AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Abs, no.” I stalled, and Will shook his head at my incredulous stare. “Heather knew what she was doing when she came here. I tried to convince her to stay—believe me—but her mind was made up. There’s nothing you can do.”
I hesitated, wondering if this was a time to ignore Will for his own good, but then the baby—Sebastian—released Will’s finger. Will set his elbows on his knees and hunched over to latch onto handfuls of his hair, tufts of it sticking out between his fingers. “In what twisted world do I have a child with a person who’d just leave him behind and never look back?”
I knew instantly that Will was thinking about his father—a good-looking but bad-tempered grifter who had charmed his mother into leaving her family behind in California, married her and fathered her child, then left her with the baby when he disappeared for weeks and months on end. When we were young, Will would come to school beaming with the news that his dad was home after a time away. As we grew older, we only ever found out Will Senior was back when our friend grew withdrawn and we spotted the reason strutting around the Bay like he owned the place. He walked out for the last time ten years ago, and Will hadn’t heard from him since. It was for the best, and Will knew it. Even though he pretended like it didn’t affect him anymore, their toxic history still caused him pain. We hadn’t talked about his dad in a long time, but there were some things he never had to say.
I sighed as I sat beside him and set a comforting palm on his back, brushing my thumb back and forth. Will and I were all about casual touch, but the warmth of his skin against mine, even through his shirt, never failed to make my pulse jump.
“Not twisted,” I told him. “Kismet.” Will turned his head and met my eyes, confused and a little spooked. I gave him a crooked smile and rested my chin on his shoulder. “If there’s a baby out there in desperate need of a parent, he couldn’t do better than you.”
One corner of Will’s full mouth turned up in a grateful smile, setting off a dimple in one cheek. With a face like his, it was a wonder Will hadn’t found himself in this kind of trouble years ago. I leaned away and hoped distance would dilute its panty-melting power, but no luck. Like magic, nerve endings lit up in all the right—I mean, wrong—places.
I crossed my arms to cover my traitorous nipples and glanced down at the baby. He was tiny but plump, with smooth cheeks and big blue eyes. Objectively cute, like those babies in laundry detergent commercials. He’d also kicked off one sock and was sucking noisily on his big toe.
“I don’t mean to be insensitive, but…” I hesitated, but now or later, I had to ask the question. “I’m just going to say it. Are you sure he’s yours?”
“Have you seen the colour of his eyes?” Will reached down and curled a finger under the baby’s chin, tickling the creases of his neck. Sebastian squirmed and giggled, and little divots fired in his chubby cheeks. “The dimples?”
“Not sure that’d stand up in court,” I quipped.
Will stood up, and while his back was turned, I reached for the place on Sebastian’s neck that Will had tickled. I didn’t know the first thing about babies—never cared enough to learn—but I could stand to listen to that little laugh again. I crooked my finger against the baby’s warm, damp skin, and though he smiled a little, I didn’t get the infectious giggle he’d given Will. I sat back on the sofa and watched the little guy from the corner of my eye until Will thrust a piece of paper in my direction.
“Birth certificate,” he announced. “My name is right there in black and white.”
I scanned the document. It said that Sebastian was a little more than six months old and listed William Kidd as the father. “Will,” I said gently. “This doesn’t mean—”
“He’s mine.” Will snatched the paper and stuffed it back into the envelope. “No question.”
I bit my lip and let it go. Not because I thought Will was right, but because the defensive daddy energy was new. And unexpected. And bloody hot.
We both looked down at the baby at the same time. Sebastian had stuck his big toe in his mouth again, and slobber dripped down his foot and along his wrist.
“What is hedoing?” I asked.
Will frowned. “I don’t know… Hang on a minute. Heather said there was a schedule in here somewhere.” He turned back to the bundle of papers and started pulling everything out.
Then Sebastian opened his mouth—and let out an ear-shattering scream.
6
Will
Abbie jumped to herfeet, flapping one hand at Sebastian. “What’s wrong with him? What’s wrong with him?”
“How am I supposed to know?” I fumbled with the papers, the urgency of Seb’s cry making my fingers clumsy. “Let me check the instructions.”
“Theinstructions?”
“You know what I mean.”
“How aboutIcheck the instructions, and you try to switch him off?”
I looked up from the wad of crushed papers in my hands, and even with the blaring wail of a baby-sized siren, I grinned. “You look terrified, Ellison.”
“I am.” She snatched the documents from my grip. “Now, do your thing, Daddy.”
We froze. Holy fuck. Hearing that word on her lips sent a lightning bolt to my dick. And the way Abbie’s wide, honey-brown eyes rounded a little more, she heard—and felt—it too.
Seb cried louder, so I tore my gaze away and dropped to my knees in front of him. His scream decreased a decibel or two now that we were face to face, and as I yanked at the straps and buckles that kept him restrained, he seemed to sense I was there to help. The yowling deescalated into frustrated wails.
