Read The Bad Boy's Baby (Hope Springs) Online

Authors: Cindi Madsen

Tags: #one-night-stand, #military, #bad boy, #Hope Springs, #small town, #Bliss, #Entangled, #secret baby, #contemporary romance, #sweet romance

The Bad Boy's Baby (Hope Springs) (4 page)

BOOK: The Bad Boy's Baby (Hope Springs)
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Chapter Five

Emma’s words hung in the air, taking up all the space from one end of the unfurnished cabin to the other.

She’d run through several scenarios in her head of how this would play out, every one ending in him yelling at her.

Instead, Cam stumbled back a few steps, like her words had shot him in the chest. He reached back for the empty bed frame and sat down on it, his mouth slack.

She didn’t know why she hadn’t factored in shock. After all, when she’d lifted the pregnancy test and looked back and forth from the box to the result window, confirming she was, in fact, pregnant, she’d stumbled back against the wall, slid down it until her butt hit the floor, and stared at that damn stick for about five minutes before she’d believed it. Then the tears had come, fast and furious.

Cam scrubbed a hand over his face, and she thought he’d reached the acceptance stage, but then he jerked up his head. “Are you sure she’s mine?”

A sharp twinge shot through her chest. Of course he’d doubt it—she wished it didn’t hurt, but it did. “I’m sure. My boyfriend had dumped me a month before that night in the bar, and we hadn’t had sex for a month before that. There was no one after you, either. I did the math a bunch of times—and I’m good at math. The details of that night are a bit fuzzy, but I’ve come to the conclusion that either you never put on the condom, or we’re the one percent who it didn’t work for.”

Cam stared at her, those eyes so much like Zoey’s, but unlike their daughter’s, his were completely unreadable.

The back of her throat tightened, making her have to work for every word. “I don’t want you to feel obligated—I know you didn’t want kids, and I can take care of her. I can keep going on how we’ve been going. I just…well, I thought you should know.”

“You thought I should know?” The words came out edged in ice, and she flinched—she shouldn’t have told him. He obviously didn’t want to know.

“Look, if you don’t want to meet Zoey and be part of her life, that’s your choice. You’re missing out, but again, that’s completely your choice.”

“Choice?” He laughed, and like the laugh she’d given after he’d asked if she’d been married, it wasn’t the happy kind of laughter. “You didn’t give me a choice. I should’ve
known
—past tense. How could you have not told me when you found out you were pregnant?”

Her heart thundered, and sweat pricked her forehead, the reaction she always had when dealing with any kind of conflict—she hated conflict and usually avoided it at all costs, but she’d gotten herself into this mess, no avoiding it now. “You were several countries away. I didn’t even know how to contact you.”

He stood and advanced on her, and fear spiked. She backed up, but he kept on coming. “You get my information from my dad, or my brother. You…
Damn it!
You find a way!”

When he raised his arm, she flinched, but he only ran a hand through his hair. His eyebrows drew together, offense pinching his features. “I’m not…I’m not going to hit you.”

Tears gathered in her eyes. “I don’t know—it’s not like I know you. Your brother just moved back, like, six months ago, and I’ve been sick with guilt over not saying anything. But what was I supposed to do? Write you and say, oh, hey, remember me, the girl you slept with because you were drunk and getting ready to deploy and I was there? Well, now I’m having your kid.”

“Yes.”

Emma gritted her teeth, resolved to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks. “You’re right. I did try to find your email address, but I should’ve tried harder. I…” She almost went into how she’d attempted to talk to his dad, but she didn’t want to insult his family right now, and in the end, it was still an excuse. So she went with the truth. “I was scared. I’m still scared, every day. I’m sorry, because I know I did this all wrong. But I was trying to protect my daughter.”

“Our daughter,” he said, his gaze boring into her. “According to you.”

“Yes. Our daughter.” Despite her best efforts, her tears spilled over and ran warm trails down her cheeks. “I can’t change the past, but now you know. That also scares me, more than anything ever has, because Zoey—she’s my world.”

Cam stepped back again, his head shaking over and over, and she couldn’t take it anymore. As hard as it’d been, she’d told him, and now he’d have to figure out what he wanted to do about it. But she couldn’t stand there in the suffocating, tension-filled room any longer. So she swallowed the lump in her throat and walked out of the cabin.

She meant to calmly walk away, but before she knew it, she was in the truck and peeling out, headed away from Mountain Ridge.

One thing was for sure. No one would call her life boring now.


The headache working its way across Cam’s forehead pounded harder, in time to his rapidly hammering heart, beating out rational thought. He’d made it out of the cabin in time to see Emma’s taillights through a cloud of dirt. Anger and shock had formed a toxic combination, and he knew he needed to release some of it before he spat out any harsh words or made a decision he’d regret.

So he’d ducked into the cabin he’d been working on earlier in the day, picked up some drywall and a package of nails, and hammered for all he was worth. The first few he’d gone too hard, driving the nail so deep that he’d left circular hammer imprints.

Still the anger came in waves, so he kept at it.

How stupid was I, thinking she was trustworthy. Thinking that she was different from other women.

She should’ve told me yesterday.

No, she should’ve told me years ago, instead of just springing it on me and claiming she doesn’t expect anything.

He swung and swung, until his shoulder screamed with each movement.

“Cam?” Heath walked in, his arm around Quinn. “We appreciate your enthusiasm about finishing these up as soon as possible, but it’s time for dinner.”

He just shook his head. Once again his temper whispered that he was just like Dad, and now he didn’t have missions and taking out bad guys as an outlet. How could he be a father? Why had he ever thought going back to civilian life would be good for him?

Coming back home to the slow pace of Hope Springs was supposed to be calming. Supposed to help heal the broken part of him.

Then again, he wasn’t supposed to have a kid.
A two-year-old daughter.
He swung the hammer again, this time missing the stud completely and bashing a hole in the drywall. The broken plaster bits rained down on his forearms, the dust clinging to the hairs there and turning them white.

“Cameron.” Heath put his hand on his shoulder, and when Cam glanced at his brother, worry hung heavy on his features. “What’s going on?”

Cam tossed the hammer aside, the loud
thunk
slightly satisfying. He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Emma. I need to talk to her. Where does she live?”

Quinn walked over, slow and calm, like life hadn’t suddenly stopped making sense. “Look, Cam, Emma’s awesome, and obviously she’s very pretty, too, but her life is super complicated. She’s a single mom, and I’m not sure that you and she would be a good idea.”

It was way too late for good ideas now. “Heath, did I ever tell you that I slept with Emma the night before I deployed?”

Heath’s jaw dropped, which he took to mean no.

“Holy shitballs,” Quinn said. “I
so
didn’t see that coming.”

Cam kept his eyes on his brother’s. “Have you seen her little girl?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen her around town a couple of times. She’s a cute kid. Lots of blond curly hair, always wearing a ballet skirt.”

“Tell me something…” His heart thumped hard in his chest. One beat, then two, then three. “Does she look anything like me?”

Chapter Six

“But what about pizza?” Emma asked Zoey.

Zoey held up the box of mac and cheese. “Cheese.”

“Pizza has cheese, and you love pizza, remember?” She loved to pick off the cheese and leave the tomato sauce and crust, anyway.

Zoey’s eyebrows drew together and she held the box of mac and cheese higher. Nothing made you feel more in control of life than losing an argument with a two-year-old.

With a sigh, Emma gave up and took the box from Zoey’s pudgy fingers. This day had beaten everything out of her, and she didn’t have it in her to debate the merits of pizza versus neon-orange noodles anymore. She figured she’d just have one of those disgusting microwave dinners—the ones she’d bought when she’d decided she needed to eat healthier, and the “lean” on the package and mini section for vegetables had lulled her into a false sense of healthiness. As usual, she’d pick at it and end up eating the other half of the macaroni straight from the pot.

She’d just poured a pot full of water when the doorbell rang. She walked over and looked through the window on the door, and her stomach fell right to her toes. Since Zoey was busy with the dollhouse in the corner of the living room, Emma stepped outside quickly, pulling the door shut behind her.

“Cam. Hey.”

“I want to see her,” he said.

A clashing mixture of relief and fear tumbled through Emma. “It’s my job as her mom to protect her, and more than anything, I want her to feel loved and wanted. I have to be careful about pulling people into her life.”

The muscles around Cam’s jaw tightened, and she put her hand on his arm. “I’m not saying you can’t see her—I want you to. I’m just trying to figure out the best ground rules to keep us all safer.” His gaze moved to her hand, and she dropped it, working to keep her composure. “At least until you spend a bit of time with her and decide what kind of a role you want to play in her life.”

Cam slowly nodded. “I guess that makes sense.”

Emma glanced through the window of the front door. Zoey was still busy with the dollhouse. “We were about to have dinner. If we go out…well, then the entire town will be talking.”

“I’d rather not do this in front of everyone.”

“I agree. I could order a pizza?”

He nodded again. “That’s fine. I just want to see her.”

At least he’d decided that much. Now hope jumped into the mix of emotions—hope that Zoey could have a dad who cared about her and that they could work out some kind of arrangement, even though fear edged every beat of her heart at the thought of it going wrong. “For now, we’ll just introduce you as my friend Cam. Is that okay?”

Cam shrugged, and it was odd to see the massive, all-man dude on her porch looking so unsure of himself. If the situation weren’t so awkward and difficult, it’d be endearing.

Okay, maybe it was endearing anyway. Emma took a deep breath and walked inside, holding the door open for Cam. Zoey glanced up, tossed her doll aside, and ran over. She wrapped her arms around Emma’s legs, clinging to them.

“She’s a little shy when you first meet her,” Emma said to Cam, then she reached down, scooped her daughter into her arms, and hugged her tightly. “Zoey, this is my friend Cam. Cam, Zoey.”


In the field, Cam never froze. He reacted, and he reacted quickly, not letting himself second-guess anything, because it could mean the difference between life and death. But here he was now, frozen in place by a two-year-old.

The cutest little two-year-old girl he’d ever seen. She had Emma’s curly hair, although it was blond, not brown, and she had Emma’s nose. But the eyes…they were a Brantley family trait. Her face shape was his, as was the slight dimple in the chin. There was something that hinted at Mom, too, although he couldn’t pick out what. Part of him had still doubted she was his until this moment, but all of that faded as he looked at her.

“Hi,” he said, not knowing what else to say. She curled into Emma, her pink ballet skirt crumpling. But then she peeked at him and gave him a small smile, and his heart cracked right there. He had no idea what to do about the fact that he had a daughter.

But something inside him had told him he’d regret it if he didn’t at least see her. If only he knew how to act now that he had.

Emma bounced her higher on her hip. “Zoey, I’m going to order some pizza and—”

“Cheese!” she said, adamantly shaking her head.

“I was going to say, and I’m going to finish making you mac and cheese.” Emma tapped Zoey’s nose and then glanced at him. “It’s all she eats right now. That and L-U-C-K-Y C-H-A-R-M-S. I do make her eat veggies and fruit once in a while, though, I swear.”

She seemed worried he’d judge her. He had no idea how to take care of a kid, and Zoey looked healthy to him. Healthy and happy.

Emma asked about pizza toppings, he assured her whatever was fine, and then she gestured to the couch. “Make yourself at home.”

Cam sat on the small couch and glanced around the room. Pink toys sat in every corner, and there was a pile of large Legos in the middle of the room. Besides the toys, the house was clean, although dated and a little run-down. Nothing major, just a few cracks in the overly textured walls, peeling eighties linoleum in the entryway, and brown swirl carpet that’d seen its fair share of use.

He’d grown up about like this—if you added a thin layer of dirt, Dad’s stacks of magazines circling the room, and an empty six-pack of beer on the table—so he knew that you could live in these conditions, but he wasn’t sure Emma was as fine as she claimed, especially financially.

His defenses prickled at the timing of it all, her telling him only
after
he and Heath had acquired the property that’d taken their savings, as well as a portion of Quinn’s. He certainly didn’t have spare cash sitting around, but if the lodge did well…

Movement from near the kitchen caught his attention. Zoey peeked out at him and then ducked back around the corner. The minutes ticked by, slow and yet fast, his head still spinning as he tried to grasp the fact that he had a kid, and then the pizza guy showed up.

They ate in the kitchen, mostly in silence, but afterward, Zoey tugged on the leg of his jeans and led him over to the dollhouse in the corner of the living room. She handed him a doll and then began playing. When he just stood there, the doll dangling from his hand, she grabbed that hand, showed him how to play—clearly thinking he didn’t get it—and then sang to herself.

This was so freaking weird. It felt like he’d fallen into a dream, or someone else’s life, and part of him wanted to wake up, even as he felt a strange pull in his gut toward the little girl in front of him.

After a few minutes he found himself making voices for the doll, struggling to interpret what Zoey said, and sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. Occasionally he’d glance at Emma, who smiled encouragingly, even though he was sure he was getting everything wrong. There was a hint of nervousness in every move Emma made, too, which only added to the pressure building inside him.

When Zoey had a meltdown over a dress not going onto the doll the way she wanted, Emma came over and picked her up. “That means it’s bedtime.”

“Uh-uh,” Zoey said, but Emma carried her into the hall, rocking and humming low, and Zoey dropped her head on her shoulder. Cam didn’t know if he should follow or just stand there and wait, and finally he settled on picking up toys, since it was something he felt semiqualified for.

Several minutes later, Emma returned, her arms now empty. She looked at him, he looked back, and he could tell she had as little clue about what to say as he did.

“I…I want to be in her life,” he finally said. He didn’t know how to be a dad, but he couldn’t walk away and pretend he’d never met her now. It didn’t sit right with him, especially after he’d experienced parental abandonment. He’d probably screw up a lot, but he doubted saying that would inspire a lot of confidence in Emma. He figured he should be as truthful as possible, though. “I’m not sure how big of a role I can play, but I won’t leave her to wonder why I don’t want to be in her life.”

He could practically see the wheels in Emma’s mind turning as she processed everything he’d said.

“Okay.” She hugged her arms around herself like she’d done earlier and nodded. “Next time, we’ll tell her you’re her dad.”

“Will she be okay with that?”

A small smile touched Emma’s lips. “I’m sure she will. Little kids are pretty resilient, and they adjust faster than most adults. I’m sure it’ll be easier now than if she were older. She hasn’t quite realized it’s not normal for her to not know her daddy.”

He took a couple of steps toward her. “If I hadn’t come back? Would you have ever told me?”

Emma bit her lip. “Probably not. I heard you that night in the bar. You said you didn’t want kids. That you’d never change your mind—you sounded so sure that I truly figured it was for the best if you simply didn’t know, and with you so far away anyway…”

“I never planned to have any, it’s true. My dad…” He thought about the days after Mom walked out on them, leaving him and Heath to fend for themselves. It didn’t go very well, not when Dad’s drinking only got worse. “Let’s just say I didn’t want to turn into him. I have no idea how to be a dad.”

“I had no idea how to be a mom. Some days I feel like I still don’t know how, actually, and that I’ll never figure it out.” She reached out like she was going to touch his arm again, and he didn’t realize how much he wanted her to until she dropped her hand before contact. “I’m sorry, Cam, I am. I didn’t expect my life to turn out like this. But I wouldn’t change it, not now that I have her.”

The anger he’d felt earlier moved to the background. He was still upset she hadn’t told him, but he couldn’t hold onto it after spending the past few hours with her and Zoey. “Well, now that I’m here and I know, I guess we both have a lot of things to figure out. Like…” He gulped, because the words still seemed so strange, and thinking about all the details that’d need to be ironed out made him realize how much his life was about to change. “Child support and that kind of thing.”

“We’re okay. Like I said, I didn’t tell you so you’d feel obligated.”

Yeah, we’ll see.
He did feel obligated, too, but it was more than a sense of duty. It wasn’t something he’d experienced before, so he didn’t know how to describe it. Still, his goals of the lodge and of adjusting to normal life had just become that much more important. “This week we’ll figure out the best plan of attack, and then we’ll put it into action.”

“How much trouble would I be in if I saluted you and said, ‘Yes, sir’?”

He cracked a smile, something he definitely hadn’t expected after she’d dropped the bomb this afternoon. “Feel free to follow all my orders,” he said, and she rolled her eyes.

Then everything that’d happened and all it meant came rushing back in. He could deal with a truce and helping out with Zoey, but he still didn’t completely trust Emma, and he wasn’t sure he ever could.

“See you tomorrow,” he said, heading toward the door.

“See you tomorrow,” she echoed, and he told himself not to feel sorry for the sadness that’d crept into her voice.

But the tiniest part of him still did.

BOOK: The Bad Boy's Baby (Hope Springs)
5.02Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
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