“Oh, I don’t know. You look like you’re doing okay.” Although he had noticed she had no beach chair. “Is this your first time?”
“I’ve been once, a long time ago.” She focused on the water in the distance.
Matt got the feeling there was more to say, but she didn’t say it.
“It’s obviously not yours.” She gestured to the castle.
“Nope.” He smiled, recalling family vacations and childhood memories. For some reason he didn’t mention he was a Navy SEAL. It seemed like too much of a pickup line, and this was different.
She was different.
He sat there beside her trying to figure out exactly why.
“Hey, Matt, look at this,” Jack called.
He tore his eyes away to see Jack, packing wet sand into a wall. “Good job.”
“It probably seems stupid, a pregnant woman bringing four children to the beach alone.”
Matt turned back, studied her profile. He ached to skim his fingers over her cheeks, to touch her, take her face in his hands. “Not stupid. Brave maybe.”
She made a derisive sound like a laugh. “I don’t know about brave. I figured it was now or…well, not never, but”—she laid a hand on her belly—“not for at least a couple of years.”
“Do you know what you’re having?”
“A girl.”
“That’s nice.” She raked her fingers over the sand and he caught sight of the ring again. For a man who lived and breathed patience and control, he was without either at the moment. And he needed to know. “I’m sorry about your husband.”
Her hand froze and he immediately wanted to call the words back.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. Jack said his father died and I just assumed…”
“He did. Die.” She twisted the gold ring on her finger. “My husband. He was killed in a plane crash six months ago.”
Damn. He didn’t know what to say, and on top of that, he felt like an ass for being glad she wasn’t married. He shouldn’t be glad she was alone.
Waves crashed onto the shore; the children’s voices carried on the wind. Neither spoke for a moment.
“He never knew I was pregnant.”
Well, shit. What could he say to that? “I’m really sorry.”
“It’s really okay,” she said lightly, repeating their earlier words from the pool, as if she didn’t want him to feel sad or uncomfortable.
The sun hung low, casting everything in a soft light, and when she raised her sunglasses to the top of her head, he was hit full force with the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. Brilliant and sparkling; light in the center, darker around the edges; glittering like glass. He didn’t look away, and their eyes held until he was sure she must feel the connection too.
“Mom, we’re hungry,” Gracie yelled, running up, scattering sand. Connection broken.
Abby dusted off her hands and looked at her daughter. “Guess it’s time to go.”
Matt stood, offering her his hand and holding his breath when she hesitated. He wanted her to trust him. He wanted to hold her hand. She finally took it and he held it longer than necessary. Absorbing the feel of it, the softness and the smallness of it.
She stood and their eyes met again, this time with her fingers still clasped tightly in his. Something moved inside him, slightly painful, like parts rearranging into a better fit. A blush crept up her neck and she pulled back ever so slightly, forcing him to let her go.
Abby lowered the umbrella and directed the kids to gather their things. She handed a bag to the oldest girl, Annie, who’d spent most of her time alone, drawing pictures in the sand. She was quiet, that one. But he’d bet she didn’t miss a thing.
“You need some help?” He knew what her answer would be before he asked.
“No, thanks.” She loaded her arms with kid paraphernalia. “I’ve got it.”
“Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?” Hell. He hadn’t meant for it to come out like a question. What was it about her? He felt like an eager puppy, wanting to chase after her and nip at her heels.
Abby glanced over her shoulder, just a hint of a smile on her lips. “Maybe.” Then she followed the kids to the boardwalk.
“Bye, Matt! I got to go have ice cream now.”
He raised his hand to Jack and watched the five of them until the sea grass obscured his view. The beach suddenly felt vacant and quiet, which of course it wasn’t. The surf still crashed, seagulls still begged for food, and couples strolled between him and the water. But it seemed as empty as he suddenly felt.
Chapter 5
The morning sun hung like a bright yellow ball, already heating the sand under Abby’s feet. It would heat up the North Carolina coast to near a hundred degrees before it finished. The kids raced past her to the water as far as they were allowed.
She’d needed to get away from him yesterday, away from his slow, sexy smile and knowing eyes. The intense way he held her gaze and her hand. However unwanted, her attraction had evidently multiplied overnight. But there was no mistaking Matt’s tall form striding toward her before she dropped her bags on the sand.
He waved and smiled, and she waved back, then turned to raise her umbrella. His deep voice vibrated through and around her as he greeted the children. That alone caused a flutter in her stomach.
Settle down. He’s only a man.
Using the upper body strength she’d honed at the gym, she strained to crank the stubborn umbrella. She could do it. She’d done it yesterday. For God’s sake. Don’t look completely incompetent.