Page 116 of Delinquent Daddy (Banks/Kincaid Family 2)

Ellie bit her lip. "Actually, no. I'm sorry, but not quite yet."

That was when Ted noticed Boston hovering slightly behind her and to the right.

His smile faded.

"Hello," Boston said, moving closer to Ellie in such a territorial way Ted actually shrank back a pace. "You must be the date." After scowling at the flowers, he sent Ellie a sideways look. "I thought roses were your favorite?"

She cleared her throat and shifted her weight with one foot to grind the heel of her shoes into Boston's loafer. The muffled grunt behind her made her glow.

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Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

"Ted," she said, beaming at him as she showed him inside.

"This is Cassidy's father, Boston Kincaid. He's just here to pick her up for their weekend together."

Ted's shoulders relaxed. He actually smiled a friendly greeting. "Hey," he said and held at his hand.

As they shook, Ellie continued. "Boston, this is Ted..." Her face filled with color as Ted's last name completely escaped her memory.

Both men paused to stare at her. Boston lifted one mocking brow, on the verge of outright laughing.

"Barnaby," Ted supplied, his cheeks a bright tomato red.

Ellie snapped her fingers and smiled brightly at Ted.

"Barnaby, that's right." Starting to ramble, she said, "I don't know where my head is..." Probably still reliving Boston's I love you over and over again. "I kept wanting to say Murdock, but, no, that's your partner."

"Partner?" Boston asked curiously. Ellie shot him a look to shut him up, but he completely ignored her as he stared at Ted with interest. "Are you a lawyer?"

"I co-own Barnaby & Murdock here in town," Ted was eager to report.

"The advertising firm?" Boston guessed.

Ted grinned. "That's the one. I go to Winston Young, Ellie's boss, for legal advice and I was in the office just the other day. I swear, I've been trying to get this little lady here to go on a date with me for well over three years now. I guess this was just my lucky week, huh?"

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Delinquent Daddy

by Linda Kage

From the corner of her eye, Ellie saw Boston glance her way. "Hmm," he answered Ted in a sickeningly knowing voice. "Yes, it must've been."

She wanted to roll her eyes and tell him that whatever he was thinking was completely wrong, because if he thought her going out tonight with Ted was all because of him... Well, nothing could be further from the truth.

"She does seem to be a tough catch, doesn't she?" Boston murmured. She didn't mean to look his way, but she did, and their eyes caught. I love you, damn it, echoed through her brain as they stared at each other. And I'll wait as long as I have to until you're ready to come around.

He didn't mean it. He couldn't. Ellie wasn't sure what she'd do if he really did mean it, but that didn't matter because it had only been a bunch of B.S.

Boston was a silver-tongued lawyer. He knew his way around words. And yet, he'd never spoken that phrase to her before.

"But she's well worth the wait," he added softly, smiling at her as he spoke to Ted.

"Boy, do I hear that," Ted answered, laughing heartily.

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