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"Your mom didn’t have that talk with you?"

"This is not funny"

"You’re going to be a grandfather, Hawk It’s a little funny"

He ignored that Brittany pregnant? He’d heard the words before, but this was the first time he understood what they meant She would be a mother She would have responsibilities for the rest of her life Everything had changed

"I can’t do this," he muttered

"You don’t have a choice"

Simple words that reminded him of another time and another conversation htly defiant, terrified teenager

"My dad died when I was pretty young," he said "I don’t remember much about hi wo me that I had to work for what I wanted and how i She was always proud of me The only tinant"

He still remembered the way she’d looked so sad, as if all her hopes and expectations had been crushed He’d been determined to prove to her that he hadn’t screwed up entirely

"We ," he said quietly "I wanted thathimself to her had meant a lot Did his opinion ?" he asked

Nicole sighed "I don’t have an answer I want to say you trusted her too much, but ers do At least some of them Jesse discovered boys when she was about fifteen I was horrified, but short of chaining her up in her roo her, phoning the parents of all of her friends to find out if she was really where she said But she found a way"

She leaned back on the cushion "I can’t tell you the exactand believeshe wanted but our definitions of that were different"

"My mom would be really disappointed by this," he said "I don’t knoould hurt her more That Brittany screwed up or that I didn’t stop her"

"Were you listening?" Nicole asked "Hoere you supposed to stop her? You had no reason not to trust her"

"I should have known"

"Beating yourself up doesn’t solve the proble like that"

He barely knew the questions, whichto find answers anytio up there and break in her bedroom door so she has to talk toHe’d never not been able to talk to Brittany They’d always been able to work out their problems Why did this have to be different?

"I’ energy for killing him"

"I’m sure he’ll be excited to know that"

He leaned forward and rested his forearhs "I don’t knohat to do"

"You don’t have to do anything right now Give it a littlehe believed, but short of physically dragging Brittany hoive her another day," he said "Then she’s going to have to face me"

"That see okay?"

"No, but I’ll survive Sheila’s puppies are a good distraction"

"More babies"

She nodded "Just to be clear As soon as she’s done nursing, I’ her fixed"

NICOLE HAD BEEN DEALING with a headache on and off since Brittany had walked out with the stick that told the world she was having a baby Now she popped a couple lass of water, all the while wondering if chocolate or ice cream would make the better chaser

"I need a vacation," sheher quarterly taxes for the bakery had never looked so good Math , but she understood it and it never talked back, slalared at her

She went upstairs and knocked on Brittany’s door "He’s gone," she called "You can come out now"

Brittany pulled her door open Tears streaked her face "He left? He didn’t try to talk toto speak to him He believed you Kind of the way he did when you told hi with Raoul"

Brittany folded her arms across her chest "You can’t talk to me like that"

"It’syou some slack because this all just happened, but the next time your father comes over, you will speak to him"

"Not if I don’t want to"

Raoul stepped into the hallway At least he was following the rules and staying out of Brittany’s room…as far as she knew Nicole wasn’t sure she trusted either of the us"

Brittany didn’t look convinced "You’re telling me what to do"

"Yes Mostly because you’re a minor and hey, this is still my house"

"I don’t like all these rules"

"You’re free to go hoht you likedto do with this situation You’re pregnant Thata rational adultlike conversation with your father"

"He’s going to yell atyou deserve"

Brittany turned to Raoul "Make her stop being mean"

Raoul looked helpless

Nicole felt sorry for hi to have a tough road dealing with Daddy’s little girl Would having a child help Brittany grow up or would she be one of the dra the center of the universe? If only they didn’t have to find out

HAWK WAS WAITING in the backyard of his house, with the barbecue going and a bottle of white wine chilling on ice Nicole pushed the gate open

"Is it safe to enter?" she asked, crossing toward hiht o and asked if she wanted to join him for dinner She’d been surprised, but had accepted If nothing else, they had a few things to talk about