Worth It (Forbidden Men, #6)(17)

The question caught me off guard.

“Be-because...” I shrugged and glanced away. I couldn’t tell him it was because he was pretty; that was a stupid reason. Except it kind of was the reason.

God, I was such an idiot.

“I need to show you something,” I blurted instead as I ripped my Kindle from the book bag I had strapped over my shoulder, where I’d housed snacks and drinks and stories to help me pass the time while I’d been playing stakeout and waiting for him to show.

As I turned it on and flipped my way into the photo file, Knox wandered closer until I could smell his musky, apple boy scent. My fingers fumbled. I cleared my throat and finally scrolled to the picture I was seeking.

“Here.” I pressed on it to enlarge it.

Knox frowned and took the Kindle from my hand. “How’d you get a picture of Bentley?”

“Bentley?” After a second of confused frowning, I gasped. “You mean, the baby’s name is Bentley?” When I made a face, he glanced up at me, lifting his eyebrows.

I cleared my throat and immediately tried to soften my expression.

He watched me with an amused smirk.

“Bentley,” I repeated again, much calmer this time. “That’s...” I wanted to say something positive, but I’d never heard of anyone naming a girl Bentley, and to me, it sounded strange.

Knox’s lips twitched as he recognized my dilemma and loved my distress. “Mercy thought it should be a car name, since she’s Mercedes.”

I nodded dumbly. “Well, I guess it’s good she didn’t go with Lamborghini or Porsche, or...Ferrari.”

His eyebrows arched. “So you think Bentley is actually better than Lamborghini, Porsche, and...Ferrari?”

When it struck me that he wasn’t a big fan of the name either, I burst into a relieved smile and had to admit, “Not really.”

He laughed softly. “Yeah, I give her crap about the name daily.”

Geez, why did he have to look so good when he smiled?

“Do you really have brothers named Cobra and Speed?” I asked, just to keep him talking and maybe smiling some more.

His laugh grew louder as he threw his head back. “Unfortunately, yes. There’s also Hash and Rocket.”

“Wow. You have the most normal name of the group.”

Eyes glittering with amusement, he shook his head. “Yeah, well my middle name’s—”

“Arrow,” I murmured before I could stop myself.

When he pulled back in surprise, my eyes flashed wide. “I mean...” Oh my God. I was trapped. Now he knew I was a creepy stalker who’d hunted up his middle name.

But instead of calling me out, he smiled softly. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Arrow. It’s after the DC Comic, Green Arrow. But don’t ask me where any of the other names in the family came from; I’m pretty sure I don’t even want to know.”

His smile settled a little as he watched me, but his eyes—those golden brown beauties—continued to glimmer with amusement. “So, really.” He lifted the Kindle. “How’d you get this picture of Bentley?” He gazed at it thoughtfully. “It looks kind of dated. Like, really dated.”

“Hey.” I frowned, offended, and ripped the Kindle from his hand. “That photo’s not even sixteen years old yet, thank you very much.”

His eyes flared. “You mean—”

“This is my baby picture.”

Mouth falling open, he looked back at the portrait. “Oh my God.”

“I don’t know why you’re so surprised,” I started conversationally. “You already told me she looked like me. And then I saw her for myself in town, so...it’s no shock to either of us.”

“Yes, it is. I said she looked like you, not that she could make an exact carbon copy of your baby picture. Holy shit, Felicity. This is...”

Words failed him, so I nodded. “I know. She’s really Garrett’s baby. She’s my…niece.”

It was the first time I’d uttered the admission aloud, so I said it again. “I have a niece, and I’ve never met her, didn’t even know her name until today. I have no idea when her birthday is.”

“April thirtieth,” Knox said quietly.

I sent him a look, and he shrugged.

I hugged myself as we stood there, neither of us speaking. Then I quietly murmured, “I’m sorry.”

He glanced at me and frowned. “About what?”

“I didn’t believe you.”

Stepping closer to me, he slowly lifted his hand before grasping a wayward piece of my hair and winding it around his finger, then tucking it behind my ear. “You really had no reason to believe me until you saw her for yourself. I’m a Parker. You’re a Bainbridge. Remember? It’s in our blood not to trust each other.”

“But I should’ve at least admitted it was a possibility. Except, it still makes no sense. Garrett is acting so indignant and insulted.”

Knox snorted. “And you thought he’d act different?”

“Well...yeah. You don’t understand. When he’s getting away with something he did wrong, he’s always so much more...smug.”

Catching another few pieces of my hair, he began to braid them together. “Maybe he’s still worried he’ll get caught, so he’s acting it off.”