In fact, her boy was in a wonderful mood. The yellow duck entered the water with a decided splash.

Aric crowed. “Run away, whale. Swim.”

The bright blue whale squirted water, thankfully not too high, as it tried to escape the oversized duck.

Who would have thought rubber ducks had a feral side? That orange beak might give any animal second thoughts.

When the whale escaped, Kit cheered along with Aric. Then tugged his hair. “Time for bed, my man.”

Aric eyed her, so she put on her “serious face”. With a gargantuan sigh, he unplugged the drain and giggled as the water swirled around his toes.

He dried off—with some help—and she picked him up and swung him out of the tub.

Wasn’t that the best feeling?

She still instinctively guarded her ribs and abdominal incision, and her arm ached if she used it too much, but she was pretty much back to normal. Even working as a receptionist no longer wore her out. She was making money and standing on her feet again.

Mostly.

As she followed her naked child into the area the guys had sectioned off as “Aric’s bedroom,” she sighed. Living here rent-free wasn’t exactly being independent.

She’d also hoped to be gone before Hawk returned.

As if following her thoughts, Aric started talking about him, the words muffled as he pulled his pj top over his head. “Hawk said sorry.”

The big bad mercenary had apologized to a little boy? “Sorry about what?”

As Aric’s head popped out, he struggled to get his arm in one sleeve. “Cuz he didn’t come back when he was s’posed to, and he shoulda called.”

“He told you he should have called.”

“Uh-huh.” Aric gave a firm nod. “He shoulda.”

Wait a minute. Where had this “supposed to” notion come from?

She studied her child. “Did Hawk tell you he was going to leave? Before he left?”

“Uh-huh. He gave me his ber… His ber… His hat.” Squatting beside his small bed, Aric opened the wooden box she’d given him for his treasures. He pulled out a maroon beret.

Huh. She’d occasionally seen Aric carrying it, and she’d thought it was a particularly limp stuffed toy. Regan had given him a few of her old ones.

It looked like military headgear. “That was Hawk’s?”

“It’s from when he be’d a soldier.” Aric’s eyes were shining with awe. “A pilot.”

Kit took the beret. The emblem on the front had the words “Night Stalkers” with a winged centaur holding a sword. “He gave you this?”

“To hold on till he comed back.” Aric’s lip quivered. “But he didn’t come.”

She’d hated Hawk for leaving her son without a word. How could he?

Yet, she hated herself for being the cause.