Page 27 of Hooking
We walk out of the testing center, Natasha hot on my heels. “Channing, a word?” she demands, cocking her hip with all the attitude in the world. “Alone.”
I nod at Talya, who slowly takes a few steps ahead of me, pulling out her phone to make a call. Natasha stares at me, her brown eyes dancing with seductive victory. “So, what’s going to happen when the results prove that I’m not lying?”
“We’ll let the lawyers handle it,” I say, with conviction.
“Seriously, Channing?” she says, stepping closer to me. “Why are you so against this? We could be a family. Don’t you want this little guy to have a family? His dad around all the time?”
Of course, I want my kid to grow up with both parents in a happy home. And if this kid is mine, then I would wholeheartedly try to make that a reality. I’m a man, and real men don’t run from their responsibilities. But I’m not ready to get ahead of myself. I had done that once before, and it just came back to bite me in the ass.
“Look, Natasha, once we know more, I promise I’ll try to be the father this baby deserves—”
“It’s a boy,” she says, cutting me off.
I stare at her for a few moments, contemplating my next few words but come up empty. A boy. I could have a son and as much as the revelation excites me, part of me screams that it’s too good to be true. Deciding against finishing my speech, I turn on my heels and leave.
Three to five business days, that’s all I have to wait. Then hopefully, this nightmare will be over.
Chapter 11
Cassidy
Channing strides into the restaurant exactly at six thirty. He stops at the entrance, scanning the restaurant, giving me time to admire him. His worn blue jeans and dark-navy Henley hugs all his muscles in all the right ways. I have to squeeze my thighs together to stop the ache from forming deep within my core. No matter how mad I am at him, my body still wants him. Hell, I still want him. I just hope he has a good-enough excuse for why he flat-out ghosted me.
As if he can sense my stare, his gaze falls to mine. A slight smirk tilts at the edge of his mouth as he strides toward me. My fingers work the label on the fizzy drink I had purchased, trying to focus on anything but the fine specimen of a man heading my way.
“Cass,” he says, leaning down to kiss my cheek before taking a seat across from me. “Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re right on time,” I mutter as I slide a menu across the table.
We sit in uncomfortable silence. Neither one of us is willing to say what’s on our minds. Thankfully, a server comes over to take our order.
“So, where have you been the past week? We get off the plan, and you just stop returning my calls and texts specifically after you told me you were all in, coming to my house straight from the airport,” I say, cutting the bullshit.
“I can’t tell you what’s going on with—”
I cut him off right away before giving him a chance to finish. “Then I’m sorry. This—whatever it is—is done.”
“If you would let me finish,” he says.
I narrow my eyes at him as my frustration grows. “No. Why let you finish if you can’t be honest with me, Channing? Vince lied to me for our entire relationship, so if you can’t tell me the entire truth, this is done.”
“I can’t tell you anything because I’m not sure if there is anything to tell right now,” he says, growing annoyed. “And I want to make sure that it is a thing before I go ahead and possibly destroy what we have. I fuck everything up,” he says, not meeting my gaze.
My shoulders sag as the anger and frustration I had dissipated. Standing from my side of the booth, I scoot in next to him. My thumb caresses his jaw, urging him to look at me.
Pools of deep blue cut me to my core as they rim with unshed tears. There’s more to Channing Halloway than meets the eye. He doesn’t divulge much, and as terrified as I am to find out what his reasoning actually is, I know that pushing him will only push him away.
“You didn’t fuck anything up,” I say, as I cup his scruffy cheek. “I’m just in my head about everything, and I freaked when you wouldn’t be forthcoming with your reasoning. But by no means did you fuck this up.”
He presses his forehead against mine as his hand squeezes my thigh gently. I’m a goner for this man. Always have been.
“Why don’t we get the food to go and go back to my place?” I say, as I feel my need for him growing. We’ve been apart a whole week, and it has been torture not giving in and seeing him.
“Check.”
I wake up to warmth. Channing’s front is snuggled against my back, our limbs tangled throughout the mangled bed sheets.
It’s bliss. Pure, unadulterated bliss.
