Free Road to Seduction (Kimani Romance) by Ann Christopher

since he couldn’t stay in the room with her and couldn’t go out to the waiting room in this condition. Shoving away, he wheeled around to the glass emergency door that led to the parking lot and pushed it open. He was halfway outside when she called after him.
    “Eric—”
    He ignored her.
    In that dark moment he didn’t want to see her face again.
     
    Once in the parking lot, Eric lingered by the SUV. He’d had the vague idea of sitting inside the vehicle and listening to some calming music, but he was much too upset for that right now. There was no way he could sit still. He was just wondering whether a walk down the sidewalk to the corner would cool him off a little when his cell phone vibrated and played The Imperial March —otherwise known as Darth Vader’s Theme —from Star Wars . This special ringtone was reserved for this caller only, and normally it gave Eric a private chuckle every time he heard it. Not this time. Cursing—just what he needed right now—he snatched the phone off its belt hook and answered.
    “Yeah,” he snarled.
    “Whoa. What’s wrong with you?”
    Only one man on earth had that amused, wry voice and the bad timing to call at a moment like this: his cousin Andrew Warner, the yin to Eric’s yang, the person who could irritate him like no other, except, maybe, Isabella. They usually spoke several times a week, if not daily, about company and family matters, but Andrew wasn’t exactly the guy you wanted around during a moment of vulnerability. Andrew . He did not have the energy for this right now.
    “Shit,” Eric said.
    “Nice.” Andrew’s laughter came over the line loud and clear. “What’s got your panties in a bunch?”
    “Nothing,” Eric said quickly, trying to sound more upbeat lest Andrew scent his blood and start circling like the shark that he was. “What’s up?”
    “We’re having Andy baptized in Columbus on Sunday. Can you come?”
    “ Sunday? How about a little more notice? I told you Izzy and I are driving to Jacksonville for a wedding on Saturday.”
    “Yeah, well, the boy’s nearly one. If we put it off any longer he’ll be able to drive to his own baptism. So you can come back a little early. Your parents’ll be in town this weekend—”
    “God help us,” Eric muttered.
    “—and after that they’ll be in Europe until who knows when.”
    “Is that right?”
    Andrew snorted. “They’re your parents, man. Do you ever talk to them?”
    “Not if I have any other option, no.”
    “Well, we’ll talk about your family issues later. Can you come?”
    Typical Andrew, expecting everyone to drop everything to be at his beck and call at a second’s notice. Jerk . Still, Eric wouldn’t miss any of the events in little Andy’s life if he could help it. At the thought of Andrew’s adorable son who, with his smiling face, masses of curly black hair and fat little legs, was the cutest kid Eric had ever seen, some of Eric’s tension at last began to slip away.
    “Well,” he grumbled, thinking of his right-hand man, with whom they could hitch a ride back to Columbus. “Brad’s got the jet down in Miami to meet with suppliers this week. I’ll have him stop through Jacksonville and pick us up.”
    “Great. Appreciate it. By the way, Viveca wants you to be the godfather.”
    “What?” Eric came to full attention, his throat unaccountably tight now and his eyes misty. “ Godfather? You sure?”
    “Yeah,” Andrew said, and Eric could almost see him shrug. “It’s mostly ceremonial, so you can’t screw it up.”
    Eric snorted. He knew Andrew was only kidding, but still. Teasing from Andrew, which normally would be only a minor annoyance, like a buzzing fly, had, within the last year or so, taken on an irritating new significance.
    Maybe it was the absolute change that had come over Andrew since he met his wife, Viveca. Usually smug, arrogant and obnoxious—Eric’s greatest joys in life had come from needling the brother—Andrew was now