Caught in Us (Caught Series Book 4) by Kacey Shea (free e books to read TXT) 📕

other room, I pull more photos aside with shaky hands and gawk at them without judgment. Did Alicia think I wouldn’t notice? Did she expect I wouldn’t make the connection? She must think I’m stupid. Or maybe she wanted me to know; maybe that’s why she’s back. But why now? Why after so much time? “What the hell are you pulling?” I murmur aloud, anxious to pick her up and address the elephant in the room.

Maybe she’s not sure I can handle it.

The idea stops my mind from spinning, and a sliver of compassion for Alicia etches its way into my heart. When she left I was so early into my recovery. I hadn’t worked the steps, and had barely started therapy. She had reason to worry I couldn’t step up and be the man she needed.

But now, I’ve done the work. I’m ready. If Matthew is mine, I’m prepared to step up and be the father he needs. If she says he’s not . . . I’m gonna need a blood test to prove it. The stack of evidence in my hands is pretty damning. Whatever the truth is, I’m determined to discover it this afternoon. Perfect, because I also need to show Alicia I’ve got my shit together once and for all. I don’t know why she hid him from me, but I won’t be an absent father. Hopefully after working together today, we can regain some of the trust we held for each other. I pray she’ll allow me to be part of his life.

After a quick coffee with Pops, I follow my GPS to the address Alicia texted me last night. I knew her family had money. I also knew it’d be a nice place by the general location, but nothing prepares me for the looping, long driveway that leads me toward an expansive estate—or rather, a mansion. Fuck. Alicia’s family is loaded.

I’m not exactly sure where to park, or whether I should ring the front doorbell, but I don’t have to decide either of those things because Alicia’s waiting outside, sitting on one of the front steps. She pushes to her feet and walks over to greet me before I have the truck in park. I press a button, rolling down my passenger window, and let out a long whistle. “Hey, nice place.”

Her lips press together in a tight line and she reaches for the handle to pull open the door and climb in. “Let’s get this over with.”

A chuckle escapes my mouth, which only narrows her glare further. She’s still as feisty as ever, and I’m guessing she’s not thrilled to run errands with me. Too bad. I hook my thumb toward the back cab. “Jill said you’d have someplace to store all that.”

“Oh, uh.” She blows out a frustrated breath. “Yeah, follow the back drive up that way.” She points in the general direction.

I shift the truck into drive, my wheels slipping on the gravel a second before lurching the entire truck forward.

“Shit!” Alicia flies forward, stopping her movement by bracing her hands on the dash. “Wait a damn second,” she grumbles. “At least let me get my seat belt on first.”

Damn, she’s grumpy.

“I thought you were a morning person.” I chance a glance at her, taking in her stiff shoulders, pouty lips, luscious curves. Fuck me. I turn my gaze back to the road, annoyed I can’t notice her appearance without appreciating her beauty.

“Yeah, well, people change.” She points at a building ahead.

I pull my truck to a stop next to it. “And thank God for that, yeah?”

She doesn’t answer, but her body loses some of the tension from before. She understands better than anyone the power of transformation and redemption. Alicia opens her door and heads toward the building, tapping out a code to open the large garage door.

I grab several of the boxes from the back of my cab and stack them inside the empty bay. It’s a large space, enough to restore a few cars but it’s far from the house. Perfect for staging all the wedding crap, but I wonder what it’s normally used for because it’s empty. As soon as my truck is empty, Alicia lowers the door and then we’re off to our first stop of the day.

Inside the cab, the silence between us stretches between bouts of awkward conversation. My heart burns to ask her about Matthew, but I wait, knowing that’s not going to be an easy topic. “So, how long are you in town for?”

“Just the week. We fly back to London on Tuesday.”

Fuck, that doesn’t give me much time. “You like it there? Your job and everything?”

“Do you even know what I do?” She grins, the first hint of a smile I’ve seen all morning and I feel as if I won the lotto for putting that joy on her face.

“Uh.” I scrub a hand over my face and rub my short beard. “All I know is it must be something important.”

“Why’s that?” There’s a twinkle in her eyes as she lifts her chin.

“Because it’s kept you away for three years.”

Wrong answer. Her smile falls, and she leans her body against the door of the truck, as though she wants to get as far away as possible. Fucking hell.

The rumble of the truck’s engine fills the space for another mile but I can’t take it anymore. I’m wasting precious time. The longer we don’t talk, the harder it will be to ask the questions I really want. “You didn’t keep the purple hair.” Hair is a safe topic, right?

She sighs, running her fingers through the ends of her dark locks. “It’s not professional.”

“I liked it.” I pull to a stop at the light and look over at the woman who is so familiar in some ways, and yet a completely different person in others. The time between us sits like an impenetrable force.

Her gaze cuts to mine. “I’ve changed.”

“I can see that.” I nod sadly, before fixing my gaze back