by Linda Kage
"Kincaid?" Cameron called.
"Just a sec," Boston answered on a loud growl. He glanced at Ellie, his eyes unreadable before he opened the bathroom door and stepped into the hall.
"Whoa," she heard Cameron say. "You really did hurt yourself."
"No," Boston answered. "Ellie went gauze happy, that's all."
Pressing a hand to her heart, Ellie slid off the bathroom sink's vanity, inhaled a lungful, and stepped into the hall.
"He'll thank me tomorrow when his hands feel fine and aren't raw and burning," she informed Cameron.
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Cameron grinned at her and immediately turned back to Boston. "So, did you ask her if Cassie could come for Thanksgiving yet?"
Ellie froze and Boston grew stiff next to her. She looked up at him as he gave a slight shake of his head, opening his mouth and looking way too guilty.
Glancing menacingly toward his cousin, he bit out, "No, I haven't yet."
Cameron blinked at the killer look he was receiving and glanced quizzically toward Ellie before returning his clueless gaze to Boston. "What?"
Boston closed his eyes and whispered an obscenity.
"Ah..." Looking distinctly uncomfortable, Cameron backed from them and pointed toward the exit. "Monty and I are almost done. We're just going to...yeah." He turned and hightailed it out of there.
Silence followed. Ellie heard Boston shuffle uncomfortably.
"Ellie..." he started.
Whirling toward him, she held up a hand to stop him.
"Next time you want something from me, just ask. Okay?
Don't go groping me in the bathroom, thinking it'll butter me up—"
"Whoa," he cut in, grabbing her hand and tugging her toward him. "Just stop. What happened in there had nothing to do with—"
"Oh, don't even bother, Boston. You don't really—"
"Jesus, I knew you'd jump to the wrong conclusion. That in there was not some deliberate scam to soften you up. And goddamn you for suggesting it was. I'm not that twenty-two-205
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year-old jerk I was ten years ago. How many times do I have to tell you?"
He whirled away from her, hissing indecipherable words to himself before he paused and lifted his face. "I understand you're going to have problems trusting me now. But I didn't even use that kind of underhanded trickery back then. So, I don't think I deserve this now."
Ellie opened her mouth to comment, but he still had plenty to get off his chest. "I know I was awful to you. I know, okay.
But every single physical moment we shared was real. Jesus, that's why it was so hard to—"
When he stopped talking, she couldn't help but ask, "So hard to what?"
He shook his head, unable to look at her. "Nothing."
Turning away, he started to stride down the hall. But he'd gotten no more than five feet from her before he paused and let out a long, miserable sigh. Slumping with his back to the wall, he shoved his hands into his pockets and stared down at his feet.
"I've forgiven you for keeping Cassie from me," he murmured. "I know you had your reasons, but you did do wrong by me. And I've gotten over it. Completely." He lifted his face and glanced her way. "It's vital that we at least try to get along. We have a child together, Ellie. We need to form some kind of unity. But before we can accomplish that, you have to at least attempt a little forgiveness on your part."
Too choked up to talk because, damn it, he had a point, Ellie could only nod.
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"Do you believe I wasn't trying to mislead you in the bathroom?"
Again, she nodded.
He blew out a breath. "Good. That's a start at least."
He was quiet a long moment, and there was no way Ellie could speak.
Finally he pushed away from the wall. "I still have very strong feelings for you, Ellie. I'll always want to act on them.
But believe me when I say I won't force my unwanted attentions on you and grope you again. Okay?"
With that said, he spun away and left the house.
It was Ellie's turn to sag against the wall. She covered her mouth and tried not to be affected by his words. But then she wondered why she was trying so hard. Why did she have to hold a grudge?
For too long, she'd shrouded herself in hurt, built up an armor against suffering that kind of pain again. Ten years ago, he'd destroyed her and ruined her idea of love. But he was right when he'd said they had no hope for even an amiable future if she couldn't even try to let some of that bitterness go. There was a nine-year-old girl whose happiness depended on it.
Realizing what she had to do, Ellie straightened and left the hallway. As soon as she opened the back door, she saw him crouched down by Monty's truck and hugging Cassie goodbye.
"When am I going to see you again?" Cassie asked, her eyes huge and sad.
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"How about next Thursday?" Ellie spoke, slipping her hands into her back pockets as she approached the group, her gaze moving unconsciously toward Boston.
Both father and daughter turned and glanced up in surprise. "What?"
"What do you say, Cass?" she asked, ignoring Boston.
"Want to spend Thanksgiving with your dad?"
Cassie's eyes grew wide. "Can I?" she asked, clearly excited about the idea. "I can't wait to see Libby and Cora again."
Ellie smiled, guessing Libby and Cora were probably cousins close to Cassie's age. She laughed as Cassidy squealed in delight and hugged her father again.
"This is going to be so much fun," Cassie exclaimed. She'd never been to a true Thanksgiving before. It'd always been just her and Ellie. But now that she had a large family, she was going to get something Ellie had only dreamed of.
Cameron and Monty demanded that Cassidy hug them as well before they left. And as Monty swooped the girl up in the air, making her shriek in delight, Boston shifted closer to Ellie.
"Thank you," he murmured quietly.
She nodded mutely. In the next moment, he was enveloped by his brother and cousin, talking guy stuff before the two men waved farewell and piled into their extended cab pickup.
Ellie walked Boston around to his car and remained standing in the front yard, watching his Infiniti disappear down the street. Cassidy had drifted off long ago to look for 208
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Keller, but Nora appeared from the yard next door, strolling Ellie's way.
When the older woman reached her, she slid her arm over Ellie's shoulder and sighed peacefully as she watched Boston's car leave as well.
"You're going to forgive him, aren't you?" Nora finally murmured.
Ellie's shoulders slumped.
Nora chuckled. "Yeah," she agreed. "I probably would too."
[Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Thirteen
Thanksgiving came with a crisp breeze, chilling the air and filling Ellie with a desolation she refused to think about until after Cassie was gone.
This was going to be her first holiday totally alone.
After her parents had died, she'd always had Aunt Eadie.
Though her grandmother's sister hadn't been the ideal caregiver, she'd at least tried to give Ellie holidays. For one Thanksgiving, the elderly woman had taken her to Burger King. They'd ordered hamburgers and fries from the drive-thru and taken their feast home with them. Aunt Eadie arranged the fries sticking out the side of the bun to resemble a fanning turkey tail. She pulled a pickle out the other side to be its head. And that had been her most memorable Thanksgiving as a child.
Aunt Eadie had died when Cassie was three, so Ellie had always had at least one person to celebrate a holiday with.
T
oday would be her first go at it alone. She was determined to hide her angst from her excited child, though.
Cassie had already met most of Boston's family from her memorable night at Chuck E. Cheese's. Ellie was surprised she'd been able to remember everyone's name, but Cassidy had spent most of the morning recounting the names of Boston's family. The rest of time, she was busy pacing, anxious for her dad to arrive.
The girl had her nose pressed to the front window at least two hours before he was scheduled to pick her up. Every once 210
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in a while, she'd turn back to Ellie and say something like,
"Some of Grampa Linc's family from Texas are going to be there too. I can't wait to meet them."
She wasn't the only person excited about the day though.
Boston had called at least ten times, asking about Cassie's allergies and taste preferences and confirming times. He was so worried about making the day perfect for his daughter, Ellie slipped even further under his spell.
It was twenty till eleven when he pulled into the drive.
Cassie was in the bathroom when he knocked on the door.
She'd been holding it for nearly half an hour when Ellie finally ordered her to go relieve herself.
"But what if he comes while I'm gone?"
"Honey, I seriously don't think he's going to desert you if you're not waiting by the door when he arrives."
So, Cassie streaked from the room and not thirty seconds later, there came a knock on the door. Ellie laughed.
"A watched pot never boils," she murmured to herself as she went to admit Boston inside. She was still grinning as she pulled the door open.
He looked wonderful. In pressed gray slacks and a worn polo shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, he defined sleek and sophisticated. Ellie pulled to a stop, freshly amazed that she'd dated this man once upon a time. And she hadn't just dated him, she'd actually created a child with him.
It was almost too much to believe.
"Hi," he said, his gaze warming as it slid down her body.
Then he cleared his throat and glanced over her shoulder into the room. "Is Cass ready?"
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"She just went to the bathroom," Ellie informed him and stepped aside to let him in. "I don't know how long she'd been holding it, afraid you'd show up as soon as she left the living room."
Amused by the same irony that had struck her, Boston chuckled. "Want me to go back outside and knock again in a couple minutes?"
But the bathroom door was already slamming open with Cassie charging down the hall, yelling, "Is he here?"
She appeared in the doorway and slid to a halt when she saw him. "Dad!"
Ellie's heart slammed against her chest as she watched the equal expressions of joy pass over both Boston and Cassie's faces as father and daughter came together. Boston swept Cassie up into his arms and gave her a bone-crushing hug.
"Hey there, short stuff," he said, lovingly sweeping a hand over Cassie's long hair. "You ready for some of Aunt Madison's pumpkin pie?"
"There'll be pumpkin pie?" Cassie murmured in awe.
"There'll be a little of everything," Boston answered as he set her back on her feet. "Actually, make that a lot of everything."
"Well, then let's go," the girl ordered and went charging for the door. She left it hanging open wide as she dashed down the front steps.
Boston grinned over at Ellie, his face a beaming glow of happiness. The power of it caught Ellie right in the chest, and she found herself smiling back at him.
"She's not excited or anything," she said.
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He laughed. "I can tell." He moved toward the doorway and paused, taking a hold of the door handle as he called outside. "Hey, Cassidy! Aren't you going to say goodbye to your mother?"
"Oops," Ellie heard her daughter yell back.
Stunned that Boston had realized such a thing, much less called Cassie back, Ellie was still gaping at him when Cassie skidded back through the doorway.
"'Bye, Mom. Love you," she said breathlessly, plowing into Ellie and wrapping her arms tightly around Elli's stomach.
"I love you too," Ellie said, bending down in order to get a full hug. "Eat lots of turkey for me, okay?"
"Okay—" Cassie started to answer, but then cut herself off.
She pulled back from Ellie and stared up at her mother with a slight frown. "But...you'll be eating turkey too."
Ellie bit her lip, realizing Cassie hadn't thought about what her mother would be doing while she was gone.
"You...you're going to be all alone," Cassie murmured, the truth finally dawning. Her eyes went from excited to huge and worried. She turned to Boston as if uncertain about going with him. "I always have Thanksgiving with my mom," she explained.
The look of abandonment that filled Boston's expression had Ellie stepping forward and touching her daughter's shoulder.
"Oh, Cass," she murmured on a sigh. She bent down on her haunches in front of the girl and pulled her into a hard hug. "Don't you worry about me. Go with your dad and have fun."
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"But—"
"Cassidy," Boston cut in quietly. "Go to the car. I'll be right there."
The girl frowned up at him and then turned anxiously to her mother.
"Go on," Ellie urged softly, her smile encouraging. "Trust me. You'll have fun today."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive."
"Okay. 'Bye, then...I guess."
Cassie pulled her mother into another long hug, and Ellie kissed her hair before tugging herself away. The child glanced up, a little mutinously, at her father and then whirled and started for his Infiniti.
Both Boston and Ellie stood in the entrance of the house, watching her, until she opened the passenger side door and climbed inside. Then Boston turned.
"You'll have her home by eight this evening, right?" Ellie said, trying not to look at him because she feared she might start bawling any second.
He shifted uncomfortably. "Look." He coughed into his hand. "Why don't you come with us?"
Ellie fell back a step. "Oh," she breathed, surprised, as she pressed a hand to her chest.
For a second, she was sure she'd heard wrong. But after blinking about five times, she couldn't deny the inquisitive look Boston sent her, waiting for her answer.
Then she laughed. "Boston, don't be silly. She'll forget all about me once you guys reach the party. Besides, if she does 214
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get sad, just have her call. I'll talk to her and assure her everything's fine."
He looked away for a moment as if he were thinking that option over. And then he turned back to Ellie. "Here's the deal," he started. "I want this to be the best Thanksgiving she's ever had. And I don't want her to have to worry about her mother, about calling you and making sure you're okay.
She's never been away from you for a holiday before, and I don't want that to be a problem. So, if you were there...with her...I know she could fully enjoy the day."
He paused to gauge her reaction. Ellie stared at him blankly for a moment.
"Really, Boston." She trilled out on a nervous laugh. He looked a little too serious for her comfort. "I can't go with you guys."
He frowned in confusion. "Why not?"
"For starters, your entire family is going to be there. I'm not spending the day with your family."
He frowned and pulled back, surprised and leery. "What's wrong with my family?"
"Well...they must hate me," she blurted out. "I didn't just keep Cassie from you. I kept her from them too. I can only imagine what they must think of me."
Boston's mouth fell open. "No," he said and then shook his head vehemently. "No one hates you. Go
d, Ellie. Did you think Monty and Cam hated you?"
She bit her lip. "No, but I thought they were just...strange."
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He laughed. "Well, they are that. But everyone else feels the same. They're very anxious to meet Cassidy's mother. In fact, you probably would've had a few unwanted visitors by now if I hadn't warned them to stay away."
"They want to meet me?" she asked slowly, not sure if she should believe him. "But...what about Chuck E. Cheese's?
Didn't my behavior there turn them off?"
Sending her a guilty look, Boston admitted, "It turned them off me for a while. I swear, my mother was about to bend me over her knee for not getting your permission to take Cassie."
When Ellie couldn't come up with a ready response, he took her hand. "Tell me honestly," he murmured. "Do you want your daughter to be miserable today or not?"
"Of course I don't want her to be miserable." Ellie sighed.
"But I think once she gets there, she'll forget all about me, and she'll—"
Boston didn't seem to want to risk it, however. "You're coming with us."
Ellie raised her eyebrows at his authoritative tone.
He seemed to yield at her arch look. "I already felt like crap for taking her away from you on a holiday," he said.
"Now, she's going to feel like crap too, and I'm sure you're not overly enthused about the situation either. Therefore, you have to come along so we're not all miserable."
She stared at him, tempted.
Realizing he about had her convinced, he coaxed, "It's only one day, Ellie. You can make it through one day with me, for our daughter, can't you?"
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She opened her mouth to tell him it wasn't the idea of being with him that turned her off. The idea of spending Thanksgiving with him actually made her stomach tighten in excitement. It was the rest of his family she was worried about.
"Please," he said.
She melted.
Shoulders slumping, she caved. "Oh...all right."
Boston grinned immediately and tightened his grip on her hand. He took a step back as if to give her room to exit her house before him. But she frowned and looked down at herself. "Whoa," she yelped in surprise as she took in her own worn blue jeans and faded sweater. "I need to change."