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He held out his hand, and she took it, allowing him to help her up.
They headed toward the exit, threading their way through countless exhausted parents, many dealing with tantrums from equally exhausted kids.
“Have you looked online yet?” Eve sidestepped a little boy who kicked his feet and screamed on the ground.
Adam gave the mom a sympathetic smile.“A house or two. One has a pool. I’ll show you when we get to my sister’s.”
“Eve! Eve Layton! Is that you?”
The voice came from behind her.
It was loud.
Adrenaline shot through her body even before her mind could process what she’d heard.
It couldn’t be. She had to be imagining it.
“Eve? Eve Layton!”
There it was again. Unmistakable.
That voice, long buried in her subconscious, poured over her like boiling oil.
Her heart began to pound, but it seemed as if it pounded harder, not faster. She felt it, heavy, in her throat and chest.
Adam said something, but it didn’t register.
Keep walking.
But Adam turned. Taking her with him.
Making her face the man who had destroyed her in another life.
“Hey!” His grin was huge.
She couldn’t make a scene here.“Bart Danner.”
Except for a few more pounds, he hadn’t changed much—black hair, with eyes like glittering amber. Deceptively good looks hid all thatlurked inside.
She eyed the little boy he held by the hand, the spitting image of his father.
“Who is this lady, Daddy?”
My God. The monster had a child.
“Well, I’ll be damned. Ithoughtit was you! I can’t believe my eyes, but here you are!”
Her lips felt numb, but she was somehow able to respond.“Yes. Here I am.”
He smiled.“You’re back in Florida.”
“Yeah.”
She realized she was gripping Adam’s hand so hard, her nails were digging into his flesh.
His blue gaze moved from Bart to her, then back again. His jaw hardened, eyes narrowing. No way could he miss the tension that crackled in the humid air.
Bart’s amber eyes raked over her.“Aren’t you going to introduce me?”