“Well, tell her yes, I have been using sunscreen religiously,” Andrew replied tartly. That wasn’t the full truth. Their first day, he’d put on sunblock in the morning, and then forgotten to reapply until that night, when Dana noticed his skin had taken on a distinct pink color. This was the first day he hadn’t slathered on lidocaine to dull the burning, but ever since then, yes, Andrew had been using sunscreen religiously.
Dana texted back a more detailed reply than Andrew would have wanted, and set her phone down. If it kept going off, she was just going to throw it back in the bungalow.
“They broke ground on the community center by now, right?”
Andrew’s mood brightened to full steam instantly. He beamed through the fringe of pink across his nose. “Yep. Everything’s going according to the time table. At this rate, the buildings will be finished before next fall.”
“I’m just surprised you found anyone to start construction in January,” Dana remarked, eyes on the ocean.
“Give Nick credit for that, not me. He’s a mad genius when it comes to arranging this sort of thing.”
Whoever heard of construction starting in January? Dana didn’t envy the workers, having to try and dig through frozen ground in ten degree weather to lay the foundations. Of course, with one eye on the project and another on Louis Marcel, everyone on the Bellwethers team was eager to get things rolling. Who knew what trouble he would stir up—his wife had finalized the divorce last month, and Marcel was not a happy camper. It made meetings uncomfortable, or so Andrew said. Dana had no intention of ever seeing Marcel ever again, if she could avoid it.
“What are you thinking about?” Andrew asked.
Dana wrinkled her nose. “Nothing.”
“You looked pretty annoyed at nothing for a minute, there.”
“Marcel,” Dana admitted. “I hope he just shuts up and does his part of the work and that Lauren takes as much from him as she can get.”
Andrew raised his eyebrows and winced. He didn’t look displeased though, and Dana felt like a part of him was still very satisfied to hear her distaste for Louis Marcel. There weren’t too many people she genuinely didn’t like out there in the world. Marcel had made the list.
Her phone pinged yet again, and after a brief glance at the screen, Dana shut it off. She was tempted to chuck it into the ocean, but she’d hate to have to bother with getting a new one. It was safe, for now, and she relaxed under the patio umbrella. There was a ghost of a breeze sweeping in off the ocean, barely enough to cool the sweat on her skin. The humidity was far more intense than the sun, drenching Dana in sweat from the moment she stepped out of the shower in the morning to the second she stepped back in.
After several minutes of lounging in silence, Dana opened an eye and caught Andrew staring at her, a goofy grin on his face and his chin propped up on one hand. The sight made her giggle instantly.
“What?”
“You know what.”
Dana rolled her eyes. “Well, you’re not half bad to look at either, sunburn and all.”
She laughed at the look of mock offense on her husband’s face. Andrew scooted his chair closer to hers and lay back, setting a hand over hers.
This was the life, Dana thought to herself, looking over at her spouse, who had closed his eyes and put his sunglasses on, even in the shade. The emerald engagement ring sparkled on the hand that was closed in Andrew’s fingers, joined now by a wedding band that matched the one on his ring finger. Lying here in paradise with the love of her life. Not having to worry about a thing, not anymore.
“What happens when we go back to New York?” Dana asked quietly.
“We put our winter clothes back on,” Andrew answered, eyes still closed.
“No! I mean, are we going to live in your condo?”
“Don’t ask me. You’ll have to direct all personal questions to my wife, here—”
“You are so ridiculous, Mr. Poole,” Dana laughed, incredulous. “You mean you want me to decide all this? Do you want to stay in your condo?”
Andrew shrugged. “I’ll go where you want. We could even stay in your apartment with Maya, if you want, but I figured we could just help her with rent and let her keep it to herself. More quiet to study in, without a roommate.”
Dana thought about it. “I guess we could buy a house if we wanted, couldn’t we?”
Andrew nodded, opening his eyes. “Yeah, if you want. Would you rather live in a house?”
She waved it off. “Houses in New York are way too expensive—”
“Dana,” Andrew said, with not even a hint of a patronizing tone. “I could buy a house in cash virtually anywhere in the city. We could live in Manhattan, if you want.”
Her stomach twisted at the thought of the money Andrew would have to plunk down to buy a house in Lenox, or Midtown. Her stomach twisted just at the thought of living there, surrounded by all that money. She wasn’t so sure about that.
“Maybe Brooklyn… or Staten Island,” she said slowly. “Somewhere… normal. With families and schools and yards.”
Andrew nodded, smiling half a smile and squeezing her hand. “Somewhere with families? It sounds like you’ve got a plan brewing. Anything I should know…?”
Dana laughed and shook her head. “No, I’m not pregnant! But maybe someday, don’t you think?” And then it occurred to her that she’d never asked before. What if Andrew didn’t want a family?
But he leaned over and kissed her forehead, carefree. “I’d never thought about it before I met you. But I have to admit, now that you’re in the picture, I realize that there are a lot of things I never thought about before.”
Dana had to agree. They lay back in their chairs and talked about houses, and neighborhoods with families. The Hawaiian breeze pushed over the beach and the sun lengthened their shadows, and sometime before dinner they retreated into their bedroom for a little while before the night’s events began.
Never in her life had Dana dreamed this life for herself. There were times when she’d doubted it would suit her at all. But here, with Andrew, Dana felt like anything would be wonderful, as long as he was there with her. THE END
More Books by Kayla Watkins
One Hundred Tears Away
His Unknown Daughter
Winning the Heart of Stone
Crashing Into Love
Reading Between the Lines
A Baby for the Widowed Billionaire
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About the Author
In her studio apartment in Manhattan, New York, Kayla Watkins can be found with her nose in her laptop feverishly typing away. She's working on her latest romance novel, a passion she developed at a young age and carried into her adult life.
She lives with her boyfriend, who encourages her creative writing, and their adorable golden retriever, Winston. Kayla recently discovered she's pregnant with her first child, and the excitement of delivering her first baby has opened up her imagination in ways she never thought possible.
In her free time she crochets blankets, bibs, and clothing for her little one who'll be arriving shortly!
Billionaire’s Missing Baby Page 31