Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 91286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91286 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“About?”
“You two need to talk,” Frank repeats, giving me a high-browed look.
“Oh.”
Oh.
Ronan leans against the tiki bar, waiting. His golf attire is gone, swapped out for board shorts and a worn gray T-shirt clinging to his chest.
“Who told him?” Was it Frank? No, he’d never do that. It had to be Abbi. Why, though? Is she angry for me trying to sabotage her husband’s plans?
“No idea.”
I guess the why doesn’t matter, though.
“And? What’d he say?”
“Oh no, I’m not doin’ this with you too.” Frank’s resolute head shake brooks no argument. “You go figure it out with him.”
I swallow. Moment of truth. Is this the end of things with Ronan? Is this the part where he says this isn’t what he signed up for? That he’s out? Will this be a repeat of my mother’s short-lived romance, when my father told her to “get rid of it” so they could continue with their sordid affair?
What if he wants me to have it?
I swallow against the ball of anxiety that’s erupted in my throat. “You remember Frank, right, Bailey?”
“Oh yeah, we go way back.”
“Another smart-ass in my life. Just what I needed,” Frank grumbles, earning her grin.
I drop my voice. “Listen, I’ve got something I need to do, so he’s going to take over training you for the day.”
“Yeah, no problem. Do what you’ve gotta do.”
Louder, I announce, “Okay, ladies! I have to head out, but the very capable Captain Frank is going to get you back to shore safely.”
Half of them wave to me; the other half are too focused on ogling Ronan.
For his part, he’s not paying them any heed, his focus glued on me.
“Good luck,” Jeremy whispers as I pass him to grab my bag from behind the bar.
With a forced smile, I skip over to Tiki Three, dreading this conversation. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
I wish he would take off those sunglasses. Maybe I’d have a clue as to what he’s thinking.
“I got this.” Bailey reaches down to unfasten our link.
Brushing past Ronan’s body, I scoot to the helm and start the engine. “’Kay!”
Bailey undoes the ropes, tucking ours into the compartment before hopping back to the other side. “Rainbow Alley tonight?”
“Sounds good.” I ease us away from the cluster of boats and people. Daring to steal a peek over my shoulder at him, I warn, “You should take a seat. We’re about to start moving.”
Ronan doesn’t take a seat, though. He comes around the bar and steps in behind me, his hands settling over mine, his fingers filling the space between each of mine.
Okay, at least he doesn’t seem angry. “Abbi told you?”
“Yup.”
Awkward silence hangs as we motor toward land. I know I have to address the elephant on the tiki boat. He’s waiting for me to do it.
I watch the channel ahead as I admit, “It’s the last thing I expected to happen. I wasn’t trying. And I don’t know what I’m going to do yet.” I bite my bottom lip with hesitation. “But I was thinking that I want to keep it.”
I feel his chest lift against my back with his own inhale. “Okay.”
Is that a good okay or an oh shit okay? I can’t tell.
“I’m thirty-one years old. My mom died around this age from ovarian cancer, and that can be hereditary. That’s something I think about. You know, what if I don’t have as much time as I think I do to start a family. What if this ends up being my only shot.”
“Okay.”
“Stop saying okay. What does that mean?”
His hard swallow fills my ear. “It means I’m good with whatever decision you make.”
I abandon my line of sight ahead to peer over my shoulder at him. “But what does that mean?”
He reaches up to slip his sunglasses off his face, revealing his beautiful eyes. “It means, whatever decision you make, I’m here for it, and I’m all in.”
“But this is a baby, Ronan. A whole human.”
His handsome face splits with laughter. “And here I thought it was going to be a sea witch.”
“Shut up.” I chuckle as I check the water ahead.
Another beat passes, and then he leans in to whisper in my ear, “I’m telling you that I’m all in with this. With you.”
My heartbeat pounds in my chest. Am I hearing this correctly? “So, if I have this baby …”
“It’s gonna have an incredibly annoying uncle named Connor in its life.”
I laugh, but it morphs into a groan. “We barely know each other.”
“I know enough.” He dips his head down to feather-soft kisses over my neck. “I know I wouldn’t want this to be happening with anyone else but you.”
I hesitate. “Not even Abbi?”
A finger slips under my chin, turning my face to meet his hard gaze. “No. Not even Abbi.”
I can’t say why, but I believe him. Stretching up, I graze my lips against his before returning my focus to the waters ahead, where a slower boat moves. I adjust our speed. “Frank told me about the harborfront and the access road.”