Page 88 of Consummation

Colby can’t keep himself from smiling at that and Kat’s mom shoots me an adoring look—but Ryan and Kat’s dad both still seem to be processing things.

“Oh, honey,” Kat’s mom says. She rubs her forehead. “How are you feeling? Have you been to the doctor? Is the baby healthy?”

“I’m good, Mom. Yes, I went to the doctor—I saw the baby’s heartbeat. So far, so good—knock on wood.” Kat shoots me an anxious look, and I’m pretty sure she’s thinking about the booze and weed she ingested before we knew—something I’ve thought a lot about, too. “I was throwing up nonstop for a while,” Kat continues, “but that’s tapered off a bit. Now it’s mostly late at night and early morning.” Kat squeezes my hand again. “I’m good, Mom. The baby’s good. Josh is good.”

Kat’s mom sighs with relief, yet again. Wow. If I’m not mistaken, I’m beginning to see a glimmer of excitement in Louise’s eyes—just that fast.

“So what are your plans?” Kat’s father asks evenly, breaking his silence. My eyes shift away from Louise’s beautiful face—damn, that woman looks so much like her gorgeous daughter it’s truly freaky—and I’m met with two blue chips of steel. Oh, boy. There’s not a hint of excitement on Kat’s father’s face. It’s all fierce protectiveness.

My stomach clenches.

Kat squeezes my hand under the table. “The plan?” she says, replying to her father. “The plan is I’m gonna move in with Josh—er, actually, okay, to be honest, I already did. Got the last of my stuff moved in yesterday.”

Kat’s father glances at his wife and his face quite clearly conveys deep concern.

“So, you know, we’re gonna live together,” Kat continues. “And have a little tiny human that’s made up of both our DNA. And we’ll raise it together. And be happy. The End.”

“I meant what are yourplans? For the child? For the future?” He motions to Kat and me. “For the two of you?”

“Oh,” Kat says, like she totally understands—but then after a beat she cocks her head to the side, apparently perplexed. “What do you mean? I just told you. We’re gonna live together and raise our kid. The End.”

I gently extricate my hand from Kat’s steel claw and wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Mr. Morgan, as far as I’m concerned, theplan is for me to take care of your daughter and our baby in every conceivable way,” I say evenly. “You don’t have to worry about either of them, I promise. They’ll want for nothing. I give you my word on that. I’ll always take care of my baby and the mother of my child, no matter what happens.” I clear my throat. “And not just out of obligation. Because I love Kat, Mr. Morgan. I love your daughter with all my heart and soul.”

Kat twitches against me and I squeeze tighter.

There’s a brief beat of silence during which Kat’s mom visibly swoons and then bursts into tears.

“Mom,” Kat says, holding up her arms.

Kat’s mom leaps out of her chair and lopes around the table to her daughter, sounds of femaleness gurgling out of her as she goes.

“Everything’s gonna be okay, Mom,” Kat says into her mom’s blonde bob.

Kat’s mom sniffles. “Ishould be reassuringyou, honey. I’ll help you—you know that, right? We’ll do this together.” She kisses Kat’s cheek twenty times, making Kat giggle through her tears.

“Come here, Josh,” Kat’s mom says, breaking away from her daughter and reaching for me. She hugs me. “Welcome to the family, honey,” she murmurs into my chest, squeezing me tight.

“Thank you,” I say, my heart racing.

When Kat’s mom pulls away from our hug, Ryan and Dax are standing behind her, offering handshakes and hugs—but Kat’s father is still sitting in his chair, his face unreadable to me.

“Daddy?” Kat says when it’s clear he doesn’t plan to get up and join the hug-fest.

The look on the man’s face makes my hair stand on end.

“So you’re not planning to marry Kat?” he asks me evenly.

“Thomas,” Kat’s mom says, obviously mortified. “They’re adults. It’s none of our business.”

Kat’s father steeples his fingers under his chin and exhales. “Josh, I really appreciate everything you just said, believe me—it’s good to hear. And I’m glad you two are in love. That’s great. But what about ten years from now? Are you gonna draft some sort of support agreement, in case things don’t work out between the two of you—or is this just, you know, we’ll see how it goes andwhatever?”

I feel like he just punched me in the balls.

“Dad,” Kat says, sounding exactly like her mother did a moment ago.

Kat’s father shrugs. “It has to be said, honey. If no one else is gonna say it on your behalf, then I sure will. You need some form of commitment about the future, one way or another.”

I swallow hard. “I’d be happy to sign a support agreement,” I say, my blood whooshing into my ears. “I’ll have my lawyer draft it up. As I say, I’m making a commitment to be a father in every way. My word is my bond, every bit as binding as any written agreement. I have no qualms about memorializing my verbal promise in writing.”

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