any lack on his mother’s part. Drew wondered if it meant she was trusting him, or if it was simply more expedient to agree. Of course, she had yet to reveal their next stop.
He knelt in front of Andy. “You’ll have to sit still.”
The boy’s head bobbed up and down. “I will.”
“And we’ll need to be very quiet when we’re on the water. Can you do that?”
Andy mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key.
Getting to his feet, Drew looked to Addi. “Lead the way.”
They pushed the boats into the water and paddled quietly away from the bank. The motors weren’t worth risking the unwanted attention.
Though she was only a few yards ahead of him, he could barely see Addi’s boat and he followed her more by sound than sight. Weak moonlight shifted through the treetops and splashed across the black water. The mirrorlike surface shifted with ripples each time Addi’s paddle dipped under, rose and dipped again.
Her years of city living and corporate success hadn’t dimmed any of the skills she’d mastered in her youth. She was as at home out here as he remembered.
Moving through the night-covered swamp, with the subtle sounds of Addi’s paddle ahead of him and Andy’s soft breath behind him, his mind wandered back to the day he’d met her.
He’d come down to New Orleans with a few army buddies to celebrate Mardi Gras. Ready to party, he hadn’t been ready to fall for the gorgeous blonde with the wide smile and pale blue eyes. Back then he didn’t have a thought to spare for luck or destiny when his group of friends met up with hers in a blues bar in the French Quarter.
Over strong drinks and the sexy, low pulse of music, the soldier and the law student found some common ground despite their differences. Smart as a whip, only her soft Southern drawl gave away her Mississippi farm-girl roots.
He could still remember calling the next day, sweating as he wondered if she’d given him a bogus number and grinning like a fool when she’d eagerly accepted his invitation to lunch. From that moment, they’d been inseparable, holding hands, exchanging hot, breath-stealing kisses and longing for more of each other. By the end of the week, they were all but engaged, overlooking the tough romantic geography of her law school and his career keeping them apart.
That day, that first sweet memory and all the memories that followed had kept him going through every dark moment as a prisoner. His captors hadn’t broken him because he’d had her in that sacred part of his mind, heart and soul. And while he’d had her, she’d had their son.
“You okay back there?” he asked, pitching his voice low.
“Yes,” Andy whispered. “Is Mom okay?”
“She’s doing great.”
“How much longer?”
“No idea, but we’ll have s’mores when we get there.”
“Promise?” Andy asked around a yawn.
“I guarantee it.” Drew balanced the paddle across his knees, listening. “Quiet for the rest of the way.”
“’Kay,” Andy whispered.
The swamp opened up and the sky above sparkled with starlight between the thick line of trees marching along the banks. It seemed the world held its breath, watching Addi guide her little boat around islands of cypress trees weeping with Spanish moss. He followed closely, keeping his boat on the same line as hers, unwilling to risk areas that might be too shallow.
They made it to the far side without any trouble and into another narrow waterway. At the slow pace, the only strain was on his patience, but he wanted to get far enough from the shack so he could determine the risk to her and Andy.
At last, she paddled for the shore, using a low-hanging limb to pull the boat in snugly. Her feet landed in the soft mud of the bank with a quiet smack and she had the boat out of the water before he could help. He had no idea what landmark she was using, but he was grateful to see the shadow of a smile on her face when they were all ashore, along with their gear.
“You really
He knelt in front of Andy. “You’ll have to sit still.”
The boy’s head bobbed up and down. “I will.”
“And we’ll need to be very quiet when we’re on the water. Can you do that?”
Andy mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key.
Getting to his feet, Drew looked to Addi. “Lead the way.”
They pushed the boats into the water and paddled quietly away from the bank. The motors weren’t worth risking the unwanted attention.
Though she was only a few yards ahead of him, he could barely see Addi’s boat and he followed her more by sound than sight. Weak moonlight shifted through the treetops and splashed across the black water. The mirrorlike surface shifted with ripples each time Addi’s paddle dipped under, rose and dipped again.
Her years of city living and corporate success hadn’t dimmed any of the skills she’d mastered in her youth. She was as at home out here as he remembered.
Moving through the night-covered swamp, with the subtle sounds of Addi’s paddle ahead of him and Andy’s soft breath behind him, his mind wandered back to the day he’d met her.
He’d come down to New Orleans with a few army buddies to celebrate Mardi Gras. Ready to party, he hadn’t been ready to fall for the gorgeous blonde with the wide smile and pale blue eyes. Back then he didn’t have a thought to spare for luck or destiny when his group of friends met up with hers in a blues bar in the French Quarter.
Over strong drinks and the sexy, low pulse of music, the soldier and the law student found some common ground despite their differences. Smart as a whip, only her soft Southern drawl gave away her Mississippi farm-girl roots.
He could still remember calling the next day, sweating as he wondered if she’d given him a bogus number and grinning like a fool when she’d eagerly accepted his invitation to lunch. From that moment, they’d been inseparable, holding hands, exchanging hot, breath-stealing kisses and longing for more of each other. By the end of the week, they were all but engaged, overlooking the tough romantic geography of her law school and his career keeping them apart.
That day, that first sweet memory and all the memories that followed had kept him going through every dark moment as a prisoner. His captors hadn’t broken him because he’d had her in that sacred part of his mind, heart and soul. And while he’d had her, she’d had their son.
“You okay back there?” he asked, pitching his voice low.
“Yes,” Andy whispered. “Is Mom okay?”
“She’s doing great.”
“How much longer?”
“No idea, but we’ll have s’mores when we get there.”
“Promise?” Andy asked around a yawn.
“I guarantee it.” Drew balanced the paddle across his knees, listening. “Quiet for the rest of the way.”
“’Kay,” Andy whispered.
The swamp opened up and the sky above sparkled with starlight between the thick line of trees marching along the banks. It seemed the world held its breath, watching Addi guide her little boat around islands of cypress trees weeping with Spanish moss. He followed closely, keeping his boat on the same line as hers, unwilling to risk areas that might be too shallow.
They made it to the far side without any trouble and into another narrow waterway. At the slow pace, the only strain was on his patience, but he wanted to get far enough from the shack so he could determine the risk to her and Andy.
At last, she paddled for the shore, using a low-hanging limb to pull the boat in snugly. Her feet landed in the soft mud of the bank with a quiet smack and she had the boat out of the water before he could help. He had no idea what landmark she was using, but he was grateful to see the shadow of a smile on her face when they were all ashore, along with their gear.
“You really
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