Broken (7 page)

Max took the cup and handed it to her. She downed the contents greedily and passed it to him. “Eat!”

“Ah, I’m going to take a guess here and assume you want more drink.” He glanced around for a place to set her down and decided her high chair would do.

While he poured more juice in Zoe’s cup, he felt her curious gaze on him. After handing her the drink, he peered in the fridge for something to feed her. His nieces loved apples, he mused, noting the shiny red fruit in the vegetable bin. He also saw cheese cubes and sandwich meat. He retrieved an apple, peeled it, and cut it into bite size pieces. He placed half on a child plate, added a few cubes of cheese, and added a slice of lunchmeat cut in pieces small enough for little hands.

Max set the plate in front of Zoe and sat in a nearby chair with the other half of the large apple. Zoe examined his offering. Putting down her cup, she used two fingers to delicately pick up a piece of apple. After inspecting the fruit—what a suspicious little thing she was—she cautiously brought it to her lips and licked it. Reassured, she placed it in her mouth and chewed.

Everything she did fascinated him. This little bundle of emerging personality was the result of his and Cassidy’s combined DNA. She ate the apple and the cheese, but played with the meat. He remembered his sisters complaining about their kids being picky eaters. When she started playing with the food and dropping bits on the floor, he knew she’d had enough.

“That is enough, young lady,” Max scolded as he took the plate and cleaned up the mess. “You want to get me in trouble with your mother?”

Innocent blue eyes stared back at him. Max wasn’t fooled for a moment.

By the time Cassidy rose an hour later, he and Zoe had an understanding of sorts. Still, the moment she spotted her mother, his daughter abandoned him. She ran to Cassidy as fast as her feet would carry her, babbling the whole while. Max only understood a word here and there. His little princess was probably tattling on him.

Cassidy encouraged her vocalizations, saying, “Yeah? Really? Do tell.”

Watching her reminded him of his mother with her grandchildren. Thoughts of his family brought a stab of pain. Because of their interference, he’d lost over a year with his daughter. To her he was a stranger instead of a firmly established parental figure.

Cassidy felt Zoe’s forehead. “You still feel a little warm. Time for more medicine.” She looked at Max. “Everything go okay?”

“I changed her, fed her, and read her a story. We’re okay,” he assured Cassidy.

Zoe patted her mother’s leg. Cassidy glanced down at her. Zoe chattered some more.

“What’s she saying?” he asked.

Cassidy grinned. “Beats me.”

At her admission, he didn’t feel so bad, so left behind in Zoe’s development.

“Has she been tugging on her ear?” Cassidy asked as she headed for the kitchen.

“Not that I noticed.” He followed and watched as she took down the children’s pain reliever from the cabinet.

As soon as Zoe spotted the medicine bottle, she tried to run. Cassidy caught her. There ensued a brief fight, which Cassidy won. Zoe chastised Cassidy with a stern, “No!” when she was on her feet.

“She doesn’t like taking medicine or her vitamins. I had to switch to the gummie vitamins so she’d take them,” Cassidy explained. “Unfortunately, the medicine doesn’t come in gummies.”

Max made a mental note. “Are you hungry? It’s after three. I thought we could go out and get something to eat. Or we can order in,” he offered.

Both mother and daughter stared at him. “Eat?” Zoe asked.

“I thought you fed her,” Cassidy said, her expression accusing.

He sighed.
Thrown under the bus already. Thanks, kid
. “She ate half an apple and some cheese cubes. I also gave her a slice of turkey luncheon meat, which she didn’t eat. When she started throwing food on the floor I took her plate, figuring she’d had enough,” he explained.

“She’s not much of a meat eater.” Cassidy took down a glass and filled it with water from the refrigerator’s door.

As she drank, he prompted, “Food?”

On cue, Zoe said, “Eat!”

“Zoe’s obviously feeling better, but I’m sure you’re still tired. Let’s go somewhere. It doesn’t have to be fancy. We can go to McDonalds, if that’s what you’d like,” he coaxed.

Zoe’s face lit up. “Fren fry.”

Cassidy groaned. “You’ve done it now. You said the M word. Okay, I’ll get us ready and we can go eat.”

Zoe clapped her hands and did a little dance. “Eat!”

Max spent all day with Zoe and Cassidy. She let him assist with Zoe’s bedtime ritual, and his daughter condescended to allow him to hold her while her bedtime story was being read. She was yawning when Cassidy placed her in the crib. “Night-night, Zoe.”

“Night-night. Kiss!” Zoe demanded.

Cassidy leaned over and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead.

“Goodnight, Zoe,” he told the sleepy toddler.

Zoe gave him another one of her patented looks as they turned to exit the room.

“Will she sleep?” he asked curiously.

“She’s usually good about bedtime as long as we stick to a routine,” Cassidy said as she flicked the light switch and, balancing herself with one hand on the doorframe, stepped over the child safety gate.

“Why the gate?” he asked as hopped nimbly over it.

“Zoe can climb out of the crib. She hasn’t quite figured out the gate yet, but it won’t be long,” she explained as they headed for the living room. He noticed Cassidy was no longer limping.

“That’s why the mattress is so low in the crib,” he noted.

“Yes, she’s a regular little monkey. Eventually, I’ll convert the crib to the youth bed. It’s a two-in-one,” she added when she caught his puzzled expression.

“Ah.” That made sense and probably saved money too.

As Cassidy entered the living room, he saw her glance at her watch.

“We haven’t finished talking,” he reminded her before she could tell him to leave. “I think I should move in.”

“
What
!” She spun around and gaped at him.

“I can rent the basement from you. There’s a huge empty space down there, just waiting for someone to finish it. This way I can be close to you and Zoe. Zoe will get comfortable with me quicker if I’m here,” he said, speaking fast before she could object to his plan.

She was already shaking her head. “Max, I don’t think—”

“Cassidy,” he interrupted. “She’s my daughter. I was cheated out of almost two years of her life.”

“I know but—”

He kept talking. “I’ll live either here or in an apartment nearby. I’d rather it be here.”

His suggestion had clearly rattled her. Cassidy brought a hand up to her temple and pressed, her forehead furred with tiny lines. A bit desperately, he thought. She asked, “Don’t you have a—?”

“A home? Yes, but currently it’s occupied by renters. I was going to have to find a place to stay anyway. I can’t continue living with Nicco, especially not now that I know what he did to us,” And never had he been gladder of it.

Cassidy huffed in exasperation, hands lowering to land on her hips as she glared at him. “Can I complete a sentence?”

Max grinned. “Not if what you’re going to say is no.”

Frowning, she walked away from him. Stopped, returned, and spreading her hands wide, said, “Really, Max, it’s not that I don’t sympathize, but this is my home. You can’t just move in.”

“Why not? I’ll be downstairs. If it makes you feel better, we can put a deadbolt on your side of the door. I can use the outside basement door to come and go.” He spoke fast, knocking down each of her possible objections.

Cassidy stared at him for a long silent minute. Max tried to read her expression but couldn’t. Suddenly, she chuckled, surprising him. Shaking her head she muttered, “Never argue with a lawyer. Lord, how could I have forgotten?”

“Is that a yes?” he asked hopefully, taking her laughter as a good sign.

She exhaled slowly, her gaze searching his face. Max held his breath. “It means I’ll think about it. You make some very valid points, Counselor.”

“While you’re thinking, consider this. In addition to the extra income, you’ll increase the value of your property,” he said, daring to press the issue just a little more.

This time she scowled. “Max, I don’t need or want your money. I have enough, thank you very much.”

He stepped closer, crowding her so she was forced to look up at him to keep eye contact. On this point he wanted her to be very certain. “Zoe’s my child. I take my responsibilities very seriously. That means I pay child support. Non-negotiable,” he said firmly when she opened her mouth to object. “Any rent I pay will be in addition to. And I’ll pay fair market price on the rent,” he added when the thought occurred she might try to lowball him on it.

“No, you won’t. If you’re remodeling my basement, you’ll deduct your expenses from the rental fee we agree on. And I’ll want a tenant-landlord contract between us. No verbal agreements,” she said fiercely.

Max swallowed his smile. Cassidy was going to allow him to live with her. She just didn’t know it yet. “And I’ll discuss any changes I make to the basement with you beforehand. It’s your house.”
For now
, he added silently.
Soon it will be ours
.

Like the excellent lawyer he was, he knew when to step away from the bargaining table and allow the other party time to think. “Now I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thank you for allowing me to spend the day with you and Zoe. I’ll call you tomorrow when I think you’re home from work.”

Kissing her lightly on the lips before she could turn away, he strode for the door.