For the Sake of Their Son (The Alpha Brotherhood #5)(17)
Author: Catherine Mann

She knew from prior trips that he kept a well-stocked library of the classics as well as the latest bestsellers loaded on ereaders for himself and fellow travelers. In school, he’d always won the class contest for most books read in a year. He told her once those stories offered him an escape from his day-to-day life.

“No, thank you. The brunch before we left was amazing.”

True enough, although she hadn’t actually eaten much. She’d been so caught up in replaying the night before. In watching his friends’ happy marriages with their children and babies on the way until her heart ached from all she wanted for her son.

For herself, as well.

Elliot slid onto the sofa beside her, leaning over her to adjust the blanket covering Eli’s legs. “Tell me about his routine.”

She sat upright, not expecting that question at all. “You want to know about Eli’s schedule? Why?”

“He’s my son.” His throat moved with a long swallow of emotion at the simple sentence. “I should know what he needs.”

“He has a mom, and he even has a nanny now.” The British nanny was currently in the sleeping quarters reading or napping or whatever nannies did when they realized mothers needed a breather from having them around all the time.

Elliot tapped Lucy Ann’s chin until she looked at him again. “And he has a dad.”

“Of course,” she agreed, knowing it was best for Eli, but unused to sharing him. “If you’re asking for diaper duty, you’re more than welcome to it.”

Would he realize her halfhearted attempt at a joke was meant to ease this tenacious tension between them? They used to be so in tune with each other.

“Diaper duty? Um, I was thinking about feeding and naps, that kind of thing.”

“He breastfeeds,” she said bluntly.

His eyes fell to her chest. The stroke of his gaze made her body hum as tangibly as the airplane engines.

Elliot finally cleared his throat and said, “Well, that could be problematic for me. But I can bring him to you. I can burp him afterward. He still needs to be burped, right?”

“Unless you want to be covered in baby spit-up.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

He pulled his eyes up to her face. “Does he bottle-feed, too? If so, I can help out that way.”

Fine, he wanted to play this game, then she would meet him point for point. “You genuinely think you can wake up during the night and then race the next day?”

“If you can function on minimal sleep, then so can I. You need to accept that we’re in this together now.”

He sounded serious. But then other than his playboy ways, he was a good man. A good friend. A philanthropist who chose to stay anonymous with his donations. She knew about them only through her work as his assistant.

“That’s why I agreed to come with you, for Eli and in honor of our friendship in the past.”

“Good, good. I’m glad you haven’t forgotten those years. That friendship is something we can build on. But I’m not going to deny the attraction, Lucy Ann.” He slid his arm along the back of the sofa seat, stretching his legs out in front of him. “I can’t. You’ve always been pretty, but you looked incredible last night. Motherhood suits you.”

“Flattery?” She picked up his arm and moved it to his lap. “Like flowers and candy? An obvious arm along the back? Surely you’ve got better moves than that.”

“Are you saying compliments are wasted on you?” He picked up a lock of her hair, teasing it between two fingers. “What if I’m telling the truth about how beautiful you are and how much I want to touch you?”

She rolled her eyes, even though she could swear electricity crackled up the strand of hair he held. “I’ve watched your moves on women for years, remember?”

“It’s not a move.” He released the lock and smoothed it into the rest before crossing his arms. “If I were planning a calculated seduction for you, I would have catered a dinner, with a violin.”

She crinkled her nose. “A violin? Really?”

“No privacy. Right.” His emerald eyes studied her, the wheels in his brain clearly churning. “Maybe I would kiss you on the cheek, distract you by nuzzling your ear while tucking concert tickets into your pocket.”

“Concert tickets?” She lifted an eyebrow with interest. They’d gone to free concerts in the park when they were teenagers.

“We would fly out to a show in another country, France or Japan perhaps.”

She shook her head. “You’re going way overboard. Too obvious. Rein it in, be personal.”

“Flowers…” He snapped his fingers. “No wait. A single flower, something different, like a sprig of jasmine because the scent reminds me of you.”

That silenced her for a moment. “You know my perfume?”

He dipped his head toward her ever so slightly as if catching a whiff of her fragrance even now. “I know you smell like home in all the good ways. And I have some very good memories of home. They all include you.”

Damn him, he was getting to her. His words affected her but she refused to let him see that. She schooled her features, smiling slightly. “Your moves have improved.”

“I’m only speaking the truth.” His words rang with honesty, his eyes heated with attraction.

“I do appreciate that about you, how we used to be able to tell each other anything.” Their friendship had given her more than support. He’d given her hope that they could leave their pasts behind in a cloud of dust. “If we can agree to be honest now, that will work best.”

“And no more secrets.”

She could swear a whisper of hurt smoked through his eyes.

Guilt stabbed through her all over again. She owed him and there was no escaping that. “I truly am sorry I held back about Eli. That was wrong of me. Can you forgive me?”

“I have to, don’t I?”

“No.” She swallowed hard. “You don’t.”

“If I want us to be at peace―” he reached out and took her hand, the calluses on his fingertips a sweet abrasion along her skin “―then yes, I do.”

She wasn’t sure how that honest answer settled within her because it implied he wasn’t really okay with what she’d done. He was only moving past it out of necessity. The way he’d shrugged off all the wrongs his father had done because he had no choice.

Guilt hammered her harder with every heartbeat, and she didn’t have a clue how to make this right with him. She had as little practice with forgiveness and restitution as he did.