Delinquent Daddy (Banks / Kincaid Family #2)(4)

She answered on the fifth ring in a croaking, "'Lo."

"What do you think of the name Cassidy for a girl?" he blurted out without preamble. "Cassie for short."

After a short pause, she said, "Boston?"

"Yeah." God, he'd woken the pregnant woman. "It's me."

"What time is it?"

He had no idea. He hadn't slept in days. There'd been too much to worry about, mainly the confession he had to make to his family that he'd gotten someone pregnant, someone 21

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

he'd never even told them he was dating...someone he'd been too embarrassed to introduce as his girlfriend.

"It's, ah..." After a quick glance at his wrist, he winced.

"It's almost one."

She made a little mewling sound of distress that went straight to his gut. He loved her little sounds. They'd driven him crazy on too many different occasions. And like clockwork, his body responded. He realized he didn't want to talk to her over the phone. He wanted to be with her, tucked into that stupid single-sized bed she slept on with his body spooned up behind hers and his cheek snuggled to hers.

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against a nearby wall. "Sorry I woke you," he apologized, realizing how lame he sounded but not sure what to do about it.

She cleared her throat. "It's okay. I went to bed early anyway."

Of course it was okay. She was too forgiving. Hell, she'd probably forgive him for everything else if he'd just let her.

But he couldn't. He'd wanted out instead. So in return, karma had bitch slapped him, and now his life was crumbling around him.

"What were you saying?" she prompted. "About a girl."

"I..." His mind went blank. What was the name he'd just chosen? Damn, he was losing it. "I like the name Cassie...for a girl. What do you think?"

"Cassie," she repeated in that sleepy, sexy voice of hers.

"Um...okay. Sure. What if it's a boy?"

He paused. Crap. He hadn't gotten that far. To be honest, he thought he'd been doing good finding one name.

22

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

"I don't know," he mumbled.

"Well, there's still plenty of time to decide. We don't have to figure it all out tonight."

He wanted to though. He wanted to clear the air between them. Suddenly, he wanted to apologize and get that forgiveness he hadn't wanted before. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was for being a butt in the past few weeks—the past few months, actually. He shouldn't have blamed her or accused her of trying to trick him into anything. He shouldn't have been so hateful. He'd just been so freaking scared. It'd been easier to lash out and get mad. He could deal with mad.

He couldn't do scared. He hated being scared.

"Ellie?" he said, his mouth opening to beg her forgiveness right then and there over the phone at one o'clock in the morning.

"Yeah?" she said.

"I..." His mouth opened, but no words came out.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he assured her quickly. "It's just...nothing. I'm sorry I woke you. I'll see you tomorrow at the doctor's appointment. It's at two, right?"

But he hadn't seen her the next day for their check-up.

Instead, he'd gotten the call. Ellie had been in an accident.

Someone had sideswiped the public transportation bus she'd been riding. She'd ended up in the emergency room and had gone through a miscarriage...or so she'd told him. He'd never actually spoken to a doctor about it.

Boston hadn't seen her again after that announcement.

She'd asked him to get out of her life, and he'd been too 23

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

scared, heartbroken, and relieved to argue. So, he left, never to return and discover if she'd been lying about the miscarriage.

Well, it was time to learn the truth.

He stared up at the house, grinding his teeth. He couldn't move. If Ellie had borne his child, and mother and daughter really lived here, then he wasn't ready to meet the girl. What would he do? What would he say? How in the world would he explain his absence?

He reached forward to start the ignition and book it out of there. But half a second later, he stopped. Closing his eyes and cursing, he rested his forehead on the steering wheel before turning to glance at the miniscule house. He had to know. He wasn't going to leave this town without getting some answers.

With still no idea what to say if anyone was home, he opened his car door and eased out. Starting up the uneven brick walkway, Boston once again studied the small yard. It was void of toys or any sign a child was in residence. But then, Ellie had always been tidy when he'd known her. Then there was also the fact he hadn't seen the backyard. All his sisters kept their children's toys in their backyards.

Running a hand through his hair, he slid off his sunglasses, realizing he still wore them. Ten feet to the truth; his steps kept getting slower. His hands were ice cold; they shook slightly. Five feet and all his questions could be solved.

When he stepped onto the porch, a fuzzy animal darted out from under the steps. Boston breathed out a curse and jumped back. As he watched a fat cat scurry into a neighbor's 24