by Kaylee Ryan
My hand freezes as I watch him lay his eyes on her. “H-Hi.” Kent waves to her. “I’m Kent.”
“Hey, your name has Ken in it too. My mommy says my name is really special. She loved it so so much, but it made Grams sad.”
Kent’s eyes flash to mine before quickly darting back to the phone. I should pull it away, bring her attention back to me, but I can’t seem to make my hand move. Maybe this is good. Get her used to seeing him. Kenton Baldwin is a force and I know that if these results come back that he is her father, he’s going to steamroll into our lives. Funny, that doesn’t sound bad to me.
“Your name is beautiful. Just like you. You look like your momma.”
He’s right. She does look just like me. She has my facial features, all except my nose. Her hair is that inky black that matches his to a T. “Thanks. What’s that?” She points to his hand.
“Oh, this is a hammer.” He holds it up so she can get a better look.
“What do you do with a hammer?” she asks him, and I know without seeing her that that little nose of hers, the one that matches her father’s, is scrunched up.
His attention is on my phone. All for her, and it gives me some time to study him. To really take him in, and I see it. The same slope of the nose, and even her cheekbones. The ones I always thought resembled mine, they’re his. I never had anyone to compare them to. But as I sit here and listen to him explain a hammer and nails and building supplies, I see it.
He’s her father.
My breath hitches at what that means for me. Someone is lying. Is it my mother? Is it Kenton? He seems so genuine, and the way his eyes are glued to my phone, not willing to miss a single second I’m allowing him with my daughter, with our daughter, doubt creeps in. Either way, I’ve been lied to. My mind whirls, and I hate to say this, but I believe him. My mother has always been a control freak. I’ve never known her to stoop to this level, but she thrives on having control. Kent, he seems to thrive on me, and now our daughter. I’m still going to go through with the test, but I know what the results will be.
After all this time, the missing piece of the puzzle has appeared. I can put a name and meaning behind the man I’ve been dreaming about. It also explains why I feel so comfortable and safe with him. He meant something to me.
My mother is the villain here. I feel it deep in my gut, the one that never steers me wrong. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I jolt, looking up to find Kent’s eyes on my phone, but the gentle brush of his thumb tells me he’s aware of me and my lack of focus.
“Okay, sweetie.” I turn the phone to face me, and Kent steps close. “You better give the phone back to Gram. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow and I’m going to give you the biggest hug you’ve ever received.”
“Yay, I like hugs, Momma. And, Mr. Kent, he said I could hammer a nail. Can I, Momma?”
My eyes find his, and he shrugs sheepishly. “Yeah, sweetie. You can learn how to hammer a nail from Mr. Kent. But,” I add, “let’s keep this a secret, okay? Don’t tell Gram. That way, when you learn, you can surprise her.”
“Oh, I’m good at that, aren’t I, Momma? I’m good at surprises.”
“Yes, sweetie, you are. Mommy loves you.”
“Love you, bye, Momma.” She waves, and the screen goes black.
As soon as my hand falls, I’m engulfed in a hug. Strong arms wrap around me, and this time, his hold is firm. “Laney.” His voice cracks. “She’s fucking incredible,” he murmurs.
Did you hear that? That was my heart cracking wide open. Not just for him, but for Kendrix and for me. For the family we could have been. For the time we’ve all lost together. I’m angry. As my earlier revelations settle inside me, it takes everything I have not to call my mother and demand answers. But I want to watch her squirm. No way could this man be the one who tore us apart. I refuse to believe it.
When he finally pulls back, his eyes are misty, and I have to swallow back the lump in my throat. “Thank you. For letting me see her, for letting me talk to her. Just… thank you, Laney. God, she’s incredible. So smart and curious. She’s mine, Laney. I promise you that little girl is a part of me. There is no other explanation for the way I’m feeling right now.”
“I know.”
“What?” Shock is written all over his face.
“I don’t know how or why, but I believe she’s your daughter. That she’s our daughter.”
“Fuck.” He crushes me to his chest once more, and this time, I squeeze him just as tight.
Chapter 8
Kent
My emotions are all over the place. One minute I’m pissed off because of the time I lost with them—moments of my daughter’s life I’ll never get back. Then, I’m sad. Not for me, as much for Delaney and Kendrix. They’ve been living a lie by thinking I didn’t want them. I can’t imagine what that must have felt like for her. Waking up, finding out you’re pregnant, and thinking the father of your child doesn’t want you. That’s when the anger kicks back in, and it’s all toward her parents. How could they do this to her? To both of them? I don’t know how they sleep at night knowing that they kept that little girl from her father. And just thinking about her, about Kendrix and her bright smile, her curious mind, and the happiness takes over.
When I heard Delaney talking to her earlier, I was angry because I couldn’t do the same. I feel it deep in my soul that little girl is a part of me. I can’t explain it and I don’t want to. I know the truth, and soon, we’ll have the official documents to prove it. I just wanted to get a glimpse of her. To see the smile that shined through her voice, the smile of my little girl. I didn’t expect Delaney to turn her phone toward me. I didn’t expect her to let me actually talk to her. It’s a moment I will never, for the rest of my life, ever forget. The day I met my daughter. The only thing that can top this is when I get to see her in person. When I get to tell her who I am and pull her into a hug. That moment is one I’ve not stopped thinking about since the moment I learned of her existence.
It’s five minutes before six when I pull back into Delaney’s driveway. I rushed home and took the world’s fastest shower to get back to her. I’m still shocked she agreed to come with me tonight, but then again, earlier today, she rocked my world when she said she believed me that Kendrix is mine. I'm dying to ask her all day if she remembers me. If she remembers us. So many times I started to abandon the job and go in search of her, but I couldn’t do that to the guys. We’re a five-man crew for a reason, all hands on deck. Besides, I’ve been distracted enough on this job. I need to make sure I’m pulling my weight and not leaving them to pick up my slack.
Leaving the truck running, I climb out to greet her. She’s already walking down the front steps of the porch by the time I reach her. Her long blonde hair is in curls hanging down her back, and her blue eyes are bright. She smiles at me, but I can tell she’s nervous.
“Hey.” I stop in front of her. I’m a step below so she’s more my height. Not able to help myself, I lean in, wrapping my arms around her in a hug.
“Hi, Kenton,” she whispers.
“You know you only used to call me Kenton when you were mad at me.”
“Oh, yeah?” she asks, taking my offered hand and letting me lead her to the passenger side of my truck. I open the door for her and wait until she’s strapped in before shutting the door and racing back to slide behind the wheel. “Did I get mad at you often?” she questions.
“Usually only during sex.” Her quick intake of breath tells me I’ve shocked her.
“What?” She whips her head to the left to face me. “I’m going to need you to explain that one.”
I chuckle. “I used to hold off on your pleasure. Push you to the point of no return and then back off.” My voice is deep and husky, and my cock twitches thinking about making love to her. I’ve been inside her more times than I could possibly count, and my cock remembers. I remember. I keep my eyes trained on the road, but I can feel her stare.
“You did?” she breathes.
“H-How?” I glance over to see her swallow hard. “How did you make me want you?” Her voice is soft.
My hands grip the wheel and I’m two seconds from pulling over to the side of this fucking road and showing her. I know she’s not ready for that. I shift in my seat, trying to make room for my growing erection in my jeans. “You really want to know?” My voice is thick with desire as sparks ignite between us in the cab of my truck.
Her reply is whispered, but it could have been yelling for the resounding sound in my ears. “Yes.” No hesitation.
We’re about two miles from Seth’s place, but I have to pull over for this. Slowing down, I turn my truck into the driveway of a home on the market. I’ve driven past here enough times to know the house is vacant. I won’t have to worry about getting run off. I pull up to the house, so we’re away from the main road, put the truck in Park, and kill the headlights.
“Is this Seth’s house?”
“No.” I take off my seat belt and turn to face her.
“Where are we?” she asks. The lights from inside the cab of the truck are enough for me to see the concern on her face.
“You wanted to know. You wanted me to tell you how I would make you want me. I can’t tell you that while I’m driving.”
“Oh.” Her mouth forms the cutest O, and I want nothing more than to kiss the shocked expression from her face.
“Laney.” I reach over and cradle her cheek in the palm of my hand. “I promised myself I’d never lie to you. Never again. You sure you want to hear this?”
“I-Is it bad?”
“No, babe. It’s not bad, but I’m not going to hold back. Never again will I hold back with you.”
She nods. “Tell me, Kenton.”
With my thumb, I trace her cheekbone, her blue eyes flare with heat, and there’s a damn good chance that this conversation is going to kill me. “Your skin is so soft. I would spend hours tracing it with my tongue. I’d start with your lips, travel down your neck, and then…” I raise my hand that’s not cradling her cheek and slip it inside her coat. Even with the layers of warmth, her nipples are hard. I run the pad of my thumb over the pebbled bud and she sucks in a breath at the contact. “So responsive,” I murmur. “I could get you close, your orgasm at the cusp just by giving all of my attention to your breasts.” I cup one in the palm of my hand, feeling its weight.
“I never let it get that far. Just when you were teetering on the edge, I’d pull away.” My hand moves over her shirt and traces down her belly. “I’d continue my exploration, kissing, licking, nipping, and tasting you. I wouldn’t stop until I reached your pussy.” She shifts in her seat, but she’s restricted by the seat belt. With deft fingers, I release her from confinement, and she angles her body toward mine. I’m cussing the console that’s between us. There’s something to be said about bench seats when you’re trying to make a move on your girl.
“T-Then what?” Her voice is throaty and husky with desire. She rubs her thighs together to ward off the ache, one that I am more than willing to take care of for her. We’re not there yet. I need those results in my hand. I need that printed proof that everything I’m telling her is true.
I open my mouth to tell her when her phone rings. She pulls away and I drop my hands. She fumbles with her purse and pulls her phone out. Mom flashes on the screen. “Hello,” she answers, her voice sounding as if she just ran a marathon. Her wide eyes flash to mine, and I wink at her. “No, I’m fine. I had to run to my phone. I left it in the other room.” She’s quiet as she listens and I take the opportunity to think about anything other than devouring her, or describing in detail what I was about to do to her next in my mind.
Fluffy puppies.
Unicorns.
Grandma Baldwin.
“Hi, baby,” she says, and instantly she has my attention. “I miss you too. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.” She pauses, listening to our daughter, and I hate that I can’t hear her sweet angelic voice. Delaney reaches over and laces her fingers through mine. I look down at our combined hands so I don’t see what Delaney is doing, but when Kendrix’s sweet voice fills the cab of my truck, I know she’s put her on speaker for me.
“I’m going to be high in the sky like the birds,” my daughter states proudly.
“You are.” Delaney laughs. “You be sure to stay close to Gram and listen to what she tells you.”
“I will, Mommy. I love you.”
“I love you too, sweetie. Goodnight.”
“Night.” The truck goes silent and the call is ended. “She’s excited,” Delaney speaks up.
“I can tell. Her first time flying?”
“Yeah. We’ve never left California. It was my first time too, since the accident.”
“How did you do?”
“Great. Mom had my anxiety at an all-time high. Telling me how much she hated Jackson and that the people were rude. She couldn’t have been more off base.”
“She wanted to keep you, both of you from me.”
“I’m so sorry,” she whispers.
“No. This isn’t your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for. You said earlier today that you believe me, that Kendrix is mine. Do you remember?”
“No. But she looks like you.”
“That’s it? That’s what you’re going off?”
“That and the fact that my gut tells me what you’re saying is true. What would be your motivation? Since the moment you laid eyes on me, you’ve been dedicated to me believing that we meant something to each other. You’ve been patient with me, and the sparkle in your eyes when you gaze at me… it’s a look I’ve never seen before. At least not directed at me. And when you talked to her today, your eyes lit up. Why would you be happy to talk to my daughter if she wasn’t yours as well? You believe it, and in my gut, I feel as though I can trust you. That the words you say are true.”
“And your mother?”
“I’m waiting to talk to her face-to-face. I want to watch her reaction when I talk to her. When I ask her about you, about why she lied to me.”
“Do you want me there with you?”
She reaches over and rests her hand on my arm. “No, but thank you for offering.”
“When do I get to see her? Kendrix?”
“Well, the test is Friday at the house, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You’ll be working all day I suspect.”
“I will be, yes.”
“And you told our daughter that you would teach her how to hammer a nail?”
I can’t hide my grin when she says “our daughter” or the excitement I feel at her words. “Are you going to let me do that?”
“We can’t tell her who you really are until we get the results. Not because I don’t believe you. I do, and I want to. I want you to be her father. I just… I think I need to have that paper in my hand, you know? I need to have concrete proof because my mind isn’t there. All these years I’ve had no other choice but to believe what others have told me. I had no reason to believe they were telling me lies, and now this. Now I find you. I just want the proof. I need it.”
I understand where she’s coming from. I hate it, but I understand it. “Okay.”
“Just like that? No argument?”
“No. I want to spend time with her. I want to get to know my daughter. Besides, it’s just a few days, a week tops until we can tell her who I am. I can tell you this. I’ve lost almost five years with her. I won’t lose another day. I will be in her life. I don’t know what that means for the three of us, but I know what it means for me and Kendrix. I’ll be where she is.” There is conviction in my voice.
“I’d like that” is her reply, and I admit it’s not the one I was expecting.
“We have dinner to get to. We’re already late.” Facing forward, I put on my seat belt and glance over to make sure that she’s buckled in as
well before driving the rest of the way to Seth’s place. I park behind Ridge and turn off the truck. “Ready?” I ask her.
“What if they don’t like me?”
“Impossible. They know what you mean to me.”
“You told them?”
“No. Ridge knows. The guys all know we had something in the past. But, Laney, I never bring anyone with me. You being here, that tells them all that they need to know. You’re important to me.”
“Do they know about Kendrix?”
“Ridge does. The others, I haven’t told them yet. And,” I say, not giving her time to think negatively, “before you analyze why, I just needed to wrap my head around it all. And my friends, well, they rally. Not in a bad way, but once they find out, they’re going to pull you into the fold, and you become one of us.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Yeah? Well, all right then. Looks like I got an announcement to make. Family dinner tonight has a reason after all.”
“You don’t have to tell them tonight. I mean, we can wait for the results.”
“Why? I know it and you know it. I can’t wait for the other kids to meet her.” With that, I open the door and climb out of the truck. She meets me in front, and I lace my fingers with hers. “This okay?”
“Yeah, this is okay.”
Hand in hand, we walk to the front door. I don’t bother knocking—none of us ever do. We’re family, and we all have an open-door policy. “Hello!” I call. I hear Knox yell, “Uncle Kent,” and lots of little feet as they come barreling down the hall.
Chapter 9
Delaney
Little people are everywhere. As soon as Kent calls out our arrival, they swarm to us, smiling and laughing and vying for their uncle Kent’s attention. He releases my hand and drops to his knees, passing out hugs and hellos. My heart swells and cracks at the same time—something I never knew was possible. My little girl missed out on this. She missed the love of this man, his hugs, and his smiles. His love.