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“Won’t you join me?”
Turning toward a large stone table nearby, he showed her the dishes, interspersed with big vases of flowers.
“What is it?” she said doubtfully.
“Dinner.” He lifted a silver lid off the largest platter. Frowning, she peeked over his shoulder. When she saw the food, she burst into a full-bodied, incredulous laugh that he felt down to his toes.
“Blueberries? Licorice whips? I thought you’d try to serve me something nasty, like caviar!”
“I have only your favorites.” He lifted another silver lid, and grinned as he heard her gasp.
“Ham and pineapple pizza!” she exclaimed. “Are you kidding me?”
“With the ranch and hot sauce you like, for dipping,” he said smugly. “And for dessert...” He opened a third silver lid to reveal strawberry shortcake, thick sweet cakes covered with plump, juicy strawberries and thick dollops of whipped cream. Now, she looked at him almost in awe.
“How did you know?” she breathed.
“Magic.”
“No, seriously.”
“I called Letty and asked her what you liked best.” He lifted an eyebrow. “She didn’t sound particularly shocked to hear from me, by the way.”
Her cheeks colored. “She’s the only one I told about you. I knew she wouldn’t tell anyone you were my baby’s father. Not after what she went through with Darius.” Tentatively, she touched the crust. “The pizza is still hot!”
“I told you.” He waved a hand airily. “Magic.”
She looked at him skeptically.
He rolled his eyes. “There’s a hot plate beneath the tray. If you make me explain, it takes the magic away. All that’s left is cheap tricks.” He started to add, just like romance, but stopped himself, since he didn’t think it would help his cause. Pulling out a chair, he gave her a sensual smile. “Have a seat.”
As they ate together, enjoying fruit, pizza, sparkling water and finally dessert, the sun gradually disappeared beneath the horizon, turning the sky a soft pink against the black lake.
He enjoyed watching her eat. He took pleasure in her appetite. As she started her third piece of strawberry shortcake, he leaned forward and brushed his fingertips against the corner of her mouth.
“Missed some whipped cream,” he said, and then licked it off his fingertips. Belle’s eyes went wide, and he heard her intake of breath. He almost kissed her then. Instead, he leaned back in his chair to look at her.
“So why did you do it, Belle?” he asked quietly. “Why did you deliberately have surgery at twenty-one, to prevent pregnancy? Knowing you as I do, it doesn’t make sense.”
For a moment he thought she might not answer. Then she set down her spoon.
“My dad died when I was a baby,” she said haltingly. “My mother remarried a few years later, and had my brothers...”
“I know.”
Belle looked surprised. “You know?” She glanced down as his hand enfolded her own, then said with a tinge of bitterness, “Of course you know. Your private investigator told you, right?” She gave a humorless laugh. “So you know my mother died when I was twelve and my stepfather six years later. I couldn’t let my brothers be sent to foster care. So I gave up my dream of college and stayed home to raise them.”
Santiago tried to think of a time he’d made a sacrifice that big for anyone. He couldn’t.
“It wasn’t easy,” she continued in a low voice. “They were angry teenagers. Sometimes I wasn’t sure I could make it. Then I met Justin.” She blinked fast. “He was so strong and sure. He said he loved me. Even when I told him I was old-fashioned and wished to wait until marriage to have sex, he still wanted me...”
Santiago gave an incredulous laugh. “No sex until marriage?”
“I know.” She smiled wistfully. “Crazy, right? But he’d just gotten divorced. His wife’d had an awful misc
arriage that broke them up. Justin was ten years older than me, but he said that didn’t matter. He was even willing to help me raise my brothers, who desperately needed a male role model.”
“Did they?” he said evenly, remembering all the times his own mother had married so-called “male role models” who hadn’t been worth much and hadn’t lasted more than a year.
