said.
Eddie wasn’t sure if it was the voice of steel that Jayne suddenly adopted, the ironic smile Shawn was displaying or the curious looks of the girls—but he definitely did feel like he’d just jumped in the deep end and was treading water for dear life.
Especially when Jayne slipped her hand in his again.
After an interminable moment of silence, Shawn said, “So, are y’all out for a walk?”
“Yep.” He cleared his throat. “Girls, this is Jayne. Jayne, please meet Kit, Mary and Elsie.”
“I’m the oldest,” Kit proclaimed.
Jayne smiled broadly. “You sure are! I love your bikini! I’d love to get one just like it.”
Kit tilted her face up. “Really? My mommy says she doesn’t wear bikinis no more.”
When Jayne turned to Shawn, Shawn patted her stomach with a hint of a smile. “Three kids, you know.”
For a split second, he’d been tempted to correct her. To remind Shawn that she’d had four children. Four.
Amazing how much the word three still affected him. Would the pain of her miscarriage ever begin to fade?
After a moment’s silence Shawn rescued the conversation. “We’ve, uh, just found a crab in the sea. He’s pale orange.”
“And pretty! Want to see?” Mary asked.
“You bet I do.” Jayne followed the girls a few feet away, then crouched and nodded at the little crab while the girls started talking a mile a minute.
Momentarily alone, Eddie turned to Shawn again. “So, are you okay at my parents’ place? Do you need anything?”
“Nope. We’re good.”
“That’s…good. You look nice.” Shawn had on an oversize orange tank top and worn khaki shorts that looked soft against her skin. The vibrant, happy color made her tan seem even more golden.
She chuckled. “Do I? I never got around to putting on makeup today. And this tank top is so old, I bet you’ve seen it a hundred times.”
“I guess I have.” Once, he’d slipped it off over her head when the girls were napping. He swallowed quickly as his mouth went dry.
And standing there, with the surf echoing behind them and the tang of salt in the air, he still caught the familiar scent of his ex-wife. Nivea lotion and something fresh and clean.
He tried not to notice.
She raised an eyebrow. “So…were your ears burning?”
“Huh?”
“We were just talking about you. Kit wanted to know if you remembered that you’d promised to take them to the marina and the aquarium tomorrow.”
“I remembered. Of course I remembered.”
Brown eyes flashed. “Sorry. I forgot that I was the forgetful one.”
As the girls started looking for more shells, Jayne joined Shawn and Eddie again. “What’s ‘Kit’ short for? Katherine?”
“No. It’s for Katrina Elizabeth.” Shawn chuckled as a wave crashed a little closer, spraying her arm like a wayward garden hose. “That name was too big for such a tiny baby. Eddie called her Kit before we even got home from the hospital.”
Memories slammed him. Remembering how scared he’d been during Kit’s birth. How awed he’d been by Shawn. That tender possessiveness he’d felt for that baby girl the moment she’d come into the world.
The emotions were still too strong for comfort. “We’d better get going. We—”
“We have lunch plans,” Jayne inserted.
“Oh. Well, I hope you have fun.”
“I’ll pick the girls up at ten tomorrow morning.”
Back went Shawn’s mask. The one she wore whenever they’d argued. Which, by the time Elsie was two—by the time they’d lost the baby—had been a lot. “You sure you don’t want me to drop them off? It’s no trouble.”
“It’s not for me, either. I’ll pick them up.”
Shawn took a step back. “Fine.” She smoothed her hands over her hips like she always did. Like she’d done when they were married, when she was uncomfortable. But as she did so, she bit her lip and groaned. Her face went a little pale, too.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Very much so.”
After hugging the girls and promising he’d see them on Sunday, he took Jayne’s hand and they started walking again.
It seemed like an eternity before he couldn’t hear his girls’ squeals of laughter anymore. Before he wasn’t tempted to turn around and make sure they were okay.
“They’re darling, Eddie,” Jayne murmured after they walked into the cool shade of Pelican’s Roost, a beach café on the boardwalk. “I mean, really.”
“Thanks.”
When they were seated on bamboo chairs and given oversize menus to peruse, she spoke again. “Can I come with you tomorrow? I’m sure another pair of eyes and hands might come in handy.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I think we better go slow as far as the girls are concerned. They’re still getting used to the divorce. It’s only been a few months.”
“I know it’s only been technically a few months…but you were separated for a while before that. Right?”
“That’s right, but things are still a little bumpy.” Eddie closed his eyes briefly, hoping to remove the memory of an emotion-packed night just four months ago. That January evening had been chilly.
Shawn had lit the fireplace to warm things up. And boy, did it. From the moment his lips had touched hers, flames seemed to burn as bright as ever between them.
Returning to the present, Eddie cleared his throat. “Like I said, I better just be on my own with them.”
“You know, it’s probably good you’re giving your ex a break,” Jayne said casually, after their monster glasses of iced tea were delivered. “She looked kind of worn-out.”
“Did she?” He’d thought she looked…like Shawn.
Jayne tapped her glowing cheeks. “A little sallow. She probably just needs more sleep.”
“Huh.” Something had been off, but it was most likely their appearance. Shoot, he knew he’d feel awkward if she’d shown up holding some other guy’s hand.
Actually, Eddie wondered if he would have handled the situation half as well.
He kind of doubted
