Page 60 of Summer Nights

I nodded, watching his muscles flex as he dove to hit the ball. "He's going to be a great dad."

Elena paused and studied me. "You're not worried about him leaving anymore?"

"Every minute of every day. I force myself not to expect anything so I won't be disappointed."

"That's a sad way to live."

I sighed, because it was the only way I'd ever known. "It's easier this way. Expectations only hurt people in the long run."

"You know, your dad, whoever and wherever he is, is an asshole and nothing like Cooper." Elena's tone held a note of bitterness.

"I don't know my father, and I barely know Cooper."

"Maybe you're destined to have a family, including a sexy Kingston as your significant other," Elena said suggestively.

I shook my head. "Not everyone gets the fairy tale like you did."

"I fought it too, as I remember. I didn't think it would last, and it did. Maybe you're wrong about Cooper."

I chuckled. "I'd hate to be right."

"Then why don't you let go of your old beliefs and give him a chance? I have a feeling he wants more than to co-parent with you."

The sex was amazing, but each time we were together, it only got hotter. My desire for him grew, and I wanted more. It was a scary feeling, to want more from someone when you weren't sure if they had staying power.

"Not everyone is your father. You have proof all around you."

"The thing is, the only proof I need is my own father," I said, sharing my heartbreak out loud. I'd wondered about that when I was a kid. Why was my father the one who left? And I concluded it had to be me.

"You know it had nothing to do with you. He left before you were born."

I sighed. "Logically, I know that. But this doesn't have anything to do with reason."

"It sounds like you have some things to work through before the baby comes. You don't want to pass on your baggage to your child."

I turned to glare at her. "Why do you have to make so much sense?"

Elena threw back her head and laughed. "Tell that to Hudson."

"Ugh. I don't want to deal with my stuff." I'd known for a while that my beliefs around love and family were a little jaded. But I'd never had to confront those feelings. As long as I stayed distant from others, they never dug too deep. But Elena was right; I didn't want to pass on these beliefs to my son or daughter.

Elena tipped her head toward where Cooper jumped into the air and spiked the ball over the net. "I would think there would be plenty of motivation to heal so you can move on with a certain someone."

He'd removed his shirt so his muscles were clearly visible.

"Cooper wants to take care of you and that baby. You should let him."

"He asked me to move in with him," I said quietly so no one would overhear.

Elena's eyes widened almost comically. "What did you say?"

"I said I'd think about it."

"What's his reasoning for that? He must have a good one for you to consider it."

"My condo is on the third floor, and there's no elevator. I can't imagine lugging everything a baby would need up three flights of stairs."

"Me either."

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