Chapter 6 #2
“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.
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 little pah pah pahs.
“Again!”
“Okay, here goes. Whoosh!” She threw him into the air, watched him splat and come back up laughing. She cut a quick glance at Daniel. “Who knew throwing children would be such good fun?”
Not quite a smile on his face, but there was the definite hint of amusement. “My nieces and nephews like it when I hang them upside down by their feet.”
Libby laughed. “What else are uncles for?”
There was that quirk of his lips again, making her wonder what it would take for him to fully smile again, like in all those photos she’d seen of him on a podium or at a glittery showbiz event.
Beside her now, he sank into the water and when he closed his eyes, Libby could almost see the tension easing from his body. “Feels good?”
“Amazing.” A soft groan escaped him. “The water’s so warm.”
“It sure beats a bath, doesn’t it?” Oh, man.
Why had she said that? Visions of walking in on him naked flashed before her.
She turned her full attention back to Karim.
“Show me your swimming, honey. That’s it.
” She cheered his achievement, then flicked another glance at Daniel.
He was still drifting close by, facing the sky and looking more at peace than while he’d been sleeping.
“All those hours traveling,” he said with a sigh. “It was the thought of floating like this that kept me going. All those delays, those tiny seats.”
“You’re so tall”—and surely rich enough—“you should’ve booked a bigger seat.”
“I did.” He told her the airline had overbooked tickets, and that his flight from London had been delayed due to a mechanical fault. “That whole journey was a living hell for me.”
“And then you sat next to us.”
He zapped her with an earnest gaze. “I really am sorry about what I said to you, Libby.”
“I know,” she said, surprised that he’d remembered her name. “Consider it forgotten.”
“Thank you.”
She looked to Karim and returned his cheeky grin as he spun around in the water. “I’m sorry my son made you sick.”
“There’s no need to apologize for that. It wasn’t his fault, or yours, and it served me right for being a miserable tosser.
” He fanned his arms gently by his side, displacing water as his large, bare feet bobbed to the surface.
“Maybe Karim knew I was being a complete a-hole and wanted to teach me a lesson.”
“Maybe.” Libby giggled. “You’re Mommy’s little guard doggy, aren’t you, honey?”
“Woof-woof!” Karim yapped and splashed.
Libby laughed and to her surprise, so did Cranky—or rather that little breathy snort he let out could be mistaken for laughter. She wasn’t entirely sure, but at least he wasn’t huffing or sighing or spitting out bad words.
There was hope for him yet.