Especially someone like Sabrina.
So it happened that Sabrina and her little man had a quiet night. They settled on a movie, an old favorite Finding Nemo, and Harry was quiet as he munched away on his popcorn, Bingo curled into his side.
When the movie was over and he'd brushed his teeth, Sabrina sat on his bed, gently caressing his forehead. He gazed up at her with those big eyes of his and she melted.
"Everything okay, Harry? You don't seem yourself."
He shrugged and Sabrina's stomach rolled over. Okay. He wasn't right.
"Harry?" she asked gently.
He pulled his blankets up to his neck and scrunched up his little nose. "I'm sad."
Sabrina didn't think her heart could squeeze any tighter. She paused, because it was beating way too fast and she didn't want to scare her son.
"What are you sad about?"
Again with a shrug, Harry looked up at her. "Just sad."
"Is it because your sister had a sleepover and you didn't?"
"No."
Sabrina continued to rub his forehead. The most helpless feeling in the world was when your child was upset and you had no idea how to fix it.
"Is it because of Daddy?" she asked carefully, watching her son closely.
"Not really."
Okay. What did that mean? Not really? Did she push for more?
"Do you want to tell me what's making you sad?"
Harry snuggled deeper into his blankets and shook his head. What to do? Did she leave it be? And see if he was good to go in the morning? Or did she keep quizzing him.
In the end Harry made the decision for her because he yawned and turned onto his side. "I love you Mommy," he murmured.
"I love you too," Sabrina whispered, pressing one last kiss to his cheek. She left the nightlight on and closed the door, leaning back against it with her eyes closed. The cottage was silent. Her child was sad. Her heart was heavy.
This was her life now and she had to make it work.
* * *
A knock at the door had Harry scrambling up from the table. Sabrina had just served him a plate of pancakes and in less than ten seconds, he'd managed to get syrup all over the front of his superman pajamas.
Harry yanked on the door and Abby Mathews stepped inside.
"Hey Harry. Did you know you're drowning in syrup?"
Harry laughed. "I missed my mouth."
"Ah, I see." Abby giggled. "I just wanted to say goodbye to you and your mother."
With a smile, Sabrina tossed her tea towel and walked over to Abby.
"You guys leaving already?"
"Yes. We have a flight to New York in four hours, and if there's no traffic we just might make it. Tucker is such a bear in the morning." The woman gave her a big hug. "It was so nice to see you again."
Abby tugged on the ends of Sabrina's hair. "I love the new cut."
"Thank you."
"Sometimes a fresh new look is all it takes, you know?" Abby winked. "I hope we get to hang out before the summer is over."
"Where's Teague?" Harry interrupted. He yanked on Abby's hand and Sabrina looked down at him with a frown.
"Harrison, that's rude. Please apologize."
His little face fell. "I'm sorry, Mommy. I just want to see Teague."
"Don't worry about it. He's outside," Abby said with a smile, ruffling the top of Harry's head as he ran past the two women, Bingo yapping on his heels. The door slammed shut behind them. "Well, he certainly has a lot of energy."
"Yes, that's something that all kids seem to have," Sabrina said as she followed Abby outside. The two women walked over to the Simon cottage just as Tucker and Teague headed down from the back deck.
Harry and Bingo were just behind them.
She kept her gaze on Tucker, because … well, because she wasn't ready to look Teague in the eye just yet. The other night had been weird and she still wasn't sure what had happened between them.
She accepted a hug from Tucker. "Great seeing you again Sabrina."
"You too. Tell Jack to call me when he gets the chance."
Tucker laughed. "That baby girl of his is taking up all his time. I've never seen a grown man so completely wrapped up in a baby, but it's a good look for him."
Sabrina smiled. "I'm sure it is."
"I'll pass along your message."
Tucker and Abby climbed into their car and Sabrina watched them until it disappeared up the road.
"Didn't take you for Trekkie."
Was it his voice that gave her goosebumps? Or the cool morning air?
"Excuse me?" She turned to Teague, but his eyes were on her chest. And since she was still in her pajamas, it was a chest that was braless. And dammit, but her nipples were erect from the cold. Or maybe it was his voice.
She crossed her arms across her breasts and tried like hell not to react to the slow smile that spread across his face. His jaw was dark with stubble, and that mouth of his was way too damn sensual for his own good.
"Live long and prosper?" he said, finally raising his eyes to hers.
"What about it?" she replied, kicking at a pebble with her foot. "I like Spock."
"So do I." His response was quick, his voice still husky from sleep.
"Oh." That was it. All she had. And for what seemed like way too long she stared up at him and said nothing else. How could she? There was no way she could utter the things that were flying through her mind.
Like the fact that he had the longest eyelashes she'd ever seen on a man.
Or that the tattoo on his arm was interesting in a kind of hot and dangerous way. And she didn't even like tattoos.
And his nipples were as hard as hers.
That last thought had her gaze sliding away and hoping like hell he didn't notice the blush that was rising up her neck. Jesus, it was hot out here.
"So, can we Teague?"
Startled-because good mom that she was, Sabrina had momentarily forgotten that her son was even there-Sabrina took a step back.
"Can you what?" she asked, venturing a look back at Teague. His eyes had never left her and her mouth suddenly dry, she cleared her throat and turned to her son. "Harry?"
Harry jumped up and down, his little cheeks red with enthusiasm, his eyes alight with something she'd not seen in a long time. Anticipation and excitement. Hope. It made her heart twist in a way that was both painful and wonderful.
"The kayak race, Mommy. I really want to do it. Caleb is doing it with his daddy and so is David. They told me when I saw them at the parade yesterday."
Damn. Heart in her throat, Sabrina tried to be gentle. "We can't bother Teague with that, Harry."
"But I already did." Her son's face crinkled up. "I told him that you can't swim. Only Daddy could, but that Daddy is in heaven and he can't do it with me anymore."
Okay, Sabrina wasn't sure that the lump in her throat was ever going to go away. She exhaled slowly and knelt down in front of her son. The kayak race. Damn she'd forgotten all about it. Now she knew why he'd been so sad the night before.
"Harry, I'd take you if I could but even with a life jacket, I wouldn't feel safe."
"But … " His chin trembled. "I really want to go."
"We can't bother Teague with this."
"Why not?" That came from Teague.
Surprised, Sabrina glanced up at him. Teague's face was unreadable but those eyes were as intense as ever. "Well, I just … we don't want to bother you."
"But I want to bother him," Harry piped up, with Bingo barking for good measure.
His dark eyes widened a bit, before settling on Harry. "I'm up for the kayak race if you are, but I don't think we can do it superman pajamas."
Harry's face lit up like the fourth of July and he nearly knocked Sabrina over in his haste to get back to the cottage and change.
Sabrina slowly got to her feet. "Thank you," she said slowly. "It means a lot to him. Brent took him out two years ago, as sick as he was, and they couldn't finish. And last year, well, it was only me so … ."
She blinked rapidly, because dammit she would not cry in front of this man.
"It's all good," Teague said.
Sabrina shivered. She was hot and yet cold.
"I just have one question."
"What's that?" she asked haltingly.
"You live at a lake and you own a boat, yet you can't swim?"
"Ironic isn't it?" She attempted a smile as she turned around, but the smile died and her throat closed up at the look in his eyes.
She waited a few moments-for her heart to settle and her throat to clear. "I moved here from the city when I was a kid. Swimming wasn't exactly on my list of things to learn." She paused and glanced back to her cottage. "This place, the boat and everything, it was all Brent. I didn't bother to learn how to swim because I had him to take the kids out on the boat."
But he 's gone.
"You should learn to swim," Teague said.
"I guess. Maybe one day I'll find the time."
"I'll teach you." A ghost of a smile touched his face, when she automatically crossed her arms over her chest.