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emotionally. Are you
sure that’s what you’re offering?”
    “Absolutely.”
    Kelly chuckled uneasily. “You answered way
too quickly. I don’t think you’ve had the time to really consider
what’s involved.”
    “I answered quickly because there isn’t any
choice in my mind. The boy is my son. He’s my responsibility.
Besides, my mother would skin me alive if I shunned family,
especially my own flesh and blood.” His attempt to make light of
the situation warred with the intensity in his eyes. “I want the
two of you to move in with me tomorrow.”
    “I don’t know, Trey.” Things were happening
too fast for Kelly.
    “Please? I deserve the chance to make things
right with TJ, with you.”
    “You don’t owe me anything.”
    “You’re the mother of my son. I owe you
plenty.”
    “What about your girlfriends. Do you plan to
traipse women in and out of your house in front of our son?” In
front of me? But she left those words unspoken.
    “There will be no girlfriends, as I expect
there will be no boyfriends around our child.”
    Now Kelly was really confused, but she had
already made a decision, remembering her plan from earlier in the
evening. “Fine. This holiday season can be a trial period. We can
stay for a week or so. When you get tired of being a father and
change your mind about us staying with you, we’ll have our place to
fall back on.”
    He stood, leaning over to pinch her chin
between his thumb and forefinger so their gazes met. “If that’s
what you’re counting on, don’t hold your breath. This is more than
a trial run, darlin’.”
    Then he did something that surprised the hell
out of her. He kissed her. And it wasn’t just a peck. It was a
full-blown, make-your-toes-curl, sultry kiss that included plenty
of tongue. With TJ in her arms she couldn’t do anything but
surrender to the sensual attack against her senses. When Trey
pulled away, her lips were still puckered, making her feel beyond
stupid.
    “Good night, darlin’.” He gave her chin a
nudge and then released her. “I’ll see you bright and early in the
morning—around seven.”
     
    ***
     
    The lights of Trey’s parents’ two-story ranch
house beamed. As his mother promised, they were waiting up for him.
In fact, his mother and Melissa, his youngest sister, sat on the
front porch swinging with a blanket wrapped around them, guarding
them from the chilly night. His father must have heard his truck,
because he stood in the doorway.
    Before Trey climbed out of his vehicle his
seventeen-year-old sister was at his door. “So is it true? You have
a son?” Moonlight danced over her big eyes filled with concern.
Dressed for bed, she wore flannels and fluffy black-and-white cow
slippers, and her long black hair was pulled into two braided
pigtails.
    He gave one of her pigtails a tug as he shut
the door. “Yep.”
    “Any chance he’s not yours?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    His father had stepped outside to join Trey’s
mother when Jason’s truck pulled up beside his. His older brother
was out of the vehicle in no time flat. That’s when Lance
maneuvered his four-wheel drive next to Jason’s.
    Getting out of his vehicle, Lance looked from
one sibling to the next. “Hail, hail. The crowd’s all here,” he
joked, before nailing Trey with an inquiring glance.
    “Well, except for Suz. She’s on a date. But
she’s on her way,” Melissa added.
    “Rumors travel fast in this family,” Trey
noted with a scowl. He should have anticipated that news like this
would have the Burstyns coming out of the woodwork. He was just
surprised that Granddad and Grandma weren’t present, or half a
dozen cousins that lived in the vicinity.
    “Especially when the rumors are in the
caliber of this one,” Jason added. “So?”
    “Will you leave him alone long enough to get
into the house?” His mother came to his rescue. She hugged herself.
“It’s cold out here. I’ve got coffee and hot chocolate brewing.
There’s fresh