Read Online The Homecoming by Anne Marie Winston - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Anne Marie Winston
Ads: Link
feelings heâd probably iced over by now just to survive.
And then there was his wife. A tiny spark of anger flared within her. How could anyone think only of themselves in such a devastating situation? Hadnât the woman known how much Danny needed her? She was all he had left, and when sheâd taken her own life sheâd abandoned him. Rejected him, in a way. Youâre not enough, sheâd said. Sydney was certain that if sheâd been Dannyâs wife, she would have wanted to share the memories they had of their baby, to grieve and to hope and to fear together.
But she wasnât his wife. And it didnât matter how attracted she was to him, how compelling those blue eyes were, she couldnât get involved with him. He was a train wreck of emotional baggage that she knew she wasnât equipped for. Unquestionably, she should steer clear of Danny Crosby.
Â
Danny stood on the terrace off his bedroom that evening and wished like hell he hadnât quit smoking. Maybe if he had something to do with his hands he wouldnât feel this jumpy, insistent need that Sydney Aston had aroused in him.
Until sheâd come, heâd been happy. Okay, nothappy, but serene. Life was predictable and dull, exactly what he wanted after the tumultuous events that had followed him through childhood, into adolescence and ultimately even into his marriage. He never intended to care for another person again. Felicia had cured him of that. Not intentionally. He understood that she hadnât meant to harm him when she sat down in that bathtub and cut her wrists open. Her pain had been so raw, so overwhelming that she hadnât been able to see beyond it.
Heâd been there and he could relate. Not that it made him feel any better. The bottom line was that Felicia hadnât cared for him enough to want to live. The bottom line was that he was done caring for people.
Oh, he still loved some of the members of his family, Katie and Ivy, and especially Trent, but he had no intention of adding to that list and risking yet another knife to the heart. How many times was a man expected to get stabbed before he died? How many could he survive?
He had a feeling he knew.
His resolve hardened. Getting any more involved with Sydney would be a huge mistake, for both of them. She needed, deserved a man who had a future. He was a man who hadnât survived the past.
Sydney had to go. She had to leave the island and she had to leave it soon.
To that end, he put in a call to Eddie Atada, asking him to come over tomorrow and examine Sydney again. If he found her well enough to travel, he, Danny,would pay for her transportation back to Kauai or one of the other islands if she preferred, until she was well enough to return to the mainland.
Eddie agreed to come over the following afternoon, and Danny knew a sense of relief. She could leave with Eddie tomorrow. He knew Leilani already had planned tonightâs dinner, but it wouldnât be hard to pretend to be busy through the morning hours. Sydney didnât need to be entertained. Besides, if he told her what he intended, she would need to pack.
He thought heâd prepared himself, but when she walked onto the lanai before dinner, it was all he could do not to stare and slobber.
She wore a pale-blue fitted sweater and skirt in some silky material that clung to her slender frame in a way that the flowered robe hadnât. And though sheâd worn a bikini earlier this morning, sheâd also worn that baggy T-shirt dress as a cover-up so he really hadnât gotten a good look at her figure even then.
Now⦠He almost groaned aloud in sheer frustration. Now she looked utterly beautiful and intensely attractive. Sheâd acquired a little color from their time in the sun even though heâd insisted she be careful and use liberal quantities of sunscreen. The pale blue of the simple, clinging sweater and matching skirt made her skin look tanned
And then there was his wife. A tiny spark of anger flared within her. How could anyone think only of themselves in such a devastating situation? Hadnât the woman known how much Danny needed her? She was all he had left, and when sheâd taken her own life sheâd abandoned him. Rejected him, in a way. Youâre not enough, sheâd said. Sydney was certain that if sheâd been Dannyâs wife, she would have wanted to share the memories they had of their baby, to grieve and to hope and to fear together.
But she wasnât his wife. And it didnât matter how attracted she was to him, how compelling those blue eyes were, she couldnât get involved with him. He was a train wreck of emotional baggage that she knew she wasnât equipped for. Unquestionably, she should steer clear of Danny Crosby.
Â
Danny stood on the terrace off his bedroom that evening and wished like hell he hadnât quit smoking. Maybe if he had something to do with his hands he wouldnât feel this jumpy, insistent need that Sydney Aston had aroused in him.
Until sheâd come, heâd been happy. Okay, nothappy, but serene. Life was predictable and dull, exactly what he wanted after the tumultuous events that had followed him through childhood, into adolescence and ultimately even into his marriage. He never intended to care for another person again. Felicia had cured him of that. Not intentionally. He understood that she hadnât meant to harm him when she sat down in that bathtub and cut her wrists open. Her pain had been so raw, so overwhelming that she hadnât been able to see beyond it.
Heâd been there and he could relate. Not that it made him feel any better. The bottom line was that Felicia hadnât cared for him enough to want to live. The bottom line was that he was done caring for people.
Oh, he still loved some of the members of his family, Katie and Ivy, and especially Trent, but he had no intention of adding to that list and risking yet another knife to the heart. How many times was a man expected to get stabbed before he died? How many could he survive?
He had a feeling he knew.
His resolve hardened. Getting any more involved with Sydney would be a huge mistake, for both of them. She needed, deserved a man who had a future. He was a man who hadnât survived the past.
Sydney had to go. She had to leave the island and she had to leave it soon.
To that end, he put in a call to Eddie Atada, asking him to come over tomorrow and examine Sydney again. If he found her well enough to travel, he, Danny,would pay for her transportation back to Kauai or one of the other islands if she preferred, until she was well enough to return to the mainland.
Eddie agreed to come over the following afternoon, and Danny knew a sense of relief. She could leave with Eddie tomorrow. He knew Leilani already had planned tonightâs dinner, but it wouldnât be hard to pretend to be busy through the morning hours. Sydney didnât need to be entertained. Besides, if he told her what he intended, she would need to pack.
He thought heâd prepared himself, but when she walked onto the lanai before dinner, it was all he could do not to stare and slobber.
She wore a pale-blue fitted sweater and skirt in some silky material that clung to her slender frame in a way that the flowered robe hadnât. And though sheâd worn a bikini earlier this morning, sheâd also worn that baggy T-shirt dress as a cover-up so he really hadnât gotten a good look at her figure even then.
Now⦠He almost groaned aloud in sheer frustration. Now she looked utterly beautiful and intensely attractive. Sheâd acquired a little color from their time in the sun even though heâd insisted she be careful and use liberal quantities of sunscreen. The pale blue of the simple, clinging sweater and matching skirt made her skin look tanned
Similar Books
