re." She gestured to

as just in front

fore Scarlett had a chance to inquire as to

d outside, Sca

ank

ell g

ee you

ayb

g with him, for

o recall her most

t and than

ed up the stairs and headed into the apartment. H

carlett knocked once and waited. She

om inside, she he

or opened, revea

"Minutes ago, you were supposed to be here,"

the cozy flat, she giggled at

, Scarlett is here,"

medium-sized sitting are

been? I nearly

n't start. However, I received a ride. As she embraced Ivy a

g room, and Andy took the other seat

rred and asked from th

they had met three times and

t to accept rides from strangers, and a male stranger at that?" she said,

ett ch

ranger, not really." "Secondly

ginning of their

but he couldn't quite place it. She was not like the

ade him smile as he recalled her baby. Okay, so perhaps it was going a bit too far, but based on what he had heard and seen, they were noisy and messy, two things he detested. Until Bea's letter

nning about his living room, calling him "dad," laughi

name, his smile vanished. He hadn't learn

oubtedly see

arage, he thought and a

her and prepared her for the day's activities. Before she went, Andy woke up and decided to go out with Sofi and Ivy. She was forced to

knock on the door. She was shocked to see who was standing on

ed the door, s

ed at the well-known face. Shock swept through h

t the address Tom discovered for Scarlett Bennett, the adoptive mother of his daughter. Without wasti

ause of the GPS. All he could think as he

eak, he let go of the br

u doing here?

, he asked. It was very evident to him that he had not dropped

" she stated r

l was p

f the house?"

s the home

the house..." "...now

tell him a name he was already getting to know and that he would

. She blinked quickly and shook her h

e behavior. Would you like t

quickly that he thought

wide, and he stepped

se the door, and then followed her down the

ea, Maxwell noticed a duster on th

doing som

and carrying it to the kitchen, which was open to

for her to come

thing?" From the ki

" "I need to coo

before she approached him and brought hi

the glass from the

hen turned to face Scarlett, who set t

y. Either I would have arrived late or not at

might or might not be attracted to could be his daughter's adoptive mother. He was attempting to concen

elf yesterday." She claimed that Maxwell

arlett B

at she was the person he had been searching for, and that was preci

wanted was to become close to her, earn her trust, and t

gh? She had been with her child-his

n his face had soure

be somewhere." He got to his feet. "I

t gently

got a chance to thank you for last ni

car, and open the door after opening the door for him and wai

"I'm Maxwell by the w

ia, but she wasn't. That might work in his favor. She would probably fall to his feet or refuse to talk to him if she knew who

and prestige as the majority of them. She was different; she was good, kind, and unconcerned with rank or money. She wa

mas." He smil

him a smile that fe

ice meet

hen, with his thoughts racing, h

d until his car

as Ma

ett po

his identity, how d

or. She put her hand on her throbbing heart

e was...perfect. She had never before felt this way simply by being around a man.

complaining about her crush o

uestion couldn't stop thinking about her, she returned to the kitchen,

n't fee

ll pon

. He no longer

e had met a woman. Her interactions with that child demonstrated her love and concern for them. Those two women were two separate women to him. He now understands, however, that those women are identical. It was Scarle

let out

mother of his child, the woman whose lif

After slamming the door, he proceeded through the living area, up the stairs, down the

out a de