Page 108 of Safe and Sound

When she met my eyes, she gasped. “Dare, what are you doing here?” she demanded.

As I still tried processing what the fuck was going on, I questioned, “Wait,thisis your house?” Part of me held out hope that she was at a neighbors.

“Yes,” she said softly.

Pointing to the little girl with a shaky hand, I said, “And that’s…”

“My daughter.”

Ava was a mother. Why in the hell hadn’t she mentioned that before? Why wouldn’t she want me to know?

Unless…

Unease pricked along my skin. “How old is she?” I croaked.

Before Ava could answer, Piper held up three fingers. “I just had a birthday.”

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, FUCK!

This couldn’t be happening. Piper wasn’t my daughter. I didnothave a child. I couldnothave a child.

“Dare, I–”

Shaking my head, I slowly started backing away from the door. With bile rising in my throat, I turned on my heels and raced off the porch. Even though Ava was calling my name, I continued sprinting to the car.

“Boss?”

“Take me back to Boston.”

“Yes, sir.”

I held up my hand. “On second thought, take me to Callum’s.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Dare

When I entered the kitchen through the back door, the happy screeches of my nephews assaulted my ears. Even with my head all jangled about my new found daughter, my lips curved in a smile at the sight of the two of them tearing around the kitchen. While four-year-old Julianna was all Caterina with her chestnut hair and brown eyes, Declan and Donnovan were Kavanaughs through and through with their ocean blue eyes and jet-black hair. “Hiya,mo pheatas.”

“Da!” Donnovan cried as he waved a meaty fist in hello while Declan ducked his head to grin shyly up at me. Although they were completely identical, their personalities were as different as night and day. Donnovan was Callum reincarnated withhis outgoing charm while Declan was shy and reserved like Caterina.

It was hard to believe they were about to turn eighteen months. It seemed like just yesterday that we’d been gobsmacked by the ultrasound photo showing not one, but two sons in Caterina’s belly. It became quite the conundrum when it came to the family’s future heir. Did Callum go based on who was born the oldest or who had the true leadership qualities?

Outfitted in a pair of blue nursing scrubs, Caterina whirled around from the stove in surprise. “Dare? Did I forget you were coming for dinner?”

After bestowing a kiss on her cheek, I replied, “No. Something unexpected came up that I need to talk to Callum about.”

“Oh, well, there’s more than enough if you’re hungry.”

As Piper’s face flashed before my eyes, my stomach churned. “No. I’m good.” Glancing around the spacious kitchen, I asked, “Where’s my boyo?”

With a roll of her eyes, she added, “In the living room acting like an invalid while icing his balls.”

Chuckling, I replied, “Go easy on him. He’s the first Kavanaugh to forsake his manhood.”

Caterina swept her hands to her hips and huffed, “Seriously? He’s milking this vasectomy for all it’s worth. I’m the one who had a c-section eighteen months ago.”

“Trust me, it’s way more to a man than just a simple procedure.”

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