“I certainly hope not.” A thought occurs to me. “Wait. You don’t have a bunch of other pregnant flings floating around out there, do you?”
“Yeah, Hazel.” He snorts. “I’ve got sixteen illegitimate children in four towns. I was thinking we could invite them all to the next Spencer-King family dinner.”
“Great.” A weird pang of longing rolls through me. “Have you…uh…been to one of the family dinners?”
“Oh, sure.” He sounds like it’s not a big deal instead of the thing I missed most while estranged from my cousins. “Jake invited me once when I helped lay the foundation for his house. Damn, that guy makes a great cornbread.”
“He does.” My belly growls thinking about it.
“And then Lucy and Peter had me over for the last one, since I hired them to help find my dad.”
“I must have missed both of those.” Now that I’m close with my cousins again, I’m usually the first one to show up for family dinner. “Peter and Lucy are excellent private detectives. If anyone can locate your father?—”
“They already struck out.” Some of the upbeat energy fades from his voice. “It’s fine, though. My old man clearly took pains to avoid being found.”
“I’m sorry.” I recall what he said about growing up without his dad. “Did you tell your mother about the pregnancy?”
“Oh yeah. She’s thrilled.” His deep-throated chuckle clears the dark cloud. “Thanks again for letting me share the news. I know you’re not ready to tell your family yet, but mine’s overjoyed.”
“No problem.”
“My mom and sister are all I’ve got.” There’s that chuckle again. “Well, and your cousins. They kinda adopted me, you know?”
“I’m aware.” I know Luke’s been tight with Kaleb and Mason and Jake. I’ve even seen him grabbing beers with Parker and Noah whenever those two pass through town. “I’ll tell my cousins when I’m ready to.”
“What about your dad?”
I can tell by his tone he’s not a fan of my father. “I’ll play it by ear. He doesn’t have contact with the rest of the family?—”
“Go figure.”
Clenching my jaw, I lower the pen in my hand. “You don’t have to like my dad. But he is my father, and he raised me almost entirely by himself. Just because he’s been convicted of a crime doesn’t mean he’s a bad person.”
Luke finds that funny. “I don’t think he’s a bad guy for being in prison. Plenty of us fuck up and land there.” He lowers his voice when the couple beside us looks over. “But I do take issue with the fact that he stole from his family. He kicked his nephews and niece to the curb to get rich. He faked his own sister’s death and burned down his parents’ home?—”
“I’m aware of my father’s crimes,” I hiss. “So is the criminal justice system. Suffice it to say, he won’t be dandling his grandchildren on his knee in their nursery anytime soon. I think that’s punishment enough.”
“I hear ya,” he says. “Sorry. Touchy subject.”
“It’s fine.”
Luke surveys the clinic’s posh waiting room. “How’d you pick this place, anyway?”
“They have one of the best reputations in Oregon for obstetrical services.”
His sandy brows shoot to his hairline. “You’re having the babies here? More than an hour from home?”
“No. Maybe. I’m assessing my options.” Biting my lip, I decide to come clean. “For this visit, it’s more about privacy. Cherry Blossom Lake is such a small town, and I guess I’m not ready yet for everyone to know.”
“Gotcha.”
“Molly—my friend, Dr. Moses—used to work here. She says she’ll make sure my records get transferred wherever I choose as the pregnancy progresses.”
“Hey, you don’t have to justify your decision to me. I trust you.”
The pregnancy hormones must be hitting me hard because tears sting my eyes. “You do?”
A deep furrow forms on his forehead. “Yeah, of course. Why do you look surprised?”
