Chapter 15
LIZA
Ishowered and dressed slowly. I was in no rush to go downstairs.
I wanted to hide from the whole world. I knew I was safe at the estate.
But last night while I was lying in bed, my mind had spun up some pretty elaborate scenarios.
What if the paparazzi got a boat or jet ski and a telephoto lens?
They could get pictures of us from the water.
What if they somehow managed to get pictures of me in my room?
I had closed the blinds and then pulled the curtains.
I was freaking myself out.
I did consider staying in my room all day. All those windows downstairs made me anxious.
Then I remembered Darek’s promise of a surprise, and curiosity got the better of my anxiety.
I found him in the kitchen making breakfast, Daisie already at the table in her pajamas when she should have been getting ready for school.
“Morning,” I said cautiously.
Darek looked up and smiled. “Morning. Good news. The weather’s cooperating, so the surprise is a go.”
“What surprise?”
“Can’t tell you. That would ruin it.” He slid a plate of eggs and toast across the counter to me. “But you should pack a bag. Sunscreen, a bathing suit, layers in case it gets cold. We’ll be gone most of the day.”
“What about school?” I looked at Daisie, who was practically vibrating with excitement.
“I told the school she’s sick,” Darek said with a conspiratorial grin at his daughter. “Sometimes you need a mental health day.”
“I’m not actually sick,” Daisie informed me seriously. “But Daddy says we’re going on an adventure and that’s more important than spelling tests.”
“Your secret is safe with me,” I promised.
I loved their relationship. He wasn’t always the perfect daddy, but he was definitely a good one. I didn’t have that kind of a relationship with my own father. Daisie was very clearly Darek’s whole world. I wondered if she knew just how special that was.
After breakfast, I went upstairs to pack, my mind racing through possibilities. An adventure that required a bathing suit and sunscreen that would take all day.
We were going out on the water. We had to be.
I stood in front of my closet, trying to decide what bathing suit to wear.
I had three options, all purchased during that shopping trip with Janice.
One was practical. A one-piece that could have passed for athletic wear.
One was cute. A two-piece with high-waisted bottoms and a sporty top.
And one was, well, it was the kind of suit you wore when you wanted someone to notice you.
It wasn’t necessarily great for swimming in the ocean.
It was more the kind of suit you lounged around in to work on your tan because there was very little coverage.
I reached for the cute one, then hesitated.
I should wear the practical suit. Keep things professional. Not give Darek any reason to think about what had almost happened in the boathouse.
But another part of me wanted him to notice. Wanted to see that look in his eyes again, the one that made me feel like I was the only woman in the world.
I compromised, choosing the cute two-piece but packing a cover-up that would keep me mostly concealed. Professional with the possibility of slightly less professional if the mood struck.
I added sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and a light jacket. Changed into shorts and a tank top, practical for a day on the water. Looked at myself in the mirror and tried to give myself a pep talk.
This was just a day out on a boat. Nothing romantic, nothing that would complicate the arrangement. Daisie would be there to make sure things never crossed the line.
When I went back downstairs, Daisie was zooming around the house like she’d been mainlining sugar. Her bag was already packed and waiting by the door.
“We’re going on Daddy’s boat!” she announced, in case I hadn’t figured it out. “The big one! Not the little one, the big one!”
“I gathered that,” I said, smiling at her enthusiasm. “Are you excited?”
“So excited! I love the boat! We have a TV and there’s a hot tub and the beds are so comfy and there’s a slide that goes into the water.”
“Don’t give away all the surprises,” Darek said, coming up behind her. He’d changed into shorts and a T-shirt that did absolutely nothing to hide his physique. I forced myself to look away before I got caught staring.
We loaded into the SUV and headed toward the yacht club. Daisie kept up a running commentary the entire way, telling me about all the times they’d gone out on the boat and the time they saw dolphins. Then she switched to talking about how she was learning to tie nautical knots.
“Daddy’s teaching me,” she said proudly. “I can do a bowline and a clove hitch and a—what’s the other one, Daddy?”
“Figure eight,” he supplied.
“Figure eight! I’m gonna learn all the knots and then I can be a real sailor.”
Again, he was a good daddy and Sasha was a horrible mother.
The yacht club looked different in the morning light, less intimidating without a crowd of people in cocktail attire. We drove past the main building down to the docks.
“Holy shit,” I breathed, then immediately clapped my hand over my mouth. “Sorry. I mean—Daisie, don’t repeat that.”
“I know not to say bad words,” Daisie said, but she was giggling.
The yacht was massive. Not just big—massive. Easily over a hundred feet long. It had multiple decks and I could see loungers on each one.
“You live on that sometimes?” I asked, still staring.
“Occasionally,” Darek said, like it was no big deal. Like everyone had a floating mansion at their disposal. “Mostly I use it for client entertainment and family trips. Come on, I’ll show you around.”
We walked down the dock carrying our bags with Daisie skipping ahead. As we got closer I could see the name painted on the hull in elegant script: Daisie Mae.
Of course he named it after his daughter.
A crew was waiting to welcome us aboard. Three people in matching polo shirts with the Sullivan Yachts logo. They greeted Darek by name, smiled at Daisie, and welcomed me politely without asking questions.
“We’re ready to depart whenever you are, sir,” one of them said.
“Give us twenty minutes to get settled. Then we’ll head out.”
The interior of the yacht was exactly what you’d expect from a billionaire’s custom build. Polished wood, leather furniture, state-of-the-art everything. But as Darek showed me around, I started noticing details that surprised me.
There were photos everywhere. Darek and Daisie on various adventures, birthday parties, candid moments.
The main cabin had a kids’ section with books and toys organized in built-in cubbies.
One of the staterooms was clearly designed for a child, with twin beds and decorations that Daisie had probably picked out herself.
“You designed this for family trips,” I said, running my hand along a handrail that had been positioned at a height perfect for small hands.
“Yeah. I wanted somewhere we could go together, just the two of us or with friends. Somewhere that felt like home but mobile.” He gestured around.
I honestly expected it to be a floating fuck bunker for a billionaire. A place he could impress a woman and get her to drop her dress without any worries of his daughter interrupting. Not that he needed to do more than flash one of those sexy smiles.
I thought about Sasha and the fact she had walked away from all of this. She left a man who had built a yacht designed around spending time with his family. From a husband who clearly adored his daughter and wanted to share adventures with her.
How could someone look at Daisie and choose to leave? How could anyone walk away from what Darek was offering?
Fuck that bitch. The thought came sharp and fierce, and I didn’t even feel bad about it.
“Liza!” Daisie called from somewhere above deck. “Come see the hot tub!”
I followed her voice up to the sun deck, where there was indeed a hot tub, along with lounge chairs and a bar area.
Darek came up behind me. “What do you think?”
“I think this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” I gestured at the ocean spreading out in all directions. “Not the boat—I mean, the boat is incredible—but this. Being out here.”
“Wait until we get to where we’re going. It gets better.”
I stood there trying to process the moment. I was on a private yacht, heading God knows where, with a man who made my heart race and his daughter who I was falling in love with.
How had this become my life?
“Come on,” Darek said, touching my elbow lightly. “I want to show you something.”
He led me to the wheelhouse—that’s what he called it, though it looked more like the bridge of a spaceship than anything I would ever associate with boats. Screens and controls and equipment I couldn’t begin to identify.
And Darek, taking the helm himself.
“You drive it?” I asked, surprised. “I thought the crew was here to drive this thing.”
“They can, but I prefer to do it myself when I can. What’s the point of owning a yacht if you’re not going to actually pilot it?” He made some adjustments to the controls, completely at ease. “Want to help?”
“I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“I’ll teach you. Come here.”
He gestured me over, and before I could overthink it, I was standing in front of him, his hands guiding mine to the wheel.
“Feel that?” he said, his voice close to my ear. “The way she responds to the slightest touch? You have to be gentle but confident. Show her where you want to go.”
I was acutely aware of his chest against my back. The close proximity with his scent washing over me was intoxicating.
“Where are we going?” I managed to ask.
He laughed, his breath moving through my hair. “It’s a surprise. Has anyone ever told you you are terrible with surprises?”
I thought about it. “No. But then again, I don’t really have a lot of people offering me surprises in my life.”
“That’s too bad,” he said in a deep voice. “I’m all about surprises.”
A shiver rolled down my spine. He was making me very hot and bothered.
“I should check on Daisie,” I said.
I stepped away from him. He made a motion for one of the guys in a polo and the man stepped up to take over the controls.
“Come on, she loves to watch from the lower deck,” he said. “And before you ask, one of the crew is with her. I’m not that irresponsible. I wouldn’t just leave her to her own devices.”
“Darek, I would never think that.”
“Sorry. I guess I’m a little defensive.”
“It’s understandable, but I know you’re a good father. And it’s clear Daisie is a smart kid. She knows her way around the boat. She’s not about to do anything reckless.”
“I’ve taught her how to be safe,” he said. “She doesn’t need to wear a lifejacket when we’re on the yacht, but if we’re on one of the smaller ones, I make sure she does.”
I could tell he was trying to prove he was taking good care of her. He didn’t need to. I had witnessed how well he watched out for her.
Too bad Sasha hadn’t stuck around to see how well he took care of her.