Page 51 of Honor ’N’ Duty

“Mommy, Mommy! Did you see Smoke and Thor body surfing?” Rosa continued jumping up and down in the sand, clapping her little hands together. “Can I go body surfing, too?”

“How about you give me a big hug first?” Because she sorely needed it, and because even though Rosa could swim, she wasn’t quite sure she was ready to see her five-year-old baby girl “catching a wave.” She knelt on the warm sand, then held open her arms. Rosa flew into her embrace, and Laia inhaled the scents of sand, salt, and ocean air in her daughter’s hair.

Rosa wriggled from Laia’s arms. “I want to go body surfing with Smoke and Thor and Uncle Kade and Jamie and Deck.”

Holding on to Rosa’s hand, Laia eyed the sizable waves rolling onto the beach. Kade and Smoke had just “surfed” in and were running toward them. There was no way she’d let Rosa out in that surf. Wading in the shallows, sure.

Smoke loped up the beach, then shook, sending water droplets flying in every direction.

Laia covered her face in the nick of time. When she dropped her hand, Rosa threw her arms around the wet dog, smiling and giggling and letting Smoke drown her in slobber.

Again, Laia smiled. Kade was right. This had put her in a better mood.

There was no doubting her problems were still out there, lurking and waiting to be dealt with, but for now this was an oasis in the midst of the storm she felt certain was yet to come.

At Kade’s approach, Rosa ran to him and held up her arms. “Up. Up!”

As if she weighed no more than a seagull feather, he easily lifted her up and onto his shoulders. “Did you bring a bathing suit?”

“Uh,” was the only word she could manage.

Every square inch of Kade’s body glistened with water, his muscles flexing as he held her daughter securely on his shoulders. Wet khaki shorts stuck to his body, revealing a sizeable mound at the juncture of his thighs.

So much for cold water shrinkage.

Quickly, she hid her eyes by pretending to shield them from the blazing afternoon sun. “No, but I have shorts and a tank top.”

“Go ahead and change.” Kade began bouncing Rosa on his shoulders. “I’ll watch Rosa for you.”

“Mo-mmeee. I want to go in the water.” Rosa’s face scrunched up in the most adorable little frown it was all Laia could do not to laugh.

But mommies didn’t laugh when doling out orders. “Wait here. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She turned to head into the house to change when laughter and barking drew her attention back to the water. “You know what, sweetie?” She looked at her daughter. “You’re absolutely right. Let’s do this!”

Without waiting, and without returning to the house to change, she charged down the beach to the water. Because this was all part of the new and improved Laia Velez, the one who embraced life to its fullest and didn’t let anyone tell her what to wear or how to just…be.

“Hot damn!” she heard Kade exclaim.

“Hot damn!” Rosa squealed, loudly enough for Laia to hear.

Apparently, Kade had forgotten that children excelled at parroting taboo adult phrases. Chastising him for that transgression would have to wait.

Smoke loped past, running into the water ahead of her. Rosa’s giggling grew louder as Kade caught up to them.

Laia dove in, sundress and all. Cool ocean water hit her skin, enveloping her body and instantly washing away the tension faster than someone snapping their fingers. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized just how tight her muscles had been. Since discovering Josh’s hidden stash of coke, she’d been wound tighter than a yo-yo.

When she surfaced, she saw Smoke wade into the shallows next to Kade, who leaned over to set Rosa on her feet. When he looked up, he grinned. As his gaze dipped, the grin faded and his jaw went hard.

There was no need for her to look to understand what he was staring at. The cool Atlantic Ocean hadn’t had any effect on him, but her nipples had hardened into tight little buds. She could feel them pressing against the wet fabric of her dress.

The intensity of Kade’s scrutiny stole the air from her lungs. Finally, she released the pent-up breath she’d been holding. “I think I’ll go inside and change after all.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she headed back to the beach. “Only body surfing in the shallow water,” she warned both of them.

Rosa giggled. “Okay, Mommy.”

Kade merely arched a brow.

As she trudged up the sand to the shack, she noticed two small red boats beneath the deck, one a kayak and the other a canoe. At the top of the stairs, she pulled open the door, unable to keep from checking again on Rosa, but she needn’t have worried.

Kade hovered protectively at Rosa’s side while she dog paddled in the shallows, kicking and splashing like a future Olympic freestyler. Smoke dutifully took up position on Rosa’s other side, allowing her to periodically rest her hand on his back for balance.