Page 23 of Handsome
My heart raced, but I stilled, forgetting to breathe.
Cyrus then said, “She is pretty—”
No. I threw open the door because I didn’t want to hear his answer. I hated spying and lying. My skin broke out in goose bumps as I neared him and placed the bottle in the baby’s mouth as I said, “Let’s get you started feeding the baby.”
Warren smiled and said, “He’s got Cyrus’s good looks, but I've got to go. You kids have fun.”
Kids? His expression was casual, but he seemed more carefree than Cyrus.
Or maybe it was me since I never had much of a sense of humor.
I was concentrating on the question so hard, I almost missed it when Warren said goodbye and let himself out.
Once I was alone with Cyrus again, the air tinged with electricity as I asked, “How come your brother is blond?”
He shrugged. “Half my brothers were adopted, but that's never mattered. Family is family.”
I took a deep, deep breath, maybe trying to inhale some of Cyrus's sweetness.
If he truly felt that way, then maybe Joshua would have a better life than my brother. My lips curved as I said, “That’s sounds wonderful.”
Cyrus directed us to nearby chairs, and rocked and fed his son as he said, “Don’t let Warren fool you with his wanting to run away.”
“Why?” I asked and folded my hands.
Cyrus gazed at his son while he said, “He’ll eventually marry and raise his own children.”
“Sounds sweet.” I said and my eyes misted. Cyrus was one of those rare truly good men that I’d heard actually existed out in the world.
He held the bottle higher and rocked while he said, “One day I’d like a wife and maybe more children.”
My skin buzzed like he’d thought about me.
Impossible. Though I glanced at the cutest baby I’d ever seen and said, “Just choose someone who loves Joshua.”
“That’s a high probability.”
His gaze twinkled when he said that.
My lips tingled but I jumped up and asked, “Are you sure you want me to go with you to a private island?”
He nodded. Then he reached down beside him. I hadn’t noticed he’d brought up the bag from downstairs, but he held it up for me and said, “Yes. This phone is for you.”
“For me?” I asked as I accepted the bag and sat back down.
“Yeah,” he said.
I opened it to find the latest model cell phone, the one that came out this month. My stomach twisted, and I put it back in the bag and said, “I can’t accept gifts.”
He reached out and patted my hand without taking the bag while he said, “It’s part of the job.” I raised my eyebrow, but he confirmed I was staff. I breathed easier, and then he said, “It’s so you can talk to anyone you like when we’re on the island and, even more important, you can have the app on your phone to watch Joshua.”
“Well, okay, then,” I said. My pulse quickened as closeness wasn’t good for me in the long run. For a second, I wondered if I should stay with him.
Then he said, “And I’m hoping you’ll be more open to gifts.”
My skin zipped. I wasn’t ready to get involved. I wasn’t anything like who he'd need for his happily-ever-after, but if he asked, I’d agree. I swallowed and asked, “Why?”
“I want to shower you with a few options.”
