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Knox came up behind them and slid his arm around Bella’s shoulders. “You, okay?”
She nodded and leaned into him.
Leilani remembered they were siblings. And tried doing a calculation in her head about how that related to Jacob. Knox was his half brother, and Bella was married to Blake. But Blake had a different father, not mom.
“We have different fathers,” Knox said, watching her.
“Wow, did I think out loud?”
“No, I read minds,” he said, as Bella nudged him in the side.
“Oomph,” Knox cried, playfully.
Leilani giggled.
She liked Knox, even though she felt unreasonably disloyal. If Jacob would give him a chance, he might find a doorway to connect with his father.
But what did she know? He’d gained one. She was losing her last living parent.
They were on the opposite side of things, and she privately thought he should be doing all he could to build a relationship. Then again, Jacob had an enormous family, so he’d never be alone.
Knox winked at her, then left them to chat.
“You’re all so lucky to have one another,” Leilani said, dropping down into one of the chairs. Bella sat beside her.
“Are you an only child?”
She nodded. “When mom goes, it will just be me.”
“You know, even though I have three brothers. Ward is not my real dad. I went through a stage where I felt like a fraud. My birth father is an evil man. I know it’s not the same, but I wasn’t sure where I would belong. It took months before Ward pulled me aside after working out what I was thinking.”
Ward.
“Jacob’s dad,” Leilani said quietly.
“Yeah. It was a surprise for all of us,” Bella said, as they both stared across the fire where the man himself was talking to Daniel and Hunter.
Knox walked over and joined them, and she watched as Jacob immediately stiffened.
“He didn’t like you out there on the jet ski with Knox today.” Bella shot her a little smile.
Leilani dropped her eyes to the sand and dug her toes into it. Lying felt wrong. She was becoming friends with this woman. And she was her boss’s wife.
I know this is over when we get home.
Jacob’s comment had run over and over in her mind since the other night. Of course, he was right. They were fake dating for the weekend, but it had still surprised her to hear him say it out loud.
“You know, this is just temporary,” she whispered, lifting her face to Bella.
“Is it?”
Leilani nodded. She wasn’t going to say more than that and betray his confidence, but she couldn’t lie to Bella. “Please don’t say anything to the others.”
“You like him, though,” Bella said.
Leilani let out a laugh. “Yes. I mean, look at him. He’s, God, beautiful.”
She took in his strong solid legs and how his tan shorts hugged his ass. And Jesus, the loose shirt he wore half open flapped in the breeze, showing off his ripped and sun-kissed chest. He was mouthwatering.
