One to Tell the Grandkids Read Online Free Page B

blurted. His cheeks were pink, and he struggled to maintain eye contact. “If you’re comfortable, I could be there. You know. For doctor’s appointments and things like that.”
    Taryn eyed him, trying to figure if he was just saying what he thought he should in this situation. “You really want to?”
    He pressed his lips together, but he smiled again. “Sure. I mean, it’s my kid, right? I want to know. And I don’t want you to think you have to go it alone. Just because we’re strangers doesn’t mean we can’t be partners.”
    The idea warmed her. “That sounds nice. I’ll keep you in the loop.”
    “Good.” He shuffled his feet. “And maybe it wouldn’t be bad to consider what your friend said.”
    She arched an eyebrow. “About dating?”
    “Sure.” He looked at her with a slight shrug. “Who knows, right? That’s the way it happens in cheesy movies.”
    Taryn pursed her lips, not sure what to say to that. She didn’t know him well enough to know if he’d be insulted if she laughed at what an unlikely story that would be.
    His grin was sheepish. “It’d be a hell of a how-we-met story.”
    “Yeah.” Catching Rob’s concerned look from where he stood a ways away, she sighed. “I have to go. I’ll text you. We’ll work something out, okay?”
    “Okay.” He looked at her for a moment before he stepped forward, giving her an awkward hug. “Take care of yourself. And Patch.”
    “I will.”
     

 
     
    Chapter Four
     
     
    T aryn’s family had a standing invitation. Every Sunday, both of the Sato kids, Taryn and her older brother, Michael, were invited along with anyone they wanted to bring. Everyone who came brought a dish, so there was always plenty of food, and on the rare occasion there wasn’t, pizza was just a phone call away.
    “You don’t look so hot, sweet cheeks.”
    Taryn fixed her friend with a withering glare. “Thanks, Mel. That’s exactly what I needed to hear.”
    As they headed up the walk, Mel threw her arm around Taryn. “That’s why you brought me, right? So your parents will be so glad I’m not their daughter, they’ll forget to be assholes about you?”
    “They’re not . . .” Taryn trailed off as a twinge of queasiness left her swaying.
    “They really are. I don’t like the way they make you feel.”
    Taryn stopped short in front of the door, taking her friend by the shoulders. “You said you’d be good.”
    “I’ve got some tact.” She waggled her eyebrows. “Though I still say we should rile them up a bit. Let them believe we’re together.”
    “Maybe my family are assholes about some things, but they wouldn’t actually care if I brought home a girlfriend.” Her smile fell. They wouldn’t care about the gender of any potential significant other, but getting pregnant without a significant other at all would be a different story.
    “You don’t have to tell them yet,” Mel said as Taryn unlocked the door.
    “Yeah, I’m not planning on it, but things aren’t exactly going my way lately.” She pushed the door open.
    Her father found them first. He smiled when he saw her and pulled her into a hug. “Hey, Taryn. Long time no see, girl.”
    Taryn clung to her father for a few seconds before she let go. “Sorry. Been a little crazy, you know?” She stepped back from him. “You remember Melanie, right?”
    Her father’s smile was quite a bit tighter for her friend. “Of course.” He offered his hand. “Melanie. So nice to see you.”
    Mel’s grin was wide, and she took his hand, shaking it with a little too much enthusiasm. “Likewise, Lucas.”
    Taryn resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her parents didn’t like her friends. Then again, there wasn’t much about Taryn her parents liked.
    “Mike and his family are here, too,” her father said.
    Nodding, Taryn moved farther into the house.
    Her mother, Faye, was sitting with her sister-in-law, Pauline, at the kitchen table chatting. Mike and Pauline’s six-month-old daughter,