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The Soldier's Forever Family

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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.”



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