Dan let out a big breath.
Bloody hell.
What state of complete and utter mess had he been in yesterday?Crawling, spewing…and he’d slept forsixteenhours?
He noticed the fruit, bread, and cereal on the counter.Hadn’t she said there was also orange juice in the fridge?Dan checked, and—Hallelujah!He poured himself a glass and necked it back, tasting heaven.Pouring himself another, he took it outside and breathed in glorious fresh air.Virgin white clouds streaked against a bright-blue sky, and palm trees rose above dark-green bushes.
Here at last.
Dan sipped his juice, then slowly lowered the glass.His clothes were hanging on a washing line, flapping in the breeze next to tiny child-sized T-shirts and shorts.
Libby had done his laundry?
He eyed the juice and food, as well as his dead phone in the kitchen.Then his gaze shifted to the sofa bed, where she and her son must have slept last night.
Shame had the sweet taste of orange turning sour in his mouth.
Had he even thanked her?
No, he hadn’t.He’d only gone on about his phone and when she was moving out.
And he hadn’t yet apologized for what he’d said to her on the flight, either.
Dan sighed.
Wholesome Hero?
More like Total Loser.
Themorningslippedawayunder a splendid tropical sky.Libby had hoped to do some writing while Karim played in the shallow waters of the lagoon—she still hadn’t made a start on herParent and Childarticles—but who was she kidding?
Almost three years of being a mom, and still she harbored the hope that she’d actually accomplishsomethingwhile Karim was awake?
But as he splashed in the sun-sparkled water, laughing and squealing, Libby knew she’d never want to miss watching him play like this.She took a photo of him to send to her parents, shot a few seconds of footage for her website—in case she ever got time to work on that one day—then put her phone back into her bag and sat in the water with him.
It was so beautiful here.Lots of pale blues and yellows across the sea and deep greens on land.The contrast was stark and wonderful.How could she ever capture this beauty in words, photos, and videos, and do it justice?
“Look at this one, honey.”Out of the sand, Libby picked up a palm-sized shell, its frilly edges tinged with red.“Isn’t that pretty?”
Karim picked up another shell waving it at her.
“Yes, that one too!”
They placed their treasures in a row at the water’s edge until a small shoal of silvery fish swimming in the slightly deeper water caught Libby’s eye.
“Let’s go take a closer look at the fishies.”She scooped him up onto her hip and waded out toward a cluster of rocks.“Look!There they are!”
Karim squealed, kicking his legs as she held him in the water.“Splash!”
Oh, his little face!It was pure magic.
“I can’t cope with your cuteness, kiddo.”She kissed him then dunked him back into the sea.He came up laughing, and as they played, a huge sense of privilege washed over her.She was the only person on Earth enjoying this spectacle.She had Karim all to herself, and that’s how it had always been.Just the two of them.
Of course, her parents loved him, their only grandchild, in their own, reserved way.Though they’d never make the sugary Hallmark Christmas family, Libby had worked hard over the years to achieve some sort of comfortable, neutral understanding with her mom and dad.
And as for Elliot…
Witnessing Daniel Jones’s heartache yesterday had brought back all the hurt and rejection—and how damn foolish she’d been.Even after Elliot had dumped her, alone and pregnant, she’d wanted him back, her eternal optimism keeping the flame alive.Right up until the day she’d given birth—alone—she’d believed Elliot would change his mind.
