Delinquent Daddy (Banks / Kincaid Family #2)(60)

"The jerk saves my life once, and now he thinks he can maul my wife all the freaking time."

Letting go of Ellie, the green-eyed man stepped forward, snagged the hand of the blonde hanging all over Boston, and yanked her to his side. Baring his teeth at Boston, he put his arm around the woman's shoulder and firmly stated, "Mine."

Boston only laughed. Ellie's stomach churched. Here was a playful side of him she hadn't seen in over ten years. It reminded her that there'd been a reason why she'd fallen for him so hard.

"You know," Boston told Cameron, "maybe if you'd quit acting so possessive of her, I'd quit—"

The other man snorted and muttered, "As if." Then he turned his wife toward Ellie. "Honey," he told the woman.

"Look who it is."

The blonde smiled in polite greeting and held out a hand.

"Hello. Are you— Oh my God!" she said and yanked her hand away as she gaped with widening blue eyes. "You're Cassie's mom. I remember you from Chuck E. Cheese's."

Ellie offered the woman a tense smile. But before she could think up a response, the blonde opened her arms and launched herself at Ellie, pulling her into a huge encompassing hug.

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Delinquent Daddy

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"This is so utterly amazing," Cameron's wife went on. "I've been dying to meet you. Oh! I'm Olivia, by the way. Cam's wife," she added, vaguely motioning to the green-eyed man beside her.

Ellie nodded mutely.

"I just can't believe I'm finally meeting you," Olivia went on. "Cassie is an absolute doll. I really only got to talk to her a few minutes, but that's all I needed. I just love her to pieces. Meeting her made me want to have Cam knock me up."

"Uh...thank you," Ellie managed to say. Her eyes unconsciously moved toward Boston. He quirked her an I-told-you-so sneer and then grinned, flashing a dazzling smile.

Ellie flushed.

"You know, as soon as I met Cassidy," Olivia was saying,

"I said to myself, that girl has to have one amazing mother. I mean, I knew right then and there you couldn't be a bitch or anything. There's no way you could raise such a sweet girl and be anything but amazing. And just look at you!" she said with pride. "You're so beautiful and wholesome. I've always wanted to know what one of Boston's women would be like.

But Mr. Private here never lets us meet any of them. So, naturally I've always been curious to know—"

"Okay, enough!" Boston broke in, manually pulling Olivia away from Ellie and nudging her Cameron's way. "Give her some space, will you?"

Olivia sent him an irritated look and moved back toward Ellie, hooking their arms together. "El doesn't mind if I talk to her. Do you?"

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"Uh—" Ellie started, sending Boston a panicked look as she was swept into another room.

"I had no idea he could be so overprotective," Olivia murmured as she dragged Ellie along. "What does he think I was going to do to you? Geez."

Ellie figured that was a rhetorical question, so she didn't answer.

"Well, here's a new face," a dark-haired woman said, stepping into their path. Ellie stumbled slightly at the sight of the stunning brunette.

"This is Helena," Olivia informed her. "She's Boston's older sister."

"Yep, I'm the boss," Helena agreed, snagging Ellie's hand in a friendly fashion.

"And this is Ellie," Olivia told the brunette. "Cassie's mom.

You didn't get to see her the other week at Chuck E.

Cheese's. You were off somewhere with Gabriel when she came in."

Helena's eyes widened. "Yes, I was," she murmured and tightened her grip on Ellie's finger. "I was taking my son to the bathroom when you made your appearance. And I was so disappointed I didn't get a peek. But, now, this is a treat,"

she murmured, taking in Ellie's entire form. "Cassidy's mother. She looks like you, you know."

"Thank you," Ellie rasped out.

"You're welcome." Boston's sister grinned and tugged her from Olivia's grip. "Welcome to the family," she added, throwing her arm around Ellie's shoulder. "Let me introduce you around."

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Ushering Ellie through a doorway, Helena kept talking as she walked them down a short hall and into the next room.

Ellie pulled to a stop when she saw all the people. Her eyes went wide at the sight of so many. But Helena just tugged her along.

"Hey, everyone!" she yelled over the noise of a dozen different conversations. "This is Cassie's mom!"

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Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage





Chapter Fourteen


Talk about a conversation stopper.

Ellie wanted to crawl through the floor.

When the room fell quiet, she feared the silence would deafen her. It was a complete one eighty from the loud voices and laughter that had been echoing through the house five seconds earlier.

"These are Cam's parents," Helena said, dragging Ellie along, either ignoring or not even aware of all the people who had stopped talking to gape.