That Time in Venice (Love Unexpected Book 6) Read online

  “You cared about yourself. Where were you when she went into labor?”

  “I was in New York. You know that.”

  “You should have been here! You knew when her delivery date was, and she was in delivery for ten hours.”

  “I had to catch a flight.” He’d hopped on the first plane he could.

  “I held her hand in the delivery room, and you showed up two hours late. And two days later, you were gone. I helped raise that baby. For four years—four years we seldom saw you. You weren’t her father. You were a stranger. The only thing you did consistently was send a check. I helped Layla raised that little girl. I stayed up nights so she could get some rest, and when she went back to work, Brielle stayed with me. Every day. I was her momma. I was her daddy. I was her nanny. I was her best friend. And then Layla died, and all of a sudden you want to be a full-time daddy? And you came, and you took my little girl.” Tears thickened her voice now. “She’s all I have left of my Layla, and you took her away from us. From me.” Her voice cracked, and she was openly weeping now. “I can’t see her anymore. I’m the stranger. She’s all I have left of my daughter. My one and only. And you took her. You just took her!”

  Reed closed his eyes. The sorrow in Nanette’s voice ripped him apart and drained him of anger. She was still grieving the loss of her daughter and, in her own way, trying to hold on to the child she loved as her own.

  He’d stepped up to be responsible and give his daughter love, and the security that he believed she needed from him. He’d wanted to be a better father than his had been. Yet he’d inflicted deep hurt on Brielle’s family—an unintended consequence of trying to be a good man.

  “Nanette, I’m sorry Layla’s gone, and I’m sorry that you had to suffer the loss of your only child.”

  She sniffled.

  “But what you’ve been doing is wrong. You’re hurting Brielle and confusing her. I’m not going to give you any details about my relationship with Layla. That was private and between us, but I can assure you that I cared about her deeply.”

  Nanette must have started influencing Brielle’s behavior after he bought the house. She recognized that he was not giving up and was setting down roots. He had no doubt she’d also unintentionally created the fear of monsters in Brielle. His daughter’s anxiety over the conversations had manifested into monsters in the closet and under the bed.

  “I admit, I wasn’t the best father at first, but I love Brielle with all my heart. She changed me. I’m different because of her. I’m trying my damndest to be a good dad, and I’m getting there. Because of her, I’m a better person. I don’t want to keep you two apart. She loves you, but what you’re doing is hurting her so much that I had to convince her to call you. She didn’t want to.”

  “What?”

  “She’s torn. She’s hurting because you’re making her choose sides. A four-year-old shouldn’t be placed in that situation.”

  Nanette sniffled again, but didn’t speak.

  “I want you in her life. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing for either of us. We can work this out.”

  She started crying again. He heard jagged huffs of breath as she fought to control her emotions.

  “Can we try to work this out? For Brielle’s sake?”

  Nanette sniffed. “Yes. I’m willing.”

  Progress.

  “I’m going to hang up and check on Brielle. I’ll call you tomorrow and we can discuss some ideas. Maybe she can come stay with you part of the summer.”

  “Yes, yes. I’d like that,” Nanette said quickly. “I still have a room in the house just for her.”

  “Okay. And um…maybe we could do FaceTime or Skype on the computer.”

  “My goodness, I don’t know anything about that technology business. It’s all so complicated.”

  “We’ll figure it out. I promise you. If it means you can see Brielle more often, will you try?”

  “You know I’d do anything for that child.”

  “I know. And thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for Brielle, helping Layla, and in essence, for helping me.”

  “That’s my baby.” Her voice wobbled again, but she took a deep breath and gathered strength. “I’ll let you tend to Brielle now. Make sure you tell her Grandma loves her to death, and she never ever has to hesitate to talk to me again. You make sure you tell her, you hear me?”

  “I will. I promise.”

  “Good. We’ll talk tomorrow then?”

  “We’ll talk tomorrow.” Reed hung up the phone and ran a hand down his face. He expelled a breath of air and braced both hands on the granite bar top.

  Now the mystery of Brielle’s behavior had been resolved once and for all, he could concentrate on other things—namely, Anika. She’d referred to herself as broken. He winced. Had she carried around that thought all along? He’d have to find a way to convince her that his love was not conditional, and he wanted her just the way she was.

  With that thought in mind, Reed headed upstairs to tend to his daughter.

  Chapter 24

  Today was an exceptional day. Surrounded by her coworkers in the break room, Anika celebrated a professional milestone. She now owned a minor stake in Davenport Design Studio, giving her the right to participate in decision-making and share in profits. This also garnered her a new role as a senior designer, working strictly with the firm’s high-end clients.

  The fact that Laura had relinquished part of her company was nothing short of a miracle. She’d built the design firm from the ground up, but even more surprising, Anika learned during one of their private meetings that Laura intended to sell her a larger share of the company as time went on, if she was interested. She was definitely interested.

  Laura stood at the front of the room and smiled at Anika with affection in her eyes. “I can’t say enough how much I appreciate your dedication to this firm. You’ve shown it every day through your hard work, and our clients can’t stop singing your praises. From the day I hired you, I knew you’d do great things, and you far exceeded my expectations. Now we get to be partners, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

  “Thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity,” Anika said.

  “Cheers!” the staff yelled, lifting glasses of champagne in the air.

  Anika struggled to get into a cheery mood. Four days had passed since her confrontation with Reed, and not once had he called or come by her house. Now his absence confirmed what she’d feared—that his love was conditional. That he couldn’t really love her the way she wanted—the way she needed. Just as she was.

  She did her best not to think about him. The memories were too painful. She missed him too much—their closeness, their compatibility. They’d shared so many intimate moments—laughing at silly jokes, holding hands, cuddling.

  Even worse, she didn’t only miss him. She missed Brielle, too, with her giggles, the way she organized her stuffed animals, and the guileless trust in her brown eyes. If she could have a daughter, she’d want her to have Brielle’s personality.

  Anika sipped champagne from her flute and mustered a grin, even as the painful truth twisted inside her. “Okay, time for the sweet stuff.” She cut into the cake, covered in buttercream frosting and Congratulations Anika written in red letters. This was only the first part of the celebration. The staff planned to meet for dinner and drinks after work. She wished she could get out of it, but as the guest of honor, that was impossible.

  “Well, hello there.”

  Laura spoke in an unnaturally high-pitched voice, and Anika turned away from her conversation with Edgar to see Reed and Brielle standing inside the room.

  Reed wore a black shirt and black pants. A fine growth of hair covered the lower part of his face. She hadn’t heard from him in days, and then he shows up looking so good. Dark, brooding, and yummy.

  Brielle was adorable with her hair parted in the middle and styled into Minnie Mouse buns. She vaguely wondered if Reed or Mrs. Miller had don
e her hair.

  “Hi, Laura. I came to talk to Anika.” His eyes never left Anika’s face.

  “Is everything okay?” Laura asked in the same odd-sounding voice. “Is there something we can help you with?” Laura was an excellent businesswoman and visionary when it came to design, but she was a terrible actress. She’d obviously been expecting Reed.

  Anika set down her plate and glass with shaky hands. “We can go to my office,” she offered. She did not want a public display of whatever Reed had planned.

  He shook his head and walked farther into the room, his little sidekick coming along with him, clutching her denim jacket closed over a lavender T-shirt. “We need to talk, but what I have to say needs to be said in front of your coworkers.”

  Seized by panic, Anika shook her head vehemently. No way she wanted her dirty laundry to play out in front of the staff, and she couldn’t believe Reed would put her in such a position. “Please let’s go to my office. This is not the place and certainly not the time for whatever you have planned.”

  “Here and now is the perfect time and place to make a public declaration of my love for you.”

  Someone in the back gasped. Quiet descended on the room, and Anika held her breath. Bewildered, she could only stare at Reed, heart hammering at a violent speed.

  He stepped closer and spoke in an even, quiet tone. “I messed up seven years ago when I walked out of your life. I thought it was the right decision, but I was wrong. Biggest mistake I’ve ever made. I’d lived most of my life not having any responsibility or concern for anyone or the future. I couldn’t accept how much you meant to me until it was too late.”

  Anika’s heart raced even faster, but she remained very still as she listened to him.

  “We want the same things. We’re more similar than we are different. I know you love me, and I love you. I loved you then and I love you now. To prove that, Brielle has something to show you.”

  Brielle stepped up, her cheeks bright with color, her brown eyes glowing with excitement. She opened her jacket and Anika’s eyes landed on the gold letters written on the lavender T-shirt: Please say yes.

  Reed lowered to one knee and held open a red box with a diamond solitaire sparkling inside. Gasps and a series of ahhs filled the room.

  Anika’s hands flew to her mouth. “What are you doing? What are you doing, Reed?” She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. This couldn’t be happening. Not to her.

  “Proving to you that you’re all I need. Just you. There’s no sacrifice in being with you, sweetheart. The only sacrifice would be if I lost you.” The sincerity in his eyes tightened the hold on her heart. “Anika, will you marry me? Please.”

  Choked with emotion, Anika remained frozen in place. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t move. This was it. Reed wanted and loved her—Anika. She was enough. She wasn’t broken. She was whole in her current form.

  “Are you sure, because—”

  “I’m sure.” He meant it. She could see it in his eyes. “And I need an answer quickly because my knee is starting to hurt.” He grinned.

  Her face crumbled as she nodded. “In that case, yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Her coworkers erupted into cheers, and Anika rushed over to Reed, cupping his face and kissing him hard on the mouth. He rose to his feet with his arms around her thighs and lifted her in the air, devouring her lips in a sweet, sultry kiss that made their audience cheer even louder.

  Happiness swelled in her chest. “God, I love you,” she whispered. “You knew, didn’t you? How did you guess that I loved you?”

  “It was obvious it hurt you to leave me, but you did it anyway because you thought that was best for me.” The corners of his blue eyes crinkled as he smiled. “And because you never said you didn’t.”

  She kissed him again to loud applause as Brielle danced around them, chanting repeatedly, “She said yes. She said yes.”

  Epilogue

  When Anika finished brushing her teeth, she pulled her hair into a bun and padded back into the bedroom. Climbing into bed, she resumed reading the Agatha Christie novel she’d started the night before.

  Today she was allowed to be lazy and was going to take full advantage. Later she’d go downstairs in her pajamas, but for now enjoyed the peace and quiet.

  She was deeply engrossed in the book when a knock at the door disrupted her concentration. “Come in.”

  In came her husband and children.

  First up was Brielle, prancing into the room dressed in princess pajamas and her hair full and bountiful around her shoulders. She was followed by her 18-month-old brother, Jaden. Anika and Reed adopted him less than a year ago. Reed pulled up the rear carrying a bed tray of breakfast food.

  “Happy Mother’s Day!” Brielle and Reed yelled.

  Jaden repeated something that came out more garbled but sounded similar. With his toasty brown skin and dimpled smile, he looked simply ecstatic to be a part of the surprise, even if he didn’t fully comprehend what was taking place.

  “What is all this?” Anika asked. She was genuinely surprised. She and Reed had agreed her gift would be spending the day in solitude with no disturbances. He’d assured her he’d keep the kids occupied downstairs and hinted at taking them to the park for a spell.

  “A little surprise for you.” Reed grinned.

  He looked mighty pleased with himself, but she couldn’t imagine what he must have gone through to prepare the meal while wrangling two little ones. “Brielle was worried you’d sit up here and starve, so we made you breakfast. She saw this on one of those YouTube channels she watches.”

  Brielle was obsessed with watching two little girls who had a YouTube channel. Mostly she watched them play with dolls, but the girls also went on excursions to the park and interacted with their family. She often wanted to duplicate whatever she saw them do.

  Reed set the tray across her lap and dropped a kiss to her lips. Meanwhile, Brielle helped her little brother onto the bed and then climbed up herself.

  “We helped Daddy make breakfast,” Brielle said.

  “Yeah, they did,” Reed said dryly.

  “You did? Thank you, sweetie.” Anika bit back a smile and kissed Brielle’s cheek. She knew from experience how much coordination it took to manage both kids while trying to prepare a meal with their so-called help.

  Anika carefully placed the orange juice on the table beside the bed. “Oh my goodness, look at these pancakes.” Three heart-shaped pancakes with bacon, scrambled eggs, and fruit sat on the plate.

  “Daddy made those with a special mold,” Brielle explained.

  “Your daddy is very creative,” Anika said.

  Her son touched the bacon on the plate. “Mommy.”

  “That’s right, bacon. Food of the gods.” Anika tapped his nose.

  Her son laughed, as if she’d said the funniest thing in the world. Adopting him to round out their family had been an easy decision. She and Reed had seen the photos of him and fallen in love. The icing on the cake had been finalizing her adoption of Brielle on the same day.

  “Come here, my beautiful boy. Mwah, mwah.” She dropped sloppy kisses on his cheek, and he squirmed, giggling happily.

  “I love bacon, too,” Brielle announced.

  “I know you do. Come here, my beautiful girl.” Anika pulled Brielle into a hug and delivered the same number of sloppy kisses, listening to her daughter squeal.

  Her arms were not only filled with her kids, her heart was as well. Across the room, Reed snapped photos of them.

  “Stop, honey.” Anika self-consciously smoothed her hair. She didn’t have on a stitch of makeup.

  “I took some good candid shots,” he said.

  “I’m sure I look awful.”

  His affection for her was evident in his eyes. “You look beautiful.”

  “At least take one with me looking at the camera. We’ll pose for it.”

  “All right. Everybody get in position.”

  Anika set the food on the floor and
they rearranged on the bed. Jaden stood with an arm around her neck. Brielle snuggled close with both arms around Anika’s waist, her cheek to Anika’s breast, and smiling at the camera.

  “Perfect,” Reed said.

  After snapping a few photos and showing them to Anika for her approval, he started herding the kids out of the room. “Okay, let’s go people.” He scooped up Jaden. “Let’s leave mommy alone so she can have some quiet time. Remember, today’s her day.”

  Jaden stuck his thumb in his mouth, his eyes big and pitiful as he looked over his father’s shoulder at Anika. Brielle pouted but slid off the bed.

  “It’s okay, they can stay,” Anika said, as they shuffled toward the door.

  Reed paused halfway across the floor. “You sure about that?”

  She looked at her kids and her husband. Over two years of marriage and this was her first official Mother’s Day. This one, at least, she didn’t want to spend alone. She wanted to be with her family, the people she loved and who loved her. No matter how crazy or noisy or boisterous the day turned out to be.

  “Yes, it’s okay.”

  “Yay!” Brielle said. She started dancing around the room. Reed placed Jaden on the bed, who immediately became caught up in his sister’s excitement and jumped up and down on the mattress.

  Reed sat beside Anika and kept an eye on the kids. “You sure? Because just so you know, I’m taking my day on Father’s Day.”

  Anika put an arm around his neck and pulled him backward so his head rested on the pillow beside her. “I’m sure.”

  “Okay, Jaden, that’s enough, son,” Reed said. The little boy stopped immediately and fell out on the bed as if he’d done a day’s work in those few minutes.

  “Let’s see, we have a dancer slash opera singer, and what appears to be an actor.”

  Reed chuckled. “We’re going to be well taken care of in our old age.”

  “I think so, too.”

  “Hey.”

  Anika looked into Reed’s blue eyes. He smiled, but she saw seriousness there, too.