Dare To Resist (Dare Nation 1)

“Hello!” he called out.

“In the family room,” Damon yelled back.

“And you have some explaining to do.” That was Bri.

He groaned and walked into the room. As expected, his family began shouting questions at him the second they saw him.

His mother walked up to him. Not surprisingly, Jenny was in her arms. His mother loved babies. She constantly hounded her kids to get married and give her grandchildren, and Austin wondered if she’d gotten her wish.

Her concerned gaze rested on his. Always put together, her blondish-brown hair hanging to her shoulders, her makeup fresh, Christine Prescott was special. And she was an amazing mother. She’d done her best to protect her kids from their father, Jesse, when he was in one of his moods. Over the top with his expectations. If she had one flaw, it had been that she hadn’t left her husband, but she’d loved him and kept hoping her influence would fix things.

“Is she yours?” his mother asked, rubbing Jenny’s back as she spoke.

His siblings grew silent as they waited for his answer.

Austin swallowed hard, surprised Quinn hadn’t revealed what little they knew about the baby, and he met Quinn’s gaze, the unspoken question obvious.

She looked at him with sympathy in her eyes. “Not my story to tell.”

He blew out a breath and began to explain. “I found her on my doorstep last night with a note saying she’s mine.”

“Jesus, Austin, ever hear of wrapping it up?” Damon asked from his seat on the couch.

He shot his brother a dirty look. “I did. But you know as well as I do, shit happens.” He met his mother’s gaze. “That’s all I know right now. I called Ray Benson, my lawyer. He’s going to arrange for a paternity test. I’ll also turn the tapes from my house cameras over to a PI Ray uses, after I take a look and see if I recognize whoever left her.”

“Jenny,” his mother said. “Whoever left Jenny on your doorstep. She’s a baby with a name.” She continued to run her hand over the infant’s back, and Jenny had her head resting on his mother’s chest.

Even he wasn’t immune to the sight of the sweet little thing in his mom’s arms. But she was quiet for his mother. For Quinn. For him she shrieked like he was hurting her somehow.

“I know, Mom.”

“But you haven’t looked at her or asked to hold her since you walked in.”

He hated the disappointment in her voice and expression. For his whole life, he’d strived to make his parents proud, but especially his mother. He cringed at the way she was looking at him now.

But it wasn’t like he wasn’t doing things for the baby. “I just spent the last two hours loading up my credit card with things for her. For Jenny. I don’t know if she’s mine and I’m trying to adjust.”

“I don’t care if she’s yours or not. She needs love and affection. Attention, and it’s not Quinn’s responsibility.”

“I didn’t mind helping out, Mrs. Prescott,” Quinn said quietly.

With the sound of her voice came the reminder that she was witnessing what felt like his shame. That he’d probably been responsible for creating a baby he hadn’t known about. That his mother thought he was dropping the ball now.

“Call me Christine and I know you don’t mind. I just want my son to understand this baby is his responsibility … at least until we know whose baby she is. Although looking at these familiar blue eyes, I have a pretty good idea.”

Austin reeled at the fact that his mother was confirming what his gut already knew. He leaned against the nearest wall, totally floored. It was one thing to suspect Jenny was his child, another to have the closest person to him validate it.

“Mom, I need help,” Austin said in a low voice. “I need you.”

His mother patted his face. “Honey, this is where a man shows his true colors. I get that you need help, but I have a cruise for my high school reunion that I organized and I’m leaving in the morning. I can’t not show up. I’m the one in charge. I’m sorry. I’ll be here for you when I get back on Friday. I promise.”

Shit. He’d totally forgotten her trip. “It’s okay. I’ll figure something out.”

Bri rose to her feet. “I’ll stop by when I can but I have that trip to LA with Manuel Rodriguez. It’s his first major sponsor photo shoot and I promised I’d be there. What about a nanny?” she asked.

“I’ll look into hiring someone, but it’s going to take time to vet people. I can’t just trust anyone.” He knew he couldn’t ask his brothers. They both had team responsibilities, and if the idea of taking care of an infant scared him, he doubted his bachelor brothers with full-time careers were any more capable of handling the baby.