She should just turn away and let him be. After all, it was his choice to stay here. Just then the baby gave a hard kick that nearly doubled her over.
Rubbing her now sore side, Popi whispered, “Okay, little one. I hear you. He is your flesh and blood. As much as I want to pretend he doesn’t exist, I won’t kick him out of your life. He’s the only one who can tell you about your father and his side of the family.”
As an orphan who never knew her blood relatives, Popi knew the importance of family roots. She wouldn’t deprive her child of that link—no matter how aggravating the uncle may be.
Popi grabbed a throw from the back of her couch that she hadn’t had time to pack and moved to the door. Ever so quietly, she let herself out on the porch. She expected him to wake up at any moment, but he didn’t stir. His breath was deep and even.
She tiptoed toward him and ever so gently draped the blanket over him. As soon as she had it over him, his breathing halted. He shifted positions as though getting more comfortable. Popi froze, knowing if she moved he’d wake up for sure. But then as quickly as his deep breathing had halted, it resumed, and so did Popi’s.
She quietly tiptoed back inside the house. Tomorrow was going to be a very interesting day. Very interesting indeed.
* * *
Apollo jerked.
His eyes fluttered open just as his feet hit the floor. His heart pounded in his chest as he gulped down one breath of air after the other.
He glanced around, not knowing where he was. In the distance was the view of the sea. Slowly it all started to come back to him. The island. The baby. And the surrogate.
He was safe. He was on solid ground. And everything else had been a nightmare. Or more like a vivid memory. One that played over and over in his mind. It was one reason he’d considered giving up his nomad existence, but one tragedy had only led him to another much worse tragedy.
Apollo rubbed his thigh. The wound, though mostly healed, still bothered him at times, especially when he’d been on his feet a lot. And he was certain the dancing last night hadn’t helped things. But he was a determined man. He had a lot to make up for and nothing was going to stop him.
It was only then that he noticed the blanket pooled around his waist. It took him a second to realize that Popi must have brought this out to him. So she knew he was still here and yet she hadn’t woken him up to kick him off her property. Off the island. Interesting.
He would take that as a good sign—maybe she was starting to come to terms with the situation. With the sun barely above the horizon, he got to his feet and stretched. His stomach rumbled a complaint. He hadn’t eaten since he was on the mainland yesterday.
The creak of the door announced Popi’s presence. “You’re still here?”
“Good morning,” he said, hoping to get the day off to a good start.
He smiled at her as she stood there with no makeup on and her long hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. She looked so down-to-earth and approachable. He resisted the urge to move. As he continued to look at her, he noticed a glow about her. He’d heard it said that pregnant women get a glow about them, but he’d never known what that exactly meant, until now.
She didn’t smile, but she didn’t frown at him either. He’d take that as another good sign—something he could build on. Because the only way he was going to keep the unborn baby close was to keep Popi close.
“I started a pot of coffee. You might as well come inside. You can clean up and then have a cup.”
She didn’t have to invite him twice. He grabbed his backpack. After all these years, he didn’t go anywhere without it. He followed her in the doorway. “Thank you.”
After she handed him a towel, he grabbed a quick shower. The hot water beat on his sore neck, easing the painful kinks in his muscles. All too soon, he turned off the water. He didn’t want to dally, as Popi seemed as though she might be in the mood to talk.
As he dried off and dressed in some fresh clothes, he hoped now that her shock over his sudden appearance on the island had subsided that she’d see him as something other than the enemy. He wanted to convince Popi to accompany him back to the Drakos estate, which was situated so much closer to a hospital.