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A hotel

“Don’t you want me to stay?”

He frowns “Of course I do I just thought you ht want to cool off too before we talk to him tomorrow”

I shake my head firmly “No I mean… Yes, I do But I want to cool off with you”

He stares hard at o back to his place and take his seed, no nant with his child has doubled, trebled, now that our relationship is at risk

“Okay then,” he says “Let’s go But maybe it would be better if you stayed in the spare room Even after what just happened, Rory, hell…”

“I know” It takes a rip onto hiood We can’t do anything until we’ve explained it to my dad”

“I agree,” Bennet says, but he can’t ry for my body as I am for his

I sit at Bennet's kitchen table, my phone on speaker in front of me Bennet sits across from me, his body taut, his wolfish blues flooded with concern as mom’s voice fills the room

“Try and explain it to me,” Mom says “Then I can talk to your father”

“Do you think he’ll ever understand?” I ask, trying to repress the sob, the never-ending sob that threatens to rob me of my words

But I can’t cry I can’t make this about me

“I’ot ho”

“I didn’t want him to find out like this, Samantha,” Bennet says “I’m sorry”

Mohs “I’m sorry too”

“That he found out like this or that Bennet and I are together?” I ask, way too eagerly

But I have to know Mo ofpeople, but h school troubles, who listened to anything I had to tell her growing up, no matter how uncomfortable

“That he found out like this,” Mom says after a pause “I’m still not sure how I feel about the two of you”

There’s hope, at least, in her words