No Matter What (The Billionaires of Sawgrass #4) - Delaney Cameron Page 0,22

teeth. His blue-tinted lips told her that he still favored Berry Blue Kool-Aid.

“Aunt Robin!” he yelled as if she stood twenty feet away instead of five. “I didn’t know you were coming.”

“I wanted to surprise you.” She crouched down to his level and held out her arms. When he ran into them, a wave of love rushed over her along with a throbbing ache in the region of her heart. Long before she was ready to let go, he was pulling away. Blinking the tears from her eyes, she brushed back the unruly brown hair from his forehead. “How was your trip to the park?”

“Good. I like the rocket slide best. I’m gonna be an astronaut when I grow up and fly in a real spaceship.”

“An astronaut? That’s sounds exciting! Where will you go?”

He rubbed his nose. “To the moon first, and then to Mars. Mommy and Daddy aren’t here. They had to go on a trip.”

Robin had wondered how much Owen knew about his parents. These remarks more or less answered that question. They also gave her the opening she needed. “That’s why I’m here, Owen. Your mommy and daddy asked me to take you to Jacksonville.”

He tilted his head to the side. “Does that funny lady still live with you?”

Robin smiled at his description of Kait. “Yes, Kait is there. She’s looking forward to seeing you.”

“Can we go to the zoo like we did last time?” he asked, his fingers playing with the cupcake pendant on her necklace. “I want to see the alligators again.”

“Of course. We can also go to the beach and visit the candy factory.”

His eyes got big. “There’s a candy factory?”

The awe in his voice deepened her smile. “Yes. They show you how they make the candy, and then you get to eat it.”

“Let’s do that first, Aunt Robin.” The excitement in his eyes suddenly dimmed. “I wish Mommy and Daddy were here. Then they could come with us.”

A lump the size of a watermelon lodged in Robin’s throat. Trying to clear it was unsuccessful. “I wish they were here, too, sweetheart. More than anything.”

“Can we call them on your phone?”

The desperate eagerness in his voice was almost Robin’s undoing. This was so much harder than she’d imagined. Owen would have to be told the truth. Not now, of course, but fairly soon. She couldn’t keep up the pretense that his parents were coming back. It was cruel to hold out hope for something that was never going to happen.

“I’m afraid it’s not possible to call them on the phone.”

His mouth drooped a little, but the next second, he was off in another direction. “Do those airplanes still fly over your house?”

He was referring to the naval planes at Mayport. “Yes, they do.”

“They’re really loud. I used to be scared of them, but I’m not anymore.”

His comments gave her an idea. “Maybe we can see the planes up close. Would you like that, Owen?”

A grin split his face. “That would be super-duper!”

‘Super-duper’ had been Daniel’s favorite expression, and not inconsequently, one of the first things Owen had said as a baby. Robin remembered Piper’s slight disappointment by this turn of events. She’d felt ‘ma-ma’ or something similar should have preceded everything else.

“I’ll look into it once we get back.” She stood up and held out her hand. “Right now, we need to pack your things. You can’t go to Jacksonville with only the clothes you’re wearing.”

Owen didn’t question why they were emptying his closet and drawers of nearly all their contents. His trust in her was complete. The thought was both comforting and frightening. She didn’t want to let him or his parents down.

Barb and her husband remained out of sight until it was time to leave. Even then, they confined their remarks to Owen, ignoring Robin completely. She didn’t mind. Enough ugly words had been exchanged, and she had a feeling there would be more to come.

On the way out of town, she picked up a Happy Meal for Owen. A full stomach and the movement of the car lulled him to sleep. The smile on his lips had her wondering if he was dreaming about the parents he would never see again.

Robin had no memories of hers, but she remembered vividly the day a social worker explained that her mother had died giving birth to her, and her father had ‘gone away’. Every night for years afterward, she’d prayed that he would come back for her. Then she could be part of