Just One Dare (The Kingston Family 5)

“Fuck.” Nick ran his free hand through his hair, never letting go of her with the other. “How did I miss the fact that you were so alone?”

“I got good at hiding what I didn’t want other people to know. But Nick, the doctor who helped me out was Braden Prescott.”

His eyes opened wide. “My cousin?”

She nodded.

Their family story was incredible. One of Nick’s uncles, Paul Dare, had been the sperm donor for his best friends, the Prescotts, who couldn’t have children. The family was sports royalty, all but Braden, the doctor.

“Small world, huh?” she asked.

“Even smaller, me finding you again.” His eyes gleamed with an emotion she couldn’t name.

Was he really that happy to have found her? How did he feel about discovering he was a father? He’d had no time to think about, let alone process, the news. Nor did she know what he intended to do.

She slid her hand from his. “It is. And we have to figure out how to handle things for Leah. That’s what matters. That’s who is important in all this.”

“I agree.” He leaned in close. “And you need to be aware, I want her to know I’m her father. I want to be part of her life.”

She rose to her feet, nerves kicking in. “How?”

“What?”

“How do you want to be part of her life? In what way? Where do you live? What state? Because we’re here. My family is here and that’s where Leah is staying.” She felt herself fraying at the edges as the possibilities spun out in her mind. “What about your life? Do you have a wife? A girlfriend? Are you going to want some kind of custody?” she asked, her voice rising.

Panic filled her as all the possibilities spiraled in her mind. No matter what he wanted, all she could think about was that she could lose her daughter.

“Whoa.” Nick rose and came up beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

He smelled delicious, like musk and man, and despite everything, her body reacted to his scent, his nearness. But she couldn’t focus on their chemistry. She had to concentrate on her daughter and the life she’d built for her child and herself.

He turned her to face him. “I have no intention of trying to take Leah away from you. And there’s no wife, no girlfriend, no one but me… And you… And Leah, to worry about.”

She forced in deep breaths, telling herself to calm down. He wasn’t the enemy. He was just an unexpected new presence in her life.

“Better?” he asked, staring into her eyes.

“Yes.” She still didn’t know where he lived but she believed him when he said he wasn’t going to take her daughter in any kind of custody fight. And that knowledge allowed her to relax a little. She’d spent the better part of her life alone, relying on no one but herself.

“Good.”

“We can’t just spring the news that you’re her father on her.”

He drew in a deep breath. “She can’t keep calling me Mr. Nick, either.” He laughed and the tension between them eased.

“Come to her birthday party, spend some time with her and we’ll get there, okay?”

He nodded. “Okay. But I’d like to see her sooner than that.”

He released his hold on her and she stepped back, needing space from his heady scent and the effect his nearness had on her body.

She swallowed hard. “What if you take that time to process the shock? Make sure you want to be in her life before you come barreling in, only to disappoint her if you disappear on her after the novelty has worn off?”

He visibly clenched his jaw but then nodded. “I understand. You need time to adjust, too. But I need you to know she’s not a novelty to me.”

“Were you always so astute?” She managed a shaky smile. “Maybe I do but I also need to know Leah can count on you. Be sure,” she said, aware of the pleading note in her voice.

“I am. But I’ll take the time.”

She was grateful he’d given in.

“I’m going to get going. I think today has been stressful enough for us both.”

“You can say that again.” She nodded in relief. “Umm, where are you living now?” she asked again.

He braced his hand on the doorknob. “I travel from hotel to hotel around the country, wherever the business needs me. Right now, I don’t really have a home base.” He shrugged. “But the rest of the family is in New York. Even Harrison moved there from L.A., so I’m here more often than not.”

“Living out of a hotel room,” she said. A person couldn’t get more transient than that.

How did he expect to have consistency with Leah, if he had a job that had him constantly traveling, and didn’t have a real home? She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, him drifting in and out of Leah’s life. After the childhood she’d had, Aurora craved stability and was determined to make sure her child had it.