An Innocent In Paradise

helpful.”

“I’m glad,” Logan said.

“I can’t wait to swim in that clear turquoise water,” Julia said dreamily.

“I’m starting with a massage first thing tomorrow,” Sally said, then sighed. “All my beautiful grandbabies are taking a toll on my muscles.”

“Oh, I’ll join you,” Kelly said, rubbing her neck. “I’m pretty sure my shoulder was yanked out of its socket when I lifted Robbie yesterday.”

“I know what you mean, sweetie.” Sally cast a wary glance at Brandon. “I’m afraid that little guy is going to grow up to be a linebacker.”

Brandon grinned. “That’s my boy.”

“I was hoping to get a golf game in first thing,” Tom said as he grabbed a chip full of guacamole.

“I’ll be glad to join you,” Adam said.

“Me, too,” Brandon chimed in. “And Kelly’s no slacker on the golf course, either.”

“Massage first,” Kelly said. “But I’d love to play golf the next day.”

“I’ll go swimming with you, baby,” Cameron said, wrapping his arm around Julia’s shoulder. With a smile, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest.

Logan felt a tug of envy at his cousins’ good luck at finding three such beautiful, accomplished women to marry. He knew they each had one or two really cute kids, too. So they’d clearly never had a qualm about trusting a woman enough to marry and settle down with her. Of course, they’d grown up with Sally, who was a fantastic mom and must’ve provided them with a happy home despite her husband’s untimely death. The Duke brothers had never known a mother’s betrayal or experienced the treachery of a manipulative, lying woman.

Lucky dogs.

Logan wiped away the sweat from his eyes as he ran to the end of the peninsula and rounded the slow curve of white-blond sand. He headed back toward the hotel, his heart pounding in rhythm with his feet. He observed a few others out this morning, running or walking to the beat of the music blasting into their heads through tiny earbuds.

He tried to concentrate exclusively on his breathing, but the thought of Grace’s lush, naked body still warming his bed caused his body to tighten. It had seemed like a good idea to force himself to get up and go running this morning, but now he couldn’t quite figure out why.

Pacing himself, he marked time and distance as he passed the familiar landmarks of life here on Alleria. The paddle tennis courts where he and his brother took turns beating each other. The grassy pavilion where concerts were held during the high season. The tiny marina where the hotel kept a fleet of sleek catamarans for guests to rent and where the brothers docked their sailboat.

Thinking of the sailboat reminded him of Grace and their recent picnic. And her lush, naked body.

“Damn,” he muttered, and tried to focus on the sound of his shoes pounding against the damp, hard-packed sand. The bay water smelled briny this morning and he wondered if the local fishermen might be reeling in more bluefish in the near future.

The colors of the sunrise were muted pink and coral and so rich it almost hurt to gaze at the swirling hues. He would never admit to a single soul that it was those colors and the island scents that brought him out here at this absurdly early hour of the morning. Exercise was simply an excuse.

“Hey, cousin,” a voice called out.

Logan turned and saw Brandon Duke running toward him and slowed his pace. “Morning, Brandon. You’re up early.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Brandon said, then shook his head. “Don’t laugh, but I miss my kid.”

“I’m not laughing. That’s nice to hear.”

Brandon turned and headed back to the hotel with Logan. “Kelly tells me I’m crazy and that it’s good to get away for a few days. But she misses him, too. I caught her staring at all of his pictures on her phone.”

“How old is he now?”

“Just seven months,” Brandon said. “Doesn’t seem right to just leave him with the nanny, does it? But here we are.”

“You got pictures?”

“Aw, jeez, don’t ask. I’ve got a phone loaded with his photos, too. And I’m willing to bore-I mean, share them with anyone foolish enough to ask.”

Logan laughed. “You’re a good dad.”

“Yeah,” Brandon said, shaking his head in wonder. “Who would’ve thought.”

“Well, you had a great mom growing up to show you how it’s done.”

“Not exactly,” Brandon said, grimacing.

“What do you mean?” Logan asked.

“We all came from different screwed-up families and landed in the foster system around the same time,” he explained. “Sally adopted the three of us when we were all about eight years old.”

Logan stared at him. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah. Before that fateful day, I’d spent eight years living with a crack addict mother and a subhuman piece of crap I hesitate to call a father. He beat the hell out of us from the first moment I could remember. After a few hundred brutal beatings, dear old mom hit the road, leaving me alone with the monster. Luckily, a good neighbor turned him in to child services and I ended up in foster care. But I never forgot the lessons his fists taught me. Adam and Cameron had similar experiences. We’re all damn lucky Sally found us.”

Logan stopped walking. Troubled, he glanced around the shore, gazed at the hotel in the distance, then looked back at his cousin. “I…I don’t know what to say. Last night I was thinking you and your brothers were the luckiest guys on earth for getting to grow up with a mom like Sally. I was feeling sorry for myself, comparing my life to yours. I figured you guys didn’t have a care in the world. Guess I didn’t know what I was thinking.”

“That’s okay,” Brandon said. “Sally really did change everything for us. And I am the luckiest guy on earth. But it took a few drop kicks from Sally to get me to realize that.”

“Yeah? What happened?”

“I was ready to walk away from Kelly.”

Logan frowned. “But you two seem perfect for each other.”

Brandon grinned as they began to walk again. “Don’t get me wrong. I was crazy in love with her and she loved me, too, in spite of the fact that I was a complete knuckle-head for thinking I wasn’t good enough for her. My thing always was, I didn’t want to get close to anyone in case I came up short, you know? Sally’s the one who finally smacked some sense into me.”

Logan shook his head, pulled a hand towel from his back pocket and wiped more sweat away. “So let me get this straight. You weren’t going to marry Kelly because you figured your parents had screwed you up so much that you could never be a decent husband and father?”

“That about covers it.”

Logan nodded grimly. He knew Brandon had spent years in the NFL as a star quarterback, then worked in broadcasting before joining his brothers in their multimillion-dollar business. He defined the word successful. Besides that, he was smart, had a great sense of humor and loved his family. The guy was a virtual paragon.

But he’d grown up thinking he was all screwed up?

And now he was well-adjusted and secure enough to admit the mistakes he’d made? Logan was starting to view his cousin in a whole new light.

Through gritted teeth, Logan said, “Our mom walked out on us when we were kids.”

“Damn,” Brandon said, shaking his head. “Some people are just not meant to have children.”

“No kidding.”

“But look on the bright side.” Brandon chuckled. “At least she did you the favor of leaving you in the hands of a great father.”

“That’s true.” Logan hadn’t thought about it from that angle. And now he couldn’t help but picture Brandon as the kid who’d been used as a punching bag by a vicious man who never should’ve been allowed to be a father. But he’d survived. No, he’d more than survived. Brandon had thrived. Logan couldn’t help but admire the man he’d