Page 42 of Stepping Into Tomorrow

Dios. Robert, if you’re listening, I could use some help to save me from this right about now. “Um, yeah. Listen, sweetie, I love you. And I’m going to love this baby. And we’re gonna be a family. Some things might change a little after it’s born, but we’ll find a new routine and work it out together. How do you feel about that?”

Eli turned back to the waves, silent as several minutes passed. Seagulls cawed overhead. Waves crashed. A few people swam farther down.

“Is Nash going to try and be my dad now too?” Eli’s voice was loud, making her flinch.

She shook her head. “No. Not at all. Nash is a friend. No one can ever take your dad’s place.”

“But he’s dead.”

She reached out, putting her arm around Eli’s stiff body. “But we carry him in our hearts. Your dad will always be with you.”

“That is impossible. No one can live in a heart. There isn’t any proof—”

“I don’t mean literally. It’s more like he’s in your memories.”

“What if I forget him?”

Her heart ached for her son. She squeezed him into a hug with the usual pressure he liked—not too soft or too hard. “Then I’ll be here to remind you. And we have pictures and videos.”

“Mom?”

“Si?”

“Can I have my iPad now?”

I guess we’re done with that conversation. She chuckled. “Let’s head home to Nova’s. You can use it in the car.”

She stood, giving the incoming tide one last glance before she headed to the truck. Later tonight, she’d be confronting Nash. He’d had no right to do what he did today. He couldn’t have it both ways. Either he was in or he was out. Fuck this in between.

21

NASH

“You what?” Nash’s father stared at him in disbelief.

The white flap from the tent they were behind blew in the wind, making a snapping noise.

“Damn, bro. You shoulda said something earlier when we were giving you a hard time,” Ricky said.

Nash ran a hand over his face, his shoulders slumped. “I know I should have said something sooner, but I was just trying to get my head wrapped around this myself.”

“Why would she think you wanted nothing to do with her and the baby?” his mother asked, watching him closely.

“Oh, yes, do tell. I’d like to hear the answer to this too,” Nova said, leaning in to Roman’s side.

“I overheard her mom talking about her at the marina. I didn’t realize she meant Bella. It was a one-time thing. She said she lived in Colorado. I never thought I’d see her again.” It wasn’t easy admitting his sexual history aloud to his family. “I saw her again and she told me about the baby and I panicked.”

His mother shook her head disappointedly as his father let out a frustrated exhale. He tore his ball cap off, a sign he was well and truly pissed.

“I know I could have handled it better,” Nash said. The scent of cotton candy reached him, completely at odds with the tension of the moment.

“Ya think?” Nova’s sarcasm wasn’t helping things.

He cut her a glare.

“What are you gonna do now?” Roman asked.

“I have no fucking clue.”

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