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She hauled in a breath. ‘And, like Elsie, are you hoping to rebuild family ties?’
    ‘I sincerely hope so, Megan. I mean, you have a baby on the way now.’
    Correction—she’d never seen him look more vulnerable until now . He was proffering the olive branch she’d been praying for ever since she was eight years old, and she found all she wanted to do was run from the room. A great ball of hardness lodged in her stomach. Her father was willing to change for a grandchild, but not for her .
    ‘Meg.’
    She understood the implicit warning Ben sent her. He didn’t want her hurt or disappointed. Again. She understood then that the chasm between them all might be too wide ever to be breached.
    She folded her arms, her brain whirling. Very slowly, out of the mists of confusion and befuddlement—and resentment—a plan started to form. She glanced at the happy couple. A plan perfect in its simplicity. She glanced at Ben. A plan devious in design. A family, huh? They’d see about that. All of them. Laurie and Elsie, and Ben too.
    She stood and moved across to Ben’s chair. ‘You must allow Ben and I to throw you a wedding—a proper celebration to honour your public commitment to each other.’
    ‘What the—?’
    Ben broke off with a barely smothered curse when she surreptitiously pulled his hair.
    ‘Oh, that’s not necessary—’ Elsie started.
    ‘Of course it is!’ Meg beamed at her. ‘It will be our gift to you.’
    Her father lumbered to his feet, panic racing across his face. Meg winked at Elsie before he could speak. ‘Every woman deserves a wedding day, and my father knows the value of accepting generosity in the spirit it’s given. Don’t you, Dad?’ Family, huh? Well, he’d have to prove it.
    He stared at her, dumbfounded and just a little...afraid? That was when it hit her that all his pomposity and stiffness stemmed from nervousness. He was afraid that she’d reject him. The thought made her flinch. She pushed it away.
    ‘We’ll hold the wedding here,’ she told them, lifting her chin. ‘It’ll be a quiet affair, but classy and elegant.’
    ‘I...’ Her father blinked.
    Ben slouched down further in his chair.
    Elsie studied the floor at her feet.
    Meg met her father’s gaze. ‘I believe thank you is the phrase you’re looking for.’ She sat and lifted the knife. ‘More cake, anyone?’ She cut Ben another generous slice. ‘Eat up, Ben. You’re looking a bit peaky. I need you to keep your strength up.’
    He glowered at her. But he demolished the cake. After the smallest hesitation, Elsie forked a sliver of cake into her mouth. Her eyes widened. Her head came up. She ate another tiny morsel. Watching her, Laurie did the same.
    * * *
    ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’ Ben rounded on her the instant the older couple left.
    She folded her arms and nodded towards the staircase. ‘You want to go take that nap?’
    He thrust a finger under her nose. ‘What kind of patsy do you take me for? I am not helping you organise some godforsaken wedding. You got that?’
    Loud and clear.
    ‘The day after tomorrow I’m out of here, and I won’t be back for a good three months.’
    Exactly what she’d expected.
    ‘Do you hear me, Meg? Can I make myself any clearer?’
    ‘The day after tomorrow, huh?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘And you won’t be back until around May?’
    ‘Precisely.’ He set off towards the stairs.
    She folded her arms even tighter. She waited until he’d placed his foot on the first riser. ‘So you’ve given up on the idea of fatherhood, then?’
    He froze. And then he swung around and let forth with a word so rude she clapped her hands across her stomach in an attempt to block her unborn baby’s ears. ‘Ben!’
    ‘You...’ The finger he pointed at her shook.
    ‘I nothing ,’ she shot back at him, her anger rising to match his. ‘You can’t just storm in here and demand all the rights and privileges of fatherhood unless you’re prepared to put in the hard