Dare To Resist (Dare Nation 1)
“A baby swing. Amazon had same-day delivery.” He opened the truck door and hopped out, leaving her speechless.
She let herself out and met him by the back door on the baby’s side. He’d already begun unbuckling the car seat and lifting Jenny into his arms.
Stunned, she followed him up the steps and unlocked the front door.
“Can you hold her so I can get the box inside?” he asked.
“Sure.” Her head was spinning, shocked he hadn’t expected her to take Jenny out of the seat. “You’re suddenly comfortable with her?”
He grunted in response, then said, “Not really. But I had an interesting conversation with Ian.” Austin dragged the box into the house.
She followed him and he shut the door, locking it behind him.
“Ian has three kids, and for some reason it got me thinking about what Jenny needs.” He rested a hand on the top of the box. “She needs me. Right now I’m all she has.” He met her gaze. “We’re all she has.”
“For now,” she felt compelled to remind him. She wasn’t his or Jenny’s answer to life.
He frowned and continued. “Anyway, Ian sent me a list of some items that he said would give us a break from holding her constantly. The swing being one of them.”
Quinn forced a grin. “If I’m the baby whisperer, Ian must be the Austin whisperer.”
He rolled his eyes. “If you don’t mind feeding her, I’ll get this set up. Oh, and do you want to order dinner?”
She nodded, and later, they shared Chinese food out of cartons. Sitting side by side on the couch in the family room, they watched Jenny swing back and forth. Freshly bathed, fed, and changed, she was quiet and happy in her new piece of equipment, her little feet kicking, while Austin was extremely proud of himself for buying and setting up the swing.
He was already something to see as a man. Watching him come into his own as a dad was sexy in a whole different way. She didn’t want to see Austin as the whole package, and she reminded herself that not only did he not want a long-term relationship, she preferred to be alone. Or with a man who didn’t come with a built-in family. Hadn’t she broken up with Daniel for the very reason that she didn’t want children? And that hadn’t changed.
She looked from the swinging baby to the man beside her.
“So tell me, really, are you okay with your new reality?” she asked him. “Or are you just making the best of it?”
He paused with the fork halfway to his mouth and lowered it to the table. “Frankly, I’m scared to death.”
She blinked in surprise because he’d suddenly seemed so capable and calm.
“There’s a baby in that swing that a note says is mine,” he went on. “A woman floating around out there who could show up at any minute and demand her back. A DNA test to be taken that could change my entire life, and these last three days have given me a glimpse as to just how drastically. So no. I’m really not okay. I’m just doing what I have to do for that helpless little baby.”
He expelled a long breath, and she finally realized just how much this situation was impacting him.
“Hey.” She put her own fork down. “I know this is rough. I’m not going to bail on you until you get yourself settled one way or another. And your mother will be home before you know it so she can pitch in. You aren’t alone.”
His gaze warmed at her words but he looked upset. “Except I am alone. You said you don’t want kids? Hell, I never gave them a thought. And what’s worse is that I was careful. I know for sure I used a condom. So to say this is unexpected is an understatement.” He ran a hand through his hair and messed up the long strands.
She blew out a breath. “I—”
“Do you know what’s worse?” He interrupted her and she waved a hand for him to continue.
Obviously he had things he needed to get off his chest.
“What the fuck do I know about being a father?” He stabbed himself in the chest with his finger. “Jesse Prescott taught me lessons in berating a kid to get the best out of him. How’s that for a good role model?”
“Oh, Austin.” She leaned in close and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. “You’re not Jesse. You’re a good man. You’ve put your life on hold to take care of a little girl you aren’t even certain is yours. Forgetting the fact that you spent a small fortune in baby supplies, you’ve learned how to change a diaper and give a bottle when you could have turned her over to the police, who would have given her to CPS.”