Page 20 of Kent's Honor
Dixie patted his shoulder. “She’s going to grow up someday and fall in love with a man and?—”
“Don’t say it. Or might I remind you of your little man one day falling in love with a girl and… and… and…”
“Having sex.” She no longer shot daggers at him, but now her baby blues doused him with sarcasm.
“And you don’t have a problem with that?”
“What, that my son is going to grow up to be a man, and hopefully a good one, like you and not his fath…” She snapped her head toward the house. “Thank God he wasn’t standing there.”
“I don’t think he heard you.” He rested his hands on her forearms, gently rubbing up and down. “Your aunt told me his father hasn’t been paying child support.” He racked his brain for the details of that conversation so as not to muck it up with what Darius had found out. He figured one mistake today was enough.
“He never wanted to be a dad. I kept thinking that as soon as I gave birth, he’d fall in love with his boy, but Daniel just looked at him and told me I needed to prove Nicky was his kid.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “How could anyone not love their own child?” She pointed to the house. “Nicky still asks when his daddy is coming back.”
“What do you tell him?”
She slumped her shoulders. “I just smile and tell him that his father thinks of him every day.”
He bit down on his anger and choked on sadness. “Nicky is a smart kid; that won’t work much longer.”
“I know. But how do you tell a kid his father doesn’t want him?”
“I wish I had an answer.” What Kent really wished for was five minutes alone with that weasel. He tipped her chin with histhumb and index finger. “Nicky will grow up to be a fine man because he has you for a mom.” He searched her eyes for a reason to pull away. Yesterday, he’d told himself that they would never share another kiss. Things were too complicated, and they both had children to protect.
“Thank you for staying that.”
“It’s the truth.” Cupping the back of her neck, he drew her closer. The bitter smell of roasted coffee flowed from her lips.
“Your neighbor is staring at us.”
“Is it Jessica?”
“Yes.”
“Good, let’s give her something to gossip about at the park today.” Before Dixie could protest, he circled his free hand around her waist, crushing her chest to his, and molded his mouth on her lips.
She fisted his shirt as if she were going to shove him away, but instead she relaxed into his arms, resting her soft palms on his shoulder blades. Everything about her excited his body and his mind. He wanted to explore every inch of her skin and listen to her talk until the wee hours of the morning.
The revving of a motorcycle engine reminded him he had to leave for work, and he’d promised to have breakfast with his daughter.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” he said, kissing the side of her neck.
“We should go inside. I think Jessica just snapped our picture.”
He glanced over his shoulder, then smiled and waved at his nosy, but harmless neighbor. “Beautiful morning, isn’t it.” Draping his arm over Dixie’s shoulders, he guided her to the back door, leaving Jessica with her jaw wide open. “You might want to stay clear of the park today, unless you want to field a dozen or so questions about our relationship.”
“We don’t have one.”
“A second kiss puts us near that territory.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she said, though her smile said something else.
“We’ll talk about it when I get back from work.”
He opened the door, and Nicky came running… to him.
“Kent!” the little boy wailed. “Don’t leave!”
He glanced from Nicky to Dixie, who stared at him with wide eyes. His heart raced as he bent over, lifting the toddler and cradling him in his arms. “What’s gotten into him?” he asked his daughter.
