“I don’t really have a reference point, but if I had to give you a rating, it would be around a seven,” I say, hoping he will try to turn that seven, which is actually like a hundred, into a ten.

“A seven?” he asks in disbelief.

“Yeah, but like I said, I don’t have a reference point. If you want, I can go find someone else to do it and see if your rating goes up.” I shrug again then squeak when he spins me around, picks me up, and tosses me over his shoulder before turning off the stove and carrying me up the stairs to his room where he drops me onto the bed then proceeds to prove he’s definitely not a seven.

*

“Ax, can I hab a sister?” Hope asks as soon as we walk into Jax’s parents’ house.

Feeling my mouth fall open, I look at Jax’s mom, who is covering her mouth trying not to laugh, and then to Jax’s dad, who has his lips pressed tightly together while watching my daughter.

“Maybe one day, sweetheart, but really, I don’t think you get to choose. You may get a brother,” Jax tells her, picking her up.

“Do I hab to ask God or Santa for a sister, Mama?” she asks, scrunching up her face, looking at me.

“Oh, lord,” I breathe, glaring at Jax when he laughs.

“Do you want to show your mom and Jax what you made them?” Lilly chimes in, helpfully changing the subject of babies.

“We made cockporn balls,” she cries happily, wiggling out of Jax’s hold while I watch horrified as she runs past us toward the kitchen.

“Cockporn Balls?” Jax asks, raising a brow at his mom, who rolls her eyes and smacks him on the chest playfully.

“Popcorn balls,” she says then comes to me, sliding her arm through mine and dipping her face toward my ear, where she whispers, “We heard about last night. Are you okay?”

“Sheesh, did everyone hear about it?” I whisper, feeling my face heat in embarrassment. I know this is a small town, but seriously, this is getting ridiculous. Kim and Frankie both sent me texts making sure that I was okay because they had also heard about what happed last night.

“No, Mani was worried about you, and he called to ask Cash if he heard from Jax. He wanted to make sure you guys were okay and to let us know he told Mellissa and her family they were no longer allowed at the restaurant.”

“Now I feel even worse than I did before,” I mutter, feeling my stomach twist.

“Don’t feel bad. We heard what she said to you. In fact, a whole lot of people heard it, and I know that quite a few of them are disgusted by the way she acted and have pulled the houses they had listed with her father.”

“I don’t think that makes me feel any better,” I say as my anxiety begins to increase. I hate what happened last night, but I don’t think there is any other way for this to go. I just don’t think Mellissa’s dad should be punished, just because Mellissa is evil.

“If you’re talking about Mellissa, we’re not talking about her today,” Jax says, coming up and wrapping his arm around my waist. “We’re taking Hope to the park and out for pizza. We’re not going to discuss Mellissa, or even think about her,” he states firmly, giving my waist a squeeze while looking pointedly at his mom.

“When did you turn into your dad?” she asks him softly, shaking her head.

“Mom, don’t get all mushy on me right now, okay?”

“I’m not getting mushy,” she mutters, swiping under her eyes, but I can tell she was totally going into mushy mommy mode.

“Jesus,” he grumbles, releasing me and taking his mom into his arms, giving her a hug, and a kiss on the top of her head.

“Here’s your cockporn ball, Mama,” Hope says happily, coming over to me, carrying a large, unwrapped, oddly shaped popcorn ball and handing it to me, causing the candy coating to stick to my hand. “I love cockporn balls,” she tells me, licking the palm of her hand that is covered in candy.

“Angel baby,” I say softly, getting down to her level and taking her candy-covered hand into mine so she will focus on me.

“It’s popcorn,” I tell her slowly. I have no idea where she got the whole cockporn thing, but that is definitely not something I want her saying in public, or ever, for that matter. I can just see us going to a movie and her yelling, ‘I want COCKPORN!’ at the top of her lungs in the middle of a packed theater.

“I know, cockporn.” She nods, licking her palm again.

“No, Angel. POP-corn,” I tell her, pronouncing each syllable.

“COCK-porn,” she says slowly back, like I’m deaf, and then places her hands on her hips.

“Oh, geez,” I mutter, giving up, looking at Lilly, who is fighting laughter, and ask her, “Do you have a bag for this?” while holding my hand upside down, showing the ball is stuck to my palm and now looks like a penis and balls.

“I do.” She giggles then looks at Jax, who is looking at Hope like she’s the cutest thing in the whole wide world. It’s as if he missed everything that just happened and the fact she’s saying cockporn.

“Do you want to go to the park, sweetheart?” he asks her, picking her up.

“Yes! Can you push me on the swing?”

“Sure, and after the park, we can go have pizza for dinner.”

“Can we have fwozen yogut?” she asks, looking at him and batting her lashes. His eyes come to me, and all I can do is roll mine. She has him wrapped around her tiny little finger, and she knows it too.