He was glad she chose to be at his side tonight and every night. Not as his mistress, but as... As what? His lover? His girlfriend? Possibly the mother of his child? He was reluctant to give her that kind of power or accept her claim in his life. He wasn’t sure what Ashley was, but she was important to him.
But their month was almost up. If she wasn’t pregnant, he had to let her go. Unless he followed through and allowed her to become the caretaker of Inez Key. It wasn’t an ideal choice since he wasn’t going to live on the island. But he planned to visit frequently....
Ashley tilted her head back and laughed. “I can just picture it,” she said between gasps as she flattened her hands against her chest. “You two were trouble.”
“Wait a second!” Crystal’s eyes lit up as she pointed her finger at Ashley. “Now I know why you look familiar.”
Sebastian saw Ashley stiffen. He wanted to silence Omar’s wife. Protect Ashley. It was unfair for Ashley. She had lowered her guard only to be confronted with her family history.
“You are the daughter of that tennis legend,” Crystal exclaimed.
“Yes, I am,” Ashley confirmed quietly as she reached for her water glass. “How did you know?”
“Like I said, I am a news junkie,” Crystal said proudly. “There was something about the way the light hit your face. You look exactly like your mother.”
“Thank you,” Ashley said. Was it only Sebastian who noticed the pain that flashed in her eyes? Linda Valdez had been a beautiful woman, but Ashley didn’t like being compared to her mother.
“Who are you talking about?” Omar asked his wife.
“Ashley’s father was Donald Jones. The tennis star,” Crystal explained.
Sebastian admired Ashley’s calm. He knew what she was thinking. That his friends were going to see her differently because she was a love child and her mother was a mistress. Because her parents died in a murder-suicide.
She would soon learn that his friends—his true friends—didn’t judge. After surviving the ghetto and witnessing the darker side of humanity, nothing shocked them.
“Donald...Jones?” Omar repeated slowly and gave Sebastian a quick glance.
Damn. Sebastian’s gut twisted with alarm. He’d forgotten that Omar knew how his past was intertwined with Donald Jones. Sebastian gave the slightest shake of his head and Omar immediately went quiet. He hoped Ashley didn’t notice the silent exchange.
“Oh, I’m sure I have mascara streaming down my face,” Ashley murmured as she pressed her fingertips underneath her eyes. She grabbed for her purse and stood up. “I’ll have to fix my makeup.”
Sebastian quietly rose from the table. He knew Ashley wanted to hide. Just for a moment so she could firmly fix the cool mask she displayed to the public. The one that made people think she lived a quiet and uneventful life on a private island.
“I’ll come with you,” Crystal offered as she scrambled out of her seat.
Ashley didn’t say anything, but Sebastian noticed the tension in her polite smile. He wanted to intervene and protect her from the intrusive questions Crystal would undoubtedly ask. He couldn’t. His guarded response would create more questions.
He reached for her and pressed his lips against her temple. He felt Ashley lean against him briefly before she stepped away. He wanted to block Crystal, but Ashley was experienced in facing this kind of attention with grace.
He sat down once the women left the table and immediately faced Omar’s disapproving glare. “Donald Jones?” his friend asked angrily. “It can’t be a coincidence.”
He wasn’t going to insult his friend with a lie. “It’s not.”
Omar rubbed his forehead and exhaled sharply. “What have you done, Sebastian?”
He jutted out his chin. “I settled an old score. Karma was taking too long.”
“I thought you put all this behind you,” Omar said. He looked around to make sure no one could hear the conversation. “You’ve become richer and more powerful than Jones.”
That didn’t mean he’d won. “It doesn’t erase what he did.”
Omar shook his head. “I don’t get it. Why now? Why, after all this time?”