She had a point. He softened his face as much as possible. “Have you been talking?”
“Yeah. Some.”
“You know, your mom and I know something about having a baby with someone who isn’t…”
Becca tensed. “Isn’t what?”
He stumbled. “Has your mom talked to you about this?”
“She tried. Just about as well as you are.” She moved away from him, but didn’t leap off the couch.
He held his breath.
“It’s complicated.”
He willed himself to not make a face at her earnest confession. He could imagine just howcomplicatedit was for the hot stud hockey player to suddenly be faced with the consequences of being reckless.
Becca licked her lower lip, then sighed. “He doesn’t want the coach to know.”Do not react, do not react, do not…She threw her hands in the air. “Which is stupid, right?”
Owen let out the breath he’d been holding.
And his daughter laughed.Thank God. “Yeah, it’s stupid,” she said quietly. “But I don’t want to cut him out of my life completely, because maybe once the baby is born he’ll change his mind. And if he doesn’t, so be it. I’m not going to lose sleep over him, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Owen reached out and cupped his daughter’s face in his hands. “You are the best person, you know that? And I worry about everything, but only a little. Because I know you have a smart head on your shoulders. I do.” To reinforce the point, he kissed her forehead before sitting back. “And whatever happens, you know I’ve got your back, right?”
“I don’t need you to go and beat him up.”
“I would.”
“Dad!” She burst out laughing. “Have you considered that he might hurt you?”
“Not even for a second. I have old man strength.”
“I thought we agreed you aren’t old.”
They had agreed on nothing of the sort. “Agree to disagree.”
“Uh uh.” Becca shook her head. “You’re still a young man. Young enough to have babies of your own, all over again,” she teased.
He howled. “Nah. Never gonna happen.”
She giggled. “You never wanted more kids after perfection on the first try?”
“Exactly.” He chuckled and leaned his head back against the sofa cushion. Once upon a time, he had thought he’d have a big family, just like his parents. But his path had gone in a very different direction, and that had been for the best—because then he did have a big family, suddenly, and it had been chaos. They’d all barely survived. No, he had no interest in starting that all over again.
And once Becca was past her maternity leave, she might move out on her own with the baby, and he could get his Great Bachelor Plans back underway.
Chapter Eight
In early April,Owen had a conversation with Matt Foster, one of his paramedics, that didn’t seem like a big deal at the time.
He received an email, read it, sighed, and went to find the right sucker to take it on. Matt didn’t mind being volun-told to do things, especially if he could make some overtime pay in the process. He was a young husband, with a step-daughter and another baby on the way.
Owen found him doing inventory on one of their ambulances. “Hey, I’ve got a job for you. Public Health is pulling together a regional health providers working group on opioids and community impact of methamphetamines. They’re looking for volunteers. Monthly meetings for the next six months, looking at the peninsula interagency...”
“Full disclosure, you lost me at working group. Briefly grabbed my attention again at meth in the community, but the six months thing is a deal-breaker.” Matt slapped him on the shoulder. “Sorry, man. Sometimes you can talk me into this shit, but not for this summer. I’m going to be on a reduced workload, winding down my shifts so I can take a few months of parental leave, remember?”
Fuck. Where had Owen’s head been at? Matt’s wife Natasha was due right around the same time as Becca. “I knew that.”
