Page 21 of At First Flight (Coral Bell Cove #1)

It’s been just over a week of living under the same roof as Lila. I thought being surrounded by two young children would be the hardest thing I’d encounter over the last seven days, but instead, I find my growing desire for Lila makes each passing second nearly unbearable.

Despite a few nightmares from Oliver and Evelyn, the kids seem to have transitioned to their new situation as best as expected.

So much so that Oliver moved into his bedroom at his own request. I’ve set up an appointment with a therapist in town to help the kids, but mainly, it’s for me.

The grief over my sister gets me late into the night, and I find myself tossing and turning.

I can usually function on a few short hours of sleep, but a week straight isn’t cutting it.

I’ve drowned myself in work to keep my thoughts about Gen and Lila at bay. I’m a silent partner in a few businesses, yet I’m very hands-on with others, especially when technology is involved. But I know running on empty will only last so long.

Today, I have a meeting as a shareholder in my favorite security firm as they try to navigate a possible acquisition.

The two tech guys who started the business had once lived in a homeless shelter in Miami.

I met them during one of the charity events I sponsor on behalf of my family to help runaway teens become entrepreneurs.

Out of all the businesses I’ve seen flourish because of that charity, this one is my favorite.

I was on the fence about the acquisition by a much larger tech firm but was willing to hear out both parties.

But it also means that my week of putting my life together after gaining guardianship of the little squirts is over.

Now I need to figure out how to juggle my past life with my new one.

Thank goodness for Lila, who plans to take the kids to the park today.

She wants them to start making friends with kids in town who could potentially be their classmates.

Oliver has about three months until he starts kindergarten, and Evelyn starts her new preschool class just a few weeks before that.

Quietly sneaking out of the kids’ room, I’m not surprised to find the first floor barren. After her first week, I expect Lila to take advantage of whatever downtime she can get.

Back in my room, I shower, then pull on one of my suits for the first time since I left for Scotland. Was I required to wear the suits? Absolutely not. But it makes me feel like an important part of the businesses I work with. And frankly, I’ve always loved wearing a custom-made getup.

Approaching the kitchen, the smell of coffee greets me, and I nearly collide with Lila as she exits the pantry.

“Oomph,” she says as I offer, “Sorry.”

“Oh…um…you’re wearing a suit,” she says breathlessly, clutching her floral bathrobe around her chest.

“Yeah, I have a couple of meetings today.”

She cocks her head to the side. “Here?”

“Yep. Virtual.”

“Well, you look nice.”

“Thanks.”

The silence festers, and I can sense her awkwardness. Trying to spare her more discomfort, I reach into the cabinets for a mug and pour myself a cup of coffee.

“I was going to make myself some eggs. Would you like some?” I ask, turning around and finding her eyes darting up from my hips to my face.

I smirk, knowing I’ve caught her ogling my ass.

I spend enough hours working out to appreciate her attention.

This also reminds me that I need to set up a gym in the house.

Maybe in one of the additional spare bedrooms.

“Eggs sound good. Thanks. Want me to start some sausage or bacon?” Lila leans into the fridge, rummaging around for the breakfast items.

“We should have some bacon I bought. I hate sausage.”

Bowing around the door, she looks at me with pinched lips. “Are you just saying that because people refer to men’s dicks as sausages, and you’re an uber male who prefers women?”

“That’s sweet of you to call me an uber male,” I add, chuckling as she rolls her eyes.

“But no, I’ve hated sausage since I was a kid.

One of my old nannies served it with everything, and I mean everything.

She treated it like a protein for every meal of the day.

Sometimes even the smell makes me nauseous. ”

“That’s…strange.”

“Tell me about it.”

Handing me the carton of eggs, I start cracking them on the side of the mixing bowl.

“Will you eat it on pizza?”

“Nope.”

“What a travesty. I love a meat lover's pizza.”

“I bet you do.”

“Oh my gosh,” she says, hip checking me. “Can you not make everything so sexual all the time?”

“Can’t help it. It’s a gift.”

We work seamlessly in the kitchen, putting together breakfast for ourselves and the kids for when they decide to wake up. Lila suggests getting them on a schedule on weekdays in the mornings. That way, their transition to school will be easier.

Her ease at being a nanny blows my mind. Despite whatever reticence she feels toward the position, she’s simply amazing.

Once breakfast is plated and the toast pops out of the toaster, Lila and I scarf down our food just as the pitter-patter of feet descends the stairs.

She offers to take care of them while I head to the office to work on some projects.

I have a few things to do before my meetings.

One of which includes learning Lila’s ex-fiancé’s name and what he possibly could have done to screw things up with her.

From what I know about my nanny, she would have only run if he did something truly horrific.

Pulling up Ashvi’s number—because of course I made it a priority to get info on Lila’s best friend for safety reasons—I type out a message, hoping she’ll spill the details on Lila’s ex.

It’s not long before she replies with a name and nothing else: Prescott Hoolihan.

I recognize the last name immediately. The Hoolihans are notorious political figures with bad attitudes and even worse secrets.

There had been rumors circling for years that they dealt in the black market for their own personal goods.

I can’t imagine Lila being wrapped up in that family.

She didn’t have a cagey bone in her body.

My investigation ends abruptly when Talon calls to tell me that Rory just got out of her regular doctor’s appointment and she’s dilated. The baby could come at any time now. I can hear the nerves in my best friend’s voice, but Talon is the best man I know, and he’ll be an amazing father.

Meetings fall into consecutive video conferences, and before I know it, my growling stomach alerts me that it’s well past lunchtime. For someone who only turns a small profit on my investments, I feel like an hourly employee who’s worked too many hours of overtime and has nothing to show for it.

When I scan the fridge's contents, nothing jumps out at me. With a glance at my watch, I decide to head into town and check out a restaurant to grab something to eat. Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll run into Lila and the kids at the park.

I'm not sure when they headed out exactly, but I can’t imagine they’ve been gone long.

I’ve finally convinced Lila to drive the SUV I ordered and return her rental. It was missing from the garage as I start my Lamborghini.

The drive into town is a peaceful twenty minutes. Farms and fields pass by in a blur, and I wonder if any of them belong to Lila’s family. I need to take Claire up on her standing reservation for dinner.

With an idea in mind, I make a quick call just as I pull into a parking spot along the street in front of a hamburger joint located on one of the town’s alley streets. I step out of the car, and the smell of barbecued meat makes my stomach cramp in anticipation.

Taking a chance, I order four burgers and enough fries to feed an entire hockey team, then make my way toward the park two blocks down the street.

As I walk, I let the scent of the salty air calm my nerves.

The town lends itself to a movie set. The faded brick buildings, weathered shutters, and bright flowers in window boxes are idyllic.

I can visualize Lila growing up here, and I know I’ve made a good choice in bringing the kids here.

It’s a far better life than wondering if their mom will come home or if food will be on the table at night.

I love my sister, but she had clearly lost her way.

My breath hitches as I reach the park and witness the families milling about.

Fuck, my sister could have had this. I could have had this.

I take a deep breath and move closer to the mulch-covered, fence-lined area containing multiple plastic and wood playsets.

That emptiness in my chest, the one that I suppressed as I got older, bubbles up to the surface.

My parents never took us to the park as kids.

It’s not that we were home much outside of boarding school, but they didn’t even have a swing set installed in our massive estate.

Their idea of playing with us was taking us on the vacations they planned for themselves.

I find an unoccupied bench and set down the bag of food and drinks. Even though the chilly air is still crisp, the sun warms my skin in a way I haven’t felt in a while. Even in Miami, I rarely took the time to soak in the sun.

Slipping my jacket off my shoulders, I glance around the park. I look for Oliver and Evelyn, ignoring the appreciative glances from a few moms as they stare in my direction.

When I don’t see them, I move closer to one of the larger playsets, the yellow swirling slide catching my eye. As a kid, that is undeniably something I’d want to try.

As I approach, I see a group of four older boys, around the age of ten, squaring off against Lila, who’s shielding Oliver and Evelyn as they stand at the entrance to the slide.

“Let me make this very clear. You push any kid out of the way one more time, and I will make sure that you’re not allowed back at this park… ever.”

“You can’t do that,” one little kid touts with puckered, defiant lips.