That class wouldn’t start for another week. She strongly suspected that he was using studying as an excuse to avoid accompanying her. She wasn’t sure why because he’d seemed to have such a nice time with her family at Thanksgiving. Was he afraid of intruding? Was he making a point not to get too intimately tangled up in her life, because they’d agreed to keep some distance in their relationship?
He’d been pleasant enough since that discussion, and their equally hectic schedules had prevented any repeats of their near mistake, but that didn’t mean Mia had forgotten how it had felt to be in his arms. Or that she had stopped reliving that interlude and secretly fantasizing about kissing him again. There had been times when their eyes had met and she’d been pretty sure she’d seen the memories in his expression as well…but he’d always turned away before she could be sure.
“I don’t want to take your daughter away from you on Christmas.”
He shrugged. “It’ll only be for a few hours. Don’t worry about it. We’ll have our time together when we open gifts and have breakfast in the morning. The rest of the day should be for you and your family. It’s nice of you to include Alexis. She’d be heartbroken if she weren’t invited.”
Mia still didn’t like the thought of leaving him here alone on Christmas. For one thing, she thought he needed to spend as much time as possible with Alexis while he had the chance. Although he and his daughter still got along very well, they weren’t moving forward at the rate Mia would have liked.
Was that her fault in some way? she fretted. Was she too involved in Alexis’s life, unconsciously pushing Connor aside? Should she start pulling back in some way—but if so, how? She didn’t want to do anything to hurt Alexis, and she couldn’t be sure that Connor had the time yet to step up and fill the gap.
“Mia,” he said, pushing himself to his feet. “Stop worrying. It’s going to be a great Christmas for everyone. Just wait and see.”
She forced a smile and nodded, wishing she could feel more reassured. Aching for something more than she wouldn’t allow herself to put into words, not even for herself.
Chapter Nine
January was a cold, bleak month. Gray skies and damp chill greeted Connor as he left his house almost every morning. The days were so short that it was usually dark long before he returned home.
The cheery Christmas decorations had been packed away, but somehow Mia kept the house bright and warm to welcome him home. Candles, crackling fires, the enticing aromas of home-cooked meals. There was usually laughter in the house, and music. Alexis enjoyed listening to the contemporary pop and alternative tunes Mia favored. The child liked to dance through the house with her dolls and stuffed toys while Mia somehow concentrated on grading papers and preparing for classes.
Both Mia and Alexis always greeted Connor with smiles and reports about their days. He could almost feel the tension drain from his muscles as he sat at the dinner table with them, letting their eager words rush over him as he ate, savoring the laughter and the companionship. It felt good to have this to come home to, rather than a cold, empty house and a frozen microwave meal. Even though he suspected the girls, as he thought of them, would get along fine without him, he enjoyed sharing that time with them.
Mia had just taken Alexis off to bed during the third week of January when Connor’s cell phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and received a jolt when he saw Patricia Caple’s name displayed there. His first, instinctive thought was that Alexis’s aunt was going to try to reclaim her. Shaking his head in exasperation, he reminded himself that he was the child’s father and legal guardian. No one could take her away from him now, he assured himself.
“Hello.”
“Hello, Connor. It’s Patricia Caple. Alexis’s aunt.”
Very faintly amused, he replied, “I haven’t forgotten you, Patricia. How are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you. How is Alexis?”
“She’s well. She’s in school, making excellent progress there. She’s made friends and she’s taking dance classes.”
“I’m glad to hear that. She’s happy, then.”
“I think so, yes.”
“Good. My mother would be pleased. And so would my sister.”
“I hope so.” He groped for something more to say. “Would you like to speak with Alexis? She’s just gone to bed, but I’m sure she’s still awake. She would probably love to—”
“No. Thanks, but I just wanted to make sure she’s okay. I told you I didn’t really want to be a part of her life from now on and that hasn’t changed. It doesn’t mean that I haven’t thought of her occasionally, though.”
He still didn’t quite understand this woman. How could she just walk away from her only niece? Especially when that niece was Alexis? “You’re still welcome to visit if ever you change your mind.”
“I know that. Thank you. Goodbye, Connor. Take good care of her.”
“I will.”
She’d hung up almost before he finished speaking.
Mia entered the room carrying a load of Alexis’s clothes for the laundry. “I’m about to do a load of jeans. Do you have any to throw in?”
“They’re already in the hamper,” he replied absently. “Patricia Caple just called.”
She stopped in her tracks and he wondered if her automatic reaction to the name was similar to his own. “What did she want?”