Page 31 (1/2)

"Nor a mess, but Bill took him out for breakfast"

"Not sorumbled "He knows Gabe better than I do"

"He’s known hie You should be happy Jesse and Gabe had soone Bill’s a goodin her voice He looked at her "How do you know hio But there’s a strength about hilad Jesse wasn’t colad, too, but he wasn’t He resented everything about the other man, especially the look on Gabe’s face when he’d run to hi," his mother said "I was alone with you and I was terrified You were so sed hed "It only tookwith this "You were always there for me," he said "No matter what"

"I loved you with every part of me," she said as she leaned on the counter and held her coffee "You were so different froht when you took apart your first coether"

He remembered that He’d been far more interested in the insides of a computer than what it could do Once he understood the basics, fixing theht about aze "Before I resented your relationship with Jesse I could see it was different You were different with her You’d never had a lot of girls around I knew you’d grow into yourself and figure it out I just didn’t think it would happen when it did I wanted to keep you withto happen"

She looked up and gave a sad s, horrible person who cared more about herself than her child I knew you were in love with her and I was thrilled when Nicole said she’d been cheating on you I couldn’t wait to tell you What I didn’t think through was how much you would be hurt or how you would see ht I’d lose you"

"Moan, but she shook her head

"No LetI was selfish and I hurt you I’ to hear For the second tih counter and held her She set down her coffee and hugged hiain

"I understand," he told her "It’s all right I love you I’ll always love you I shouldn’t have waited this long to cohtless bastard and I’m sorry"

A part of him, a cold empty place, filled a little

She pulled back and brushed her face with her fingers "I’m a mess"

"You’re fine"

"I’m a cliché, but I can live with that" She sh her tears "I’ve missed you"

"I’ve missed you, too" He hadn’t allowed hiet the parent thing before, but I do now"

She nodded "You’re doing better with Gabe He’s wonderful"

The angry surge caught hi better I should have known hinant, but she knew I didn’t think the baby was ain She should have tried harder"

Paula shifted uncoree"

He narrowed his gaze "But?"

"But she was young and scared and hurt No one believed her No one would listen Not even the man she loved most in the world"

Matt didn’t want to think of it that way He didn’t want to see her side "She could have picked up the phone How hard would that be? I can’t get back what I lost"

"I know" She touched his ar if I’d acted differently, if I’d welco her away, none of this would have happened I wouldn’t have gone to Nicole’s that day and heard about Drew You two probably would have gotten married We would have been a family all this tiht at Tiffany’s How excited and in love he’d been He’d wanted to give Jesse so to sho much he loved her He’d wanted her to know she was his world

What would have been different if he hadn’t learned about Drew the way he had? If she’d calone over and beaten the crap out of the bastard Based on what he knew about Drew, that hts from his mind What did he care about what ifs? There was only the now Jesse had gone away, taking his child with her She’d shown him he was a fool to ever love, to ever trust She’d returned and handed hie It was the cycle of life

"I need to get back to work," he said, kissing his mom’s forehead "I’ll call you soon"

"We can all have dinner"

Like a faht It was a battle strategy any general would be proud of Lull the enemy into a false sense of security, then attack

Except Jesse wasn’t the enemy She was the mother of his child and the woman he had once loved

He reet soft Didn’t he want her punished for what she’d done?

He releefully run toward another man as very much the father Matt should have been, then hardened hiainst any weakness Victory was close He could feel it He would claim it and move on

NICOLE SAT ON THE REAR deck of her house, coffee cup in hand Eric was at a friend’s house and the tere, for once, sleeping at the same time She told herself she should enjoy her rare mo about Jesse and their , she thought sadly Both so deterer Maybe her a little es she’d rown Nicole wanted proof that everything was different Once she got that in writing, sheto believe

She took a sip of coffee, then nearly choked when a faetto find someone who measures up to you"

She turned, shrieked, set her coffee cup on the deck and raced toward the tall, good-lookingon the stairs

"Raoul! You’re here! What are you doing here? You didn’t call Does Hawk know about this? Are you okay?"

She threw herself at hiood," she said, taking in the strong, handso out"