"Let's go, sweetie," Alison said.

Drew watched them head for the door. He told himself things were better this way. A clean break before things got sloppy. He wanted that to make him feel better. But it didn't.

"Take care of yourself," he said from his place at the desk.

He tried not to jolt when she closed the door in his face.

Drew figured he'd really outdone himself this time. Standing up his best friend's widow and her four-year-old son when they'd invited him for a friendly dinner was about as low as it got. But that was exactly what he'd done, and it made him feel like the lowest form of life known to mankind.

In the span of two days he'd managed to screw up a relationship he'd held dear for six years. A relationship with a woman he admired and respected. He'd disappointed an innocent little boy who'd already endured more than his share of pain. Worse, Drew had disappointed himself. Bad news for a man whose expectations were pretty d.a.m.n low to begin with.

After the fateful kiss he and Alison had shared at his office, Drew figured the most constructive thing he could do was lose himself in his work. But the tour with the four men had turned into something he hadn't expected. Halfway into the flight, they'd asked him to take a route that would have taken them directly over Evans Yachts. At that point, Drew had become suspicious that the men weren't developers at all. He wasn't sure what they were up to, but after what had happened at Evans Yachts last month, he wasn't going to take any chances. He'd ended the tour abruptly and ordered them off his plane.

He'd immediately called his adopted brother, Marcus, in Washington D.C. and filled him in. Drew had been able to get the tag number from their SUV-which had turned out to be a rental under a name Marcus was checking out. More important, Drew had retrieved a soda can one of the men had left behind. A can that could possibly provide fingerprints. At Marcus's request Drew had carefully packaged the can and sent it via overnight express.

By the time all that was done, he was already late for his dinner with Alison and Kevin. He told himself things were better if he just stayed away from them. But Alison was already inside his head. He couldn't stop thinking about the way she'd felt in his arms. He couldn't stop thinking about the way she'd looked at him, the way her little boy had looked at him. As if he were some kind of hero. Drew was about as far removed from hero material as a man could be.

What the h.e.l.l had he been thinking kissing her? She was his best friend's widow, for chrissake. A single mom with a special needs child. She had enough on her plate without him coming on to her and messing things up. How in the name of G.o.d was he supposed to do the honorable thing and walk away when she felt so good in his arms?

Drew didn't have an answer. The only thing he knew for certain was that he couldn't let things stand as they were; he didn't have a choice but to drive to her place and apologize. Not only to Alison, he realized, but to Kevin. The little boy had invited him to dinner and Drew hadn't shown up, hadn't even bothered to call. In his book, that made him a jerk.

It was nearly ten o'clock when he parked the truck curbside outside her bungalow and shut down the engine. Warm yellow light illuminated the kitchen and living room windows, giving the place the kind of warm glow his own house never seemed to have. Her Mustang was parked in the driveway next to a tan Camry. He wondered to whom the other vehicle belonged.

Trying not to feel guilty for showing up so late, wondering if she would even speak to him after what he'd done, Drew got out of the truck and walked to the front door. He used the knocker, then waited, mentally rehearsing the lines he'd practiced on the drive up from Emerald Cove.

The door swung open an instant later and an older, cooler version of Alison appeared in the foyer, looking him over as if he were a mongrel dog with muddy paws and a homely face.

"Is Alison here?" he asked.

"You Drew?"

"Guilty," he said, knowing he was about to get raked over some very hot coals.

She frowned. "Kevin got up seven times during dinner to see if maybe you were parked out front. He tried to call you twice, but you never answered your phone."

The guilt was like a knife twisting just behind his solar plexus. He had to hand it to her, the lady knew where to hit a guy. "I came to apologize."

She glanced down at her watch, not looking the least bit a.s.suaged. "You're a few hours late."

He met her gaze. Held it. Refused to let it go. "This won't wait until morning."

She sighed wearily. "Look, Alison is my sister. She's been through h.e.l.l in the last four years. She doesn't need some guy jerking her around. Frankly, neither does Kevin."

"I know."

"I don't want her hurt."

"I'm not going to hurt her."

"You already have."

"I'm just a friend." He grimaced. "I want it to stay that way."

Giving him an I've-heard-it-all-before look, she stepped aside. "I'm Kimberly."

"Ah, nice to meet you."

Frowning, she shook her head. "Don't make nice with me. I'm only letting you in because for some reason that's beyond my understanding, Alison and Kevin seem to like you."

"Okay," he said, wondering if she was going to let him off the hook.

"Hurt her and I'll break your neck. Capice?"

"I got it." Drew wondered if she was referring to the kiss or the fact that he'd stood them up, then decided it would be wiser not to ask for clarification.

"You tell a kid you're going to be there, you should be there. They see things in black and white."

Okay, so this cool-eyed blonde probably didn't know about the kiss, he thought, and an odd sense of relief slipped through him. If she did, he doubted he would have made it through the front door. At least not without a black eye. "I'll make it up to him," he heard himself say.

"You do that." She looked over her shoulder. "Alison!" she yelled. "You've got a visitor!"

Drew glanced over the top of her head to see Alison walk out of the kitchen, a dish towel in her hand. "I'm right-" She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Drew and stood as still as a statue for the span of two heartbeats.

The first thing he noticed was that she looked surprised to see him. The second thing he noticed was that she was furious. And that the fury was directed at him. "I don't want you here." She frowned at Kimberly as if to ask "Why did you let him in?"

"Alison..." Not sure what to say, he looked at Kimberly. When she didn't offer a.s.sistance, he stepped into the living room. That was when he noticed that Alison had been crying. Her face was pale and her eyes were red-rimmed. In the back of his mind he wondered if he were the cause of her tears. Then he realized what he saw on her face went deeper than anger, and a hot wave of concern sliced him.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Alison gave him a killing look, then her gaze swept to Kimberly. "Get him out of here. Don't let him in again. I'm going to check on Kevin."

Drew watched her walk to the rear bedroom, felt the worry begin to pound through him with every beat of his heart. He looked helplessly at Kimberly. "What happened?"

Her shoulders lifted slightly as she took a breath, then she let out a long, measured sigh. "We had to take Kevin to the emergency room earlier."

She might as well have slugged him with a bat. For an instant, Drew wasn't sure he'd heard her right. "Emergency room? What happened? Is he all right?"

"He's fine. But he had a bad asthma attack during dinner. The inhaler wasn't working. He just got tight and couldn't breathe."

"He's all right now?" he asked.

Kimberly nodded. "He's fine. The doctor gave him some medication. He's sleeping."

"Jesus." Drew felt his own hand shake when he scrubbed it over his jaw. "Is there anything I can do?"

She shook her head. "I think she wants you to leave."

"I want to make this right."

"You'll have to take that up with her."

"I'm not leaving until I see him." The words were out even before he realized how badly he wanted to see the little boy.

"Drew-"

"Look, I..." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I care about them, okay?"

She gave him a long, lingering look, then sighed. "She's really angry with you. She'll kill me if I let you go back there."

"I'll take full responsibility."

She looked toward the heavens as if to ask for strength, then stepped back and motioned toward the dimly lit hall. "He's sleeping, so be quiet. And don't stay too long."

Drew walked to the bedroom at the end of the hall. Alison stood next to the bed. He could feel her quietly furious gaze burn into him when he entered the room, but he didn't let it deter him. A Spider-Man night-light next to the bed cast yellow light over Kevin's sleeping form. The sound of the little boy's breathing was regular and very rea.s.suring. Drew wasn't an expert on asthma, but as an EMT, he knew an attack could be very serious. Even fatal. Seeing Kevin lying safe and sound in his bed was an enormous relief.

Drew watched Alison walk over to the bed and bend to kiss her son's cheek and tug the covers over his shoulders. For the first time he noticed that she was wearing a dress. It was a simple summer dress the color of coral. Not revealing in any way, but the silky fabric clung nicely to her slender body. Her shoulders were bare and her skin looked incredibly soft. She wore low-heeled sandals, and he couldn't help but notice that her toenails were the color of a hibiscus.

Drew knew he shouldn't be thinking of how s.e.xy she looked when they were standing in her son's bedroom and she was angry with him. But for the life of him he couldn't keep the thoughts from his head.

Carefully avoiding looking at her, he walked over to the bed and turned his attention to Kevin. The boy looked small and vulnerable cuddled with a ratty stuffed bear and his one-armed Spider-Man figure. He wasn't sure why that got to him, but it did.

The need to keep this precious child safe moved through him like the deep ache of a broken bone. Before even realizing he was going to touch him, Drew reached down and brushed the hair back from his forehead. "Was he upset because I didn't show?" he whispered to Alison.

"He was disappointed."

"I'm sorry. I just-"

"I can deal with you hurting me, Drew." Her voice was low, quietly angry. "But, d.a.m.n you, don't you ever hurt my son."

Shame cut him. He'd disappointed this sweet child. A child who'd already had his share of disappointments in his short life. He'd let down Alison. A woman he cared for and respected. A woman who'd known far too much pain already.

"The asthma attack was my fault, wasn't it?"

She met his gaze levelly. "No."

But the guilt slapped him like a cold hand, anyway. Feeling like a loser, he glanced down at the boy, spoke to him even though the child was sleeping soundly. "Sorry I didn't make it tonight, sprout."

He wanted to pull him close, but didn't want to wake him, wasn't sure he trusted his emotions. For some crazy reason he didn't want Alison to know just how much this had shaken him. "Tell me what happened," he said.

"Kevin didn't respond to his medication the way he usually does," she replied. "It's happened before and has nothing to do with you."

Intellectually Drew knew he wasn't to blame. But on an emotional level, he couldn't help but feel responsible. He should have had the courage to face Alison, to face what he'd done. If something terrible had happened to that sweet little boy...

"I'd like to make it up to him," he said.

"That's not a good idea. And I really don't want you to feel obligated."

He glanced over at her, saw the anger, the wariness, the way her eyes sparkled in the dim light. "I don't feel obligated. I want to make it up to him. I mean it, Alison. I feel terrible for not showing. For not calling." He glanced down at the little boy. "He's a great kid."

For the first time her eyes softened. "Yes, he is."

"I just... What happened between us earlier..." He grappled for words. "I didn't know how to handle it. Then I got busy with the tour." He shrugged. "It was easier to stay away."

She contemplated him with a cool gaze and a silence that was as cold as ice. At that moment, Drew thought he'd never felt so much like a reprobate in his entire life.

"This isn't about you, Drew. It isn't even about me. It's about Kevin."

"I know. I screwed up. I'm sorry."

"If you're doing this out of some sense of guilt, don't bother. Don't feel sorry for him because he has asthma. Don't feel sorry for him because he doesn't have a dad. He's happy. He doesn't need your pity."

He considered her words, accepted them because he knew she was right. "I don't feel sorry for him, Alison."

She let out a shuddery breath, and some of the tension eased.

"I want to make it up to him," he said after a moment.

"You don't have to do that."

"I know. I want to. If you'll let me." He looked over at Kevin, thinking of his own childhood, then shot Alison a steady look. "Has he ever been deep sea fishing?"

"Oh, um, his uncle Roger-my brother-took him fishing once when we went to visit him in San Diego."

"So he knows the basics?"

"He knows how to hold the pole."

"Good enough." He studied her, suddenly aware that they were in a small bedroom with the lights dimmed-and that her protective older sister was undoubtedly hovering in the hall with a shotgun. "Can he go out on a boat with the asthma?"

"As long as he takes his medication, has his inhaler on hand and a backup."

"Sounds doable. I mean, as long as it's all right with you."

When she didn't respond, he looked over at her. She was still pale, but her lack of color didn't diminish the power behind her vivid blue gaze. She was protecting her son, and that had brought out a sharp edge in her he hadn't seen before. An edge he admired very much.

"Kimberly has to get to work at the hospital." She started toward the door.

Drew followed her into the living room, wondering if she was going to let him make things right with Kevin, wanting that, he knew, more than was wise.

"He's sleeping," Alison told her sister.

Kimberly looked up from her place on the sofa. "Good." Her gaze went from Alison to Drew and then back to Alison. "You didn't get dinner. You should get something to eat."

Alison started to wave the statement away, but Kimberly stopped her. "Why don't you two go get a bite to eat?" she suggested.

Alison frowned. "Don't you have to get to the hospital for your shift?"