“No…Scott, he’s right.” Jessie stood up straighter and squared off her shoulders. “Dad, you’re right, and I’m not going to argue with you. What I did was wrong, and I regret it more than you’ll ever know.”

She quickly looked at me and gave me a weak smile. I smiled back and winked at her. I didn’t want her stressing over what had happened between her and Trey. It was over, and we were together.

“But…it happened, and there is nothing I can do about it now. I made a mistake, Daddy, and you’ve always said that some of life’s best lessons are made through our mistakes.” She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Yes, I used my savings to pay for the trip to Belize.”

Drake shook his head and whispered, “Damn it.”

“But, Daddy, I don’t think I want to be a vet…at least not right now. There’s something else I’d much rather be, and I would like to do it full-time.”

She looked at me, and I smiled and nodded.

Drake folded his arms and glared at Jessie. “Oh yeah? Well, what is it, Jessica? I’m waiting with anticipation to hear about this new job.”

I saw the tears building in her eyes, so I walked up to her. I grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it.

“I’d like to be a full-time mother,” Jessie practically whispered.

I saw the smile spread across Aaron’s face. I glanced over at Dewey, and he was smiling and shaking his head. When I looked at Drake, he seemed confused for a second before it hit him.

Drake dropped his arms to his side. “What? Jessica…are you…”

She nodded.

Both Aaron and Dewey let out a yell.

“Oh, hell yeah!” Dewey yelled as he walked up and grabbed Jessie. He started spinning her around.

As soon as he put her down, Aaron repeated the whole show. “Holy shit! Tiny is gonna have a baby! Our kids are going to grow up together, Jess.” Aaron kissed her on the cheeks.

Aaron set her down, and then he reached over and shook my hand. “Jesus, dude, congratulations. I couldn’t be more happy for y’all.”

Dewey walked up and shook my hand. Then, he pulled me close to him and said in my ear, “You hurt her or this baby…and I will kill you and bury your body in your own backyard.”

I pulled back and looked at him with a shocked look. “My own backyard? What the hell is wrong with you, Dewey?” I asked.

Aaron let out a laugh. I looked up to see Drake just staring at Jessie. I couldn’t really read his expression, and I was sure Jessie couldn’t either.

“Daddy…please say something,” Jessie said.

Drake turned and started to walk away, and Jessie’s body just slumped.

“Daddy…” Jessie whispered.

She glanced back at me, and the look in her eyes about killed me. She slowly walked into my arms, and I looked up at Drake. He was standing at the end of the porch, looking out.

In that moment, I vowed that this girl in my arms would never have that look in her eyes again.

Ever.

The moment my father turned and walked away from me, it all hit me—the hurt I caused him, my brothers, and especially Scott.

I let everyone down. I hurt the only people I truly love.

Scott pulled back and looked into my eyes. The love that was pouring out of him took my breath away.

“I love you,” he whispered.

My heart dropped to my stomach. After everything that I had told him about Trey, he was still standing here, making me feel so loved and so cherished.

I tried my best to smile at him, but when he put his hand on my stomach, I felt the tears building.

“Go talk to him, baby.”

I nodded and turned to see my brothers both looking at me.

“It’s okay, Tiny. He’s just probably in shock, and he was really pissed-off at you,” Dewey said with a sweet smile on his face.

I let out a small laugh and started to walk over toward my father. I stopped right behind him. I looked down at my shaking hands and closed my eyes.

“Daddy,” I said as my voice cracked.

He turned around and looked at me. He had tears in eyes, and I sucked in a breath of air.

Am I that much of a disappointment to him?

“I…I’m so sorry if I’m a disappointment to you.” I began to cry.

He looked at me with a shocked expression on his face. “What? Why would you ever think you were a disappointment to me?”

“You just seem…well, you walked away from me, and…”

He reached out, grabbed me, and pulled me to him. “Oh, baby girl, you could never be a disappointment to me. Ever. I’m really upset with you for running away like you did. You about killed me, Jessica. Don’t you ever do that to me again. You’re my girl…my baby girl.”

I slowly nodded my head. “Oh, Daddy, I promise I won’t, and if I could take it all back…”

He pulled back and smiled as he wiped away the tears from my eyes. “I’m gonna be a grandfather, huh?”

I smiled. “Yes.”

“When did you find out?”

I took a deep breath as I thought back to that night. The idea of crawling onto Trey’s lap and sleeping somehow made me feel sick to my stomach. I should have been with Scott…not another man.

“Christmas Eve.”

My father looked up and over at Scott. I turned and saw him smiling at something Aaron was saying to him. When I turned back to my father, he seemed conflicted.

“Daddy, are you not happy about the baby?”

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m very happy. It’s just…I don’t know how to ask you this…”

I looked at him, confused. “Ask me, what?”

He quickly looked at Scott and then back at me. “Is the baby, um…is the baby Scott’s?”

I sucked in a breath of air. Oh my god. Does everyone think I was with another man?

You were with another man.

I quickly shook my head to erase the thoughts running through my head.

“Yes! Of course it is.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just that your one postcard made it sound like…well, it sounded like you were with someone.”

I put my hand up to my mouth and started crying. Daddy pulled me to him and kept telling me it was okay.

“Oh god…I almost made the biggest mistake of my life, Dad. I can’t…” I started sobbing again.

He put his arm around me as we walked around the porch and started down the steps. Once we got far enough away from Scott, Aaron, and Dewey, all he had to do was look at me.