Then he snapped his fingers and smiled. "Ah..." he cooed, his gaze lighting with delight. "Now I understand."
Ellie plopped a hand on her hip. "And just what do you think you understand?"
"You're scared."
She laughed out a snort. "Scared? You think I'm going out on a date tonight because I'm scared?"
He grinned and nodded. "Yes."
"And what, pray tell, am I so scared of?"
"You're scared to believe it's the real thing this time between us. You don't want to trust it because last time hurt so bad. Well, let me tell you something, Ellie. I'm scared too.
I'm scared I'm going to do something else wrong, and I'll end up losing you and Cassie all over again. But I'm willing to take that risk.
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"You may think history is just going to repeat itself, but I can't believe that. Because I'm not the same person I was ten years ago, and you aren't either. Things change, people grow and mature. But other things stay the same, like the way I've always felt about you. I don't care how much you resist and run from it, it's still going to be there between us. I'm still going to be here. I love you, damn it, and I'll wait as long as I have to until you're ready to come around."
He loved her?
Wait.
"What?"
Totally not expecting that confession, Ellie dropped her mouth open. He seemed to realized what he'd just told her a half a second later when his own face filled with color.
He sucked in a surprised gasp. "Oh, God," he whispered.
He didn't retract his words, but the look on his face made her think he was going to be physically ill for confessing them aloud.
They stared at each other, both clueless as to what to say now.
The ringing of the doorbell had each of them jumping. Ellie yelped and turned in surprise.
Oh, no.
No, no, no.
That couldn't be Ted. He was way too early. She stared hard at the door and then glanced toward Boston. He stared right back at her. At her panicked look, he lifted his eyebrows. "Want me to get that?"
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"No," she said quickly. Too quickly. But God, no. There was no way she wanted him to meet Ted. Hell, there was no way she wanted to see the two men standing next to each other.
It'd be too obvious which one was better looking, better smelling, better everything.
"I got it," she mumbled needlessly. Boston trailed casually behind her. She sent him a brief back-off scowl before she reached for the handle. He didn't budge.
To her horror, it was indeed her date standing on the front porch.
"You're early," she blurted out. After glancing down at her wrist, she nearly groaned aloud. " Really early."
But Ted merely grinned. "I couldn't wait." He thrust a bouquet of bright lilies at her.
"Oh!" she said in surprise, noticing them for the first time.
"Ah...thank you."
"Ready?" he asked.
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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"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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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.
The two men shared a companionable look, like two dogs that had chewed on the same bone. Ellie nearly hurled.
With the need to escape itching through her bloodstream, she said, "Let me just get these in some water."
But when she turned around, she almost ran flat into Boston's chest. "Excuse me," she murmured, but still had to move around him because the aggravating man refused to budge.
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"Cassie!" she called loudly. "Time to go! Your dad's waiting."
Hurry up, kid! she wanted to shout. I can't take too much more of this.
Just as she was exiting the room, she heard Ted ask, "So, how long have you and Ellie been divorced?"
"We're not," Boston's answer echoed back to her.
She cringed, hoping he'd explain they'd never been married in the first place, but when she returned to the living room, both men were standing stiffly with their hands in their pockets, keeping their distance from each other. Ellie wondered what all Boston had actually said, because suddenly Ted seemed on edge and ready to scram.
Boston just stared at him.
Thank God, Cassie finally came into the room with Keller at her heels and happily cried, "Dad!"
As she threw herself at him, Boston swept her up in a big hug. Keller paused by Ellie's elbow to watch. He looked so heartsick and jealous of all the attention Cassie's father was giving her, she set a sympathetic hand on his pale blond hair.
"Keller," Boston greeted, keeping Cassie in his arms as he nodded to the boy.
"Hi," he mumbled, clearly disheartened.
"I'll see you Sunday night," Cassie said, waving at her friend, yet she
couldn't feel the same depression Keller obviously felt at their parting.
"Uh huh," the boy answered and turned away to leave through the back exit.
Ellie watched him go, her heart breaking for the child.
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"Hey, Cassidy," Ted said, cutting into Ellie's thoughts. "Do you remember me?"
Ellie came back around just in time to see Cassie huddle closer to Boston's chest as she glanced at Ted with no enthusiasm whatsoever.
"You work with my mom," she answered.
Cassie and Ted had met maybe twice when Ellie's law firm had gatherings like ice cream socials with their clients.
Everyone brought their families and mingled.
Ted gave the girl an overeager smile. "That's right. You do remember."
But Cassie didn't seem all that impressed, and judging by the way Boston frowned and tightened his grip, he didn't like Ted talking to his daughter.
So, Ellie stepped in. "Do you have everything you need?"
she asked, lifting the overnight bag she'd already packed for Cassie.
"Check," her daughter answered with a cheeky smile as Boston reached out and took the bag from Ellie's hand. Their fingers brushed, and she immediately pulled away.
Ted frowned in consternation.
Ellie flushed. "All right then," she said to Cassie. "I'll see you on Sunday."
She went to hug her baby, but Boston only held his daughter out enough for Ellie to hug her. She wondered if he did that on purpose so she'd have to brush against him as she pulled Cassie close.
She looked at him and said, "Goodbye."
"'Bye," he said briefly.
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Ellie couldn't read one expression on his face. He just stared at her a second longer and then turned away.
God, why did this have to happen?
She'd timed it so there should've been at least an hour between his departure and Ted's arrival. If Boston hadn't been so blasted late and Ted too freaking early, the two never would've been the wiser.
Boston set Cassie on her feet so she could walk out the door herself. Hooking his daughter's overnight bag over his shoulder, he took her hand and started her out.
They'd just cleared the doorway when Cassie's voice echoed back inside.
"I don't like that guy; he always talks to me like I'm four."
Ellie's face heated with color, and she was too afraid to glance toward Ted. Instead, she met Boston's cocky smirk as he glanced over his shoulder at her.
[Back to Table of Contents]
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Chapter Eighteen
The date was a total bomb.
Ellie blamed it entirely on Boston.
I'll wait as long as I have to until you're ready. Those stupid words repeated through her head a hundred times over during the course of her meal.
It was bad enough she'd had to see her old lover, the still prime Boston Kincaid, next to her date for the evening. That had ruined Ted's chances right there. There was no way Ted Barnaby would ever be able to make her feel what Boston had.
But then Boston had to go and say all that... crap to her right before Ted showed up. If only he'd kept his big mouth shut.
I'll wait as long as I have to until you're ready.
As Ted talked on about himself, regaling her with a story about his pet collie, Ellie saw Boston in her mind's eye the moment after he'd told her he loved her. He'd looked so shocked. The man had to be a star actor to fake that. Which led her to assume he hadn't meant to say it. But the true question was, did he mean it?
And did it matter if he did?
She wanted to say no. His feelings for her should have no bearing on the fact that she didn't want them to start any kind of relationship. But, God, it did. If he loved her, she...she what? She'd probably fall down at his feet and make the same claim.
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Ellie groaned aloud and caught Ted's attention. He stopped talking to give her a questioning look.
She blushed. "Um...I think I'm ready to go home...if you are?"
He blinked a few times and then grinned knowingly. She almost groaned again. Great. Now Ted thought she was inviting him back to her place. How he'd gotten that idea when she'd been ignoring him all night, she had no clue. But, hell...she didn't bother to correct him. He'd find out the truth soon enough when they reached her place.
"I had a great time," he said huskily in her ear as he followed her from his truck up her front walk.
"Hmm," Ellie murmured, casting him an edgy look over her shoulder. Once they made it to her porch, she stood by the closed entrance and toyed with her keys, not about to unlock the house until he was safely on his way back to his truck.
Thinking she was waiting for a kiss, however, Ted leaned in toward her. "God, you smell good."
His lips touched hers, and Ellie felt herself hold still to allow it. The poor guy had taken her to a really nice restaurant. The least he deserved was a goodnight peck.
But then he pushed his tongue into her mouth. It in no way resembled the mind-blowing kiss Boston had given her on Thanksgiving. Ellie tried to pull away, because it wasn't doing anything for her. At all.
Ted held her fast, burying a hand in her hair and holding her skull steady as he continued to plunder. Ellie frowned and made a noise of rejection in the back of her throat. She tried 276
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to jerk away again, with a little more effort this time. But Ted was one persistent man.
"God, you are so hot," he panted out when he tore his mouth away from hers to nibble on the side of her neck and grope at her breast with a big, clumsy hand.
"Ted," she hissed and started to wiggle herself free.
"Stop!" She pushed at his hand.
"Oh, come on." He laughed huskily and tightened his grip as if playfully denying her. "You know you want it."
"No. I don't." She started to panic a little when he only got more aggressive. Finally, she gave up trying to be polite. "I told you to stop," she growled and hiked up her dress in order to free her leg long enough to kick him between the legs.
Honestly, she hadn't meant to be so rough. She'd intended a light jab to let him know she wasn't playing around. But right before she moved, he pushed her against the door and pinned her there. The fear had her adrenaline pumping through her veins; when her knee came up, it did so with plenty of enthusiasm...dropping him like a sack of potatoes.
Curling into himself, Ted fell to his knees, grabbed his crotch with both hands, and cursed loudly. With her back still plastered to the door, Ellie glanced down at him and winced.
He looked pathetic down there, whimpering and cradling himself.
"You...bitch."
"I told you to stop," she explained in a placating tone.
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did, roughly grabbing for her legs as if to tackle her, she yelped and brought up her knee again.
This time she caught him square in the face and felt cartilage crunch against her kneecap. It was sickening.
"My nose!" he bellowed, falling back on his butt to remove one hand from his crotch and cover his face.
"Get off my porch!" Ellie growled. " Now. Before I go for something else. And believe me, it'll be more painful."
She moved toward him and pulled back her foot like she was ready to punt a football. But thankfully, he scurried back away from her, tripping over himself in his haste.
"Crazy bitch," he repeated as he stumbled backward and waddled hunchback toward his truck.
"Don't ever ask me out again," Ellie called, wiping her palms together.
She stood like a mighty Amazon warrior on her porch, with her hands fisted until Ted crawled into his automobile and burned rubber, peeling out in his haste to leave. She watched him turn the corner at the end of the block.
"Wow," she finally said, letting out a pent-up breath. What a rush.
Ellie always thought she'd be scared and shaky after getting attacked by a man. But she wasn't scared now. She'd fought him off and chased him away, all by herself and without anyone else's assistance.
"God, that felt good."
"Well, it ought to," answered a voice from the dark. "You racked him good, honey."
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Ellie yelped and swung to the right, spying the glowing tip of a cigarette butt coming from the middle of her yard.
"Nora?" she said, squinting through the dark.
She'd known her friend was a closet smoker, but she'd never actually seen Nora puff on anything.
She moved down the steps of her porch. "Did you just see all of that?"
"I did," Nora answered. "And I was headed over here to give you some help until you went and took matters into your own hands...or should I say, into your own knee."
Ellie grinned. "Well, thanks for thinking of me. I would've appreciated your help."
Nora shrugged and blew out a gust of smoke. "It would've have been my pleasure. I'm not a big fan of men these days.
If they're not trying to maul you on the goodnight kiss, they're screwing their new secretary in the tie you gave them for Christmas."
Ellie grew quiet, realizing Nora was not only smoking, but she was drunk and stewing too.
Nora sucked on her cigarette before saying, "I spent a long time picking out that tie, you know. It had to be just the right color to match his eyes and still go with all his suits." She blew out a stream of smoke and added, "Bastard."
Ellie quietly asked, "Is Dr. Young working late again?"
Nora always called it something other than what it was.
She'd say her husband was at a conference for the weekend or working late. Then she'd give Ellie a look that said she meant otherwise.
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But tonight, she didn't beat around the bush; she snorted.