone on the second ring.

  “Tessa, it’s Dylan.”

  “Yes, hi. Is everything okay?”

  I could hear the din of voices and splashing that indicated they were at the pool.

  “Yes. Maisie’s mother is in town and wants Maisie to spend the weekend with her. Can you pack her a bag and have her ready in an hour or so?”

  There was a pause on the line that made me wonder what she was thinking. “Yes, of course. I didn’t realize she was coming or I’d have—”

  “She just showed up. That’s what she does.”

  “Oh … okay. We’re at the pool, but I’ll pack us up and head home. How many days will she be gone?”

  “Just the weekend. In the city … New York,” I clarified.

  “Nice things then?”

  For reasons I didn't understand, I found that humorous. “Yes.” She didn’t know Veronica and yet somehow understood Maisie would need to be well-dressed and groomed so that she fit in with Veronica and her rich husband. “I’ll see you in an hour.”

  I hung up the phone and took a moment to get my irritation under control. The truth was, Veronica and Leo hadn’t done anything wrong. My annoyance was all about having to share Maisie. That, and the idea that Veronica wanted to settle down. That would mean more visits with Maisie … more sharing. I knew that was good for Maisie, but I couldn’t stop the feelings of resentment and anger. Maisie was mine, dammit.

  With a final deep breath, I headed back into the restaurant. Veronica and Leo were sitting, their heads close together in discussion. Leo’s eyes shone with affection, as did Veronica’s. At least they truly cared about each other, I thought. For a moment, I was jealous. Not of Leo, but of the both of them. They had what I thought I’d have when I married Veronica. She found it in someone else. I suppose someone would say I could find it with another woman too, but no. I’d had my life squashed by the hope of love all through my childhood and then by Veronica. Today I was smarter. I wouldn’t let my heart be trampled again.

  “Tessa and Maisie are at the pool, but heading home. Why don’t you stop by in an hour to pick her up? She’ll be ready then.”

  “What will we do for an hour?” Leo asked.

  I wanted to make a snarky remark about how small communities had things to offer, but I bit my lip.

  “We can take a walk on the river. It’s a beautiful day for it,” Veronica said. I wondered if she’d take him to the spot where I’d fucked her for the first time in college. I shook my head at that thought. Stop being a dick, I told myself.

  “There are new benches along the path,” I said.

  “Sounds lovely.” Leo rose and helped Veronica up from her chair. We said our goodbyes and I headed home to talk to Maisie before sending her off with her mother. I made a quick stop first at the phone store and picked up a small easy cell phone. She was too young for it, but I couldn’t help feeling that I wanted her to have access to me if she needed me. I’d never felt so off-kilter around a visit before, but in the past, Veronica stayed in town. Hell, many of the times she stayed with us in the guest room, except for the few times she snuck into my bed. But now she had a new husband and was taking Maisie to her new home in New York City. I didn’t like it, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

  When I reached home, I worked to put on a smile so I could sell this as something fun for Maisie, even though inside my heart was sick.

  5

  Tessa

  When Dylan walked in, I had Maisie coloring
at the coffee table as I met him at the door.

  “I didn’t say anything about her mom in case that was something you should tell her.”

  He looked at me like he couldn’t believe I was real. “Thank you for that. You always think of her first.”

  His comment made me wonder if Veronica didn’t think of Maisie first. Well, of course she didn’t. If she did, she’d be more active in Maisie’s life. I knew Maisie remembered her because she sometimes talked about her and the times she visited. But in the ten months I’d been working for Dylan, I hadn’t seen nor heard about a visit from Veronica. What sort of mother could go that long without seeing her child? Sure, if she was in jail that would make sense, but she was gone because she chose to be gone. She made the decision to be away from her daughter. That made absolutely no sense to me.

  “I did lay out some of her clothes on her bed if you’d like to check. I also packed her toothbrush and other toiletries.”

  “Daddy!” Maisie jumped up and rushed to him.

  He scooped her up and gave her a tight hug. “Hi, baby.”

  I had noticed tension on him when he walked in, but now it radiated. He didn’t want her to go. Did he have a reason to be concerned about this trip, or was he just going to miss her?

  “Listen, I need to tell you something.” He held her in a way that he could look into her eyes. It was something I knew from school that helped make sure children understood what grownups were telling them. Had Dylan had a child psych class or maybe a parenting course? Or did being a great dad come naturally to him?

  “Okay.” Maisie patted his cheeks.

  “Your mom came to see me today.”

  Maisie’s little brows rose.

  “She wants to see you this weekend.”

  “Is she coming here?”

  Dylan shook his head. “She wants you to visit her in New York.”

  This time Maisie frowned. “Will you come too?”

  Dylan smiled, but it was forced. “It will be just your mom and her new husband.”

  Husband?

  “They want to take you to a movie and I bet your mom will take you shopping.”

  Maisie still didn’t look convinced. “What if I want to see you?”

  He pulled a box from his pocket. “I got you a phone, just for this trip. I want you to use it only when you have to, like when you’re homesick or feel lonely or scared and your mom can’t help you call.”

  A phone seemed like a lot for a five-year-old, but it was clear that Dylan was as uncomfortable about this trip as Maisie seemed to be.

  “Is Mommy’s new husband my new daddy?” her voice was so soft I could barely hear her.

  “No, baby.” He pulled her tight again. “I’ll always be your daddy. Nothing will ever change that, okay?”

  Her little arms wrapped around his neck. “’Kay.”

  “I know this is different from before, but you’re a big girl now and I know you’ll have lots of fun with your mom.”

  I wondered how they’d done visits before.

  “Can Tessa come?”

  “No, but I know you’ll have fun. Why don’t we get your bag packed so you’ll be ready when she gets here?” Dylan set her down.

  “Is there something else you need from me?” I asked as Maisie skipped off to her room.

  “I need to pay you.” His eyes watched her as she rounded the corner.

  “We can take care of that later.” I moved to the door. I didn’t need to be here when Veronica arrived.

  “Stay,” he said, his voice rough.

  I stopped. A million questions ran through my mind mostly about what was upsetting him so much. “Yeah, sure. I can make some coffee or something.”

  “Maybe you could pack a snack for Maisie. It’s nearly two hours drive to New York and I’m not sure Veronica would have considered that.”

  “I’ll get on it.” I smiled wanting to reassure him, but he was still tense when he walked off toward Maisie’s bedroom.

  I washed out Maisie’s lunch box and began to put in some of her favorite snack foods. Grapes. Peanut butter cracker sandwiches. Juice box.

  I heard a knock at the door, but didn’t go to answer it. Instead, I handed Maisie’s lunch box to Dylan as he passed by the kitchen on his way to the door. Then I leaned against the kitchen entry to watch.

  Dylan opened the door, and Veronica—a woman I’d only seen in magazines, on TV, and in a picture on Maisie’s bedside table—walked in followed by a distinguished-looking man, who had to be ten or fifteen years older than her.

  Maisie wrapped her arms around Dylan’s leg as she looked up at Veronica.

  “Oh! My little princess. You’ve grown up so much.” Veronica bent down in front of Maisie.

  “I’m five now,” Maisie said with one hand still wrapped around Dylan’s leg and the other one holding up five fingers.

  “So big,” Veronica smiled, and it looked genuine. “Can I have a hug?”

  Tentatively, Maisie unwrapped herself from Dylan and went to Veronica. They hugged and then Veronica stood.

  “Maisie, this is Leo. He’s your new stepdad.”

  Dylan flinched, but didn’t say anything.

  Leo held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Maisie.”

  Maisie turned her head to look at Dylan who nodded, but had an expression like on the inside he was cracking.

  Maisie took Leo’s hand for a little shake.

  “We’re going to take you to our house in New York. We’ll go see a show and have so much fun Maisie,” Veronica said.

  “What if I miss my Dad?” Maisie’s lip quivered.

  “We’ll be having too much fun for you to miss him.”

  Bitch.

  Dylan’s eyes narrowed, and I saw the badass Mrs. Anderson had mentioned the last day of school.

  “But if you do, you can call your dad,” Leo said, and I wondered if he understood how hard this was for Maisie and Dylan.

  Dylan squatted down. “Maisie.”

  Maisie rushed to him and wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t want to go, Daddy.”

  “Now Maisie, I’m your mommy.”

  Dylan cut Veronica a scathing glare. Then he turned his attention to Maisie. “I know this is new and sometimes new is scary. But you know your mom and she’ll take good care of you.” He looked at Veronica again as if to say, “you better take good care of her.”

  “We’d better get going,” Leo said. “We don’t want to get back too late.”

  “Come on, Maisie. I can’t wait to show you your new room.”

  “I want to say goodbye to Tessa.”

  “Tessa?” It was then Veronica looked up to where Maisie was pointing. Until then, I don’t think Veronica noticed I was there.

  Maisie ran to me.

  “Have fun with your mom and stepdad, Maisie,” I said, giving her a hug. “I want to hear all about your adventures in the city when you get home, okay?”

  She nodded. “Okay.”

  “I’ll walk them out to the car,” Dylan said to me as they headed through the door.

  I nodded that I’d wait.

  Fifteen minutes later, he returned. “They didn’t even have a car booster seat.” His eyes were dark, his jaw tight as he made his way to the kitchen.

  “They can have mine—”

  “I gave them mine.” He opened a cupboard over the refrigerator and pulled out a dark bottle. He took it with him to another cupboard where he pulled out a juice glass and poured a sizable shot. “Want some?”

  I’d never seen him drink anything but water or coffee before, so it was a bit of a shock to see him drinking alcohol.

  “No, thank you.”

  “I can’t figure out what I’m feeling,” he said, downing half the drink.

  “Nervous?”

  He nodded. “Maisie is like a doll to Veronica. I worry about her getting bored … Veronica, not Maisie. I had no clue about Leo until she told me this afternoon.”

  “Has Maisie never spent time with her al
one?” I knew that for a five-year-old like Maisie, transitions could be hard, especially one involving a mom she hadn’t seen for nearly a year. But Dylan was acting like Veronica had never visited Maisie.

  “She’s always stayed in town. Here, usually.” He gulped the rest of his drink and poured another glass.

  “Here?” I supposed for Maisie that was a good situation, but it seemed odd to me that his ex would stay with them in his house.

  “I know how it sounds, but it was easy and I could keep an eye on Maisie.”

  “That makes sense. I suppose it was like old times.”

  He looked at me. “I won’t deny that Veronica and I sometimes shared a bed then—”

  I flinched. I hadn’t meant that. It hadn’t even occurred to me, although now it made more sense why he wasn’t interested in getting involved with another woman. I wondered if seeing Veronica with Leo upset him beyond Maisie. Was Dylan secretly hoping to reconcile with his ex-wife?

  “––But it was never like old times. We were never a family. Not really.” He sipped his glass and walked into the living room. “Let me get you your check.”

  I nodded and watched as he went up the hall to his office. I let out a breath and sat on the couch to wait for him. I pulled out my phone to check on any messages my roommates or parents might have sent, but there were none. I opened my email, but there was only spam.

  “Here you go.” He sat next to me and handed me the check.

  I put my phone on the table and took the check, noting a full week’s pay even though I wasn’t working a full day today. “I didn’t work all day today.”

  “No, but you deserve it. Thank you for taking care of Maisie’s packing.”

  “Of course.” I watched him as he lay his head back on the couch. “You okay?”

  “Not really. I mean, I know she’ll be fine, but I hate being away from her, you know?”

  “Yes.”

  He turned his head to me. “Do you think it was over the top to buy her a phone?”

  I smiled. “No, not really.”

  “You do. You think I’m an overprotective father.” He said it with amusement.