“Are you going to show me?” she finally asked.
“Oh, sorry, sweetie.” With a chuckle, her mother brought out a beautiful mobile that was made up of sweet white bunnies and had a little music box attached. She wound it and it played lullabies. Attached was a note, which Teresa handed over. When Alyssa read yet it, she couldn’t quite restrain her tears.
“What does it say, darling?” Teresa asked. Still occupied with the darn gift box, she was now lifting out soft baby blankets and bedding.
“Nothing is as soothing as a song. The right one can spark a memory to last a lifetime. I miss you.”
“Oh, that’s very sweet,” Teresa said.
“It’s not sweet, Mother. He has to quit buying me stuff.”
Teresa’s smile disappeared. “He cares about you, darling, and I don’t think he’s overdone it.”
“All we had was one night, Mom. We weren’t supposed to see each other again. I was feeling vulnerable because my career had ended and I’d been dumped in the most brutal and unceremonious manner possible. Jackson was . . . I don’t know what he was feeling. But now I’m so confused. He’s not an easy man to ignore. And he’s been so dang attentive since I’ve been on bed rest, well up until he disappeared.” Alyssa slid her fingers over the soft white blanket that her mother had handed to her.
Teresa’s “thinking look” took over her face. Alyssa had no idea what had sparked that look, but she was afraid she’d soon find out.
“You had one night together?”
“Yes. It was a while ago. He just can’t seem to let it go,” Alyssa huffed. Granted, she wasn’t sure right now that she wanted him to let it go. Everything would be so much easier if she disliked him, if she weren’t attracted to him, but he made that impossible. Even when he was being arrogant. Hell, to be honest, probably because of his arrogance.
“And how long ago was ‘a while’?”
Oh, crap! Alyssa’s cheeks flushed as she looked at her mom. She had no earthly idea how to answer that question. It seemed parents weren’t as clueless as their kids believed.
“Jackson is the father, isn’t he?”
Alyssa felt like she was caught in the scope of a high-powered rifle. There was no way she could lie to her mother outright, but she was so not ready for this conversation.
“I won’t make you answer that right now. I can see it upsets you,” Teresa said as she looked at her daughter with understanding and a little hurt.
“Mom . . .” Alyssa didn’t know what to say.
“I guess the real question is this: Do you really want to ignore Jackson? Does he repel you, or disgust you? He seems to be trying, but would it make it better for you if he stopped.”
“I did want to forget him . . .”
“And now?”
“Now I just don’t know, Mom. He’s made it more than clear that he tried marriage once and it was a disaster. I’m afraid that if I try to enter into anything with him, I’ll just have my heart broken.”
“Do you really have a choice?” Teresa asked her.
“I always have a choice,” Alyssa stubbornly stated. “I choose who I am with, and with Jackson, I’m afraid to risk it.”
“Sometimes we have to risk everything before we can find true happiness.”
“But what if I risk everything and end up with nothing?”
“Sweetheart, I don’t have all the answers. I just know that when we find someone who wants to be with us, and we want to be with that someone, that’s something special. Not everyone gets a happy ending, and not everyone is courageous enough to take hold of what’s in front of them. Will you regret it if you don’t give it a try?”
“I don’t know, Mom. I really don’t know. I haven’t seen him in a few days and I still don’t know. I am finding that I miss him, though.” Alyssa let out a frustrated sigh.
“I think he’s afraid to give you too much time to think,” Teresa said. “I just know that, since he’s pursuing you so steadily, there has to be more to it than basic attraction. A man doesn’t do all he’s doing just to get a woman into bed.”
“Mom!” Alyssa was horrified her mother would even think such a thing, much less speak about it.
“I do have a child, Alyssa. I know what sex is,” Teresa told her with a laugh.
Oh, this was getting worse and worse by the minute. Now Alyssa really was speechless.
When the phone rang next to her bed, Alyssa scrambled to pick it up. Talking about anything to anyone would be better than speaking about sex with her mother, who had left the room.
“Good evening, beautiful.”
There was no use in even pretending she didn’t know it was Jackson. The huskiness of his voice had her insides melting, and she knew beyond a doubt now that she was in real trouble, because three little words had picked up her heart rate in a second.
“Hello, Jackson.”
“What are you wearing?”
“My pink jammies.” She closed her mouth instantly after she said it. She should have said it was none of his business, not answered him.
“Mmm, the pink pajamas. I like those.”
“Oh, well . . . I didn’t know that.” She actually did know that and had worn them just in case he showed up that day. That’s how pathetic she was right now.
“I’ll let you think I believe that.
“Want to play a game of truth or dare?” he asked with an obvious smile in his voice.
“There is no way I’m playing truth or dare with you, Jackson. I would surely lose.”
“You can’t win or lose truth or dare,” he told her.
“Wanna bet? I have no doubt you’ll have it so you get all you want out of it, and I’m left gasping for air.”
“Ah, I can make you gasp for air a lot more pleasantly than by playing a game.”
“See. Right there, Jackson Whitman. You are too smooth for me. I’m not playing any more games with you unless it’s checkers.”
“You’re feeling feisty tonight. I really have missed you. I was traveling for work, but I’m back in town, so I think I should just come over.”
“No. You’re just fine right where you are,” she said, not sure if it was panic or excitement filling her at the thought of him stopping by. And didn’t they have phones on the road? She wanted to point that out, but then he would know that she’d missed their conversations and she couldn’t tell him that.