Popi eyed Apollo, wondering if he’d really be that ruthless. There was a glint of determination in his eyes. Maybe she would have to mount her defense in a very different way—a way that didn’t include lawyers and judges. She would have to appeal to his mind and his heart.
* * *
What was she thinking?
Apollo noticed the looks Popi had been giving him off and on all day. She had something on her mind, and he was pretty certain he wasn’t going to like it.
It wasn’t like she was just suddenly going to change her mind and hand over the baby when it was born. She had her mind made up about him, and he didn’t know if he could change it.
When he was out in the wilderness, he didn’t have to feel like he wasn’t living up to other people’s expectations of him. And he didn’t have to feel like he didn’t stack up to his big brother—the brother who had the perfect life, the perfect wife and the perfect career as CEO of Drakos Industries.
When Apollo was off on one of his adventures, the world became a lot smaller. He could focus on the more basic parts of life, such as his next meal and where he would sleep that night. Maybe that made him selfish—he wasn’t sure. But at the time he’d gone off on his first adventure, he just couldn’t stand to listen to one more of his father’s lectures about how he was a disappointment. That was something Apollo would never say to his nephew or niece.
But he was starting to get similar looks from Popi—looks that said he’d let down his family and she would never trust him with the baby. The looks made him uncomfortable. After all, Popi barely even knew him. But she had heard stories from his brother. He could only guess at what his brother had to say about him, most likely none of it any good. In the last year or two, he and his brother had clashed—a lot.
Yet Popi still hadn’t kicked him out. And he didn’t miss the part about the village being deserted and it just being the two of them on the island. Did that mean he’d jumped to the wrong conclusions? Was it possible she trusted him? Just a little?
If so, it was a starting point from which he could reason with her and avoid a long, drawn-out, nasty court case that would be fodder for the headlines. The whole thing would be a mess.
“You really didn’t have to stay here.” Popi’s voice drew him from his thoughts. “I’m fine on my own. And I have a phone should an emergency come up.” Then she frowned as though realizing she’d said too much. “Not that there will be an emergency or anything.”
He wasn’t going anywhere. “I just feel better being here.”
She arched a brow. “Are you saying you care?”
He suddenly felt as though there wasn’t a right answer to her question. Not wanting to complicate things any further, he knew it was time to change the subject. “What would you like for dinner?”
A small smile pulled at her lips, letting him know she’d caught on to his diversionary tactics. “I don’t know what’s in the cabinets.” She rubbed her back as a frown settled over her pretty face. “But I’m not hungry—”
Thunk. Thunk.
They both turned to the front door as it swung back and forth. The sun had set by then, leaving them in the dark. There wasn’t even any moonlight tonight.
“The wind is really kicking up,” Popi said. “I’ve been so busy with the wedding and packing that I haven’t had time to check the weather in days.”
She moved to the open front door. Another gust of wind rushed through the doorway. She pushed the door closed against the wind and secured it.
“Do you get bad weather here?” he asked.
“Once in a while. But not often.”
Apollo started opening the kitchen cabinets. “It looks like we have pasta.” He continued to name off the various food items. And then he turned to her. “What do you feel like?”
She rubbed the small of her back. “Um...nothing.”
He moved to her. “Is your back still bothering you?”
She nodded. “I guess I overdid it today.”
“You should be resting.” He noticed the lines deepening between her brows.
She shook her head. “It’ll pass. It always does.”