He hadn’t, of course—to the point that he’d refused to be named as Karim’s father on his birth certificate.Her misguided last-ditch attempt was to tell his parents, but their reply had stung so badly that she never contacted them, or Elliot, again.
Good riddance.
Such single-minded, shallow people had no part in her or Karim’s life.Her baby’s radiant smile beamed all his love and wonder a gazillion percent in her direction, and she drank him in, a beautiful gift that was all hers.She held him up in the air, making him squeal, then pulled him in for a big, wet cuddle.
“One of these days, I’m gonna gobble you up whole.”She sank into the water with him and nuzzled his neck.“Nom-nom-nom.”
Karim giggled, and that’s when she noticed Daniel Jones staring at them from the shore.
He stepped into the water, dragging his bad leg behind him like heavy baggage.Blue and white beach shorts hugged his narrow hips, and a dark-blue rash top clung to his arms, chest, and abs.Man, his body!Even half-broken, he looked stronger than most men she’d come across, and this morning, when he’d been wrapped in thin white cotton sheets, not even those angry, rough scars on his shoulder had lessened his hotness.It had taken all of Libby’s willpower not to drool when he’d sat up, all fuzzy-headed and confused—and then he’d opened his mouth and became the asshole again.
You’re still here?
Never mind that he’d kept her awake most of the night with his feverish murmurings—or that she’d scrubbed his clothes, cleaned up his mess, left food for him, and reassured his poor mom that he was still alive—all he’d cared about was his damn stupid phone and when she’d be moving out of his precious bungalow.
Arrogant jerk.
“Mind if I join you?”he called out.
Libby looked behind her.There was no one there, so he must be talking to her.When she glanced back, Cranky was already taking his first labored steps into the lagoon.
Karim splashed close by.
“Stay in front of Mommy, sweet cheeks.”The water was dead-calm and he wore his floaties, but she didn’t like him swimming out too far, especially when she feared she’d get distracted by Cranky Jones and the swimwear that was shrink-wrapped around his torso.A real-life Action Man.No surprise that he’d squirmed when she’d told him she’d seen him crawl.His ego must have taken a real battering.
So, how would he react if he knew she’d seen him cry?
“What do you want?”she asked, sucking in her stomach as he waded closer.Her bright-yellow bikini didn’t support her soft body and post-baby breasts like her normal underwear did.
“I want to apologize.”
“You…eh?”
Had she heard correctly?
“I’m sorry,” Cranky said, loud and clear.He skimmed his fingers along the surface of the water, not looking at all like a arrogant jerk.“I not only overlooked thanking you this morning for everything you’ve done for me, but I also owe you an apology for my behavior on the plane.It was extremely rude of me.I’m very sorry.”
“Wow.”Libby blinked.Once.Twice.Three times.Those sorrowful, deep-hazel eyes and that accent…“I bet you’d get away with murder with an apology like that,” she blurted.
His lips quirked.“Does that mean I’m forgiven?”
“Yeah, I guess.”Libby shrugged, trying to marry this new version of Daniel Jones to the one she’d experienced so far.“What’s brought all this on?Are you feverish again?”
“No,” he said.A shadow of a smile creased the corners of his eyes, and his spicy, fresh scent drifted on the breeze toward her.His face was clean shaven, and his forehead, though still lined, was no longer scrunched from chronic frowning.“For the first time in days, I’m feeling a lot better.”
“You certainly look it.”
That soft smile crept over his lips again, but it quickly disappeared as his gaze shifted to the horizon, his chest expanding as he inhaled.When he let his breath go, his brow creased, as if the thoughts and feelings running through his mind were causing him pain.
Isabella?
Was he thinking about her?
The way his bottom lip had quivered the other night clutched at Libby’s heart again.It was her mission in life as a mom to teach Karim how to be a decent human being, and yet, she’d thought it was okay to make money from a broken man, selling his secrets?Shame ripped through her at what she’d been tempted to do.
Karim splashed closer.“Throw me, Mommy!”
“Sure thing, sweet cheeks.”Grateful for the distraction, she launched Karim into the air.With a joyful squeal, he plopped under the surface and came back up grinning, spitting water off his wet lips with cute littlepah pah pahs.
