Just One Dare (The Kingston Family 5)

“Bye, Mr. Nick!” Leah called out as Melly, looking stunned and confused, led the little girl out the door.

Aurora had told the woman who was the closest thing to a mother she’d ever had, that she’d explain…soon. Then she’d called Cassidy and Dash and promised to visit the new parents tomorrow.

All the while, Nick sat in the family room, television on, waiting. At the thought of being alone with him, nerves pulsed inside her. And knowing she’d have to explain how she’d grown up made things even worse.

She finally joined him, walking into her favorite room. The overlarge sofa enabled her to relax after a long day, something she cherished. She didn’t have much time to herself these days, and that was also something Nick needed to know.

“Welcome to the madness that’s my life,” she said pointedly.

He had to understand that life with a child was messy, busy and chaotic. It wasn’t all sunshine and fun. Hi, Mr. Nick, come to my party, Mr. Nick.

He pushed himself to a standing position and gestured for her to come over. “Aurora, you look ready to break. Sit down.”

She started for the chair beside the sofa but he lowered himself back down and patted the cushion next to him.

She paused.

“Come on. We need to talk and sitting across from each other like strangers isn’t going to make it easier.” He treated her to a panty-melting grin, but that wasn’t what she wanted from him now. Even if that smile affected her like no man’s ever had, before or since.

She settled on the ultra-suede cushion and bent one leg so she could face him. Their gazes met and held.

“She’s mine,” he said.

There was no need to ask—he obviously knew. “She is. I had no way of finding you and—”

He held up a hand. “Stop. We both know there’s no fault here.”

“But you came back and I hid.” Which ultimately deprived him of being involved in every stage of his daughter’s life so far.

“It’s not like you knew you were pregnant and hid it.” He reached out and took her hand. “Tell me. What could have been so bad that you wouldn’t see me again after the night we shared?”

She rubbed her free hand against the soft sweats, seeking comfort. “I don’t know where to begin. My life is—and was—complicated. But I’ll start with the things that affect you.”

He wrapped his fingers around hers. “I’m listening.”

Nodding, she blew out a long breath. “The day we met…”

“Your birthday.”

She met his gaze and smiled. “You remembered.”

His soft gaze met hers. “I remember everything.”

A lump rose in her throat. “That day, I’d aged out of foster care. I know now that there’s extended foster care and independent living resources if you meet certain requirements but my case worker rarely showed up. At the time, I had no idea I had options. The family I lived with was only too happy to see me go and the feeling was mutual.”

“Jesus, Aurora. I had no idea,” he said, his tone low.

She’d taken one look at the table of guys who’d obviously had money and knew there was no way she could admit her circumstances to Nick.

“I didn’t want you to know. The people who owned the diner said I could stay in the back room. It was tiny and hot but I had a roof over my head and they allowed me to take my meals there. As far as I was concerned, I was lucky.”

His thumb rubbed back and forth over the top of her hand, encouraging her to go on.

She swallowed hard. “When you asked me out, it was a bright spot during a really shitty time. We were great together and we connected. But I could tell you were smart, that you came from a good family, and you had money. I had nothing and was embarrassed by that fact. So I decided to make the most of our night together, because I knew it had to be a one-time thing.”

A few seconds of silence slipped by as he seemed to process her story. “And then you realized you were pregnant.” He set his jaw, his tension and frustration obvious.

She nodded. “It was scary but I was determined to make it work. I finished high school with morning sickness. I graduated and began working full-time at the diner. And I found a free clinic where I met a doctor who was kind.”

If it hadn’t been for that doctor, there would have been no way that her family could have found her.

“Go on,” Nick said.

“The doctor had a girlfriend and she offered me a place to stay and a real job, working on the books. That meant I was getting a real paycheck, instead of getting paid under the table, the way I had been at the diner. So by the time Linc Kingston came looking for his half-sister, there was a paper trail for him to find.”