Page 94 of Modern Romance Collection May 2024 Books 1-4

“Thank you... Julius.”

Triumph flashed in his whiskey-brown eyes. Suddenly afraid that she had given up something valuable, she fumbled for an excuse to go inside, to flee to the safety of her luxurious room.

Warm fingers curled around hers. Her heart stopped, then slammed into overdrive. Her feet moved of their own accord, following Julius as he gently but firmly pulled her down the deck to the stairs.

Minutes later, they arrived at the beach, hands still entwined. Every time she started to pull away, his fingers tightened just enough that to pull away would have been obvious.

Worst of all, she didn’t want to. Even during their all-too-brief romantic interlude, they had never held hands. It made her feel young, cherished, protected.

“Oh!”

The exclamation escaped her lips before she could stop it. Up ahead, hanging from the tops of two massive palm trees, was a wooden swing.

“Do you like to swing?”

“I’m not sure.”

She felt Julius’s gaze on her, felt it burn through her.

“How can you not be sure? I have amnesia, and even I feel comforted by the sight of a swing.”

“I never had a playset growing up,” she admitted. “Beautiful toys, things to keep myself company. But nothing like a swing or a slide. My mother didn’t like getting her hands dirty and preferred the label on the toy versus the functionality. My father worked too much to be concerned with trivial matters.”

“Trivial matters?” Julius repeated. Disdain dripped from his voice. “How is raising a child trivial?”

“I was not intended. My mother and father were dating. I came along. They never even married. They lived together for years, although my mother made frequent long trips back to Scotland and England. My father just wasn’t interested in children. My mother preferred a more exciting life. Having a small child hindered that.”

It hurt less to talk about now. She had never once been wanted. Not until her surprisingly successful career in security. Not until she had, for one brief moment, been wanted by a man without condition, simply because he desired her. And it had been because of that she had had the courage to walk away from everything. Because of the knowledge that it was possible, even if that man’s dismissal of her had been the most painful thing she’d ever had to go through.

“Where is your mother now?”

“America. She met a doctor when I was thirteen, had a whirlwind courtship and now spends her days lunching and sunning by a pool.”

“And your father didn’t care?”

“I believe he shrugged and said he hoped she was happy. He doesn’t care about much other than his job.”

A long pause ensued, broken up only by the surf cascading onto the white sandy beach.

“I’m not certain of many things these days,” Julius finally said, “but I’m certain I would not like your parents.”

She stifled the retort that came automatically to mind. For too long she had defended her parents and their lackadaisical attempts at serving in the roles of mother and father. Had wanted to believe that they cared more than they did.

“I don’t much like them myself. I love them,” she added thoughtfully, “as I imagine many children love the caretakers they know. They don’t know anything else, or any better.”

Another beat of silence ensued.

“What is my relationship like? With my father?”

His voice sounded strong, steady. Yet underneath she heard the current of uncertainty, the slight twist of doubt.

“On the outside, amiable. Mutual respect, partnering on various political and legal matters.” She turned to face him then, wanting him to see the truth. “In private, he loves you very much, as you do him. The pressure you’ve placed on yourself to succeed comes primarily from within.” She hesitated. “I’m not sure from where. We didn’t have the kind of relationship where you would have shared what drove you. But your father believes in you. He knows you will be a good leader.”

Julius regarded her for a long moment before taking her other hand in his and squeezing them both.

“Obrigado.”He cast a glance at the swing, then back at her. “You should get on.”

She chuckled. “I don’t think many twenty-six-year-olds swing.”

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