Jade stopped at the refrigerator and took out two cans of soda, handing one to him. “A glass? Ice?”
He shook his head. “I’m fine, thanks.” He popped the top and took a long sip.
“You didn’t answer me. What do you want from Aurora? What made you show up on her doorstep the morning after running into her? It’s not like you knew you had a kid before you knocked on her door, right?” His twin raised an eyebrow, calling him on his bullshit. And letting him in on the fact that she’d already drawn her own conclusions.
“Since you’ve already decided what my intentions are, why don’t you tell me?” He took another sip of his drink, letting the bubbles go down his throat.
She smiled at the chance to give her opinion. “What I think, is that you like her. Mr. Three Dates and I’m Out wants to throw his rulebook out the window.” Jade nudged him with her elbow and grinned wider. “You think she’s gorgeous, you want to kiss her, you want to do her,” she sang in the tune from Miss Congeniality. Yeah, so he’d watched the movie with Jade during one of her migraines.
“Quiet, wise ass,” he muttered to his sister. “Yes, I want to get to know Aurora now and see what could happen between us. And yes, I wanted that before I knew we could be…a family.” He almost choked on the word. And for good reason.
After all, he had four siblings. His biological mother, who’d had mental issues, had run off when he and Jade had been only two years old. He didn’t like to think about what she’d done next. His father had then married the nanny and Serenity had raised Nick and his siblings as if they were her own. He even called her mom as she was the only mother he’d ever known. She’d also had four kids with his father, triplets from fertility treatments, and an oops baby afterwards. After being surrounded by so many kids for most of his life, he’d craved solitude and the idea of settling down, getting married, and having children of his own had never really occurred to Nick.
Jade was silent, obviously contemplating everything he’d told her. She let out a long breath. “Aurora has been through so much. I’m glad she ended up with a good family who has her back. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have issues from growing up in foster care and being abandoned by the people who were supposed to take care of her.”
“What are you saying?” he asked.
“Just that you’re used to women falling at your feet. I don’t see that happening with Aurora.”
He raised an eyebrow, wondering if he ought to be insulted.
Before he could decide, his sister continued. “I’m also saying, the Dare charm might not be the answer to getting what you want, in this case. You shouldn’t have any problem building a relationship with your daughter but maybe, you should temper your expectations with her mother.”
He dipped his head and put his can on the counter. This wasn’t the advice he wanted to hear.
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “On the positive side, being a Dare has its benefits. We’re a persistent bunch. And you, more than the rest of us, know how to get what you want.” She rose and pressed her lips to his cheek. “You got this, little bro.”
He rolled his eyes at the familiar sentiment. “Just because you were born ten minutes before me, that doesn’t make me your little brother.”
She laughed. “Do you want to hang out for a while? We can talk some more…or not. Whatever you want.”
He nodded, grateful for the support. “Maybe you can help me figure out what to pick up as a birthday gift for a little girl who doesn’t even know I’m her father.”
They threw their soda cans into the recycling bin and returned to the family room to watch some television. And for Nick, it was the chance to do some soul searching as well.
* * *
Aurora sat on the closed toilet seat, watching as her daughter played in the tub.
“Mommy, would you read me Cinderella for my bedtime story?” Leah asked, letting Aurora soap up her hair with shampoo.
That choice would mean more questions about the prince, Aurora thought wryly. “Sure, honey.”
“Who’s Mr. Nick?” Leah asked, playing with the cup Aurora normally used to rinse the soap from Leah’s hair.
Nick. Aurora had been expecting Leah to have questions about the man who’d had breakfast with them. She was actually surprised it had taken this long.
“I told you this morning. He’s someone I knew when I lived in Florida. Tip your head back so I can rinse the shampoo.”
Leah tipped her neck and head and scrunched her eyes closed. “I like Mr. Nick.”