Mom, Don't Cry! Here comes a new Daddy! novel Chapter 21

Chapter 16-2

Claim

Chapter 16-2

He glances back at me, one eyebrow raised. “You sure? This thing’s heavier than it looks.”

He’s not wrong. I packed like I was preparing for a month-long expedition, not a four-day cruise. “I may have overpacked.”

“First cruise?”

“That obvious?”

“Let’s just say experienced cruisers usually pack lighter.” There’s no judgment in his tone, just easy conversation. “But better to have too much than not enough.”

The elevator arrives and we step inside. This time, thankfully, there are no couples making out. Just us and an elderly woman who smiles at us knowingly, like we’re together.

My face heats. I study the elevator buttons like they’re the most fascinating things I’ve ever

seen.

“First time cruising solo?” the man asks, breaking the awkward silence.

“Is it that obvious?”

“You have the look.”

“What look?”

“Like you’re not sure if you’re excited or terrified.” His mouth quirks in what might be a smile. “For what it’s worth, the terror fades after the first day.”

“Speaking from experience?”

“I travel a lot for work. You learn to adapt.”

The elevator dings and the elderly woman exits. Now it’s just us, and the space suddenly feels smaller. I’m hyperaware of how close he’s standing, of the faint scent of his cologne- something clean and expensive.

When we reach deck seven, he wheels my suitcase out and I follow, checking the room numbers. 738… 740… 742.

My room is at the end of the hallway, near glass doors leading to an outside deck. I fumble with my key card, suddenly nervous with him standing right there.

“Here, let me.” He takes the card gently, slides it through the reader, and the door clicks open.

13

Chapter 16 2

Then he wheels my suitcase inside and sets it carefully beside the closet.

Claim

I stand in the doorway, not sure what the protocol is here. Do I tip him? He’s not in uniform, but he did help me.

“Thank you,” I say, digging through my purse. “Let me-”

“Don’t worry about it.” He’s already moving toward the door. “Just being neighborly.”

“Neighborly?”

He pauses at the threshold, and his smile is warmer now, reaching his eyes. “I’m in 743. Right across the hall.”

My brain short-circuits. “You’re-you’re a passenger?”

“Last time I checked.” He extends his hand. “Jason King.”

I shake it automatically, and his hand is warm, his grip firm but not crushing. “Sabrina Moore. And I’m so sorry, I thought you were crew, I didn’t mean to make you carry my luggage-”

“I offered.” He’s definitely amused now. “And it gave me an excuse to introduce myself to my hallway neighbor.”

“Still. I feel terrible.”

“Don’t. I needed the workout anyway.” He steps into the hallway, then turns back. “If you need anything-restaurant recommendations, activity suggestions, more luggage assistance-just knock. I’m around.”

“I’ll try not to bother you.”

“It’s not a bother, Sabrina.” The way he says my name does something to my stomach. “That’s what neighbors are for.”

Then he’s walking across the hall, and I’m left standing in my doorway feeling like I just got hit by something I can’t quite name.

I stumble into my room, and shut the door.

Stretching on my toes, I press my eye to the peephole, watching as he unlocks room 743. He pauses before going inside, glancing back at my door like he knows I’m watching.

I jump back, my face burning.

Could he have seen me? No, that’s not possible.

23

Chapter 16:2

Clam

I’m in my room, and the peephole is so tiny. If he suspected me standing behind the door, he wouldn’t see me peeking at him.

But what the hell was that?

I’m a grown woman. A divorced mother of one. I shouldn’t be getting flustered over some guy just because he has nice eyes and carried my suitcase.

Granted, a ridiculously attractive guy with perfect hair and a voice like melted chocolate, but still just a guy.

Except it wasn’t just his eyes.

It was the way he talked to me-like I was worth talking to. Like my awkwardness was endearing instead of embarrassing.

When’s the last time Dustin made me feel like that?

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify