Harbour of Refuge by Aliyah Burke Read Free Book Online

middle child. Both boys were still out, but Cynzia whimpered.
    “I’ll get her,” he told his brother. “Hello, sweetheart.” He lifted her free of the crib.
    She’d stolen his heart the moment he’d first laid eyes upon her. Despite him not being known to her, she hadn’t cried, she’d just curled up into him and breathed soft little puffs against his skin. Her trust humbled him. The same happened now. Her cries stopped as he held her to his chest.
    “She wet?”
    “Yes. I’ll let you get that,” he said with a grin.
    Gio muttered something impolite in Italian, which had him smiling. By the time Cynzia had been put into a clean, dry diaper, the others had woken, and the men worked together to get them all downstairs, where they put them in the walkers and allowed them to find their way around.
    Jaydee came home a while later and he met her with a smile. “Hello, Jaydee.”
    A slight smile lifted her lips as she turned from her husband to him. “Enzo. Good to see you.”
    He knew he wouldn’t get a hug unless he instigated it, so he did. She returned it, then stepped back. He didn’t take any offence—he knew Jaydee wasn’t someone who showed much affection to anyone other than her children and husband. Oh, and Lexy.
    “And you, you’re looking amazing.”
    His compliment went unheeded. She just wasn’t into them. Regardless, he loved his sister-in-law, quirks and all. Her emotions became visible when she saw her children and pressed kisses to them all.
    “How’s she doing?” he asked Gio.
    “She’s good. Settling into motherhood.”
    “And you?”
    Gio gave a short bark of laughter. “I was wrong when I thought I didn’t get any sleep as a pilot.”
    Despite the laugh, Enzo picked up on the pain. “How are you handling it?”
    No answer was forthcoming, so he glanced to his brother. Gio’s expression said it all. “I’m okay. I won’t lie and say I don’t miss it, but I wouldn’t change what I have now for anything at all.”
    He’d bet not. Despite the way his brother had looked when he’d talked about his flying, as both a fighter pilot and a test pilot, Enzo had never seen Gio look as content as he did when the man gazed at the woman he loved more than anything, or any of their children. Still, it had to be hard for a man who’d dedicated his life to serving his country to no longer be flying.
    “Family life looks good on you.”
    “Feels good. Now, enough about me, tell me more about Halyn.”
    Jaydee walked by, not even pausing to ask who Halyn was. Another of her quirks—she didn’t do small talk.
    “Not much to tell.”
    “Really?” Gio’s tone told him of his disbelief.
    “Really. I just don’t know that much about her.”
    “You call her. I want to meet her. I’ll give you some privacy.” Gio walked off.
    Heaving a sigh, Enzo walked to the couch and lowered himself to the smooth leather. Phone in hand, he scrolled down until he located the number she’d left for him at the hotel.
    After he’d taken her back to bed and had her once more they’d fallen asleep again. When he’d woken, he was alone. Frustrated she’d managed to sneak out, he had got to the number, inputted it in his phone and had gone on with his day, all the while thoughts of Halyn Jennings lingering in the back of his mind.
    Memories of her kept him up at night. And kept him aroused. It was nothing but images of Halyn that brought him release in showers or in his bed. But it was more than that, he’d not been with another woman since Halyn, despite what the papers liked to say.
    Get on with it .
    He swallowed, smiled at Cynzia who’d wheeled herself to his feet and pressed the ‘call’ button.
    It rang three times before a voice that had haunted his dreams answered. “Hello?”
    “Halyn?” As if he didn’t know.
    “Yes. Who is…Enzo?”
    He grinned. “You remember me.”
    She chuckled. “You’re not an easy man to forget.”
    Smugness now. “Good.”
    “How was your race in