Grey glanced at his watch as he cut through the courtyard located in the center of the Wilshire Plaza, and picked up his step. He was nearly half an hour late for the final fitting appointment with his tailor for the custom-made suits he'd ordered.
His entire life had become a blur since seeing Mariah again. He went through the motions of work and everyday life, but his brain was in a fog, unable to remember something as simple as an appointment or a business meeting. Thank God he had Jeanie to prod his memory and keep him from totally sinking into the depths of his misery.
A baby. They were going to have a baby, or rather, according to Mariah, she was going to have the baby. On her own. Without his help or input. She'd made it clear that she neither expected, nor wanted, anything from him.
And so, without a fight, he'd walked away from Mariah and their child, and had spent every day since convincing himself he'd done the right thing. Both mother and child deserved better than what he could offer them, like emotional stability and a secure family environment filled with happiness and love. How could he give either when all he'd ever experienced was hostility, resentment and neglect? The fear of failing as a husband and father was always at the surface, rearing its ugly head, taunting him with powerful, ugly memories he had no defense against.
So why couldn't he shake the awful feeling that he was making the biggest mistake of his life?
Pushing that haunting question from his mind because he had no logical answer, he rounded a large fountain in the center of the courtyard and focused on the men's department store within sight.
He heard a whimper and a gulping sob, and automatically glanced around the area for the distraught sound while still keeping up his clipped pace. The courtyard was bordered with benches for weary shoppers to rest, and planter boxes with lush green foliage sectioned off individual alcoves. It was early afternoon on a weekday, and there was a sparse number of shoppers around the plaza. In fact, he didn't see anyone in the courtyard.
The pitiful whimpering sobs reached him again, the sound soft, but unmistakable. Frowning, he slowed his steps and glanced in the alcoves as he passed them. When he found the source of the distressing noise, he stopped, but made no move to advance toward the little girl huddled into the corner between the bench and planter box. When she saw him, she pulled her legs up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her knees. She watched him warily, fearfully, as silent tears streamed down her smooth cheeks.
She was a little thing, he thought, with honey brown hair that shimmered to her shoulders and big, watery blue eyes that grabbed at something deep inside him. Judging by her small size, he estimated her age between four and six.
She was obviously lost and scared. At the moment, he could relate. It was akin to how he felt-out of his element and antsy to be on his way.
But as uncomfortable as the situation made him feel, he couldn't walk away and leave the little girl, hoping that whoever she belonged to eventually found her.
He took a tentative step toward the little girl. She shrank from him, her whole body trembling. Her whimpers increased, and his stomach twisted with dread. God, was he that threatening? He supposed to someone a third his size he'd seem like a giant. Or did children have a sixth sense about people who weren't adept with kids?
The thought was disturbing.
Shoving his hands into his slacks' pockets, he glanced around for help, but they were alone. Not a frantic mother in sight, or even a person of the female persuasion who'd know how to handle such a crisis. Since he couldn't leave the little girl alone, he was on his own. He grappled for the appropriate resources in dealing with a lost child, and his mind drew a blank.
"Are you okay, honey?" he asked in a soft, gentle tone. Stupid question, considering the girl was clearly distraught, but it was all he could think of as an icebreaker.
"I want my mom," she whimpered, her chin quivering.
He shifted casually, a subtle move that eased him closer. "Where is your mom?"
"I don't know." She sniffled, her expression bleak. "I only stopped at the toy store to look in the window, and when I looked back up, my mom wasn't there."
And most likely, the little girl's mother had eventually glanced down expecting to find her daughter by her side, and was met with the shocking discovery that her little girl was gone. No doubt, her mother was hysterical with worry.
The little girl started crying again, making Grey feel helpless and way out of his element. The first thought that drifted though his mind was, what would Mariah do? The answer came easily. She'd comfort the little girl.
Forcing himself closer, despite how the girl's sobs shook him up, he hunkered down in front of her. She was so little, so vulnerable. So sweet and innocent. Without thinking, he gently brushed a soft strand of hair from her face, startled by the odd protectiveness that rippled through him.
He swallowed hard. Oh, man, if he experienced such sensitivity and empathy with a child he didn't even know, he could only imagine how much more powerful the emotion would be with his own child.
His child. The child Mariah carried. The revelation sent his mind reeling.
"My name is Grey," he said, attempting to establish some familiarity between them and chase away her apprehension. "What's your name?"
"B-B-Brandi," she stuttered.
He smiled, the last of the tension easing from his body. "Well, that's a beautiful name for such a pretty little girl. What do you say you come with me and we'll go look for your mom?"
Her gaze turned skeptical, and she swiped her tears from her cheeks. "I'm not supposed to go anywhere with strangers."
"That's a very good rule," he told her, knowing he'd want his own child to be just as educated. "But I don't want to leave you here all by yourself. There's an information booth a little ways from here, and I'm sure they can locate your mom for you, but you have to come with me."
He straightened, held out his hand and waited, knowing there was little he could do if Brandi refused to go with him. If she didn't, he resolved to stay with her until someone found them.
Tentatively she reached out and placed her tiny, soft hand in his much larger one, believing his promise. Believing and accepting him. That first touch and the way she curled her fingers so hopefully around his hand made his heart catch in his chest. Those big blue eyes, just moments ago brimming with tears, now shone with a trust that nearly brought him to his knees. She was depending on him to deliver her safely to her mother. There was no way he was going to let her down.
Adjusting his long stride to meet her much shorter one, he walked with her to the information booth and reported the incident to the young woman working there. The woman assured him that the little girl had been reported missing, and that security and the girl's mother were searching the plaza. Picking up a two-way radio, she called off the pursuit.
"They're at the other end of the plaza," the young woman said. "As soon as they locate Brandi's mother, they'll be here." She glanced over the counter at the little girl clinging to Grey's side. "Would you like to sit behind the counter with me until your mother gets here?"
Brandi shook her head and curled her fingers tight around Grey's hand. "No, I want to stay with Mr. Grey."
The woman glanced at Grey, and deciding he met with her approval, she smiled. "Very well."
Spotting an ice-cream shop across from the information booth, Grey glanced back at Brandi and said spontaneously, "What do you say we get an ice cream while we're waiting?"
A beatific smile wreathed the little girl's face, and she nodded eagerly. "I like chocolate," she announced.
Grey laughed. "Then chocolate it is."
Minutes later they were sitting side by side on a wooden bench next to the information booth, each holding a single-scoop chocolate ice-cream cone. The simplicity of the situation seeped through him, warm as sunshine. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten an ice-cream cone, and that he was doing so with a child, and enjoying it bewildered and delighted him.
He was going to be a dad. The startling thought rushed out of nowhere, but it came with an abundance of emotion and a yearning he'd tried his best to ignore since learning Mariah was pregnant with their baby. A child conceived out of the love he and Mariah shared.
The longing for the impossible grew stronger with each passing day. Today it had surpassed anything he'd ever experienced, all because of a lost little girl. To help her, he'd played a role, a parental role he hadn't believed himself capable of. He'd been gentle and patient, despite his fears. And once they'd gotten over their initial wariness of one another, the rest had come naturally.
The prospect of raising a child made his insides clench with apprehension, but the thought of missing the opportunity to share in special moments like this with his son or daughter hurt much, much more. His own childhood had been less than ideal, full of painful memories that he'd never forget, that would always be a part of who he was. But as a result of what he'd experienced, he never, ever wanted his child to feel the kind of hurt and disillusionment he had. Never wanted his son or daughter to think he didn't love them.
And he would love them, he realized with startling clarity. Already did. He wanted to experience their smiles and laughter. To play ball with a son, or attend his daughter's ballet recital. Dammit, he wanted to be a part of their lives on a daily basis and share every stage of their development.
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