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That hen Cass realized she knew nothing about babies She’d always known they existed and murmured appropriately over them when other women who had them entered Cass’s orbit But this was a baby’s ho up happened

Gage had told her in the car on the way over that the baby’s aunt was seeking to adopt Robbie Really Cass was floored Gage hadn’t signed the papers to give up his rights on the spot Why hadn’t he? The solution was tailor-ht commitment was the nao on living life as though it was one big basket of fun with nothing to hold you back

Sounded like Gage’s idea of heaven to her

The fact that he was herehis son insteadwell, she wouldn’t havein the world

Crossing to the ht in the center of one bright square and e over “Come sit with him I can’t honestly say he doesn’t bite, but when he does, it doesn’t really hurt” She laughed without much humor “Sorry, that was a lame joke”

Then Gage knelt on the lanced at the stranger quizzically but then reached out and grasped his father’s finger with a small baby sound

Cass forgot to breathe as a wave of tenderness and awe and a in to na it into soed at her soul She al away the last of her barriers against a ain It would be a lie

His heart was all over his face, in his touch as he ruffled his son’s fuzzy head In the telltale drop of moisture in the corner of his eye

She couldn’t watch and she couldn’t look away as her own heart cried along with Gage That’s what love looked like on him and she wanted more of it

Thirtyar hair He pu details like what Robbie ate, whether he’d taken his first step, what he did when he rolled over Robbie’s aunt answered the questions to the best of her ability but it soon beca minute with the boy like his own mother had

A somber cloud spread over the four of them with its dark reminder that this wasn’t strictly a happy occasion of father e had a decision to et settled in the hohteen years with his permanent parent