Next to Wyatt, Sandy felt alive. People stared at the pair of them—they were dressed for a wedding, not walking in a corridor. Her high heels contrasted with the family in swimsuits that walked in front of them. She leaned closer to Wyatt. "Let's go to my room. No one will disturb us."
"Are you sure? I figured we could find a quiet corner to talk."
"Absolutely." There was no quiet corner for the pair of them as they were, and she had no roommate or children. And, if she was honest with herself, she hoped for a kiss again if there was no one watching. She directed his arm to the elevator. "No place is more private than behind closed doors."
Seconds later, they were in a glass elevator that looked down to the main floor of the ship. The air smelled of his pine-scented cologne. When the elevator stopped, they stepped outside. Another high school friend, Eva Bishop, stared at both of them. She must have been waiting to go down. As they turned, Sandy nodded her hello.
Eva placed her hand on Sandy's shoulder and squeezed as they traded places with her in the elevator. "Sandy, Wyatt. I'm glad I ran into you."
Something seemed odd. She hadn't questioned Wyatt's presence at all. Eva just smiled. Sandy tilted her head and asked, "Why, Eva? What's going on?"
Eva hit the button for her floor and said, "I just want to remind you that I'm a working actress."
"What? Why are you saying that?" Actress. Alarm bells rang in Sandy's head.
Eva waved at them as the elevator doors closed. "When you find out, ensure the cameras are rolling. Catch you both later."
The ship had its own employees in their shows. Eva was here as a wedding guest. Sandy turned to Wyatt and asked, "What was that?"
He shrugged then took her hand in his. Fireworks exploded within her. She licked her lips as he said, "I don't know. Let's go."
Yes. She led him to her room. Prom night and how it had been her—no their—first time replayed in her mind. They'd quickly figured out their own bodies. Those memories were sweet and, from her adult conversations with others, rare. She fished out her card and opened the door, only to hear someone stomping inside. Wyatt went first, but her mind picked up instinctively that it was her brother. As she turned the corner, she saw him with her suitcase. She crossed her arms.
"Michael, what are you doing here?"
Her brother stared right through her and to Wyatt. "Good to see you again, Wyatt. Are you here to break my sister's heart again?"
Wyatt stepped back. "That was never my plan."
"But it happened." Michael pulled a white phone charger from her suitcase and zipped up her bag, breaking the man-to-man staring game they'd just played.
She took a deep breath and then tapped her foot. "Michael, you are supposed to be with Jay."
He pushed her bag back in the closet and turned around as he held up what he came for. "He went to see his bride, and I needed a cell phone charger, so I came to borrow yours."
Next time, she wouldn't list Michael as her brother for emergencies. A charger was not an emergency. She shook her head. "Fine, take it and leave."
As Michael passed them both, he stopped in front of her and glared at Wyatt again. "Sis, whatever happened between you and Wyatt clearly made you unhappy. It's my duty to ensure it doesn't happen again."
She gently nudged him toward the door. "My life is my own."
Wyatt nodded at Michael. "I don't intend to hurt Sandy."
She stepped in front of him like she could stop the men from fighting, not that she expected them to. "Don't explain anything, Wyatt. Eva's talking about acting. Go find your girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend."
Michael opened her cabin door as Wyatt said, "I swear on my honor that I am here to make Sandy happy."
Then Michael winked. She sucked in her breath as she read how he saw this as a hookup now. The smirk said it all. "See that you do."
Then he left. She lowered her gaze. "Sorry about that."
Wyatt's hand brushed against her cheek. She sighed as he said, "Don't be…"
"Are you Charlotte's father?"
His eyes darkened, and he turned away from her, toward the windows to her balcony. "Legally, yes. Emotionally, yes. No one is taking her from me."
This must be hard on him. She needed him to tell her clearly, though. She swallowed. "But genetically? Are you her father?"
He rubbed his temples and then shook his head. "No. Jessica told me before she passed how she saw me and set me up. I was a first-class idiot who fell for her lies."
"Your honor has always separated you from everyone else." She reached for his arm and massaged his shoulder.
He blushed. "That doesn't make me feel better, but I gained my daughter, so it worked out." He turned toward her and placed his hand in hers. "Please don't tell anyone. I have to trust you. It's dangerous to mention this at all."
No one would hear a word from her concerning his daughter. "I won't breathe a word. I only want to help you. But I need to work through everything in my mind. Can I ask one more thing?"
He dropped his hand. "What?"
She took a deep breath and sat on the couch as she motioned for him to join her. Once they were settled, she put one leg up and made herself comfortable. "How did you end up with Jessica that night I canceled my trip? Was she in your apartment, and you were already having an affair? I just want a clear picture of events."
He lowered his head. "I went to a bar that night. I was drinking. Jessica asked me to walk her to her car."
"So it wasn't even in your apartment? You stopped at her car?"
"I lost my head in that one moment. I wish I hadn't, but it happened, and then I let my honor rule my actions to do the right thing for my daughter."
They'd lost so much. Her heart ached for him as her body melted into warmed-up butter on the stove. "So you didn't demand a DNA test that weekend?"
He turned, and his muscular abs connected with her knee. "It never even occurred to me. I was too worried about losing you and what I should do to protect Jessica and Charlotte. I was nineteen and a hot mess."
Just after high school and he had to be an adult for his daughter. Her heart had been broken, but she went back to college, dated, and had no responsibilities. She would have stood by him, though. Her hands went into fists. "Why didn't you tell me the truth then?"
"I wanted to. I wanted to tell you everything and apologize. I wanted to do it in person, but time was not my friend. Then I realized I was too late when you went out with Bobby."
Her mind went blank. She blinked. "Bobby? I don't remember him."
"March seventeenth. I went home to visit my parents and took Jessica. We weren't married yet, but she was very pregnant. I went to find you, but you were out with Bobby Draxton."
"Drax…" Her father's associate's son. She was supposed to entertain him that day while her father and his spoke business. It definitely wasn't a date. "Oh, that was a setup. It didn't mean anything."
"You took him to our coffee shop, and to me, that meant you'd moved on. So I agreed to marry Jessica."
Everything had gone wrong. Now her hand went halfway to her head, and then she changed her direction and reached out for his hands. "Oh. Wyatt?"
He swallowed and hesitated. "Is there anything else you want to know?"
Their past was a series of misunderstandings, but now they could put the mistakes behind them. Her heart lightened as she thought about the future and Wyatt being with her again. "Do you want to marry me now?"
He squeezed her hand. "I want you more than I wanted presents on Christmas morning as a boy…"
Her room phone rang. It had to be someone on the ship, and the only one who would call was Penny or Jay. She blinked. "I should get that. I am helping with the wedding."
He scooted over and handed her the room phone. Penny said in one breath, "Sandy, my mother is here and I can't find Wyatt."
"Wyatt?" She mouthed Penny's name to him and then felt her face heat. "I know where he is. We'll both be right there."
A moment later, she hung up and stood in front of him, holding her hand out. "Your sister needs us."
"I never IDed the man," he said as he stood and wrapped his hands around her.
"Let's deal with whatever is going on first," she said. Wyatt pushed hair off her forehead and leaned down. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arm around his neck. When he kissed her, nothing else mattered.