Oh, he was going to get to know them, very well indeed. She gave him a day, maybe two. He might be a Special Forces soldier but dealing with Gus and Finn required a set of skills not taught in the military. But she wasn’t sending them to another island, she’d be in shouting distance. And the best way to learn to be a father was tobea father. He’d be tossed into the deep end, and it would be a good way for him to learn whether he wanted to do this for the rest of his life.
She shrugged. ‘Okay.’
Angus looked as if he’d won a victory. ‘Really? Awesome! It’ll be fun,’ he stated, rubbing his hands together.
Fun? Occasionally. But it sure would be relentless.
On Friday afternoon, shortly before lunch, Thadie stepped into the entertainment area, and gratefully accepted the offer of an iced coffee from the hovering waiter. It was another hot bright afternoon, and she wore a brightly patterned sarong over a lime-green bikini.
Her non-wedding, the viral video and Johannesburg felt a long, long way away. She also felt a hundred times better than she did when she almost fainted on the pier on Wednesday afternoon. Had it been the day before yesterday? It felt like a week, maybe more.
Thadie looked down to the beach, her eyes on Angus, who sat on the sand next to where the boys were building sandcastles, his tablet resting on his knee.
She’d known many good-looking guys in her life, but Angus was the only one to ignite a flame in her belly, between her legs. His features weren’t perfectly symmetrical, his nose was a little long, his chin a too strong but no one noticed because he was so intensely, utterly masculine. With his wide shoulders, his big arms and muscled legs, he exuded power. And even better, control of that power.
He was, in every way, the most alpha of alpha males. And she knew of what she spoke, her brothers were good examples of the species. But Angus seemed to have something extra, an undefinable quality that made him stand out...
Maybe it was his stillness, his complete confidence in himself. He’d been an exceptional soldier in one of the best military units in the world, and he’d fought in wars. He’d survived. Maybe that gave him the edge, that extra boost of confidence.
Whatever it was, it was as sexy as hell.
Two days had passed since her come-to-the-light thoughts on the plane. She felt rested, less stressed and a great deal more relaxed. And, hour by hour, day by day, she was far more accepting of being a single mum. Her kids were happy,and confident—had she needed to sacrifice her happiness and freedom?
Angus’s arrival in her life, him being their real dad and wanting to be involved in their lives, had also removed any pressure she might feel to repeat her give-them-a-father fiasco. He was their dad...she never had to worry about that again.
Yay.
Thadie’s thought was interrupted by a big hand on her back. She smiled at Micha as he joined her at the railing, and placed her temple on his shoulder, happy to lean into him, as she did when she was a little girl. And as a big girl.
Micah pointed the rim of his beer bottle in Angus’s direction. ‘You’ve got a billionaire owner of an international security company working as your au pair. You’regood, shrimp.’
Thadie lifted her head to look at him. ‘He’s that rich?’
Micah nodded. ‘Oh, yeah. Angus’s company is as big as, maybe bigger than ours, and he’s a very hands-on CEO. I don’t know how he does it. Jago and I have enough to do but he does it solo. But, somehow, the man also makes time to take two or three holidays a year, and he goes off the grid and is unavailable. We want to know how he does it.’
Holidays? Why didn’t that sound right to her? She couldn’t imagine Angus sitting on a beach, drinking a cocktail. Or sleeping late before hitting a couple of ski slopes. That didn’t gel. He seemed too busy, too focused, and too into control to leave his business for long periods and not be contactable.
Micah’s information had to be faulty.
Or was she making excuses for him, or only paying attention to what she wanted to see? She’d done that with Clyde and made a mess of her life. Maybe she should learn from that lesson.
‘He’s an impressive guy,’ Micah commented.
Yes, he was. Everything, from his gorgeous body to his masculine face, deep voice and sharp mind enthralled her aboutAngus. And that was why she had to be extra-careful to not let her libido override her intuition and common sense.
‘He’s also, currently, the most expensive childminder in the world,’ Micah said, his voice filled with laughter. ‘Which raises the question...whyishe looking after the monsters? We’re grateful he’s keeping them occupied but one has to wonder why.’
She felt his eyes on her face and knew that if she looked at him, he’d read the truth in her eyes. She suspected they all knew Angus was the twins’ dad—how could they not?—but she wasn’t ready to confirm it. Or even talk about it. ‘He’s a friend who wanted to give me a break.’
‘Yeah, right,’ Micah scoffed. ‘That’s not why.’
Thadie was thinking of a way to answer him when a scuffle broke out between Gus and Finn, involving a spade and bucket. There was another spade and bucket, but no, they both wanted to use the blue one. Thadie watched as Angus placed his hands on his knees and stared at the sand, obviously looking for patience. Yep, she got it, she frequently felt like that herself.
‘I’m actually feeling sorry for the guy,’ Micah said. ‘He’s been with them pretty much constantly since we arrived.’
Thadie pulled a face, feeling guilty. ‘I know. I think it’s time for me to take them back.’ She sent Micah an impish grin. ‘But, damn, it’s been nice.’
He smiled back, before taking a sip of beer. ‘Jago and I are going to look at another island, about thirteen nautical miles from here. It’s available to be leased. We want to see if it’s suitable for development into a resort like this one. If we leave this afternoon, we can take the boys. We’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.’