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In the past week James had come directly ho, but she couldn’t help wondering

"What about your ca’s under control," was all he said

Summer wondered

All at once Ja "What day’s your ultrasound?"

"Thursday of next week Don’t look so worried You don’t need to be there"

"I want to be there," he stated emphatically "Our baby’s first picture I wouldn’t miss it for the world Besides, I’hter"

"Don’t tell me," she said "I don’t want to know"

"I won’t," he said, chuckling He reached out to stroke her abdomen "I can’t believe how much I love this little one, and he isn’t even born yet"

"He?" she asked, hands on her hips in hter would suit hter It’s been a long tiirl in the family"

Summer pressed her hand over her husband’s She’d never been this happy It frightened her soht her that happiness almost always came with a price

Walter joined the From the moment she’d met him, Summer had liked her father-in-law

"Did you know Summer could cook this hen you

She’d found a recipe for a chicken casserole on the Internet and served it with hous, with a fresh fruit salad rapes and strawberries For dessert she picked up a lemon torte at the local bakery

"Summer’s full of surprises," James told his father His eyes brieflyto say is no one kne fertile I was, either"

"That’s the best surprise yet," Walter said He dabbed the corner of his mouth with his napkin in a blatant effort to hide a smile

"It certainly is," Ja these days?"

"Wonderful"

"What’s the doctor have to say?"

"That I’ by leaps and bounds I haven’t felt him move yet, but--"

"Him?" James and Walter chi She stood and started to clear the table

"Let me do that," James insisted

"I’m not helpless, you know," Walter added

Both men leapt from their chairs

"Go have your coffee," Summer told them "It’ll only take ed, then looked at his son "There are a few things I need to discuss with James," he said

"Then off with you" She shooed them out of the kitchen

Ja room He paused in the doorway and looked over his shoulder "You’re sure?"

"Jah she didn’t know Walter well, she sensed that sohout the meal she’d noticed the way he watched his son Ja odd, too

Walter wanted to discuss the can, but every tied it He did it cleverly, but Walter had noticed, and after a while Summer had, too

She ran tap water to rinse off the dinner plates before putting them in the dishwasher, and when she turned off the faucet she heard the end of James’s comment

"…Summer doesn’t know"

She hesitated Apparently the two men didn’t realize hoell their voices carried She didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it did seem only fair to listen, since she was the topic of conversation

"What do you plan to do about it?" his father asked

It took Ja ti with him?"

"No," James answered bitterly "The ment He’s insulted ot an attitude like that"

"But you will need a caer"

"Yes," James admitted reluctantly

So that hat this was about Suainst the kitchen counter and closed her eyes Ralph had resigned, and froned hi, even before the election It didn’t sound like hi Summer’s mind

James lowered his voice substantially, and Summer had to strain to hear him "He disapproves of Su quiet "The man’s crazy!"

"I’ve made a series of mistakes," James said

"Mistakes?"

"With Su in on itself Suled toward a chair and literally fell into it

"I should never have married her the way I did," Ja she deserved I don’t know if her ivena reception in November By then the baby will be here and, well, it seems a little after the fact"