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  He nodded. “She won’t be ever again, though.”

  “Good, but do you feel the same? Are you worried?”

  He lifted his shoulder and leaned back in his chair, lacing his hands together behind his head. “I’m not thinking about it, honestly. All I care about is her being happy and healthy. I don’t think she’ll lose this one. I feel that we are in a good place, we are happy and ready for this.”

  She smiled. “That’s good, I’m glad it’s not stressing you out. You don’t need the stress.”

  He couldn’t agree more, but slowly he said, “Yeah.”

  “Oh my, Jordie. That was a loaded yeah.”

  He smiled, leaning on his thighs. In the short time he had been coming to Julie’s practice, he found that they just clicked. She was an older lady, sweet and really listened, but she also didn’t hold back when she felt he needed to know something. Clearing his throat, he looked up and said, “My mom is in town. I’m supposed to see her tonight for dinner.”

  Her eyes widened for only a second before she slowly nodded. “You don’t talk about her much.”

  “Because she’s a wack-job.”

  “Yes, well, I guess you aren’t looking forward to this dinner?”

  He shook his head. “No. I don’t want to go. She doesn’t care about me, probably doesn’t even love me.”

  “Then why are you going?” she asked and he shook his head, biting his lip.

  “For some pathetic reason, I want her to care, to love me.”

  “Because she’s your mom.”

  “Yeah, and I have no one— Well, no, I have Kacey and her family, but I really want that blood connection with someone, and I don’t have it.”

  “I understand that,” she said slowly, the tip of her pen at her lip. “But, Jordie, she’s done nothing good for you, and I can see it in your body language, she really affects you. Can you share why you are so tensed up?”

  Closing his eyes, he leaned on his hands as he pulled in a breath through his nose and let it out of his mouth. “Since I was a kid, she’s always put me on the back burner. The only person who mattered was her husband of the month. When I was molested, she didn’t believe me until the dude admitted it, and then she asked if I’d enticed him. The guy was superloaded, and she saw her meal ticket going out the door,” he added when her eyes widened. “She just has never done right by me. She doesn’t even know that I’ve been in rehab, or recovery. She hasn’t asked. She is demanding that I meet her new soon-to-be husband, but she doesn’t even want to meet Kacey. She just doesn’t care.”

  She slowly nodded. “But you’re going?”

  “I have to. I have to give her one last chance, and if she throws it in my face, then at least I tried.”

  Letting out a long breath, she looked down, writing something before reaching over to hand it to him. “That is my number. If tonight after dinner you feel like you can’t handle something, call me if you need me. I’m gonna schedule you in for tomorrow too,” she said then, typing something on her phone, and his brows pulled together.

  “Why?”

  She looked up from her phone and said, “Because this is something that can trigger a relapse, and you’ve done so well, Jordie. We can’t let her do that.”

  Looking down at the floor, he already knew this.

  So why was he going?

  As Jordie drove home, he repeatedly asked himself his previous question. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, and honestly, she didn’t even deserve a chance to be in his life. Sucking in a breath, he thought about his own child and how he was already so in love with it and he didn’t even know what it was. Why didn’t she feel the same? Why wasn’t he enough? It wasn’t fair, really. Her actions had affected him in so many ways, and he hadn’t ever analyzed how she made him feel.

  For years, he’d begged for attention. And when the molestation happened, he was scared to even talk to another man for years. All the husbands that came through called him a mute, and maybe he was. But she never hugged him, kissed him, or told him she loved him. She ignored him and that rejection still stung. For years, he talked to no one, became a recluse, but then he met Robbie. Robbie got him out of his house, his family loved him, and Jordie was happy again. But then that was all taken away from him. Did his mother care?

  Not even a little bit.

  Then during his adult life, she wandered in and out of it. Only hitting him up for money when she was between husbands. And he would give it to her. He didn’t understand the hold she had on him, but it was downright sickening. He had to stand up to her, had to be a man because he was about to be a father. He had to set an example for his child and not allow anyone to walk all over him. Because Lord knows, Stacey walked, ran, and stomped all over Jordie, and he let her.

  But not anymore.

  Pulling into the driveway, he drove into the garage next to Kacey’s car and reached for the Snickers he had bought her, before getting out of the car. Climbing the stairs, he threw the door open and smiled as Kacey’s face lit up.

  “There’s my sexy mommy-to-be. Look, I brought you a snack to give our child a sugar high.” But just as quickly as her face had lit up, her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. Confused, he asked, “What?”

  And then he realized why.

  Sitting on their couch were her parents, brother, and sister-in-law with Mena in her lap. Since telling him of the pregnancy, she’d sworn him to secrecy and he’d gone along with her. She was really nervous about everyone freaking out if she miscarried and wanted to wait. While he was bursting at the seams to tell someone, he honored what she’d asked. Anything to help keep her calm, but he guessed the cat was out of the bag.

  As everyone gaped at him, Gretzky didn’t seem to care and was hopping and biting at his ankles for attention. But Jordie didn’t move. His eyes went from Kacey to her family and back again as Regina slowly rose.

  “You’re pregnant?” Regina gasped. Jordie met Karson’s gaze and he was glaring as Karl slowly stood, his wide eyes going from Kacey to Jordie and then back.

  Lacey, on the other hand, was bouncing in her seat as she cried out, “Oh, thank God! I was having such a hard time keeping that in.”

  “You knew?” Karson shouted and she shrugged.

  “Yeah, I knew before Jordie did,” she said innocently. “I’m her best friend.”

  “And I’m her brother!”

  “Well, shit,” Jordie said slowly and Kacey covered her face.

  “Well, shit is right,” she said, rubbing her face before dropping her hands. “Did you not see their cars?”

  He shook his head. “I was thinking, didn’t even notice.”

  “So it’s true?” Regina asked, coming to the doorway, Karl flanking her.

  Jordie looked to Kacey and she looked back at him, nodding her head. “Yeah. I’m pregnant.”

  “Surprise,” Jordie said, waving his jazz hands in the air, but no one seemed to be entertained.

  The silence stretched as everyone looked at everyone else. Jordie’s heart was pounding while Kacey worked her lip, nervousness in every single one of her features. Finally though, Regina shrieked before wrapping her arms tightly around Kacey, kissing her hard on the face before blubbering all over her. Karson wrapped his arm around Lacey and shook his head, a grin playing on his lips.

  “Could have told me, asshole.”

  Jordie shrugged. “She wouldn’t let me, wanted to wait till she was out of the first trimester.”

  “Oh yes, don’t want to get everyone excited and then lose the baby. The horror!” Regina cried, and he didn’t miss the grimace on Lacey’s face or on Kacey’s. “But that won’t happen to you, baby. It’s gonna be fine. Ah, my baby is pregnant!” she said, kissing Kacey again, but Kacey’s face was like stone, her eyes watering. He wanted to go to her, pull her into his arms, and reassure her. But before he could, Karl came to him, shaking his hand hard. “I should kill you for not making an honest woman out of her before knocking her up.”

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