The Soldier's Forever Family

by Gina Wilkins

  “I like it here,” young Addison agreed. “Everybody’s nice. My little sister Cami lost her favorite stuffed unicorn yesterday. Mr. Scott saw us looking for it and Daddy told him what happened, and Mr. Scott found it on the beach. Cami gave Mr. Scott a big hug when he brought it back to her. She almost knocked him down.”

  Her mother laughed ruefully. “It was quite a family drama. I think Mr. Scott was a bit startled by Cami’s enthusiasm. Both he and Mr. Farrell are so accommodating. They and the rest of the staff certainly go out of their way to make their guests feel pampered, don’t they?”

  Joanna tried to picture Adam being tackle-hugged by a tearful five-year-old. Her amusement had an oddly wistful edge to it. She wondered what these nice women would think if they heard exactly how Joanna was connected to “Mr. Scott.”

  Addison rolled her eyes expressively when talking about her little sister, who was on the sea turtle outing with Simon and the others, but it was obvious she was fond of the child she called “the brat.” Patting her swollen tummy, Hillary said she hoped her daughter, Emily, who was also on the turtle expedition, would get along well with her new brother.

  Still trying to stay involved in the adult conversation, Addison turned to Joanna. “Do you have any other kids, Miss Zielinski?”

  “No, just Simon.”

  Addison frowned as if it were hard for her to imagine life without her sister. “Don’t you want any more kids?”

  Brenna cleared her throat. “Addison, dear, your questions are getting rather personal.”

  Joanna silently agreed but decided a brief answer wouldn’t hurt. “I would have loved more children, but it just didn’t work out that way for me. Still, I consider myself very fortunate to have Simon.”

  At thirty-three, she was young enough to have more children—but it wasn’t something she wanted to do again on her own. Her career was evolving, she was facing the big move, and she wasn’t dating anyone seriously enough to consider having children with him.

  “Hi, Mr. Scott!”

  Joanna nearly jumped out of her chair as Addison cheerfully greeted Adam standing behind Joanna. Could Fate really have brought him close enough to have heard her speak at just that moment? If so, Fate really seemed to have it out for her this week.

  “Hello, ladies.”

  Though Adam’s tone was cordial, Joanna turned her head just in time to see a flicker in his eyes that indicated that he had, indeed, overheard at least part of the conversation. She told herself it was silly to be so self-conscious; it wasn’t as if she’d admitted anything embarrassing.

  Standing beside one of the employees she’d seen him with earlier, he nodded politely, including Joanna in the impersonal greeting. He and the other man moved on, and Joanna made an effort to pull her gaze away and return her attention to her companions. But she found them all gazing after Adam with admiring expressions, proving the effect his easy smile had on both happily married women and schoolgirls. Not to mention Joanna herself.

  She still wasn’t sure why he’d accepted Simon’s invitation to join them that evening. Had he felt cornered, unable to decline? Did he see it as a way to spend more time with Simon, and if so, was he banking memories before they went their separate ways? Or did he want Simon to get to know him better before they revealed that Adam was his father?

  She supposed the only way to find out was to flat-out ask him at some point tonight. They couldn’t continue to dance around each other like this. He’d had a couple of days to adjust, and now it was time to get some issues settled. At least where Simon was concerned.

  The impromptu mocktail party ended then, and Joanna parted from her new friends with good wishes all around. She spent a pleasant hour afterward in the resort shops, where she perused a colorful selection of tote bags, scarves and jewelry. She wasn’t avoiding another encounter with Adam, she assured herself. It was simply nice to have the opportunity to browse at her leisure. Simon would have been thoroughly bored.

  She found her attention drawn to a display of boys’ clothing, in particular a bright green T-shirt bearing the resort logo. The shirt was very similar to the polo worn by resort staff. She knew Simon would like it, but still she hesitated before adding it to her purchases. She had no doubt he’d wear the shirt often when they were back home. Every time she saw him in it, she’d notice that it made him look even more like Adam. But then, she would always be aware of that resemblance, anyway, she thought, and added the shirt to the items she’d already selected.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ADAM ALMOST CANCELED half a dozen times during the afternoon, finding at least that many excuses for why he shouldn’t go out with Joanna and Simon. What had made him accept Simon’s invitation? He knew Joanna had hoped he’d decline; the waves of mental suggestion couldn’t have been more obvious from her body language. Was he just stubborn enough that those signals had been part of the reason he’d said yes? Or had it been that he’d looked into an eager pair of gray eyes just like his own and hadn’t been able to say no?

  He hadn’t exactly intended to tell Trevor his plans for the evening, but he’d blurted it out when Trevor invited him to sit in on a last-minute poker game with a couple of other friends. Trevor had looked surprised for a moment, but then nodded. “It’s a good way to spend some quality time with them. Just friends hanging out at the go-cart track.”

  “Something like that, yeah.”

  “Like trying on fatherhood for fit.”

  Adam shot his friend a hard look. “That’s not what I’m doing.”

  He got a bland smile in return. “Oh? My mistake.”

  “Damn it, Trev, this isn’t easy.”

  Trevor grew serious then. “I know. I don’t mean to make light of it. It’s an awkward situation all around.”

  Adam squeezed the back of his neck. “Tell me about it.”

  “You’ll work it out, Adam. And you know I’m here if there’s anything you need.”

  “I know. Thanks, Trev.”

  “Enjoy your time with your son.”

  The words had made Adam swallow hard as he nodded and walked away.

  Now it was almost six o’clock and he wondered if it was too late to come up with an excuse. He’d headed out on patrols in a war zone with less anxiety than he was feeling at the prospect of spending a few hours with a five-year-old boy. Not to mention the boy’s mother. Thinking of Joanna was almost as unsettling.

  She was the one who’d pointed out how odd it was that they’d been lovers, that they’d made a child together, but knew so little about each other. And while he still wanted her whenever he saw her, he wasn’t sure how to spend several hours with her knowing from the start that the evening wouldn’t end with them in bed together. He’d been comfortable with a casual fling with Joanna, but the idea of coparenting with her for the rest of his life made him break out in a cold sweat. He’d never committed to anything for that long; could he develop that capability now?

  He could still back out of this evening’s plans, he thought even as he stepped into the Seafoam Lodge courtyard. He could say that something had come up—he didn’t have to add that it was a poker game with Trev. He doubted Simon would be too disappointed, considering the boy barely knew him. Joanna would probably be relieved not to have to keep up a cheery act in front of the kid.

  “Hi, Mr. Adam!”

  Too late. Adam looked around to find Simon bouncing out of the building and into the courtyard, followed more sedately by his mother. Both were dressed for a casual evening, Simon in shorts, a striped T-shirt and sneakers, Joanna in one of her favored sundresses. She’d twisted her hair into a loose knot that bared her slender neck. Damn, she looked good.

  He cleared his throat and dragged his gaze from the woman to nod to the boy. “Hey, Skipper, how was the turtle tour?”

  “So fun! We learned tons about sea turtles
and we made turtles out of green plastic bowls for shells and plastic cutouts for the head and tail and feet. I’ll show it to you later if you want. And Mom bought me a shirt that looks kind of like the one you wear when you work. It’s green and it says Wind Shadow Resort and it has the little sailboat and everything. I like the shirt you’re wearing now, too, but it doesn’t say Wind Shadow.”

  “That’s because I’m not working tonight.”

  Simon drew a hand from behind his back, revealing a sheet of paper gripped in his little fingers. “I made you something.”

  “Um—” Caught off guard, Adam blinked a couple times. “You made something for me?”

  Grinning broadly, the boy nodded. “Do you like it?”

  Adam examined the sheet he now held. Using crayon and pencils, Simon had created a colorful scene depicting features of the resort. He’d drawn buildings and fountains, figures in a swimming pool, an ocean in the background with fish on top of exaggerated waves, even a fairly recognizable van driving away with smiling faces in the windows. Two other figures—one a woman in a yellow dress, the other a man in a green shirt and light brown pants—waved goodbye to the van. Were those people supposed to be Joanna and him?

  The page was completely filled with the artwork, but on the back, Simon had written in shaky block letters, “To Mr. Adam, from Simon Z.”

  Adam tried to speak lightly, as if he hadn’t just been rattled by a five-year-old’s friendly gesture. “This is really great, Skipper. Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. I like to draw.”

  “I can see that. You’re quite an artist.”

  Simon giggled, preening with pride.

  Taking advantage of the boy’s momentary silence, Adam looked at Joanna. She was chewing her lip, a habit he recognized as a sign of nerves. He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile before asking, “How was your day, JoJo?”

  As if realizing what she was doing, she released her lip and managed a credible smile in return. “Very nice, thank you. I did some shopping and chatted with a couple of other day camp moms. I heard about your heroic rescue of Cami’s stuffed unicorn, by the way.”

  He grimaced at the reminder of yesterday’s dramatics, and a semihysterical little girl who’d all but taken him down with a too-fervent tackle when he’d returned her toy. “Yeah. I never know what I’ll be doing from one day to another.”

  Mostly he sat in meetings, set schedules and placed orders, double-checked others’ work, kept an eye on vendors and subcontractors—whatever Trevor asked of him—but when a guest asked for help looking for a stuffed unicorn, he pitched in if he could. Kept things interesting, he supposed.

  “Mom said we can have pizza for dinner, if it’s okay with you. I like vacations because we don’t always have to eat healthy,” Simon said with a laugh. “Do you like pizza, Mr. Adam?”

  “Who doesn’t like pizza?”

  Simon beamed. “I know, right? But Grampa hates pizza. He said it’s just junk food and nobody should eat junk food.”

  “Simon.” His mother placed a hand on his shoulder. “That’s enough information for now.”

  “Oh. Sorry, Mom.”

  She smiled down at him. “I know you’re excited. But save a few words for later, okay?”

  The boy grinned up at her. “I’m sure I’ll have more words to say.”

  Laughing, she gave him a hug. “I have no doubt.”

  She really was a great mom. Adam could tell she and Simon had a special relationship. They were very close, but there was still no question about who was in charge.

  Adam had lost his own mother a long time ago, but his relationship with her hadn’t been as tight as Simon’s with Joanna. She’d moved him place to place and gotten involved with one loser after another, only to spend weeks moping in her room after each relationship crashed. He’d been closer to his maternal grandmother, who’d been the only steady adult in his childhood.

  He’d seen his footloose father only sporadically through the years. His dad had died in a car accident while Adam was still in boot camp, leaving him with no immediate family members and few extended ones. The army had become his family, and then the resort his home. For now, at least.

  He’d never expected to find himself suddenly dealing with another very close relative. His son. Who knew him only as “Mr. Adam.”

  “Would you like to go in my car?” he offered to Joanna.

  “Thank you, but Simon’s booster seat is in my car, so it’s probably best if we take that.”

  “I have to ride in a booster seat until I’m eight,” Simon clarified, always eager to chime in. “I’m kind of small for my age, but Aunt Maddie says I’ll probably have a growth spurt and someday I’ll be taller than her and Mom.”

  “Yeah, I was pretty scrawny at your age, too. I shot up in high school, so you’ll—” Realizing what he was saying, Adam shot a quick look at Joanna, who was frowning. “Kids grow at different rates,” he amended awkwardly. “I’m sure your aunt is right about that growth spurt.”

  Joanna relaxed and Simon seemed satisfied, already chattering about pizza and go-carts as they turned to move together toward guest parking.

  Adam had the uncomfortable feeling that he was walking on eggshells rather than a pebbled path. He told himself he was going to have to be more careful than that in his interactions with the boy, at least until he and Joanna had another chance to talk privately. Which, of course, came with yet another set of potential pitfalls.

  Swallowing a sigh, he shook his head at the complex situation he’d become tangled up in. Which only became more complicated when a little hand slid into his and he looked down to find Simon grinning up at him.

  Was the boy this open and chummy with everyone? Adam’s less trusting nature made him believe Joanna would have to warn Simon about that. Maybe the boy felt safe with him because he represented the resort, or because Joanna had acknowledged meeting him before. Or maybe Simon felt some vague bond he couldn’t quite explain. Maybe Adam wasn’t the only one who had gazed into a pair of gray eyes and felt a sense of recognition.

  He looked up to find Joanna glancing back at them as she led the way to her car. He couldn’t completely read her expression, but he thought she looked worried. He supposed he understood. She didn’t want her son to be hurt. That was one sentiment with which he agreed completely. Adam didn’t want any kid to be hurt, disappointed, injured—but most especially, he realized, this particular kid.

  His kid.

  * * *

  JOANNA HAD EXPECTED Simon to keep the conversation moving during the outing, and he didn’t let her down. Over dinner in a noisy, bustling pizza parlor, he shared with Adam every minute detail he’d learned about sea turtles and other aquatic life on the Carolina coast. He talked so fast he barely seemed to breathe, pausing only occasionally to take big bites of his Hawaiian pizza.

  To give him credit, Adam didn’t look bored. He listened intently and asked encouraging questions, though she couldn’t be positive whether it was because he was so genuinely interested or because, like her, he was letting Simon control the conversation.

  “Obviously you learned a lot today, Simon,” he said after a while. “You want to be a marine biologist? Sounds like you’re getting a good start.”

  Wiping pizza sauce from his chin with a napkin, Simon nodded. “Mom says I’ll learn a lot about marine biology in Seattle. We’ll live in an apartment close to Puget Sound. That’s part of the Pacific Ocean.”

  Adam kept his expression pleasant but not particularly revealing. “I’ve heard it’s nice. I’ve never been there myself.”

  “I haven’t, either. Mom’s been a couple times, and she showed me lots of pictures. Grampa said it rains all the time, but Mom helped me look it up on the internet, and Seattle just gets thirty-seven and a half inches of rain a year. Atlanta gets an average o
f fifty inches of rain a year, so that’s even more. Mom says people think it rains all the time in Seattle because it’s spread out more and in smaller amounts than the big rainstorms we get in Atlanta.”

  Adam looked suitably impressed. “That’s interesting. It’s great that you like learning new things. And that you remember what you learn so well.”

  Simon nodded earnestly. “It’s fun to learn. And Aunt Maddie says I just like to talk,” he added with one of the impish grins that always went straight to his mother’s heart.

  Adam laughed, a rich, warm sound that also affected her a bit too strongly. “Yeah, I got that impression.”

  Simon giggled and took another bite of his pizza.

  Adam turned to Joanna while the boy was busy chewing. “How about you, JoJo? Did you want to be a psychologist when you were a kid?”

  She answered candidly. “I thought I wanted to be a surgeon, like my father, or a high school administrator, like my mother. When I got to college, I realized I was chasing someone else’s dreams rather than my own, and I focused on what most interested me. By the end of my sophomore year, I’d already set a goal to earn a doctorate in psychology.”

  “Which you did.”

  “Yes. My first vacation here was my reward to myself for doing so. I saw an online ad for the resort and it looked so nice, I couldn’t resist booking a reservation.”

  The mention of that previous trip made Adam’s easy smile fade a bit. “You were young for a PhD. I had no idea you were already a doctor.”

  So many things they hadn’t known about each other then, she thought wistfully. So many things they still didn’t know. “I was twenty-seven.”

  His eyelids lowered, but not before she saw something that made her frown. “How old were you when we met?”

  His mouth twisted into a wry smile. “I was a couple months away from turning twenty-six.”

  “Oh.” Why did it rattle her to find out he was more than a year younger? As she recalled, Adam had looked older than twenty-five then. He looked older than thirty-one now. Not in a bad way. In fact, in a damned good way, she thought, her gaze tracing the firm line of his jaw, the intriguing curve to his sexy lips. Lips that had so recently captured hers.