And there were some secrets she wasn’t so sure she was ready to share—like
the whole love thing. No way in hell was she letting that slip.
“Are you coming up?” Teague asked, taking another step back so that she could pass.
Sabrina squared her shoulders. She pasted a soft smile onto her face and cleared all thoughts from her mind but those about celebrating a new baby boy’s baptism. She cleared the top stair and moved past Teague, careful not to touch him.
It was seven o’clock. She would leave at nine.
She could do this.
She had to do this.
Chapter Twenty-five
Sabrina was being cool with him.
He got it. Of course he did. But that didn’t mean he had to like it. For the past two hours, she’d avoided him like the plague. Her kids, on the other hand, were the exact opposite, and God love ‘em, but they were part of the problem. How in hell was he supposed to get Sabrina alone when Harry and Morgan had pretty much attached themselves to him like little Koala bears with their legs and arms?
They’d just been lured away to the kitchen by the promise of cake and ice cream, (he’d have to thank Abby later) but Sabrina was nowhere in sight. Pissed off, Teague shoved his hands into the front pockets of his slacks and headed outdoors. Maybe she needed some air and was outside.
Good luck with that, he thought as he stepped out onto the deck. With a scowl he moved through the crowd and grabbed a cold beer from the bartender before finally finding a quiet spot where he could relax. The weather was gorgeous and they’d been blessed with an Indian summer of sorts—warm days with above average temperatures. The air was chilled this time of the night though, and he hunched his shoulders against the damp.
Leaning against the railing, his gaze moved over those gathered on the grounds and farther down the beach. Where the hell was she?
“There you are.”
Teague turned as his mother appeared, and as always, his heart swelled at the sight of her. Sure, there were a few more lines around her eyes, a few more grays that glistened in her hair, and maybe she was moving a bit slower. But she’d always had this ethereal beauty and to him she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
Eden Simon handed off an empty wine glass to one of the waiters and slid up alongside her son. She slipped an arm around his waist and Teague pulled her in for a hug.
“You look good, Mom,” he said pressing a kiss
to her cheek.
“I’m happy. For the first time in ages, every single one of my children is gathered under the same roof. We’ve got grand-babies here and our closest friends…I can’t ask for much more than that.”
Teague was silent, his eyes on the beach, and for a few minutes mother and son enjoyed the relative silence in their corner of the deck.
“Sabrina’s twins seem awfully fond of you.”
Teague didn’t take his eyes from the beach. Damn, his mother’s radar was still top notch.
“They’re great kids.”
“They are. It surprises me.”
He tore his gaze from the beach and glanced down at his mother, noting the direct look in her eyes and the way her chin was set. Something was on her mind and whatever that something was wouldn’t be held back. As delicate and fragile as his mother appeared, she was the backbone of the Simon family and was probably stronger than all of them put together.
He could play dumb and do his best to avoid whatever it was that was on her mind, but what was the point?
“What are you getting at?” he asked.
She turned and faced him fully. “It surprises me that those children look to you with love and affection in their eyes.”
Teague remained silent because, hell, what did he say to that? He took a long pull from his beer and leaned his elbows onto the railing.
“It’s surprising but nice. Yet it pains me to see their mother look at you with hurt in her heart.” Eden was quiet for a few moments. “Is there something you want to share with me?”