Page 58 of Playing It Forward

He grunts again.

She purses her lips. “Do you want me to call the dog catcher?”

He growls before galumphing away. I pull Terri behind me as he passes. She rolls her eyes. “Sammy won’t hurt me. Dad would stop feeding him if he did.”

Sammy grunts before finding a spot of sun in the yard and making himself comfortable.

Terri nudges past me and climbs the stairs to her dad. He wraps his arms around her and hugs her up tight.

My heart squeezes. How would it feel to have a dad who hugs you? Who’s happy to see you? For more than bragging about how his son is going to be a Super Bowl champion?

I force those thoughts away. Dwelling on Dad’s actions doesn’t change them.

“How are you doing?” her dad asks, and his gaze dips to her stomach.

She sighs. “You know.”

“I know. And I know this man is the baby’s father.” He frowns at me.

I climb the stairs and hold out my hand. “Nolan. Nice to meet you, sir.”

“I know who you are.” He stares at my hand for a long minute. “Charlie,” he finally says before shaking my hand.

Terri glances back and forth between us. “You’re not going to do that thing where you test my dates, are you?”

Charlie grins. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “You asked my date to the senior prom if he had protection ‘just in case’. When he admitted he had a condom, you bitched him out for making assumptions about his daughter.”

He chuckles. “Little squirt nearly peed his pants.”

“He didn’t pee his pants, but he did dump me at prom and go to the after-party with another girl.”

He scowls. “He didn’t deserve you.”

She throws her arms in the air. “He was seventeen. A kid.”

He narrows his eyes on me. “This one’s not a kid, and he didn’t use protection.”

I clear my throat. “Actually, we did.”

Terri’s face darkens until it’s bright red. “Nolan,” she hisses.

“What?” I shrug. “I’m not lying to your dad. He’s going to be the little mermaid’s grandpa. I’m not starting our relationship out on a lie.”

Charlie grins. “Little mermaid. It’s a girl?”

“We don’t know yet. It’s too early to tell.”

He wraps an arm around her. “Let’s discuss this inside.”

He leads her into the house and I follow. He helps her to settle on the sofa before sitting on a chair across from her. I don’t hesitate. I claim a spot next to Terri.

“How are you doing with all of this, kiddo?”

“I’m fine.”

I press my leg against hers. “Don’t lie to your dad.”