He finally decided to go see if they’d ended up back in her room. When he got there, the door was open and a housekeeper was busy making the beds. She looked up when he came in.
“Excuse me, but did you happen to see the woman who is staying in this room?”
“Yes. She and her little boy went down to the beach.”
Elliot’s mouth almost dropped open. “The beach? Are you sure?”
“Yes. I brought them some extra towels.”
“Do you know which one they went to?”
The woman shrugged. “I suggested Kiddy Cove, since she wanted to take her boy swimming. No telling for sure if that’s where she went.”
“Thank you,” Elliot said, turning on his heel and running for the elevator.
Lena face-to-face with the entire Caribbean ocean? No way was that ending well. What if she had another panic attack and fainted again? What if it happened when Tyler was out in the water? Something could happen to Tyler, and she might not be able to get to him. Dammit, she never should have gone without him.
Elliot hauled ass down to the beach as fast as he could go, his heart in his throat, anxiety crawling through him like some disease he couldn’t shake. The resort owned several small beaches in addition to the huge stretch of sand that was the only barrier between the resort grounds and the ocean. Elliot didn’t think Lena would choose one of the more crowded spots. With as nervous as the water made her, she probably wouldn’t want a huge audience for her first foray.
Elliot took a few deeps breath, trying to calm his nerves. He wouldn’t do her any good if he was half hysterical himself by the time he got to her. He tried Kiddy Cove first. It was a good spot for her to go. Probably full of kids, yes, but it would be more fun for Tyler to have other children to play with, and Lena had seemed determined to give Tyler a surprise he’d really love.
When he first reached the cove, he thought he might be mistaken. He scanned the beach, his gaze traveling along the sand, picking through the family groups, one by one. No Lena, no Tyler. Then he heard Tyler’s laughter ringing out, and he looked out toward the ocean.
The sight that met his eyes froze him in his tracks. “Holy shit.”
Lena stood in the water, the ocean waves lapping at her kneecaps. Tyler was near her, but not close enough for her to touch. He was slightly farther out than her, the water reaching to his belly button. Lena’s hand was stretched toward her son. Elliot couldn’t hear what she said, but he could see her hand trembling even from where he was.
“Not good, not good, not good,” he murmured, kicking off his shoes so he could sprint down to where they were.
Tyler caught sight of him before Lena did. Not surprising, since Lena’s gaze was fixated on her son. Her face had gone so pale even her lips were nearly bloodless. She’d dropped her arm so that both hands were hanging at her sides, clenched into fists.
“Hey,” he said, coming up behind her slowly.
She turned her head, keeping the rest of her body motionless. He slipped his arms around her waist from behind. She remained stiff for a second and then sank against him with a tremulous sigh. He pulled her to his chest, and she wrapped her arms around his and laid her head back against him.
“How did you know we were down here?” she asked, her voice thready and shaken.
“Housekeeping.”
She managed a snort. “Figures.”
Her body went rigid again. “Tyler,” she called out. “Don’t go out any farther.”
Elliot could tell that she was trying to sound normal, but he could hear the panic beneath her words.
“I’ll get him,” he said, letting go of her to get to Tyler.
“No.”
Elliot stopped, frowning in his confusion.
“I mean, I want him within reach but… He’s having so much fun…”
Elliot looked back at Tyler and had to smile. The kid had on a face mask that squished his cheeks out the bottom and a snorkel that flopped uselessly at the side of his face. He kept dunking his face into the crystal clear ocean waters, coming up seconds later only to dive back down.
Elliot turned back to Lena, pale and trembling but bravely standing with the ocean crashing against her shins, all so her son could have fun. He brushed a damp lock of hair from her cheek and kissed her forehead.
“No worries.”
He headed toward Tyler again. When the boy came up for air again and saw Elliot coming, he excitedly splashed toward him, a large shell clutched in his hand. His legs were no match for the surf, and when the next wave rolled in it knocked Tyler’s feet from under him. Elliot scooped him up before he went under completely and swung him into the air before letting him back down with a splash.
Tyler grabbed his hand, pointing to all the sandy treasures he’d been finding beneath the waves. The water was clear enough Elliot could see the bottom, and they spent several minutes digging their toes into the sand and seeing what they could unearth. Every few minutes, Tyler would run to Lena to show or tell her something. She did her best to show the proper enthusiasm, but her face was still too pale, her body still rigid. She was doing amazingly well. Tyler had no idea his mother was seconds from a panic attack.
Still, the fact that she’d ventured into the ocean at all was incredible. If she could stop thinking about the fact that she was in the water, she might actually enjoy herself. Hmm, that was a thought. The few times he’d seen her so distracted she wasn’t paying attention to what was going on was when she was admiring some of his finer attributes. He wasn’t totally naked, but his chest was on display for her viewing pleasure. Maybe he just needed to take her mind off the vast ocean lapping at her legs and make her think of more pleasant things.
Tyler ran closer to shore to lay his shells along the sand, and Lena turned to Elliot, gratitude shining from her eyes. He seized the moment and bent to fill his cupped hands with seawater. He splashed it over his face, standing up and running his hands through his hair while the water trickled down his chest. He shook his head a little, letting the water fly around him, like he was trying to cool down. Totally innocent, nothing to see.
Oh, but Lena was definitely watching. She still stood frozen in the waves, but her face was no longer deathly white. Her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes riveted to his. He gave her an encouraging nod, took a step backward, and held out his hand.
“Come here.”
Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widening with fear.
“Come on, Mommy. It’s fun in the water!” Tyler said, trotting back out to Elliot.
Her eyes darted back and forth between Tyler and Elliot. She took a little step forward but froze again, her breath coming in short, terrified bursts when a small wave rolled in, splashing against her knees.
Perhaps a little more incentive? Elliot brushed his hands down his sides, like he was trying to get excess water off him, ending with his thumbs looped in the waistband of his shorts. He ran his fingers along the band to drop them a little lower, low enough that Lena could see the fine line of muscle cording at his hips. He worked hard for those damn muscles. Might as well put them to good use.
He left one hand on his hip and held the other one out to her. “Come on.”
Lena took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Elliot smiled at her, and she returned it with a hesitant one of her own. She walked out to him, her eyes glued to his. As soon as she was within reach, Elliot took her trembling hand and drew her to his chest. She wrapped her arms around him like he was her lifeline.
He brushed her hair from her face and cupped her cheek. “You are so brave,” he murmured so only she could hear.