Page 6 of Promise Me a Forever Texas Love

“Fuck!” He lifted his fist to slam it into the mirror but stopped when the huge muscle-bound bouncer who had been checking driver’s licenses when Huck had arrived pushed open the door.

Huck wasn’t usually intimidated by many people. But the bouncer would intimidate The Hulk. It wasn’t his height or the tattooed arms bulging out of the leather biker’s vest as much as the scar that ran down one side of his face. It said the man didn’t have a problem with pain.

Dishing it out or receiving it.

His gaze narrowed on Huck. “You gonna make me hurt you?”

Before Huck could answer, Poppy pushed her way between them. She barely came to the guy’s shoulder and his sister wasn’t short. But she was feisty.

“Now don’t get your panties in a twist, Goliath. I’m the one who walked into the wrong—” She cut off when she glanced up at his face. “Oh my God, what happened to you?”

The bouncer blinked before that face got a lot more intimidating. “If you want to have sex with your boyfriend, little girl, you’ll need to find another place to do it.”

“Little girl?”

Huck couldn’t see Poppy’s face, but the tone of her voice said she was more than a little pissed off. He knew if he didn’t get her out of there, things were about to get ugly. Without a word, he scooped her up in a fireman’s hold and pushed his way past the bouncer while Poppy struggled to get loose.

“Little girl? I’ll show you little girl, you big hulking oaf!”

Huck didn’t put her down until they were outside in the humid September night. Poppy started back inside, but he grabbed her arm.

“Get a grip, Pops! I don’t need to be thrown in jail right now.”

Poppy seemed to come to her senses because she jerked her arm away and sighed. “Fine. But now I understand why that guy has a big scar on his face. He’s an asshole.”

Huck lifted an eyebrow. “Because he was doing his job? How many times have we had to throw women out of the men’s bathroom? Or men out of the women’s?”

She huffed. “Still, he didn’t have to be so condescending about it. I’m not little, he’s just a giant. I bet he never has to throw a punch. He just has to glare with those glacier gray eyes.”

“Glacier gray eyes? You noticed his eye color?”

She shrugged. “It was hard not to when they were glaring right through me. But enough about Goliath when we have bigger problems to deal with.” She started pacing. Poppy never could stay still for long. “Well, everything certainly makes sense now. I knew Mama would never leave her beloved dancehall to anyone but family. She fixed it so if we didn’t fulfill the will’s stipulation and renovate the dancehall, the bar would still go to a Hennessy. Although how she expected a kid to run it is beyond me. From what I hear, Camden is still in grade school.”

Camden. Just hearing his son’s name made him feel like he was going to pass out. To keep from doing so, he bent over and gulped in air. Poppy thumped him hard on the back like she was trying to dislodge an object from his throat.

“You okay?”

His worst fears finally spilled out of his mouth. “I don’t know the first thing about being a daddy, Pops. I can’t take care of a kid. Hell, I can barely take care of myself.”

“I hate to point this out, but I don’t think Cadee wants your help taking care of Camden. Otherwise, she would have told you about him.”

That had his anger returning and he straightened. “No, she just thinks I should go about my life and pretend like I don’t have a kid.”

Poppy shrugged. “Wouldn’t that be easier for everyone? I mean it’s not like he’s not being taken care of, Huck. Unlike our family, the Stocktons grew up with loving parents who put their kids first. I’m sure Camden gets plenty of attention and has everything a kid needs to be happy.”

Everything except a father.

This thought had been circulating around in his head for weeks now and he couldn’t seem to shake it. Probably because he knew what it was like to grow up without a father. He’d lost his when he was only nine. He barely remembered Rory Hennessy. Certainly not enough to miss him. And yet, there had always been this hole that opened inside him when he saw other boys playing catch with their fathers or being carried on their shoulders. While he’d had his siblings, their love still had never been quite enough to fill that void.

Did Camden have that same void?

Even if he did, what made Huck think he could fill it? Poppy was right. The Hennessys had proven they weren’t good parents while the Stocktons had proven they were. He didn’t doubt for a second Cadee had followed in her mama’s footsteps. She had mothered Huck since they were in kindergarten . . . sharing her lunches and school supplies, bringing him coats and knit hats on cold days, getting after him for not finishing his homework. Hell, she had even spit on her fingers and smoothed down his cowlick when he’d forget to comb his hair in the mornings.

Since he’d had such a horrible mama, Huck had basked in Cadee’s attention. A little too much. There had been a time when he’d confused his need for mothering with a much stronger emotion.

That emotion had caused him to make a big mistake.

A mistake that had returned to haunt him.