Delinquent Daddy (Banks / Kincaid Family #2)(28)

"Well, my word," she said. "Cassidy kept saying her father was going to come see her today, but I thought...Ellie didn't mention any of this to me."

"We're going to Chuck E. Cheese's," Cassie announced happily, taking Boston's hand. Her fingers were so small and 108

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

soft, he looked down at their connection, startled. He was holding his daughter's hand like it was the most normal action in the world.

Looking up, his chest swelled. "You must be Nora."

She gave him a slight nod, returning, "And you must be Boston." There was a cool edge to her voice today; she wasn't quite as accepting as she'd been yesterday when she thought he was merely a long-distance relation. Yeah, he thought bitterly, Ellie had definitely gotten a hold of her. And probably told all.

Realizing she was Team Ellie, and probably knew more dirt about him than most people did, he turned away uncomfortably and focused his attention on Cassie. "Are you ready to go?"

She started to hop up and down. "I've been ready since last night," she nearly exploded.

"Cassie," Keller said from between gritted teeth as if he was trying to get her attention.

Cassie glanced at her friend. "Oh, yeah," she added to Boston. "Keller wants to come too."

"Keller!" Nora gasped in appalled shock.

Boston studied the small boy who hovered by his mother's legs and stared disappointedly down at his shoes. His heart went out to the poor kid.

"Cassidy wants to spend time alone with her father," Nora berated. "You can't just—"

"Actually," Boston said, cutting in and grinning at Nora,

"it's fine. I'm pretty sure most of my family will show up, and 109

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

there're a lot of cousins his and Cassie's age. So, really, it's no problem if he came along."

Truth be told, he'd like to get on Nora Young's good side.

And if that meant taking her son to Chuck E. Cheese's, he'd do it.

But Nora glanced at him as if he were insane. "Are you sure about this?" she asked hesitantly. "His bedtime is half an hour earlier than Cassie's at eight thirty."

No, he wasn't sure about anything anymore. But he merely said, "It's fine. Really."

"Well, all right then," Nora relented, and the two children cheered, dancing around each other. "Let me get you some money for Keller's—"

"Don't worry about it," Boston said, lifting a hand to stop her. When she paused to send him a surprised look, he smiled. "I can cover it."

Nora blinked a couple more times before she matched his smile, flushing a bit in the cheeks. "All right then," she said, quickly turning away from him as if embarrassed. "You two have fun with Mr...." She frowned slightly when she realized didn't know his last name.

"Kincaid," he told her, sticking out his hand and realizing he'd just won over the neighbor lady despite what Ellie had probably told her. "But, please, call me Boston."

"He what?"

Ellie stared at Nora with wide eyes, thinking her neighbor had to be joking... praying she was joking.

Nora paused. "He took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese's," she said slowly, as if talking too fast might get her into trouble.

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Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

"Why are you looking so alarmed?" she added, starting to look exactly that way herself. "That was okay to let him take her, wasn't it?"

Ellie pressed a hand to the side of her head. Her daughter was gone, and she had no idea when she'd be home... if she'd be home.

"When did they leave?" she asked, walking in a slow circle to beat back the panic.

Boston had taken Cassidy. He'd come and gotten her and just...taken her away. She couldn't believe it.

"I...uh, it was between three and five. I don't know. God, I thought you knew he was doing this. You didn't mention anything at lunch, but...Cassidy knew about it, and he didn't act like it was some covert, undercover outing or anything."

"I had no idea," Ellie said numbly. She looked at Nora with such a pale face the woman reached out as if to catch her before she could fall.

"I am so sorry, Ellie," Nora gushed. "I just...well, hell. I was reading a book one minute and the next, this complete hunk was staring at me and smiling and...damn, I couldn't think." She paused to look at Ellie in awe. "I always knew you had excellent taste, but I thought that was just about clothing sense and shoes."

"Nora!" Ellie moaned. How could she talk about Boston's looks now? Her daughter was missing.

"God, I'm sorry," Nora started again, realizing they had a real problem on their hands. She cupped her face with her fingers. "It's just that I even talked to him yesterday, and he didn't have that effect on me. But then again, yesterday, he 111

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

didn't smile. Today he did, and it was like...oh, wow, El. That man has some smile."

Ellie didn't need to be told this. She was already well aware of the power behind his stupid, charming smile.

"I think all I could do was stammer, blush and drool. I probably would've handed over my house, car, and kidney if he'd asked. I guess I did hand over my kid, now that I think of it. And— Oh, my God!" Nora stopped blabbing and froze with a look of utter horror on her face. "He took Keller too,"