Later, while flipping through the television channels, his stomach growled and reminded him that he had skipped dinner. He had been so determined to get to San Diego that food was the last thing on his mind. Now, however, his appetite had returned with a vengeance, and he needed to find some food. He laced up his tennis shoes, stuffed his wallet and room key into his pocket and clicked off the TV. Donovan stopped at the front desk to ask the clerk for some late-night food suggestions and ended up at a nearby bar and grill. He ordered a bacon cheeseburger with french fries and a beer.
While eating, he thought about how Simona would react when she saw him. Would she be happy, or would she stand by the words she’d left in the note, that it was better if she left and they got on with their lives? Whose life would be better? Certainly not his. He had been absolutely miserable without her. Donovan found himself reaching for her in the middle of the night or getting up to check on Yasmine, only to find an empty crib. No matter how long it took, he was not returning home without Simona.
Without her, he didn’t have a home.
Chapter 20
The next day, Simona finished packing her beach bag, picked up Yasmine and went outside to put her in the stroller. “Okay, sweetie. Let’s go check out the ocean.” She glanced up at the cloudless blue sky and smiled. Summer was almost over, with September right around the corner, and the temperatures hovered around eighty degrees.
It was a perfect day for the three-block walk to the beach. Apparently everyone else had decided to spend Saturday morning the same way. She strolled leisurely down the street, responding to greetings from passersby and stopping to point out the birds, Yasmine’s new favorite pastime.
She found a spot on the crowded beach near the sidewalk because she had no desire to try to push the stroller across the sand. Simona spread the blanket on the sand, sat down, then stood Yasmine up. At the first touch of sand on the little girl’s soles, she clung to Simona and lifted her feet. Simona laughed. “You don’t like the sand? It’s okay. See?” Simona demonstrated by putting her feet in the sand and drizzling the powdery substance over them. She poured some on Yasmine’s feet, and gradually, after a few minutes, Yasmine was kicking her feet in the sand on her own.
The past four days had been exactly what Simona needed. Everything was perfect—well, not everything. Thoughts of Donovan dominated the space in her brain at all hours of the day and night, and last night she woke up to reach for him, only to find an empty spot. It had taken her one night in his arms to know she wanted to wake up every morning with him. How was he doing? Was the talk dying down now that she was gone so he could get back to his life?
She had been tempted to watch one of the entertainment shows or do an internet search, but she didn’t want to see another lie written about her. She still got angry when she thought about Travis attacking her character. The only thing stopping her from suing his butt was the fact that it would mean more time with the media in her face, and she’d had enough to last two lifetimes.
“No, no. You can’t eat the sand, baby.” She caught Yasmine’s hand.
They had lunch and stayed for another hour, then packed up for the walk home. The sun was directly overhead, and Simona picked up her pace. Her steps slowed as she approached Eve’s house, and her heart rate kicked up when she spotted a familiar figure sprawled in a chair on the porch. He stood as she turned up the walkway, and her breath caught. The sight of him never failed to make her pulse race and her body heat up.
“Donovan. What are you doing here?” For a moment, he just stood there staring at her with a yearning in his eyes that sucked her in by degrees.
“I came for you.”
Yasmine tried her best to climb out of the stroller to get to him. Finally, Simona undid the strap and set her on her feet. She ran to him as fast as her little legs would carry her.
“Dadada.”
Donovan squatted down and scooped her up as soon as Yasmine was in reach, placing happy kisses all over her face. “How’s my baby girl? I missed you.” He hugged and kissed her, and Yasmine held on for dear life.
Seeing the happy reunion and the tears standing in Donovan’s eyes filled Simona’s heart with emotion, and she fought back her own tears. He came to where she stood and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. Her eyes slid closed from the sweetness of his touch.
“And how’s my other baby girl?”