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“You sure you want to hear it?”
“I do.”
“Personally, I’d never give up trying. A child deserves to be loved by its parents. It’s a necessity to be brought up in a good, loving household. You don’t need money or a huge house, but you need to know that at the end of the day, you’re loved by your parents no matter what.”
“Hm,” he tapped his beer bottle while my words sank in, “you must have had some pretty amazing parents to have raised you right.”
“I had a mom who loved me enough for two parents.”
“No dad?”
“He’s around, but he isn’t overly loving.” I caught Ty listening to us. “He left when I was fifteen and remarried a teacher at my high school. He didn’t really care about us, so I went into the one profession that could fill the spot he sucked at. Helping people, caring for people.”
“Well, if it counts, you’re pretty damn great at your job.”
“Thanks.” I smiled. “Keep working on Lexi and communicate. If not for you, for your kids. They need to see you getting along, not fighting. When they hit their teens, they can make up their own minds.”
“Okay,” he let out a long breath, “I can do that.”
“And in the meantime, you know where to find me.”
He patted my arm and excused himself to use the restroom, and Cole gave me an impressed look.
“Nice job, Doc.”
I felt Ty’s eyes on me, so I turned to look at him.
“What?”
“You’re incredibly smart, Dr. Knight.” His eyes lit up. “You know that?”
“Thanks.” I felt myself warm from the inside out.
“And incredibly gorgeous.”
“Are you flirting with me, Beckett?”
“Yes, I am.” The corners of his mouth tugged upward. His eyes held me captive, and I basked in the feeling.
“I like it.”
“I do, too.”
We ate, had drinks, laughed, and talked like one big, happy family, I guessed because we were. Behind all the love and laughter, everyone at the table knew it all could change in the blink of an eye, but not tonight. Tonight, we were meant to have a great time, and we were going to take advantage of every moment.
It was late as we stepped out onto the porch of the restaurant. John and Mike hurried off to get the trucks. Ty snagged my arm and then scanned above my head.
“What?” Instantly, I was on alert.
“Just making sure.” He then stepped back, shrugged off his coat, and draped it around my shoulders. I wondered if he realized how thoughtful he was toward me, because everything just seemed natural with him. He tipped my chin, so I’d look at him again.
“I’m really glad you had fun today.”
“I did. The girls are great.” I pulled his coat tighter as I felt the chill of the rain around us.
“So, who the hell is this Victor guy?” he teased, and before I could respond, he leaned and kissed me as his fingers entwined with mine. “I’ll kill him.” I laughed a protest against his lips as he dove deeper, then he whirled and pulled me with him as we hurried to join the others.
Chapter Twenty-Three
