Mom, Don't Cry! Here comes a new Daddy! novel Chapter 22

Chapter 17

(Ethan’s POV)

I close the door to room 743 and lean against it, exhaling slowly. My heart is pounding harder than it should be for a simple hallway encounter.

Sabrina Moore.

In person, she’s even more captivating than on Jake’s livestreams. The way her hair caught the fluorescent lighting. The slight flush on her cheeks when she realized I wasn’t crew. That moment of vulnerability when she thought she’d imposed on me.

I push off the door and move deeper into the cabin. It’s identical to hers-compact but well-appointed, with a queen bed, a small desk, and sliding glass doors leading to a private balcony. The ocean stretches endlessly beyond, dark blue meeting lighter blue at the horizon.

I’m pulling my own suitcase onto the luggage rack when I hear voices coming from my

bathroom.

My hand instinctively reaches for my phone, ready to call security, but then I hear giggling. The giggling of a child from my bathroom?

I stride to the bathroom door and pull it open.

Jake and Sophia are crammed into my shower stall, the glass door barely concealing them. Jake has his tablet pressed against his chest, and Sophia has her finger pressed to her lips in an exaggerated shushing gesture.

“What-” I start, but Sophia practically launches herself out of the shower, clamping her hand over my mouth.

“Quiet!” she hisses. “Sabrina might hear!”

I remove her hand, keeping my voice low. “You’ve been here the entire time?”

“We had to make sure you two actually met,” Jake whispers, crawling out of the shower with surprising dignity for a five-year-old who was just hiding in a stranger’s bathroom. “Did your talk to her? Did she like you?”

I crouch down to his level, studying this remarkable child who orchestrated this entire situation. “We talked. She seems nice.”

“Nice?” Sophia scoffs, moving to peek through the peephole in my door. “That’s all you’ve got? Nice?”

Chapter 17

Clar

“What do you want me to say? That I fell in love with her in the thirty seconds it took to carry her suitcase down a hallway?”

Jake’s eyes go wide. “Did you?”

“No. That’s not how it works.”

“But you liked her?” His voice carries so much hope it makes my chest tight.

I think about Sabrina’s nervous laugh. The way she tried to tip me even though she was clearly embarrassed. The intelligence in her eyes, the exhaustion around them.

“Yes,” I admit. “I liked her.”

Jake pumps his fist in victory, nearly dropping his tablet. Sophia catches it with practiced

ease.

“Okay, here’s the plan,” she says, pulling up something on her phone. “According to Sabrina’s text fifteen minutes ago, she’s planning to explore the ship, then head up to the main deck around six to watch the departure. After that, dinner at the Meridian restaurant at seven-thirty.”

I check my watch. It’s four-forty-five now. “You want me to accidentally run into her on the

deck?”

“Not accidentally. Naturally.” Sophia’s grin is slightly terrifying. “You’re both on the same ship. It makes sense you’d end up in the same places. Just… be where she is. Talk to her. Be charming.”

“I don’t do charming.”

“Then be whatever it is you do that makes people hand you millions of dollars.” She waves her hand dismissively. “Rich guy charm. That’s a thing, right?”

“I’m not rich,” I remind her. “I’m Jason King, aspiring businessman, remember?”

“Right. Yes. Sorry.” She doesn’t look sorry at all. “Aspiring businessman Jason who’s definitely not rich and doesn’t do charming.”

Jake tugs on my sleeve. “Will you really help my mom?”

The question sobers me instantly. This isn’t a game to him. This is his mother’s happiness, his family’s stability. He’s five years old and carrying the weight of his parents’ divorce on his small shoulders.

I kneel again, meeting his eyes. “I promise I’ll do my best to make your mom smile. But you

Chapter 17

Claim

need to understand something, Jake. Your mom has to like me on her own. We can’t force it. Okay?”

He nods solemnly. “Okay. But I think she will like you. You have nice eyes. Mom likes nice eyes. She told Aunt Sophia once that Daddy’s eyes got mean after that lady came back.”

The casual way he references his father’s betrayal makes my jaw clench. No child should have to categorize their parent’s eyes as “mean.”

“Your mom deserves someone with kind eyes, then,” I say carefully.

“And shiny shoes!” Jake adds. “Do you have lots of shiny shoes?”

I glance down at my Italian leather loafers. “I think so.”

“Perfect!” He beams. “Then you have everything! Nice eyes and shiny shoes!”

Sophia snorts, but she’s smiling. “Come on, kiddo. We need to get out of here before your mom realizes we’re not at home watching movies like we told her.”

“Are you even supposed to be on the ship?” I ask, suddenly aware of the logistics. “Did you book rooms?”

“Obviously. We’re in 812, different deck, different section. Sabrina won’t run into us unless we want her to.” Sophia hefts Jake onto her hip despite him being almost too big for it. “We’ll be livestreaming parts of this-nothing invasive, just the cute moments. Jake’s followers are invested now. But we’ll keep your face mostly out of frame until you’re ready to reveal who you really are. Sound good?”

Nothing about this sounds good. It sounds insane and complicated and like it could blow up spectacularly in all our faces.

But then I think about Sabrina’s painting. About the way she’d captured my mother’s sunset with such perfect understanding. About Jake’s earnest face asking for help finding his mom

a protector.

Well.

I’m already in deep. And when Ethan Hales takes on a task, he doesn’t leave halfway.

“Fine. I’ll be on the main deck at six.”

“Excellent!” Sophia heads for the door, then pauses. “Oh, and Jason? Don’t overthink it. Just be yourself. Women can see through an act from a mile away. You need to genuinely want to know her, not just hit on her.”

Chapter 17

Claim

“I do want to know her.” I snap, offended by her insinuation. Do I look like the kind of guy to put himself through so much trouble just to hit on a woman?

“Good. Then show her that.” She opens the door carefully, checking the hallway. “Coast is clear. Come on, Jake. Let’s go set up our spy station.”

“We’re not spies! We’re love gurus on a mission!” Jake whisper-shouts as they slip out.

“And how do you know what a love guru is, young man?”

“Come on, Aunt Sophia. You’re sounding like mom, now.”

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