Project: Parenthood

If that meant playing at being Mummy then that was what she would do. Other women coped, balancing careers with families.

Teagan was a mature, capable woman. She could deal with problems when they arose. Could manage her time.

It was only for a couple more days. Eimear had said a few days. And she’d survived two already.

She’d just have to find a way to survive another two. Without Brendan McNamara.

CHAPTER THREE

BRENDAN smiled through his window as he watched her bundle the children out through her door and into her car.

She looked harassed again. Sleek, shoulder-length dark hair flying into her face as she moved from car door to car door. Even the movements of her slight figure were jerky, hurried, while she brushed at her hair with an irritated hand.

His smile grew. Thing was, even from across the street he could see that that ruffled-round-the-edges look suited her. It was sexy. It reminded him of how sexy she’d been at twenty-one. Though he’d bet serious money she wouldn’t believe him if he told her.

Not that he was likely to.

He wasn’t going to even allow himself to touch on the subject of how she’d looked back then. Even Shannon, with her cover-girl blonde looks, hadn’t affected him the way that Teagan could with one flick of her long dark hair or a flash of dimples when she smiled. She’d been tough to forget.

But she was determined to do without his help. Something he should have been happy about. If only from a work point of view. And it wasn’t as if she’d shown any real enthusiasm to spend a great amount of time in his company since he’d moved in across the road from her.

That should have been enough of a hint for him to leave it alone. But somehow all it did was make her more interesting to him.

Maybe it was just the thrill of the chase? After all, he hadn’t had to do that much chasing until he’d met Teagan Delaney. And when he’d finally made his move on her all those years ago she’d run. Literally miles away. As if her pretty little behind was on fire.

He swung back and forth on the leather chair in his home office while he let the memory of that one kiss seep into his mind. Not for the first time either. It was almost as if seeing her had opened a well of memories he’d shut away.

It had been one hell of a kiss—one he’d gladly have repeated. And he’d thought about repeating it way, way too much, for months afterwards.

But alongside the memory of that one kiss was the memory of when she’d opened her eyes and looked at him with such an expression of anguish that it had literally knocked him back on his heels.

It had been as if that one sweet, softly warm kiss had torn her heart from her chest.

Some guy somewhere had done a real number on her, hadn’t he? How come he hadn’t known that?

He sighed. It wasn’t his problem now. Well, that was what he kept on telling himself. Women with baggage just weren’t his style. They were too much work for someone who’d just got out of one big mistake and had baggage enough of his own, thanks very much.

He really should have been backpedalling like crazy to keep away from Ms Teagan Delaney.

But he wasn’t. Instead he was volunteering every five minutes to help her out, when she would quite obviously rather chew off her own arm.

It was quite pathetic, really. And enough was enough.

What he should be doing was going straight out to pursue someone less complicated. Or a string of someone elses—with less history involved, of course. A series of flings to fill in the time; that was what was needed to take his mind off his new neighbour. Nothing else.

His focus was drawn back to the window as her car pulled out into the street and disappeared. He then watched with widening eyes as a second later her front door opened and a small figure appeared.

She’d left one behind?

With a shake of his head he got up from his chair, grabbed his keys and jogged across the street. Again.

This time definitely had to be the last time.

‘Hey there, Johnnie.’

Johnnie looked up at him, blinked a couple of times and then answered, ‘Hey.’ As if nothing in the world was wrong.

‘Your Aunt Teagan was in a bit of a hurry this morning, I take it?’ He smiled.

‘S’pose.’

‘I bet she’ll be back in a minute.’

Johnnie shrugged.

Brendan glanced up the street and then looked back at the house. ‘I don’t suppose you left the door open?’

The boy shook his head.

‘Didn’t think so.’ They both stood silently, and then Brendan turned round and sat down on the stone step, ‘Well, I guess we better wait for her, then. I’m sure she’ll be right back.’

The boy thought for a moment, and then sat down beside him. And they sat. And then they sat some more. In silence.

Brendan told himself he was okay with that. Being quiet was fine with him. But after a couple of minutes he glanced sidewards. ‘So, how you doing?’

‘Okay.’

‘Aunt Teagan looking after you?’

‘She’s tryin’.’

Brendan nodded. ‘That’s good, then.’

He honestly thought he was going to have to discuss the weather with an eight-year-old when Johnnie announced, ‘She doesn’t have no kids of her own.’

‘No, she doesn’t.’

‘I don’t think she likes kids much.’

‘Don’t you?’ He turned his body towards the child, curious to hear his thought process. ‘How come?’

‘She puts us to bed awful early.’ Another shrug and he continued staring forwards. ‘I think it’s so she don’t have to play with us.’

Brendan frowned, his mind trying to translate the reasoning of a child into the reasoning of an adult. ‘How early is early?’

‘Eight o’clock.’

He didn’t think that was all that early. ‘What time does your mum let you stay up ’til?’