The Man Who Has No Sight - Victoria Quinn Page 0,85

even though I was already in the shade.

Derek had on one of those floppy hats with bait hooks along the edges, making him look like an experienced fisherman in the midst of retirement.

We enjoyed the silence together, the gentle rock of the boat, the sound of birds and frogs.

It was interesting that Derek loved fishing so much since he didn’t keep the fish. And there was a lot of silence, a lot of doing nothing, but he seemed to be thoroughly entertained.

Deacon sat beside me on the leather chairs, in running shorts and a t-shirt, his arm around me. He would occasionally kiss my neck, place his hand over my belly like he needed to remember how it felt, or whisper something to me.

It was the happiest moment of my life. There was nothing special about it, the three of us on the boat when I didn’t even like to fish, but it was so serene, so peaceful, a moment I would treasure forever.

Because it was everything I wanted.

I wanted these quiet moments with Deacon for the rest of my life, growing our family, making time to take trips to the cabin and wherever else we wanted to go. It made me realize stepping down from work really wasn’t that hard, not when I got this instead. I never imagined I would end up with some brilliant billionaire who had no social skills, but now that he was mine, I couldn’t believe I’d lived so long without him.

He kissed my neck again, giving me affection, telling me he loved me wordlessly. “It’s a beautiful day.”

I moved into him, my head resting on his shoulder, his hand moving to my stomach as I tilted toward him. “Yes…it really is.”

We made s’mores in front of the fire, Derek using two pieces of chocolate instead of one. I did the same, because his improvement really was so much better. Deacon didn’t have any because he was lame, but Derek and I made a few.

“Do you think you’ll name my brother Tarantula?” Derek asked, chocolate all over his face.

I sat beside Deacon in one of the chairs while Derek sat on the blanket on the ground, right in front of the fire so he could stick the marshmallows inside and combine them with the graham crackers and chocolate. “No, I think that’s too intense. I’m afraid other kids will be scared of him.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s true. What if you name him after a galaxy in the universe? Like Andromeda?”

“That sounds more like a girl’s name.”

“Oh yeah. You’re right.”

“I was thinking something simpler…like Dex.”

“Because Dad and I both have D’s in our names?” Derek asked.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, that is pretty cool.”

“I like it.” Deacon’s voice came from his chair. He hadn’t participated in the conversation for the last few minutes, just drinking his beer and staring at the fire.

“You do?” I asked, thinking that was too easy.

“Dex Hamilton.” He nodded. “It’s good.”

“Is that my little brother’s name, then?” Derek asked. “Dex?”

Deacon moved his hand to mine and held it. “Yeah…I think so.”

We went on a long hike then had lunch afterward.

I was an active person, so I didn’t expect pregnancy to slow me down, but I did notice subtle changes, like earlier signs of fatigue. But since I had a doctor with me, I was never afraid to go too far from the cabin. That was another perk about his success. I always had someone to talk to if something just didn’t feel right, even if his specialty was not obstetrics.

Deacon made lunch, and we ate at the table inside. We had sandwiches and chips, along with sliced bananas and almond butter.

Derek was quiet, worn-out from the hike that took us four hours. He smeared his bananas into the almond butter lazily, like he was too tired to eat but did it anyway.

Deacon watched him, smirking slightly. “I think we should all take a nap.”

Derek rested his chin on his hand, his elbow on the table. “Not tired…”

I chuckled because it was so untrue.

“We’ll take a nap, and then we’ll sit by the lake and have dinner.”

The sun went down much earlier than it did in the summer, so by the time we woke up, it probably would be dark.

Deacon continued to watch his son. “I’m gonna get him in the bath then put him to bed.”

“I wish someone would give me a bath and put me to bed…” I was exhausted, wanting to fall asleep on the couch. But I was sweaty. I at least