Secrets of the Playboy's Bride by Leanne Banks Page B

Tina screaming with glee then saw Calista yelling at the top of her lungs. Although she was wearing a life jacket, he was certain she was frightened. Strippingoff his shirt, he jumped in the water and swam to her. She seemed to be struggling for breath.
    “Are you okay?” he asked, pulling her to him.
    She gasped then laughed. “Yes, I’m just going to kill my little sister. She did some sort of spinning thing with the tube during that last turn.”
    “So you really are okay?”
    She met his gaze and her laugh faded. “Were you really worried?”
    “I remembered about the time you fell off the boat,” he said, feeling foolish.
    “And you thought I was panicking,” she concluded in a wry voice. “Reasonable assumption, but no, this time Tina distracted me. Thanks for jumping in for me, though,” she said and smiled. “Had enough of my sisters?”
    “The three of you have an interesting relationship,” he said, pulling her toward the boat. “Tami is busy laughing at you, while Tina is goading you into taking a spin.”
    “That’s sisters for you. I’m guessing you didn’t have any,” she said.
    He met her gaze and felt a strange twist in his gut. “None that I can remember.”
    She hesitated, looking at him and biting her lip. “That must be awful. Not being able to remember,” she said.
    He couldn’t bear her sympathy or her empathy. It caused an ache inside him that no pain medication would salve. “Maybe it wasn’t worth remembering,” he said and before she could respond, he added, “Go ahead and climb on board. You need to dry off. Here comes Tina.”
    Leo piloted the boat back to the dock in silence, thrown back in time to all those nights when he wondered what kind of family he’d had, what his parents had been like, if he’d had siblings and if they’d died instantly in the car crashthat had left him with no memory and a foster father who had abused him. He pulled into the dock, lost in thought.
    “Thanks,” Tami said and hugged him.
    He saw Calista watching them over Tami’s shoulder and hugged the teenager. “My pleasure. I want copies of those pictures,” he said.
    Tami pulled back and smiled at him. “Deal,” she said.
    “What pictures?” Calista demanded.
    “Just a few of you and Tina in the water,” Tami said innocently. “I thought I’d post them on Facebook tonight.”
    Calista cringed. “Don’t tag me. I don’t want my boss seeing those.”
    “Why? Because he’ll be jealous you were having such a good time with two hot almost-college girls?” Tami said.
    Calista groaned. “Just don’t. And maybe I should send both of you to a convent instead of a university.”
     
    Hours later, after eating dinner and viewing a chick flick in Leo’s screening room, Calista climbed the stairs to Leo’s bedroom and washed her face and brushed her teeth in the adjoining bathroom. Then she crept into his bed, carefully sliding underneath the covers.
    “Did you have fun?” he asked, startling her.
    She froze for two seconds then took a breath. “Yes. My sisters had fun, too. Thank you so much for making this happen. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
    “I’m glad you enjoyed it. It was fun seeing you with your sisters. It’s impressive that the three of you put things back together.”
    Her pleasure in the day dimmed a little. Leo would be all too well acquainted with how her family had imploded,especially her father. “My father wasn’t perfect, but he was affectionate and he made us laugh. He tried to teach me to play golf.”
    “Tried?” he said.
    “Not my forte. He was one of the most encouraging people I’ve known. I would hit a ball all wrong and he would say things like ‘You almost got it.’ ‘That’s a good start.’” She shook her head, her heart squeezing tight with the memories. “For the most part, he was extremely optimistic. Maybe a little too optimistic at times, but I miss him. I miss his smile and his laugh and his bear