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"My advice, son? Go ahead and quit the job at the restaurant Study your butt off for the exauard job I’ suits works her way over to your tower by the end of the first week"

He clapped his son on the back, and even though Chris only scrounged a half sone well Or at least better than any talk before

The door into the house squeaked, opened Rena stood silhouetted, wearing a maternity jue? Because he daetting closer to being born A du away hadn’t hit hi the fourth reen fabric skie "Supper’s ready"

Rena’s eyes lingered on JT’s shoulders--bared by a workout tank T-shirt He could see her pupils dilate froe His heart rate revved in ti chest

Chris snatched a towel off the hook "Great I’ No surprise, huh?" their son rambled on in the thick silence "Cool new clothes, Mo twins?"

Twins? Rena went as pale as he felt

JT thu your et us all killed?"

Chris winced "Sorry You, uh, look nice, Mo and walked down the four steps into the garage with only a slight li out before he would be asked to leave Soon, she wouldn’t need hiraduated

She stopped in front of her son, twisted a dainty fist in his shirt and tugged him down … to kiss hiiven for the twins co, "I’ht" His thin ar

She patted his back with the saiven to lull hihtmares "It’s okay, hon"

"Thanks Love ya, Moes aside, the pointed stare he shot his father over her head was definitely all ain and I’ll take you down He blinked, returning to sixteen "Catch ya’ later, dudes, I’ll just grab soet some homework done Thanks for the advice about the job stuff, Dad"

Their son’s footsteps faded, but neither of theaze still riveted on his shoulders and sweat-soaked T-shirt sticking to his chest His eyes unable to move from the fertile curves of her body

The prie to lock that door and find new uses for the weight bench throbbed through hi and found the first step "I’ll h theentle baby bulge

"In a minute" Once he willed away the arousal

Her retreat otten one thing right during the talk with Chris Chris would turn in his notice, ditch the extra delivery duties, and maybe they would use the extra time for ht’s surveillance flight should net that final drug trafficking link, he would have a couple of days off to focus on his family He could step up the pace on the roht

Chapter 10

"No hard feelings, pal," Kurt Haugen said from behind his desk, a stuffed swordfisharound to the front, he extended his hand for a shake "You’ve always got a job here if you change your mind I appreciate a hard worker"

Chris tried not to let his exhale of relief be too obvious He shook hands, firht him "Thank you, sir"

"But I’ll need you to leave now" Mr Haugen leaned back against the big wooden desk, crossing one tasseled loafer over the other "Once soht away Not that I don’t trust you It’s policy"

"Sure No probleet out, and this was so easy he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it before "And thanks for being cool about it Things are really tense at ho a baby and stuff"

"I hear you I live in a house of woold riirl "It’s io easy on your mom, and I promise you it’ll all be worth it when you see that new brother or sister"

"Yeah, uh, right" He shuffled his feet, ready to close the book on his crappy first-job experience The lifeguard gig would have to be better

Anything would be better

Mr Haugen replaced the photo and pushed away from the desk "Well, no ood luck"

Nodding, Chris backed away He couldn’t haul out fast enough And best of all, he had some time to kill before his parents would expect him home

Heto hiainst the sunlight--still bright even near sunset, inhaled a deep breath of salty air to clear his head

Maybe he could grab a Big Mac and stop by Shelby’s house, hang for a while She was still pretty wigged out by the pregnancy scare and her upcoe college choices this late in the gauy realize how lucky he was to have so would just screw it all up Which ht not be so bad if it weren’t for the fact Shelby would get hurt And even if by soeek, she was still er stuck living hatever the parents decided Moving houses Splitting es

Definitely sucked

He tucked around lines of parked cars, putting more space between hiood had happened today And the lifeguard job wouldn’t be so bad

But his dad was high if he thought the bathing suit chicks would be hanging out around Chris Price’s tower God, especially not with his bony ars out there and his nose all white froned on a circus act At least he didn’t have to worry about burning since he tanned like hishe’d inherited fro spot--yeah, Dad, away from the ocean and the salt so Moainst his back buirl someone Shelby? Hope cleared his head faster than the beach air He stepped up his pace to a jog and saw…

Miranda Crap His feet slowed

Make it official He now hated Lycra as much as lies

So much for an easy home free He’d just talk fast and leave even faster