she'd been left alone to raise Sophie and the guy hadn't been interested. Granted, he could see her point that it was difficult to be a long-distance parent. It was the same reason Adam's ex-wife gave for rarely seeing Harry. But parents had a responsibility to their children. It was a hot button for Adam after the way his parents had treated him. He knew he tended to overreact about the issue so he kept his opinion to himself.
He gazed at Victoria with a new kind of respect. Sophie's father might have shirked his responsibility to his daughter, but Victoria certainly hadn't. She was so much more than a pretty face and killer body.
"You know, I admire that you gave up what you wanted to do and put Sophie first."
A flattering pink tinge colored her cheeks. Their eyes met, and they shared a moment of understanding. Adam swallowed back a burst of protectiveness that surprised him. After all, Victoria and Sophie were little more than strangers.
He cleared his throat. "Perhaps you can give Harry a few tips on photography."
"I'll be pleased to. That DSLR of his has an excellent HD video capability. I know it's a stills camera first, but I actually recommend that model to my movie students. I've been watching him and he doesn't seem to use it for filming. Do you know if he ever has?"
"Not that I'm aware of. I let him work out how to use the camera himself. I thought it was a good challenge for him."
Victoria pursed her lips and he got the impression she disapproved.
"You think I was wrong?"
"If I bought Soph such an expensive piece of equipment, I'd want to make sure she understood how to get the most out of it."
Adam gazed down the garden to where Harry and Sophie were doing cartwheels on the grass. Perhaps he should have shown more interest in the camera. He tended to be busy and bought gadgets for Harry to keep him occupied.
He prided himself on spending plenty of time with his son. Unfortunately, for much of that time Adam was busy thinking about work, reading work-related documents, or on the phone. He'd barely seen his parents because they travelled all the time and left him behind with nannies. He'd promised himself he would not do the same thing with Harry. But maybe he was still guilty of not giving his son enough attention.
"Harry seems shy. How does he normally get along with other kids?" Victoria asked, breaking into his thoughts.
Adam shifted uncomfortably in his lawn chair. Her question hit a little close to home. He'd been thinking it was time to get rid of the personal tutor who often travelled with them and send Harry to school. The poor kid spent his life with adults and didn't have any friends his own age. But that meant Harry would have to stay in England while Adam travelled, and he did not want to be parted from his son.
"Yeah. He can be a little shy."
He was saved from saying more when the kids dashed up the garden and threw themselves down on a rug spread on the grass. "We're hungry," Sophie shouted.
"Let's turn down the volume a tad." Victoria gave her daughter a smile. "We're only a few feet away."
"Sorry, Mum."
Victoria handed out plates and let the kids choose a slice of pizza each. Then she offered the box to Adam. He grabbed a slice and started eating, watching Victoria as she did the same. She stuffed it in her mouth unselfconsciously, catching the melted cheese on her finger and licking it off.
She was so natural, so vibrant and full of life. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders, those amazing blue eyes of hers sparkling. She had the sort of mouth that tilted up at the corners as though she was always on the verge of smiling.
He'd never met a woman he could imagine spending his life with. In truth, he hadn't been looking to settle down and stay in one place. Being here with Victoria, Sophie, and Harry was the closest he'd ever come to a real sense of home—and it wasn't even his place.
Sitting in lawn chairs eating pizza with the fading sun warming his skin, the kids
He gazed at Victoria with a new kind of respect. Sophie's father might have shirked his responsibility to his daughter, but Victoria certainly hadn't. She was so much more than a pretty face and killer body.
"You know, I admire that you gave up what you wanted to do and put Sophie first."
A flattering pink tinge colored her cheeks. Their eyes met, and they shared a moment of understanding. Adam swallowed back a burst of protectiveness that surprised him. After all, Victoria and Sophie were little more than strangers.
He cleared his throat. "Perhaps you can give Harry a few tips on photography."
"I'll be pleased to. That DSLR of his has an excellent HD video capability. I know it's a stills camera first, but I actually recommend that model to my movie students. I've been watching him and he doesn't seem to use it for filming. Do you know if he ever has?"
"Not that I'm aware of. I let him work out how to use the camera himself. I thought it was a good challenge for him."
Victoria pursed her lips and he got the impression she disapproved.
"You think I was wrong?"
"If I bought Soph such an expensive piece of equipment, I'd want to make sure she understood how to get the most out of it."
Adam gazed down the garden to where Harry and Sophie were doing cartwheels on the grass. Perhaps he should have shown more interest in the camera. He tended to be busy and bought gadgets for Harry to keep him occupied.
He prided himself on spending plenty of time with his son. Unfortunately, for much of that time Adam was busy thinking about work, reading work-related documents, or on the phone. He'd barely seen his parents because they travelled all the time and left him behind with nannies. He'd promised himself he would not do the same thing with Harry. But maybe he was still guilty of not giving his son enough attention.
"Harry seems shy. How does he normally get along with other kids?" Victoria asked, breaking into his thoughts.
Adam shifted uncomfortably in his lawn chair. Her question hit a little close to home. He'd been thinking it was time to get rid of the personal tutor who often travelled with them and send Harry to school. The poor kid spent his life with adults and didn't have any friends his own age. But that meant Harry would have to stay in England while Adam travelled, and he did not want to be parted from his son.
"Yeah. He can be a little shy."
He was saved from saying more when the kids dashed up the garden and threw themselves down on a rug spread on the grass. "We're hungry," Sophie shouted.
"Let's turn down the volume a tad." Victoria gave her daughter a smile. "We're only a few feet away."
"Sorry, Mum."
Victoria handed out plates and let the kids choose a slice of pizza each. Then she offered the box to Adam. He grabbed a slice and started eating, watching Victoria as she did the same. She stuffed it in her mouth unselfconsciously, catching the melted cheese on her finger and licking it off.
She was so natural, so vibrant and full of life. Her long dark hair fell over her shoulders, those amazing blue eyes of hers sparkling. She had the sort of mouth that tilted up at the corners as though she was always on the verge of smiling.
He'd never met a woman he could imagine spending his life with. In truth, he hadn't been looking to settle down and stay in one place. Being here with Victoria, Sophie, and Harry was the closest he'd ever come to a real sense of home—and it wasn't even his place.
Sitting in lawn chairs eating pizza with the fading sun warming his skin, the kids
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