“I need to get this little guy home,” she said.
“But you don’t know where he lives.”
“Not his home. My home.”
Apollo wasn’t following her. “But you’re moving out. You’re leaving the island—”
“Not today.”
“Of course you are. You have to.”
Popi glowered, silencing him. “I’ve had a change of plans, which includes me staying until tomorrow.”
“I’m confused.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his head. He could feel the beginning of a headache coming on. “Why would you stay when everything is done?”
“Because I have to meet with the contractor tomorrow. Go over some last-minute details and hand over the keys.” She sighed. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
She had a point. None of this was his problem. But that baby she was carrying, that was his responsibility. And like it or not, his feet were grounded to this island for the foreseeable future.
“I’d feel better if you were on the mainland, close to the doctor.”
Popi made a note on her digital tablet. “I just had a checkup. Earlier this week. All is fine.”
He pressed his hands to his sides. Why did she have to be so difficult? “It’d be safer if you were on the mainland—close to the hospital.”
“You aren’t going to let up, are you?” When he shook his head, she added, “Fine. I’ll make you a deal. If you stop pestering me, I’ll leave right away if anything seems worrisome.”
It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but it was better than nothing.
He nodded but didn’t say what he was thinking. That pregnancy was dangerous—that his very own delivery had killed his mother. He didn’t want history to repeat itself. It was one of the reasons he’d written off having a family of his own. He knew how devastating it could be when that dream fell apart.
But life had thrown him a twist. He was going to have a family—his brother’s family. He just hoped he could be half the man his brother had been. The baby deserved nothing less.
Right now, the best thing he could do was to keep Popi off her feet as much as possible. In the morning, he’d get her back to the mainland—even if it meant he had to hire a helicopter to get them there.
He glanced at her as she fussed over the kitten. He had to admit he was a bit jealous of the kitten getting on Popi’s good side, while she considered Apollo the enemy. But he was right about her going to the mainland. It was safest. But if she refused to listen to him, then perhaps he could get her to put up her feet and rest.
“Why don’t you go back to the bungalow?” he suggested. When she sent him a suspicious look, he added, “You know, to take care of the kitten.”
He’d also noticed that, as the day progressed, she’d been experiencing a lot of discomfort. He didn’t know if that was normal at this point in her pregnancy. She consistently rubbed the small of her back. A time or two, she’d even let him give her a light massage, but the relief was always short-lived.
Popi’s questioning gaze moved from him to the kitten and then back again. “I can’t leave now. I have to make sure everything is put in the right spot in the warehouse and categorized accordingly. Can you imagine everyone returning to the island and not being able to find their belongings? Or worse, getting someone else’s things?”
It seemed like with every moment that passed, he was getting sucked further into Popi’s life. But she wasn’t leaving him much choice. Someone had to make sure she took care of herself. And that obviously wasn’t going to be her.
“You go back to the bungalow,” he said. “I’ll make sure the warehouse is taken care of.”
She arched a brow. “Why would you do that?”
He stifled a sigh. Couldn’t she just accept his help? Why did she have to question everything?
“Because you are tired. It’s written all over your face.” His gaze moved to the wiggling ball of fluff in her hands. “And because you aren’t going to be able to hold on to the kitten much longer.”
Just then she caught the kitten before it could climb the whole way up onto her shoulder. She settled it back in her arms. “Stay there,” she said to the kitten as though it could understand her. Then her gaze lifted to meet his. “And why should I trust you? I don’t even know you.”