Delinquent Daddy (19 page)

She's perfect. You've done an excellent job raising her."

Ellie's face contorted even more, but she still didn't cry.

"Thank you."

"No matter how much I want to be with her," he added with great reluctance. "You were right when you said she doesn't need me. She'd be fine without me." Then he shook his head. "She wouldn't be fine without you."

When she didn't respond, Boston worried he'd revealed too much. But he also realized he couldn't have Cassie without Ellie's help and support.

"You've really changed since college, haven't you?" she murmured.

He gave a soft, surprised laugh. "God, I hope so."

Ellie pulled her feet up on the seat so she could hug her knees. "You know I can't live with losing her every weekend, don't you?"

Boston sobered and let out a long sigh. So, they were back to square one, were they?

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"What about every other weekend?"

Cradling her head in her hands, she closed her eyes.

"I...I'm sorry, Boston. I know you're trying to work with me, but I...I can't. I just can't do it. It's like we're talking about taking my oxygen away."

Boston closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Will you be honest with me if I ask you a question?"

After a moment, she gave a hesitant nod.

"Do you..." The asking was tough for him, and he had to pause before he continued. "Do you think she'd be better off if I did leave and never came back? I mean, I'm not going to mess her up by suddenly becoming involved in her life, am I?"

For a moment, Ellie was too stunned to speak. This wasn't the Boston Kincaid she knew at all. The college boy she'd dated would never have given her such an advantage, never exposed his vulnerable side. He didn't question himself.

The man really had changed.

Determined not to let that affect her, she asked, "Would you leave if I said yes?"

The achy look he sent her made her want to start crying again. "I want to say yes," he said. "I only want what's best for her. But from the first moment I saw her, I don't know..."

He shook his head, as if dazed. "It was like...
bam
, smacking me in the center of the chest and taking my breath. That little human was a part of me. And suddenly, I wanted...I wanted to be a father.
Her
father. I wanted to be a part of her world.

But..." He paused to lick his lips. "I don't want to hurt her."

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Ellie felt herself fall into a hole she'd sworn to herself she'd never fall into again. She looked at Boston Kincaid and wanted to be loved by him. He honestly seemed like a different man from that twenty-two year old she'd once known. He'd matured.

Loosening toward him, she admitted, "If you want the truth, then no, I don't think she'd be worse off with you in her life." Then she bit the inside of her lip, wondering what the hell she was doing. This was her one chance to get rid of him, and she wasn't taking it.

Boston looked about as shocked by her declaration as she felt about making it. But he laughed in relief and grinned at her like he thought they were mending fences when, yeah, that probably was what they were doing. Neither of them had yelled all evening. That had to mean something.

"So, what happens now?" he said.

Ellie was about to answer, "I don't know," when it struck her. "I think you need to get to know Cassie better before you can take her anywhere by yourself. I mean, tell me honestly, what do you know about nine-year-old girls?"

Frowning, he said, "Nothing, but—"

"Plus, if I saw you with her a few times, and was convinced she'd be okay, then I'd probably feel better about letting her go with you overnight somewhere."

He paused, looking truly shell-shocked now. "You mean, you want me to come
here
...with you around...to see her?"

He looked like he might prefer a root canal.

"Not especially," she admitted. "But it's the only compromise I can think of at the moment."

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"Fine, then," he said and nodded a little too quickly for her comfort. "I'll come here. When do you want me?"

Right now...in the bedroom, flat on your back.
The answer popped into her head so suddenly, she actually blushed for thinking it. Glancing away in absolute mortification, Ellie cleared her throat. "Umm...how about Saturday. Anytime.

We'll be here all day."

"Is eight too early?"

She shook her head.

He smiled. "It's a d—ah, it's a deal then." Pushing to his feet, he held out a hand. "Thank you, Ellie."

"Thank
you
for what you did tonight."

Their hands met across the table in a formal manner. But his warm flesh connecting with hers still caused her skin to tingle.

"I just hope she doesn't hate me now," he murmured as he slowly pulled his palm from hers.

It took Ellie a moment before she figured out to whom he was referring. Then it struck her. Cassie.

"Oh," she said a little breathlessly. "No. Cassie will be okay. Trust me."

He still looked uncertain. "I wish I could mend fences with her before I leave," he murmured. But then he hitched a brave smile Ellie's way and added, "I'll see you Saturday."

Ellie opened her mouth and almost made a huge mistake.

It was on the tip of her tongue to invite him to stay and find out for himself just how okay Cassie was going to be. But that would be the error of all errors. No, she didn't want to be 178

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by Linda Kage

Boston Kincaid's enemy, but befriending him wasn't smart either.

"I'll see you Saturday," she returned, feeling lame.

And for the first time in over ten years, they separated in peace. Ellie sank against the picnic table and cradled her head in her hands, wondering if being on good terms with him might be more dangerous than keeping him as an enemy.

When the back door cracked open, she jumped and surged to her feet, ready to throw herself at him. But thank God, it was Cassie coming out to join her and not him returning.

"Cass," she said.

"Mommy," the girl spoke in a trembling voice. "I...I'm real sorry for the things I said to you. I..."

"Come here," Ellie said.

Her daughter dashed forward, throwing her arms open.

Ellie pulled the child into her lap, and they hugged.

"It's okay," Ellie murmured, kissing her hair. "I love you.

No matter what, I'll always love you."

As the girl settled against her and they began to talk out their problems, Ellie felt a spurt of regret that Boston hadn't been able to get the same make-up session she was having.

He was missing out on one of the greatest gifts a parent could have. And for the first time in a good long while, she wished she hadn't kept him from his little girl.

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179

Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

Chapter Eleven

That Friday night, a thunderstorm rolled over Lawrence. It was bad enough Ellie and Cassie hurried to the Young's house to stay in their basement for the worst of the squall. Keller and Cassie sat cross-legged on the floor playing Go Fish as the adults hovered by the high basement windows and watched strong winds and rain roll in.

In the midst of the windiest weather, a loud crack of thunder hit so close, the windows shook and the air was filled with an electric charge that made the hairs on Ellie's arm stand on end. The lights went out and a huge thud was heard, followed by a crashing sound outside.

Ellie and Nora let out small startled yelps as the two children screamed and leapt toward each other, groping in the dark until they found one another. Mendel, who was actually home for the evening, cursed until he found a flashlight and flipped it on.

The mothers immediately sought their children to comfort them, and Keller's father tried to peek out the small, foggy windows to see what had happened.

"Tree got hit by lightning," Mendel announced. "Took out the electric wire."

"Was it our tree house tree?" Keller asked, hurrying toward his father and trying his best to see out the window, but he was so short he couldn't see anything. Dr. Young didn't bother to answer his son but went to find his cell phone so he could call in the outage.

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Ellie peered out the window to see which tree had fallen.

"It's not the tree house," she assured the children.

Cassie and Keller cheered and hugged each other, dancing in a circle and celebrating until Mendel told them to hush.

Rubbing at her chilled arms, Ellie glanced out the window again and swallowed when she took in the sight of the tree that had fallen.

Half of the massive trunk had landed in her yard.

Boston arrived to quite a scene Saturday morning. He could hear Cassie and Keller in the backyard, only for their voices to be cut off by the sound of a chainsaw firing up. He strolled around the side of the house and came to a surprised halt when he found them. The two kids chased each other, playing tag as an adult male in the Young's backyard sawed at a huge fallen tree. Boston gaped at the mess until he spotted Ellie alone in her yard, wearing a pair of worn jeans, an old college sweater, and gardening gloves. Her face was red with exertion as she tried to drag a single large limb toward a pile she'd already gathered.

He lifted his eyebrows, thinking she had the makings for one hell of a bonfire.

Nora Young stood near the man with the chainsaw, trying to talk to him. He had to shut off his engine to hear her.

"You're going to cut up the limbs on Ellie's side too, right?"

she asked.

Giving her an annoyed frown, the man grumbled, "I don't think I'll have the time."

"But she can't—"

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Turning his back on her, the man started his saw again, cutting off the rest of her words.

Nora glared for a few moments, her hands set on her hips.

But then she shook her head and turned away to march toward Ellie's yard.

"I'll help you, El," Boston heard her call. She grabbed another end of the limb, and together the two women were able to drag the partial tree to the pile Ellie had already collected.

Boston sighed, realizing exactly what he'd be doing for the rest of the day. He started toward Ellie when Keller finally spotted him.

"Hi, Cassie's dad," he called and dodged just as Cassidy was about to tag him.

At the boy's greeting, Cassie stopped running and grinned, waving madly. "Look. Our tree fell down." Then she barreled into his legs and hugged him.

Boston sucked in a breath and knelt down to give her a full hug. Okay, so Ellie had been right. Cassie was quick to get over her anger. But it still felt good to know for certain she didn't hate him.

Pulling back before he got emotional, he forced a grin. "So I see." He stayed kneeling beside her because he liked being close. He enjoyed it when she was happy and affectionate like this. It'd been the same way with her mother.

Glancing unconsciously toward Ellie, he was surprised to find she'd stopped her work and was watching them. She gave him a small smile when their gazes met, and he immediately straightened to his feet.

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Ellie dragged off her gloves as she strolled his way. "I completely forgot you were coming today."

Boston jammed his hands in his pockets because they were itching to reach for the stray hair clinging to her cheek.

He forced his attention to the felled tree. "Hmm, I have no idea what might've caused you to forget."

Ellie gave him another smile and looked over at the tree as well. "Yeah, a storm passed through last night."

"I saw that on the Weather Channel. But I didn't realize it'd been so bad."

He took an instinctive step back as Nora Young joined them. The last time he'd talked to her, she'd been ready to tear his head off. Not sure if he was still listed on her bad side, he held his breath until she spoke.

"Thank God you're here. Ellie's been on the phone all morning trying to get a hold of a yard-cleaning service. But with the storm that came through last night, they're all tied up." She looked at him expectantly.

He opened his mouth to respond but Ellie broke in,

"Boston's only here to visit Cassie. I'll take care of the yard myself." She glanced at him with a meaningful look. "One of the services should call me back any minute." When a ringing came from her back porch, she brightened. "That's probably one of them now." She turned away and hurried to her deck where she'd left her portable phone.

As soon as she was ten feet away, though, Nora whirled to him.

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"I'd like to apologize for absconding with your son the other night," he said before she could speak. "I honestly had no intention of scaring you."

She blinked a few time, clearly startled by his remorse.

"Well," she said, clearly not sure what to say. "I guess if Ellie's forgiven you, so can I. I actually
gave
you permission to take Keller to Chuck E. Cheese's, and besides, he's back now. No harm, no fowl. I'm willing to let bygones be bygones.

If..." she added archly, making him lift a curious brow. "You give Ellie a hand with cleaning up her yard."

For a moment, he could only blink at her. Then he finally asked, "You actually think I'd let her take care of a mess this big by herself?"

"Haven't you before?" she asked, glancing Cassie's way.

Biting back a nasty retort, Boston cleared his throat and quietly answered, "I don't think you know enough about me to make that kind of observation."

Her eyes narrowing a little too perceptively on his face, she said, "Or maybe I know too much."