“Your Mom keeps at it, my body’ll forget what cholesterol is,” Dad muttered, I grinned and looked down at Jonas’s head on my thigh as my fingers slid through his hair.

“Your Mom told me about him,” Dad said softly, “Tate.”

“Yes?” I asked softly back, my fingers moving again through Jonas’s hair.

“Said he took care of you when you found out about me bein’ sick. Brought you all the way to Indiana, laid it out for that idiot ex of yours,” Dad went on.

“Yeah,” I was still speaking softly.

“Gotta say, hon, years I been worried. Years, you with that man. Never trusted him to take care of my girl. Never. Never thought he’d look after you, keep you safe. And, in the end, I was right.”

I turned and looked at my father.

“Dad,” I whispered.

“Can’t tell you, Lauren.” His voice got lower and thicker, his eyes slid toward Tate before coming back to me, “Can’t say… beside myself knowin’ I can quit worryin’ about my girl.”

“Daddy,” I whispered again but said no more because Jonas’s body moved, like a flinch, and I knew he wasn’t asleep.

Before I could say anything to Jonas, Dad, who obviously hadn’t felt Jonas move, kept talking. “He’s a good man, I can tell, it’s stamped all over him but the best part is the way he looks at you and his boy.”

Jonas’s body got tighter.

“Dad –” I started.

“He’d die before he let anything hurt you,” Dad continued.

“Dad,” I said urgently as I felt Jonas’s body get even tighter.

Dad talked over me. “You or his boy, he’d lay his life down, wouldn’t blink, wouldn’t think.”

“Dad, Jonas is –” I started, Jonas rolled to his back and Dad’s eyes went to Tate.

“That’s the kind of man who’s good enough for my girl,” Dad concluded but I looked down to see Jonas looking up at me.

“What man were you with, Laurie?” Jonas whispered and out of the corner of my eye I saw Dad’s head jerk down to look at him but I kept my gaze on Jonas.

“You playing possum, Bub?” I asked on a grin, trying to change the subject.

“What man were you with?” Jonas repeated, not feeling like a subject change.

I slid my hand along his cheek and then rested it at the top of his chest. “I was married before I met your Dad,” I told him gently.

Jonas lifted up to sitting and twisted his torso toward me and Dad, his eyes on Dad.

“He wasn’t as good as Dad?” Jonas asked my father.

“Not by a long shot,” Dad answered firmly and Jonas looked at me.

Then he grinned which was when I relaxed.

“Dad’s a catch,” he remarked.

“Um… yeah,” I grinned back.

“Girls think he’s hot,” Jonas noted.

I looked at Tate then back at his son.

“Yeah.” I was still grinning.

Jonas’s grin turned mischievous. “Everyone says I look just like him.”

I heard Dad chuckle and I swallowed a giggle before nodding. “Yes, baby, you do.”

“Means I’m hot too,” Jonas stated.

“Well –” I began.

“Girls’re already all over me, want me to kiss ‘em at recess,” Jonas informed me audaciously.

“Do you kiss them?” Dad asked.

“Only the pretty ones,” Jonas answered.

Dad laughed right out but my eyes narrowed on Jonas.

“Jonas Jackson, are you telling me you kiss pretty girls at recess?”

“Well, yeah,” Jonas answered.

“Bub, you’re ten,” I reminded him.

“So?” he asked.

“You’re not supposed to be into girls for at least five more years,” I proclaimed.

Jonas’s head tilted to the side. “Is that a rule?”

“Yes, I just made it up. It’s Lauren’s rule for when Jonas can be into girls.”

“You can’t make up rules, Laurie,” Jonas told me.

“I just did,” I replied, Jonas looked at Dad and rolled his eyes but I looked at Tate and shouted across the room, “Tate! Jonas is kissing pretty girls at recess!”

Tate’s eyes cut to me but Jonas threw himself at me and cupped his hand over my mouth.

“Laurie!” he yelled.

I struggled with his lean, too strong for a ten-year-old kid’s body, one arm wrapped around his waist, my other hand at his wrist, trying to pull his hand from my mouth.

I succeeded and yelled to Tate, “Jonas is ten and already breaking girls’ hearts!”

“Laurie!” Jonas repeated, sounding mortified and exasperated and I looked from Jonas’s father’s face, his mouth twitching, to Jonas.

“Well, you are,” I said.

“You don’t have to shout it across the room!” He was still yelling.

“Your father should know,” I informed him. “Seeing as your moving so fast, you’ll probably start going on dates next week and Tate’ll have to drive you and I’ll have to make more cupcakes, all your women showing up at the house to study with you.”

Jonas slouched back and crossed his arms on his chest, telling me, “I’m not goin’ on dates. I’m playin’ the field.”

Dad burst out laughing but I glared and snapped, “Jonas!”

Jonas looked at Dad. “I gotta keep my options open, make sure I get a good one.”

I looked at the ceiling. “Lord, deliver me,” I implored and looked back at Jonas when he poked me in the ribs.

“Laurie, I’m ten.” He used my words against me then grinned cheekily again. “Like I said, gotta keep my options open.”

“You’re grounded,” I announced.

“Why!” Jonas shouted.

I didn’t answer, instead I went on. “And you’re staying grounded until you’re sixteen.”

Jonas’s head whipped around and he yelled, “Dad! Laurie grounded me until I’m sixteen!”

I looked to Tate to see Mom and Pop had joined Tate, Stella, Mack and Carrie and they all had eyes to the couch.

“Sure I can talk her outta that, Bub,” Tate called back, Jonas looked at me and grinned smugly.