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"Okay" Gabe grabbed a bag of purple icing and drew a fairly steady straight line "That’s a one"

"Good for you," Paula said, then looked at Matt "Isn’t that good?"

Matt nodded "It’s great," he said, feeling stupid Jesse had gone ith the praise when the kid had tied his shoes Evidently, that was the way to a child’s heart

"Now you do two," Gabe said

"Sure" Matt squeezed out a two on a cookie

Paula clapped her hands "That’s terrific What’s next, Gabe?"

"Three," he said and bent over the cookie He concentrated so hard, his face turned red Slowly, a shaky three eed

They worked their way up to ten When they’d finished, Paula looked at hi to read"

"Okay" Matt didn’t know if that was i?

Paula helped Gabe to the sink and rinsed off the icing Matt did the sa what the hell he was doing here Sure, he had to spend ti about it felt right or comfortable Maybe he just wasn’t a kid person That happened, right? He’d grown up without a father and he’d turned out fine He’d--

As he dried his hands on a sly re your dad to school" day All the other kids had been talking about their dads, but he hadn’t had anything to say He sat there, his sto more out of place than usual He’d never told his mother What was the point? She wouldn’t have been able to change anything

But this kid thing was tough Heath had been right to point out that if he won his lawsuit against Jesse, he was going to end up with a child His son There was no way he could handle that on his own

When he walked back into the kitchen, Gabe was gone Paula turned on hinant?" she demanded "Did she tell you?"

"Where’s Gabe?"

"Up in his roo out which toys he wants to show you Not that you’ll even pretend to be interested Did she tell you?"

He didn’t knohich attack to deal with first "She ht the kid was uys With Drew Except she said she hadn’t and Gabe was obviously his "I never thought the baby was lared at hi out the truth? You were raised to take responsibility What kind ofhis child?"

Matt stared at hisfrom? Last I knew, you hated Jesse"

"I ht with anger "Which isn’t the point Do you knoe both lost? What can never be recovered? Years, Matthew Years of seeing your son,there when he was born All the firsts are lost All those precious one because you couldn’t be bothered to find out the truth"

"Hey, wait awith someone else And you were pretty happy about that fact"

"I rong," Paula said, looking his and I’ve certainly paid for nant If I had, I would have gone after her I would have insisted she stay until we could confir about your child, Matthew Your son Doesn’t thatto you?"

Before he could answer, Gabe ran back in the roo as he was

"Look!" he said, obviously proud and excited

Matt looked at his lared at hi truck"

Gabe nodded "It’s my favorite I can ride on it Want to see?"

"Sure"

Gabe set down the truck, straddled it, then pushed himself around with his feet He headed into the fary tone "Do so"

"I don’t knohat to do I don’t know him"

"Whose fault is that?" she snapped

"You could help"

"I could, but I’ to You created this problem, you fix it," she said and turned away

He followed Gabe into the family room where his son looked expectantly at him Matt stood there, not sure what to do, furious at his ahed heavily, then shook his head

"Watch a movie?"

The boy rose and returned to the kitchen, where he ran straight to Paula, grabbed her around the legs and started to cry

"I didn’t do anything," Matt said when she glared at him

"I know And that’s the problem" She stroked Gabe’s hair "Matthew, you have a lot to learn about children"

Feeling angry and confused, not to mention dismissed, he stalked out of the house and slammed the front door behind hirih he couldn’t say hoas supposed to be

JESSE STOOD ON THE sidewalk of the strip mall, sucked in a breath, then entered the sainst the side wall He rose as she walked over

"Thanks for co," he said

She nodded and tried to sh her for her to pick just one and go with it

She wanted to tell hi with Gabe had been a disaster, but the truth was more unco hi hiht up in what they’d once had together Worse, she’d been unable to shake the passion he’d stirred in her Passion that had disturbed her sleep with vivid sexual dreams and left her restless and aroused