Santa Baby~Chapter 7
Belle studied her bright-eyed, innocent daughter with a frown. Madison was now tucked safely into the pitiful excuse for a bed in the little apartment upstairs. Her eyes were wide with excitement, and the words were shooting out of her mouth a mile a minute. "And--and he said that he was in love with me! He actually said it!"
Laughing, Belle ran a finger down her daughter's impish nose. "Yes, that's wonderful, baby. Now, can you answer me one question? Why were you downstairs in the first place? You know you're supposed to stay locked in the apartment while Mommy's working."
Madison's pretty eyes immediately lost their brightness and filled with fresh tears. She hated being alone up there, especially when the nightmares came. Vivid, terrifying nightmares that left her hot and sweaty and alone. She'd had one tonight. The same one she'd been having ever since she was a little bitty thing. The one where her daddy came back...and then left again. "I--I had a bad dream." She sniffled to her mother, desperately trying to forget the heartbreak she'd experienced even in sleep.
The concerned half of the mother in Belle was sweeping Madison up immediately. "Oh, Baby. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't here to make the monsters go away."
Not monsters, Maddy thought, but Daddy. Daddy was always the one to go away. "I wanted you to tell me a story. The one about the locket." Her tears were put on hold as she thought of her most favorite story in the world. A Christmas story about a locket. A locket that brought two young people together. A locket that brought a father and child together. She prayed that she'd someday find a father as well.
"All right, then, let me go tell Alex that I'm taking my break and I'll tell it to you now. How's that?"
Madison grinned and nodded, then watched her mother scurry back through the door. She loved her mommy. Loved her more than anything. And she was going to make sure that her mommy was happy, especially this Christmas. This Christmas, Santa was going to deliver the best gift ever.
A prince for her mommy--and a daddy for herself.*
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One week till Christmas: The Pink Flamingo
Humming the chorus of Santa Baby, Belle scrubbed the bar with some amount of disinterest. It figured that she got stuck with cleaning duties on the week of Christmas. Alex always managed to pass things like that onto her, claiming that she didn't have family to go home to.
But she did. Even if it was a small family. She had one. Her family was Madison. And right now, when she should've been out playing in the freshly fallen snow, Madison Renee Black was helping her mommy scrub tables and wash dishes.
Belle tried not to dwell on it. Told herself that it was important that Maddy was building up a good, strong work ethic. But she couldn't get past those glances that Maddy kept sending out the window. Or those hopeful little eyes twinkling with wonder at the new fallen snow. She sighed and set down her rag. "Madison, go upstairs and bundle up. We're going outside."
Holding her breath, Maddy looked up. "To play?" She questioned, childhood's bright hope glitzening in her eyes.
"Of course! Now scat!"
Within minutes, Maddy reappeared in the club, modeling a bright pink coat, yellow boats, and a purple ski hat. Belle beamed at her, slipping into her own coat. The back lot of the club would be the perfect place to build a snowman, she thought, grabbing her daughter's hand and pulling them both outside.
While Maddy shot off like a rocket, Belle's eyes landed on the single car in the parking lot. It was Meredith Danner's red 1985 Mustang. She didn't bother hiding the scowl as Meredith got out and headed towards her.
"Well, well--I was coming by to check if you two needed some help, but I see that I must've got the scheduling mixed up. For some reason I thought this was your week on cleaning duty." She feigned ignorance and clucked her tongue. "Must've been wrong though, 'cause you're certainly not cleaning up--now are you?"
At that moment, Belle could've enjoyed watching Meredith die a slow, painful death. She shrugged and started after her daughter. "We're taking a break to play in the snow." She called over her shoulder, matter-of-factly.
"Yes, I can see that." Because she had nothing better to do, Meredith followed the mother and daughter to the back lot of the club. Snow was still spitting out of the gray sky, making everything look magical and shimmery. Meredith didn't blame them for coming out here on a day like today. In fact, she was glad they weren't working. The reason she'd come up there was that she couldn't get the image of poor Maddy washing dishes out of her head. So, she'd hopped in her car and got there as quickly as possible only to find that the image was wrong, and Belle was a better mother than she gave her credit for.
The two women shared a secret grin when Madison plopped down into the snow and began making snow angels. "Oh, Mommy, Aunt Meredith, isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes, that it is." Meredith giggled, then in a move that surprised Belle, collapsed down beside Maddy and made her own snow angel.
Within the hour, the three girls were laughing and playing and enjoying the sweet pleasures of soft snow on a cold day. Belle and Meredith soon forgot any animosity that had existed between them and were joking and giggling like old friends. In fact, they were all so preoccupied, that no one noticed when Shawn Brady walked up to the edge of the lot.
An amused smile danced across his lips as Meredith and Madison chased Belle in a full-fledged snowball fight. Always willing to help, he bent down himself, gathered up snow in his hand and sent it flying towards Belle. It hit her squarely in the butt and had her, Maddy, and Meredith, wheeling around to see where it came from.
"Shawn Douglas Brady!" Maddy squealed, galloping across the lot and throwing herself at him.
He scooped her up easily and kissed the tip of her red nose. "Madison Renee Black. How's my best girl today?"
"Great. Me and Mommy and Aunt Meredith are playing in the snow!"
"No!"
"Yes and we're having fun, aren't we, Mommy?"
Belle crossed over to them, allowed her eyes to wander up and meet Shawn's. "We sure are, baby girl. In the neighborhood?" She asked Shawn, raising one golden eyebrow.
"Nowhere near it actually, just thought I'd drop by. Hoped you'd be here." He set Madison back to her feet, then offered a hand to Belle. "I'm Shawn Douglas Brady, but I guess you know that. Problem is, I don't know your name."
"That's right. You never asked after you nearly killed me." She took his hand, was pleased to find it warm and rough and masculine. "Belle Black."
Meredith, who'd been enjoying the view of this tall, dark, handsome stranger, stepped forward and offered her own hand. "I'm Meredith Danner. A--colleague of Belle's. You have no idea how nice it is to meet you, sugar."
Shawn chuckled, never tore his eyes from Belle. "I promised your little girl a play date. Mind if I go inside and fulfill that promise."
He was wearing a pair of low-slung jeans and a flannel shirt. His hair was a mess and his smile was charming. Normally, she wouldn't fraternize with customers, but most of her customers weren't this gorgeous. "Well--I guess it'd be up to Madison--"
"YES! Yes, yes, yes!" The little girl grabbed his large hand and started pulling him towards the building. "We can have a Christmas tea party. Oh! And we can play house--you'll be the daddy, I'll be the mommy!"
Shawn's eyes were wild and desperate when they disappeared around the corner of the building. Belle didn't hide her amusement, nor did Meredith."Damn!" She breathed, dramatically, wheeling on Belle. "Where the hell did you find him?"
"Well, I--" Before she could answer, Meredith was pulling her towards the club.
"Never mind that, get your ass in there. I'm going home, I think you can handle things from this point on." Surprising them both, she pulled Belle to her for a quick hug. "Good luck with him, sugar."
Belle stared after her, completely baffled by both Meredith Danner and Shawn Brady.
Santa Baby~Chapter 8
Jesus Christ, what was he doing here? He was just asking for trouble. It was insane to get involved with a single mother and her kid. That was it, he was insane. He'd been driven over the edge. A mixture of stress and unhappiness had driven him crazy. And with this, he was only going to make it worse.
To his surprise and great relief, the sounds and smells that usually greeted him at the club were completely gone, and there was a fresh feminine smell and the delightful sound of Maddy's quick talking to take their place. With the ghost of a smile flitting across his lips, he watched as the little girl scooted around the club, gathering up cleaning supplies on her way. "Mommy and I have cleaning duty this week." She explained patiently. "We probably should help her finish up before playing." With wonder dancing in her eyes, she glanced out the window to admire the snow. "I just love snow, don't you?"
Willing to help, he grabbed a bottle of Pinesol from the nearest table and tossed it to Maddy. "Sure. Snow's great."
"Oh, it's better than great," she replied, slipping up onto a stool in order to begin scrubbing the bar where her mother had left off. "It's the best. If we're lucky this year, we'll get a White Christmas. I asked Santa for a White Christmas one year." She stopped scrubbing to remember. "We didn't get one. Mommy says it's because we're too far South, Santa can't really change the temperature."
He smiled at her competent way of cleaning. Somehow it didn't surprise him that instead of playing, they were cleaning. This little girl was responsible and loved her mother. He should've known that she'd do anything--including give up her playtime--to help her out. "What did you ask Santa for this year?"
She bit her lip and a delightful little blush spread across her pudgy cheeks. "Umm--I don't think I should tell, it might not come true."
Chuckling, he crossed over to her, ruffled her blond curls. "You can tell me. I won't tell a soul. Besides, I might just be able to make your wish from Santa this year come true."
"You're one of Santa's helpers, too?!" Her eyes went wide with wonder.
He shrugged. "Sure, I am. All adults are really."
"What's it like?"
"What's what like?"
"Being Santa's helper, silly." She giggled, and Shawn discovered that the soft sound of that giggling was music to his ears. "Mommy says that she's like a messenger for Santa. She lets him know everything I ask for."
He figured that that was what mother's had been telling their children for years. It made him remember the times that his mother had told him the exact same tale. "Yeah, well, that's pretty much what all of Santa's helpers do, but I'm kinda special. You see I help Santa with inventory, so I have access to which gifts are delivered to which children. So, wanna help a poor guy out and give me and Ol' Saint Nick a clue to what you'd like this year?"
Her eyes twinkled with childlike amusement. "Do you know Santa personally?"
"Of course," He reached out and tickled her sides. "Come on, Madison Renee, what do you want for Christmas?"
She focused her attention to her feet, and felt a hot wave of embarrassment sweep over her. How could she possibly tell him that she wanted him for Christmas? Biting her lip, she decided that she couldn't and better be vague. Even if he did know Santa personally, she couldn't risk scaring him off. "A daddy."
A daddy? Shit, he was hoping she'd say a doll, a bike. Hell, even a pony, but a daddy. That was something that even the richest of young lawyers couldn't buy. "You want a daddy for Christmas?" He asked, nearly choking on the words.
She knew he'd think she was a doofus. Why hadn't she just asked for a doll or a bike? Or a pony? Mortified, she whispered a quiet "yes".
In an effort to make them both a bit more comfortable, he leaned casually against the bar and tugged one of her curls. "Well then, I'll pass that along to Santa. I'm sure he'll do the best he can."
As Belle was coming back inside, Madison was wrapping her arms around Shawn's neck. The simple embrace tugged at Belle's heartstrings and left a terrible void and longing. She'd stayed outside for almost ten minutes, just pacing and thinking. Thinking about why Shawn had come back, why he kept coming back, and why she was having the same reaction to his coming back. She considered that hope that entered her heart every time she saw him and tried to brush it off as a response to his tender relationship with her little girl. But deep down, she knew, it was something more.
She cleared her throat and watched the hug break. "Madison Renee Black, get your tail off that counter and take Mr. Brady upstairs to play with you. That's what he came here for, not to clean, silly goose."
Shawn lifted a hand, offered a smile. "No, I came here to visit Maddy. If getting to see her and talk to her involves cleaning, well, so be it."
"Even so. Maddy, go on upstairs, baby, you have the rest of the day off." She turned her attention back to Shawn. "And you go, too. I'll have no man trying to clean up the club, you'll probably do a horrible job."
"Come on, Shawn!" Madison squealed, tugging at his hand.
"Wait, wait just a minute, Madison Renee. Your Mom and I need to have a meeting." He lowered his voice and sent her a wink. "A Santa's Helpers' meeting."
"Oh!" She winked back, then scrambled across the room and up the stairs.
When Shawn turned back, Belle's hands were on her hips and one golden eyebrow was raised in suspicion. "Santa's Helpers' meeting?"
Christ, she looked beautiful. Layers of winter clothing concealed every hint of her curvy, feminine figure, but he knew it was there. Under all that wool, lay something close to heaven. He grinned, sheepishly, then crossed the room and stopped inches in front of her. "Long story."
"I bet--listen, Brady, if you're trying to go through my kid to get to me, then that's the wrong path to take. Believe me, guys have tried before, and guys have failed before. You'll be no different." She let out a gasp when he grabbed her shoulders and glared at her through steely brown eyes.
"I don't use innocent kids to get what I want." He growled, between clenched teeth. "Don't get me confused with the other assholes who come in here."
Because she could see the rage flaming in his eyes, she decided to let the last comment slide by. "Sorry." She said, stiffly, then tried to turn away only to be held in place. "Listen--"
"No, you listen. I can see what you're thinking. You're trying to figure out why I've come back here. You're trying to peg me as some kind of a loser who has to use kids to get what he wants. Well, you're wrong about that, Belle. Dead wrong." His tone grew more gentle, and he ran a finger down the edge of her jaw line. "And as for the reason I came back, it's because your daughter has somehow managed to squirm her way into my heart. And--" He added, with a smirk. "Her mother intrigues me."
That said, his hands slid off her shoulders, then down her arms before he broke the contact. He then turned and went upstairs to try and make one little girl's day a bit brighter.
