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Half an hour later, the lights were perfectly set, and the boxes of brand-new ornaments were empty Jason didn’t remember the last time he trimmed a tree, and this year he’d done it twice There had to be a e in there so as if he were exiting the stage and dropping a microphone

"Not bad for our first attes crossed at her ankles and propped on the coffee table

Owen stretched, looked at his feet "Much as I’d love to help clean this up, I have school in the "

"Don’t worry, I’ll leave it for you to take care of when you get home"

Owen shook his head and walked toward the stairs "Thanks for your help, Jason"

"Anytime"

Owen looked between the two of the," he said

Jason noted the suggestion "My boss hates it when I’ht," they echoed back

"He’s a great kid," Jason said once they were alone

Rachel didn’t take credit "E up the pieces like you knohat you’re doing"

She shrugged "Trial by fire, I’m here to tell you"

"You make it look easy"

She finally looked in his eyes "Thank you"

"So, Owen’s grandparents" The questions had burned in his brain all evening as he’d waited for a little time alone with her to understand the details of her situation

Her sreed not to file a custody suit if we oing to just leave"

"So you found a job in Manhattan and h on Owen I didn’t want the threat of hi around us for sixwith me once the Colemans won"

"You’re sure they would have?" Not that he wanted her to fight and move away She was a valuable e he wanted to eventually get to

"They have money They have a blood relation And if TJ demanded custody, it would have happened sooner than later"

"TJ is the dad?"

"Yep, Tereck Junior He and E for about a year He went off on so Owen She never kept it fro to her, he would have sucked at the dad thing, and they both agreed that Owen should stay with her"

Jason had a hard tiht of his own child "Did he help her out, at least?"

"Sometimes She didn’t demand it I asked her about it a few tihtshe told me she’d alanted to be aa wife That if Owen hadn’t have happened when he did, she ht have taken matters into her own hands and never let the dad know"

"That’s harsh"

"It probably happens reat and all, but expensive when you consider the alternative"

"Does Owen know TJ is his dad?"

"Yep"

"He see theno dad, or not one you expected to be around, was better than thinking you were ihed, looked at hireat relationship with her father"

"Obviously"

"But she didn’t stop TJ froarcoated theIt helped that TJ wasn’t around in the early years, and by the tih to take the "