Just One Wish (The Kingston Family #4.5)(28)

Just One Spark


Kingston Family Book 4

By Carly Phillips

Now Available

Click here to purchase Dash huddled in the corner of the overly large sofa in Xander’s family room. While grumbling about too many people in his house, Xander had moved the band and Linc to a space with more sitting room. Status quo for his best-selling thriller author brother, whose books were made into hit movies. He liked a more solitary life.

Why Xander put up with Dash and his shit was beyond him. But Dash loved his older brother and always had. He’d pulled the same crap when they were kids, sleeping on the floor of Xander’s bedroom until his mother bought a trundle bed so Dash was more comfortable.

Xander had grumbled then, too, Dash thought wryly. But if his life went to hell, Xander would be there and not say, I told you so.

Not much, anyway.

Dash’s cell rang, silencing everyone. He pulled out the phone from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and his heart began to pound harder in his chest.

“It’s the lawyer,” he said to his audience, men he trusted with his life. Men who’d been waiting to hear the news along with him. The band because of the publicity Dash had thrust on them, and along with his brothers, they cared.

Palms slick with sweat, Dash stood. He took the call, putting it on speaker because he didn’t want to have to repeat the news if it was bad. “Peter, talk to me,” he said to his attorney.

“Got the paternity results in my hand,” the man said.

At that moment, Sasha walked in, Cassidy by her side.

Because why shouldn’t the woman who affected him on a soul-deep level witness his humiliation?

“Dash, you are not the father,” Peter said without wasting time, and damned if Dash didn’t drop to his knees in relief and disconnected the call.

“Fucking sounds like an episode of Maury,” Axel said. “But you must be relieved. Congrats, man.”

Linc and Xander surrounded him, and he rose to his feet, promising himself that, from this point on, his life would change. No more fucking groupies, no more being too wasted as an excuse.

He blinked, his gaze refocusing until he met Cassidy’s damp stare, her pretty green eyes wet with unshed tears.

She’d wrapped her arms around herself and his stomach cramped at the hurt he saw in her expression. Unable to deal with the pain he’d caused when he was still in the process of reconfiguring what he wanted out of life, he turned away.

And when he turned back to face Sasha and Cassidy, the women were nowhere to be found.