TOOT-TOOT.
The ferry was pulling into the dock. The work crew had arrived. It was time to get to work.
Popi tried to put socks on her feet, but her feet now seemed so far away. After a couple attempts, she tossed aside the socks. Flip-flops would have to suffice. Besides, with the swelling in her feet, she wasn’t even sure she could get shoes on her feet.
She definitely didn’t know about all of these discomforts when she’d signed on to be a surrogate. Not that it would have changed her mind. She would have done anything for her sister.
Like the time when they were young and her sister had strep throat. They were supposed to go with friends on a trip to the beach. They’d been waiting months to go and then Andrina had gotten sick. Popi could have gone without her big sister, but she knew how disappointed Andrina was about missing the trip. So Popi stayed home and they had a movie marathon instead. Their parents had promised them a trip to the beach when Andrina was better.
The memory brought a smile to her face, but it was fleeting, as the guilt over Andrina’s death came back to her. Unlike when they were kids, Popi had let her sister down in the worst way. Popi never understood the true power of words until that moment.
And sometimes the lack of words was just as important.
The breakfast preparation had definitely paid off. There had been no arguing, and now Apollo was on his way to the dock and then on to the mainland. Oh, she had no doubt that their paths would cross again. And she also realized their attorneys would be hashing out the custody arrangement. But that didn’t mean she had to deal with him one-on-one.
She pressed a hand to her lower back. With her stomach pushed so far to the front, it was really putting a strain on her back. And nothing she did would ease the pain. The only thing she could do was try to ignore it—like that was possible.
Popi changed into some work clothes, which was a challenge all its own. She was so far along now that barely any of her clothes fit comfortably.
When she at last slipped on some flip-flops, she headed for the door. Once she coordinated the transfer of everyone’s belongings to the warehouses, she would be on her way to her parents’ house. She was anxious to put her feet up and wait for this little one to make an appearance. In another couple of weeks, it’d be her due date.
Having her parents around would be a comfort. Her parents’ home wasn’t the place she’d originally envisioned waiting for the baby—that had been with her sister and her brother-in-law. It was amazing how fast life could change—with the flip of a coin. Her grieving parents were cheered with the prospect of becoming grandparents for the very first time.
Giving birth to this baby would be such bittersweet joy for all of them—
Someone cleared their throat.
Oh, no. Please say it isn’t so.
Popi turned. There sat Apollo in the same chair that he’d slept in last night. That was it. That chair was going away. All it did was attract the riffraff.
“You better hurry,” she said, trying to keep the agitation from her voice. “You don’t want to miss the ferry...again.”
Apollo got to his feet. “I’m not leaving. This—” he gestured between the two of them “—isn’t finished.”
“It is as far as I’m concerned. Our attorneys can handle it from here. Now I have work to do.”
“Work?” A look of concern flickered over his face. “In your condition?”
“Yes, in my condition. I’m pregnant. Not dying.”
“But still—”
“What did you think? That I’d lie around in bed all day and let the staff wait on me?” With dramatic flair, she pressed her fingertip to her chin. “Oh, wait. I don’t have a staff. There’s just me. And I do just fine on my own.”
Without waiting for him to protest again, she turned and headed down the crushed-seashell walk. There was no way she was letting this man—this pushy guy—tell her what she could and couldn’t do. It wasn’t like she was planning to do any heavy lifting. She doubted she could bend over and right herself again without some help, much less bend down to pick up a piece of furniture. No, she already had a full load on board. She rubbed her belly, feeling a small bulge in the side, wondering if it was an elbow or a knee. Even the agitation of Apollo couldn’t douse the smile the baby brought to her lips.
The crunch of seashells behind her let her know Apollo hadn’t given up on his pursuit of her. Whatever. Let him waste his time. He could leave when the movers did—and that wouldn’t be soon enough.
“Don’t just walk away,” Apollo called out. “I’m not letting this go.”
She kept walking. “And I have work to do.”
“Then I guess I’ll help.”
She sent him a warning glare. She had a lot to coordinate today. She didn’t need him getting in the way—
A sudden pain wrapped around from her back to the front. It knocked the air from her lungs. She stopped. She closed her eyes, for a moment blocking out the world—blocking out Apollo. But she could feel his presence lingering next to her.
“Popi, what’s the matter?” Urgency and concern laced his words. “Is it the baby?”
She opened her eyes to find herself staring straight into his piercing blue gaze. Instead of it being disturbing or upsetting, she found herself comforted by his genuine concern.
And there was something more, but she couldn’t quite name it. Or rather she didn’t want to admit it, not even to herself. But her heart thump-thumped harder and faster. No man had a right to have such piercing blue eyes. It was as though they could see straight through her—see what she was hiding from the world.
But how could that be? She didn’t even know him. And he certainly didn’t know her. That’s the way it must remain.
Because what she did know of him told her that he was the last person that she should count on. He was here today and gone the next. Never one to linger in any one place very long.
She shook her head. “The baby is fine. And so am I.” Maybe it was a little white lie. She’d been pushing herself with the wedding and now the island renovation. After today, she promised herself that she’d rest until her due date. But for now, she had work to do. “I just need you to back off.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “This is me backing off.”
Without another word, she made her way past him, making sure their bodies didn’t touch. There was just something about him—something that got to her. And she couldn’t afford to let herself get distracted.
Something told her his definition of backing off and her definition of backing off were two different things. After all, this man came from great wealth, so he was used to getting what he wanted. But this time would be different.
A different approach was needed.
Pushing was not going to do it.
Apollo didn’t know how he was going to get Popi to get off her feet and rest, but he was determined to do everything he could to make that happen as quickly as possible. And so he attempted not to say anything else to upset her.
He soon learned the plan was to clear the resident bungalows of their furnishings and the boxes so that tomorrow work crews could come in and give these older bungalows a makeover. Apollo wasn’t sure exactly why this was being done for the whole island. All he was able to discern was that it had something to do with yesterday’s wedding.
But he really didn’t care about the island’s makeover. All he cared about was Popi and the baby she was carrying. That acknowledgment struck him as he helped carry a couch out to the waiting trailer that would then haul everything to the warehouse.
This was the first time in Apollo’s life where he had to put someone else’s needs and well-being ahead of his own. He realized, at the age of thirty-two, that was a sad commentary on his life. But his father never needed or wanted anyone to fuss over him—Apollo wondered if his mother had been the exception. And his older brother, Nile, took care of Apollo, not the other way around.
As for his romantic relationships, well, after college they never got serious. He was never in one place long enough for any of that to take place—not that he would let it. “Once bitten and twice shy” was what they said. He said he was better off alone—that way he didn’t fail to live up to other people’s expectations and they didn’t let him down.
As the work crew moved on down the lane to the next bungalow, Apollo turned, looking for Popi. She was nowhere in sight. Thinking that she’d gone on ahead, he returned to the bungalow to close the door.
He’d just pulled it closed when he heard, “Here, kitty, kitty. Come here, sweetie.”
What in the world?
He moved to the side of the bungalow to find Popi down on her hands and knees. Her butt was sticking up at him. As she moved to look under a bush, her backside wiggled. For a moment, he was tongue-tied. He just watched—unable to take his eyes off her.
What was it about this woman that had him acting so out of character? Until now, he could take or leave female companionship. He kept to himself for the most part—communing with nature and its wonders. And the only time he cooked for others was when they shared a camp in the wilderness. When traveling together, it was common for everyone to take turns with the cooking.
But Popi was getting under his skin. And it was more than the baby she was carrying. And then there had been breakfast. Well, it had been nice—almost domestic. Not that he was thinking of settling into a life of domesticity or anything.
“Come on, kitty.”
Popi’s cajoling voice stirred him from his thoughts and released him from the trance she’d cast over him.
He stepped up next to her. “You shouldn’t be down there. Let me help you up?”
Popi leaned back on her heels with a little gray kitten clutched to her chest. “Look who I found?”
“You have a cat?” He wasn’t a cat person. Dogs, yes. Cats, no. Definitely not.
Cats couldn’t go for walks or hiking or camping. When he was a kid, his friend had a cat. It was needy, pampered and wouldn’t listen to a thing it was told. Apollo didn’t need that in his life.
Popi shook her head, indicating that the cat was not hers. “It must have been left behind when all of the pets were moved to the mainland to be cared for until their owners returned from their cruise.”
Apollo breathed a little easier. There were already so many distractions, so he didn’t need more. As soon as he was done making sure Popi didn’t overdo it today, they were going to revisit their prior talk and he was going to convince her that the best place for her and the baby was his family’s home—the baby’s future home.
He glanced down, finding Popi still sitting on the ground. “Give me your hand.”
She appeared to be so distracted by the kitten clutched to her voluptuous chest that she did what he said without giving him a hard time about being able to do it herself. That was a first. Maybe if he was very lucky, it would be the start of something new between them. He could only hope.
“I need to get this little guy home,” she said.
“But you don’t know where he lives.”
“Not his home. My home.”
Apollo wasn’t following her. “But you’re moving out. You’re leaving the island—”
“Not today.”
“Of course you are. You have to.”
Popi glowered, silencing him. “I’ve had a change of plans, which includes me staying until tomorrow.”
“I’m confused.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his head. He could feel the beginning of a headache coming on. “Why would you stay when everything is done?”
“Because I have to meet with the contractor tomorrow. Go over some last-minute details and hand over the keys.” She sighed. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
She had a point. None of this was his problem. But that baby she was carrying, that was his responsibility. And like it or not, his feet were grounded to this island for the foreseeable future.
“I’d feel better if you were on the mainland, close to the doctor.”
Popi made a note on her digital tablet. “I just had a checkup. Earlier this week. All is fine.”
He pressed his hands to his sides. Why did she have to be so difficult? “It’d be safer if you were on the mainland—close to the hospital.”
“You aren’t going to let up, are you?” When he shook his head, she added, “Fine. I’ll make you a deal. If you stop pestering me, I’ll leave right away if anything seems worrisome.”
It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but it was better than nothing.
He nodded but didn’t say what he was thinking. That pregnancy was dangerous—that his very own delivery had killed his mother. He didn’t want history to repeat itself. It was one of the reasons he’d written off having a family of his own. He knew how devastating it could be when that dream fell apart.
But life had thrown him a twist. He was going to have a family—his brother’s family. He just hoped he could be half the man his brother had been. The baby deserved nothing less.
Right now, the best thing he could do was to keep Popi off her feet as much as possible. In the morning, he’d get her back to the mainland—even if it meant he had to hire a helicopter to get them there.
He glanced at her as she fussed over the kitten. He had to admit he was a bit jealous of the kitten getting on Popi’s good side, while she considered Apollo the enemy. But he was right about her going to the mainland. It was safest. But if she refused to listen to him, then perhaps he could get her to put up her feet and rest.
“Why don’t you go back to the bungalow?” he suggested. When she sent him a suspicious look, he added, “You know, to take care of the kitten.”
He’d also noticed that, as the day progressed, she’d been experiencing a lot of discomfort. He didn’t know if that was normal at this point in her pregnancy. She consistently rubbed the small of her back. A time or two, she’d even let him give her a light massage, but the relief was always short-lived.
Popi’s questioning gaze moved from him to the kitten and then back again. “I can’t leave now. I have to make sure everything is put in the right spot in the warehouse and categorized accordingly. Can you imagine everyone returning to the island and not being able to find their belongings? Or worse, getting someone else’s things?”
It seemed like with every moment that passed, he was getting sucked further into Popi’s life. But she wasn’t leaving him much choice. Someone had to make sure she took care of herself. And that obviously wasn’t going to be her.
“You go back to the bungalow,” he said. “I’ll make sure the warehouse is taken care of.”
She arched a brow. “Why would you do that?”
He stifled a sigh. Couldn’t she just accept his help? Why did she have to question everything?
“Because you are tired. It’s written all over your face.” His gaze moved to the wiggling ball of fluff in her hands. “And because you aren’t going to be able to hold on to the kitten much longer.”
Just then she caught the kitten before it could climb the whole way up onto her shoulder. She settled it back in her arms. “Stay there,” she said to the kitten as though it could understand her. Then her gaze lifted to meet his. “And why should I trust you? I don’t even know you.”
“Our siblings were married, so that makes us family. Right?”
She hesitated. “Not really.”
“Close enough. And if my brother were here—” just saying the words caused a large pang of hurt “—he would...he would vouch for me. I may not have been like him, but he understood that I had to follow my own path in life. Even if that path led away from him and our home.”
Popi was quiet for a moment as her gaze searched his. “You really cared about him, didn’t you?”
“Of course.” He frowned at her. Why would she doubt such a thing? “Is that what my brother said? That I didn’t care about him?”
She shook her head. “Forget it.”
“Not a chance. I want to know why you would say such a thing.”
She shrugged. “It’s just that you were never there for the birthdays, the holidays. You weren’t even there for their wedding or...”
She didn’t have to say it. His mind filled in the blank. He wasn’t there for the funeral. But he was here now. However, the look in Popi’s eyes said that it was too little, too late.
Her gaze searched his. “You weren’t interested in being part of the family then, so why the sudden interest now?”
Her words were like jagged rocks, beating against his chest. He hadn’t meant to miss out on all of that. After each adventure, he told himself that he’d go on just one more excursion. He’d told himself that soon he would slow down. Soon there wouldn’t be just one more mountain to conquer or one more adventure to go on. He’d always thought that there would be a tomorrow for him and his brother.
He of all people should have known that tomorrow is not guaranteed. The only thing you can count on is the here and now. That had to be enough. All the wishing in the world couldn’t make the hands of time roll back. He knew this for a fact because it’s what he’d been doing ever since he got the news of his brother’s death.
He noticed the expectant look in Popi’s eyes. She wanted him to argue with her. Well, she was in for a surprise.
“You’re right.” His voice was filled with remorse. “I wasn’t there for those events, but I should have been. I was too wrapped up in my own life to realize what I was missing. I regret all of the missed opportunities.”
She studied him for a moment, as though trying to discern the truth. “Do you really mean that?”
It was a sad commentary on him and his life when his devotion to his brother had to be questioned. “Growing up, Nile and I were close. I was the annoying little brother, but Nile put up with me. He took time out for me. When I wanted to quit college, he said that one day I would need to be able to run Drakos Industries. I just never thought it would be like this.”
Popi glanced away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have doubted your relationship with your brother.”
“It’s not your fault. I’ve given you every reason to think I didn’t care about Nile. I’ll never forgive myself for losing track of what is truly important.” He meant it. He had so many regrets that it was chewing him up on the inside. He wasn’t about to add to that list. “I’m going to the warehouse now to make sure everything is completed. When I get back to the bungalow, we need to talk about the baby.”
She handed over her digital tablet with all the necessary information about the furniture and boxes. “We can talk, but it’s not going to change my mind about raising my niece.”
“Or nephew.”
She nodded. Without another word, she turned and did that really cute waddle thing. Eventually he caught himself standing there, staring as her. He gave his head a shake and then turned in the opposite direction.