They had been at the beach house for two days. Michael knew this because he counted the minutes and hours. He tortured himself now watching Isla in a pair of too short denim shorts that allowed that damn red bikini to peak from beneath it. He sat in a lounger watching Isla and Ryan as they played at the water's edge. He laughed at Ryan's attempt at bravery when she ran up to the waves, but ran back once she realized they were bigger than she was. Isla swept her into her arms just as the wave covered them both. They were both knocked to the sand by the wave.
Thirty days is a long time he thought to himself. Why are you torturing yourself was his next thought. Isla was sex personified. Everything about her was sexy. Michael thought of how she ate enormous amounts of food at each setting and that even turned him on. He laughed when he thought about how Isla always says you can't trust people that don't eat. Ryan's shriek caught his attention and he laughed as she attempted to kick water at Isla. Michael grabbed his camera and began snapping away. He had always been a fan of off guard photos. These he would cherish once the thirty days were over. He watched Isla now, and even in mother mode, she was sexy as hell. Damn! This is going to be a long thirty days. He looked towards heaven. "Thanks for the setup old girl."
Michael watched Isla and continued to snap pictures. He remembered his first time meeting Isla he was floored. Hurricane Isla came storming into Thomas' office demanding to know why her credit card had been shut off. Once Thomas had explained to the then sixteen-year-old Isla that she was over spending, she emptied her entire Coach bag on his desk and proceeded to shred every credit card her father had given her. Isla then turned to Michael and said, "Hello, I'm Isla Marine DiAmico, will you please tell my father I don't need his money." She then walked out of the office slamming the door behind her. Michael smiled at the memory. Her temper had always been short, Thomas had explained. All Michael could remember about that day was how red her face got when she was angry. Any other time her smooth mocha complexion just held him captive. He had seen Thomas a month later being escorted by his eldest daughter, Taryn. He had asked him then how long it took Isla to ask for the credit cards to be replaced. He had watched sadness creep into the older man's eyes. "She hasn't," Thomas had replied.
Michael and Thomas had just become acquainted. The day Isla stormed into his office had been their first meeting. Michael had become acquainted with Taryn because she worked in her father's office. He knew she was in relationship with Adrian. Everyone had hopes of them getting married. Sadness began to wash over Michael as he realized that night at the party had been his last time seeing Taryn alive.
"Why the long face, Cowboy?" A dripping wet Isla stood before him looking every bit the fantasy woman of any man's dreams. Her cut off shorts hung low on her hips and Michael could again see a glimpse of the red bikini bottom. The white button down was now wet and he could clearly see the red bikini top that hardly contained the delicious breast that he had become familiar with while they were married. Her raven colored hair hung down her back and curled in mass on her head. Michael fought the urge to wrestle her to the sand and kiss her senseless. The miniature replica standing next to her with the grin on her face was the sole reason he resisted.
"I was thinking of the day we met. That led to thoughts of Taryn and the last time I saw her." He left off the "alive" part. He knew she would be sad enough knowing he was thinking of her sister. Isla only nodded and then took Ryan by the hand and headed for the house.
After dinner, Ryan watched a movie and then drifted off to sleep. Michael carried her to her room and tucked her in. "Thank you for putting her to bed."
"I'm her father Isla, its what I'm supposed to do." Isla shrugged her shoulders and retrieved the cookies from the cupboard. Michael took the opportunity to ask what had been nagging him since he found out about Ryan. "Why didn't you tell me about Ryan?"
"I told you I believed you when you said you didn't want kids."
"I don't believe that for a minute. You know me. You have known me better than anyone else has. You know I would have taken care of the two of you."
"The same way Carter took care of Denise. Or maybe the way my father took care of my mother." Michael knew what she was referring to; in both cases, the men had taken the children from their mothers.
"I would have never taken Ryan away from you."
"I couldn't trust that. The track record speaks for itself." She walked away from him. "Isla, you know me. You know I would never do anything to hurt you."
"I only know what the Brotherhood has taught me. I would have liked to believe that you wouldn't have taken Ryan from me, but I couldn't trust that."
"So what makes what you did to me any different than what you feared I would do to you? You kept my child away from me, the same way you were kept from your mother."
Isla looked away from him. He was right she had done that, but finding out she was pregnant gave her a different sense of self worth. Isla felt a connection with the baby as soon as the doctor gave the results of the blood work. There was never a question of should she keep the baby. Her grandmother had urged her to call Michael, but the fear of losing her child was the only reality she could think of. She had refused out of fear of rejection and fear of losing the only guaranteed love she would ever have.
Isla remembered how her mother would cry when it was time for her and Taryn to go home to their dad. She never wanted to know that feeling of loss. She remembered how Sarina and Simone had been told by their father that their mother had left them. The reality was that Carter Maxon had taken them from her and blackmailed Denise into never contacting her girls again. That type of loss was not in Isla. She knew she would never be able to handle losing Ryan. Therefore, for no other reason than being scared of lonely, she never told Michael about Ryan.
"Isla, I just want you to understand that I love Ryan. Finding out I am a father, has been the biggest shock of my life, but it has also given me the gift of loving someone other than myself. I love her, unconditionally. There is nothing that I wouldn't give her or do to protect her. I don't want you to think I don't love her. My heart swells every time I hear her laughter. I just want to be allowed to spend time with her. I want to get to know her, the way you do."
Isla nodded her head. "We have this whole month to decide on visitation. Right now, you have her all day and all night. I will not stand in the way of you getting to know Ryan."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me for doing something I should have done a long time ago. I understand what you are going through. I promised Yaya that once you found out that I would never keep Ryan away from you. I have always answered any question she has had about you. I showed her your picture. She knows you, but not the way she should." Isla watched Michael move to the stool and lean over the island in the kitchen. He was only inches away from her. She felt his heat and for a moment lost her train of thought. "I – um – I want her to get to know you."
Isla was still dressed in those damn shorts that had him twisted in knots all day. Her legs were shapely and gave the illusion that she was taller than she actually was. Michael rubbed his hands down his face in an effort to keep from touching her. He thought about what his attorney had said. She had advised him that proving Isla unfit would be extremely difficult. She had no criminal record or drug problem. Ryan was not being abused and from all perspectives, she looked to be happy. Isla was perfect in the court's eyes. Pam, his attorney, had advised Michael to try to see if he could reconcile with Isla. Michael had been giving the idea some thought. It would allow him to get to know his daughter and if he could get the raven-haired sex siren back into his bed that would be a plus for him as well.
Michael stood to his full height without moving away from Isla. He watched as she looked up to him with wariness in her eyes. "Maybe, for the sake of our daughter, we can present a united front."
Isla visibly swallowed. His heat was causing her body temperature to rise. He was too close. So close, that his heat took away the chill that she had been feeling. "Maybe."
