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Her eyes washed with emotions as she became choked up “How do you do that?” she whispered as she looked up atparts of me feel at peace?”

“The same way you did it for me”

I set Stella up in my bedroom—our bedroom as of late—with a rouest roo It took hirumbled about his headache It could’ve been from my fist to his jaw or the alcohol he’d drowned himself in Either way, he was in pain

“What the…?” heto the door “What happened?”

“You passed out,” I told hi Stella like shit”

“It’s been a long day It’s not every day you find out you have a kid on the way”

“Yes, but there’s no excuse for how you spoke to her You need help, Jeff”

“I know That’s why I caet money to pay off my loans and—”

“I ”

He shotI need is for you to tell me what I need to do”

“I’nant, and that child deserves a father Every child deserves a father, but that doesn’t mean every father deserves his child Do better Be better”

“I don’t have et help,” he said

“I’ll pay for any clinic you find Money isn’t an issue”

He huffed “You think you’re some kind of superhero, huh? You think you’re better than me?”

“No I don’t”

He raced his hands through his hair “I need to talk to Stella”

“Not now You need to go home and decide what you really want and how you want to be in this child’s life”

He grureed As he walked out the front door, I watched him from the front porch I slid my hands into my pockets “Jeff?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t ever show up to ain, and if you ever take one too ain, I will snap your neck in half”

He parted his mouth to reply, but no words came out