Just One Dare (The Kingston Family 5)

She turned her focus back to Leah who sat waiting for her to reply. “I did sleep in your bed. I wanted cuddles.” Aurora tickled Leah until her giggles and shrieks echoed around the room, and only stopped so Leah could catch her breath. “Now why did you wake me?”

Leah pressed her hands on either side of Aurora’s cheeks. “I want pancakes!” she yelled.

“Indoor voice.” Aurora smiled. “I could go for pancakes too.” Why let nausea get the best of her when she could eat her troubles away, at least temporarily? “Let me go to my room and I’ll be down in a few minutes. You go to your bathroom and go potty, then brush your teeth, okay?”

“Okay, Mommy. Can I have chocolate chips in my pancakes?” Leah batted her lashes like a pro, causing Aurora to laugh.

“Good try. You had ice cream with Stephanie last night. That was your treat.” The babysitter had filled Aurora in on their fun-filled night.

“Fine,” Leah said with a huff. “Then can I stir the mix?”

Aurora ruffled her hair. “Yeah. You can.”

A little while later, dressed in a pair of oversized sweatpants she’d stolen from Dash, rolled down at the waist, and a top she hadn’t realized had shrunk in the wash, she made her way downstairs. If Leah hadn’t already been calling “Mommy,” Aurora would have changed shirts but her munchkin was hungry, and that always took precedence…unless she wanted to hear, I’m starving, over and over again.

Aurora set all the ingredients on the counter. Leah was mixing the batter, doing her best to slop the mix over the sides, or at least that was the way it looked. Aurora resigned herself to a good, long cleaning of the counters.

“That looks finished. Come wash your hands.”

Leah bounced over to the sink and stood on the stool that let her reach the faucet more easily. Once her hands were washed and dried, Aurora grabbed her mug, and poured herself a cup of coffee. A little caffeine always helped her get the day started.

As Aurora went to take a sip of her coffee, Leah asked, “Did you meet the prince last night, Mommy?”

At the question, Aurora all but spat the liquid out of her mouth. Before she could answer—not that she had a reply, because what could she call Nick—the doorbell rang.

“I’ve got it!” Leah yelled and disappeared through the kitchen entryway.

“Leah, do not open that door!” Aurora yelled, just as the beep beep from the unset alarm signaled her daughter had done just that. The beeps were meant to let Aurora know if anyone entered or exited the house without her knowledge.

She ran, skidding to a halt at the open door where Leah stood facing Nick. “Hi, Mister. You’re a stranger. I’m not allowed to talk to you,” she said, then shut the door in his face.

* * *

Nick stared at the shut door in shock. A little girl had answered. He pulled out his phone and checked the text from Harrison again, comparing the number on the house to the address on the screen. It matched.

He was still confused as shit when the door opened again, only this time Aurora stood in the entrance. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was tousled. After-sex hair, as if a man’s fingers had spent hours messing up the long strands. Nick’s stomach churned at the possibility that there might be a guy inside—a father to that adorable girl, and maybe even a husband to Aurora.

“Nick, what are you doing here?” she asked, her voice strained.

“I asked Harrison to get your address from Xander.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head but didn’t say a word. The little girl had disappeared.

“I thought we could talk,” he told her.

She narrowed her gaze, her hand still on the door. “You said you’d call.”

“I couldn’t wait. And to be honest, I didn’t trust you not to blow me off. Not after the way you ran from me last night.” He decided to go for honesty, because she looked ready to follow her daughter’s lead and slam the door in his face. “I didn’t want to lose touch with you again.”

“Mommy, you said you’d make pancakes!” The voice who’d called him a stranger shouted, this time much louder.

“Come in,” Aurora said, obviously resigned.

What the hell? Was it that bad to see him again?

He followed her inside and she closed and locked the door behind him. “Leah has a bad habit of answering the door without me being there. I’m trying to break it, but she’s strong-willed.”

“Like her mother?” He really wanted to know about the little girl’s father but couldn’t figure out how to ask.

Aurora stared at him, a wealth of emotion in her eyes. He had no idea what was going on.

Footsteps stomped towards them and the child stopped next to Aurora, tugging on her too-large sweatpants. Men’s sweatpants, Nick thought, and his stomach cramped even harder.