Page 44 of Hearts Aweigh
W ORK WAS PILING UP . S PENCER scrolled through his phone. He grabbed his sports jacket from the bed and shoved his arms in the sleeves. Nine days was a long time for a cruise. Thank God this second voyage ended tomorrow. He could return to the office and catch up on his caseload.
But there was one thing he had to do before they reached home.
His pulse escalated, and he slid his cell into his pocket.
Spencer had invited Abby to go for a walk on the beach before the ship pulled out of port.
He’d practiced his speech as if he were preparing the closing arguments for the most important trial of his life.
How would she react?
He made his way downstairs to the living room. The back of Daisy’s head was visible where she sat on the sofa, but where was Madeleine? His mother had agreed to babysit while they were gone. Jumped at the chance. It still floored him how eager she was to embrace the title of grandma.
Spencer moved in front of Daisy and saw she held a sleeping Madeleine on her lap.
He paused at the incongruous sight. Silver chin-length hair perfectly groomed.
Minimal makeup. Fashionable, tailored pantsuit.
But there was a noticeable change. Wrinkles creased the fabric as she held her granddaughter.
His mother. The queen of New Orleans social circles. Wrinkled.
Was this boat some kind of wonderland that transformed cool, aloof society matrons into doting grandmothers?
“Fix your face. I can tell what you’re thinkin’,” Daisy drawled.
“What?” His eyes met hers.
“Your intimidating eyebrows squinch when you’re confused. Small wonder your own child is afraid of you.”
“Madeleine isn’t afraid of me.” His volume increased at the suggestion.
His daughter jerked in her sleep, and Daisy glared at him. “Shhhh.”
He crossed his arms. “Since when are you the perfect picture of motherly affection?”
“I concede your point.” Daisy rested her hand on top of her granddaughter’s head. “But Madeleine is such a sensitive thing. She gets that from you.”
“Me?”
“You were always a tenderhearted child. Bringing home stray animals and crying when you saw someone sleeping on the streets. It drove your father to distraction.”
Spencer’s eyebrows squinched further. “I don’t recall behaving that way.”
“No.” Daisy sighed. “You were very young. And Julius made sure to punish you any time you showed ‘weakness.’ Love, sympathy, kindness—those were all weaknesses to him. No child of his would be a slave to silly emotions.”
The suggestion his father tried to crush every softer sentiment was unsurprising. But Daisy’s claim that Spencer had been tenderhearted flummoxed him. He feared he was too much like Julius Masterson. A rigid, ruthless automaton.
Madeleine stirred and lifted her sleepy head.
He crouched. “Madeleine, I’m leaving for a while. Your grandma is going to stay with you so you won’t be alone.”
Her lips twitched, and she yawned. “Okay, Daddy.”
Daisy chuckled. “Someone’s tired.”
Spencer awkwardly patted his daughter’s back. “Are you ready for bed?”
Madeleine yawned again.
Would she make it to the bedroom? He squinted at the long staircase. What if she tripped and hurt herself?
Spencer rubbed his neck. “I know we don’t usually do this.” Embarrassment rushed him. “But … I can carry you.”
Daisy twisted her head to the side to gauge Madeleine’s reaction.
Five humiliating seconds ticked.
“Okay.” His daughter smiled.
The same sense of relief he’d experienced after asking his first crush on a date and being accepted overwhelmed him. He gathered her in his arms and stood. Her head settled on his shoulder, and her body relaxed. She was asleep in less than a minute.
Spencer had held Madeleine a few times as a baby, but there was always a nurse or nanny nearby to care for her as she grew. And then Priscilla had taken her to New York.
He noted his daughter’s small frame. She didn’t weigh much. Was she getting enough to eat? Was this normal? Perhaps he should ask Abby.
Daisy stood beside him. “Don’t worry, Spencer. I’ll stay in the room with her in case she wakes up. You don’t have to hurry.” She hesitated, then laid a hand on his forearm. “Please don’t take what I’m about to say the wrong way.”
Spencer tensed.
“Abby is a sweet young woman, and I’d hate to see her hurt. I hope you’ll regard her with the utmost consideration.”
It appeared he wasn’t the only one who feared he was too much like his father.
And why wouldn’t his mother respond that way?
After she’d watched her husband treat every woman no better than an hors d’oeuvre to be sampled, her trepidation was understandable.
“I assure you, Daisy. I have the greatest respect for Ms. O’Brien and will treat her accordingly. ”
Spencer held Madeleine closer and headed for the stairs. There was one day left on the boat, and he’d concluded that the future happiness of both himself and his daughter rested with Abby.
He didn’t intend to leave her behind.