Page 64 of Visions of You

I placed a knuckle under her chin and tilted her head up. Iwhisked my lips over hers, barely touching them. “I’m a lucky man. Not only is my girl incredibly hot, she’s also a born teacher. I’m surprised I’m not fighting guys off all the time.”

She grinned. “They’re probably all scared to death of you. Gabe Markham casts a big shadow.”

I tipped my head back and laughed, basking in how good I felt. “If you say so.” Then I swatted her gorgeous ass and headed toward the console. “Come on. Let’s get back and I’ll buy you an after-dive beer.”

As I drove back to Calypso Key, April stood at my side. I pulled her in close and kept my arm wrapped around her. The sun was warm but not punishing, and sunlight sparkled on the ocean surface all around. Right now, I couldn’t imagine life being any better.

Chapter Twenty-Three

April

The next morning,I ambled past Maia’s butterfly bush as I headed toward the dive shop. She had explained the plant was a representation of the bond between her and her mother. Warren had planted it the day his wife died and Maia had been born—with no idea it carried a mutation causing two different colors to bloom. I studied the plant. A new explosion of lavender and dark-purple blossoms had just burst forth, and butterflies danced all over the tall bush. The sight brought a smile to my face, not that I needed any extra cheering up.

The dive yesterday with Gabe had been everything I’d hoped for.

When I entered the dive shop, I made my way down the hall and into the break room. Evan and Maia stood around the employee table, and I greeted them as I placed my backpack in a locker. Santiago padded across the floor and sat at my feet, meowing up at me.

“Well, good morning to you too.” I scratched the six-toed cat behind his ears. He slitted his eyes and purred, maneuvering his headso I could scratch under his chin. Standing upright, I moved across the room and joined the siblings.

“I’m surprised to see you here this early,” I said to Maia. Our first dive site was theBenson,which wasn’t suitable for snorkeling, so she wasn’t scheduled to take a group until the second trip. We would come back to the resort after diving the wreck to pick up the snorkelers.

Maia swallowed the bite of donut she was eating. “Carissa has an appointment this morning, so I’m covering the shop for a couple of hours.”

I dropped my gaze to the Sweet Dreams box on the counter and widened my eyes at the apple fritter still inside. “Yum. Anyone got dibs on that apple fritter?”

“Nope,” Evan said. “Take it.”

The pastry was still slightly warm, and as I took a bite, the flavors of apple and cinnamon exploded in my mouth. I had no idea what Liv did to make these so good. She was a genius. “What brings you by?” I asked Evan.

“Keeping tabs on my big brother and making sure he’s not ruining the place.” Evan grinned and took a sip of coffee.

Since turning over the dive shop management to Gabe, I hadn’t seen Evan as much. Which was a shame. He was friendly and always had a kind word. But he wasn’t the Markham who could make my heart stop just by walking into a room.

“Congratulations,” Maia said to me. “Gabe said your dive was a huge success. I’ve been trying to get him in the water for the last five years. All I ever got for the effort was a surly refusal.”

I laughed, delighted I got such a different response. “He did great and said he’d forgotten how much he enjoyed diving.”

“I’m glad he did it,” Evan said, his face serious. “Thanks. He should have gone back to diving a long time ago.”

There was an undercurrent between him and Maia, and I had the feeling I was missing something. “He said life just got in the way and he didn’t have time. That happens a lot.”

Evan blinked several times, then smiled. “Yeah. He was pretty busy in Miami.” He walked to a locker and opened it to take out a leather toolbelt. He buckled it around his trim hips. “The other reason I came down here was to work on the air compressor.”

“Oh, thank you!” That was music to my ears. The machine was essential and had started wheezing several days prior when I’d been filling tanks.

“Evan’s our resident Mr. Fix-It,” Maia added. “He’s one of those guys who can repair anything.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, but it sounds like the compressor needs a tune-up,” the general manager said. “I’d better get started before the room is a hundred degrees. See you guys later.” He walked out of the room, his right leg slightly hitching. I still didn’t know why he had a limp. I got the feeling it was a traumatic story, so I didn’t want to pry.

When I turned back, Maia had both hands pressed to the small of her back, stretching.

“How long now?” I asked.

“Six weeks or so. At my ultrasound last week, they said she’s really starting to grow, so it might not be that long.”

Maia had been terrified when she first learned she was pregnant. She and Wyatt hadn’t been in a relationship long, but life seemed to be going much better for her now.

“Looks like married life agrees with you.”

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