Carnal Christmas-epub Read Online Free PDF Page B

their own.”
    He could feel the nails being driven into his coffin. “Mandy, you’re forty-five! Do you realize how old you’ll be—”
    “Joe!” Brent barked.
    “I’m well aware of what’s at stake here, Josiah,” she said over him, her voice shot through with steel, “and I don’t believe this gift is—”
    “Mandy,” Hake cut in, a low warning in his voice. “See to Ariel. I’ll handle Joe.”
    Giving Joe one last hard look, she went to the bathroom and tapped lightly on the door. “Ariel, I’m coming in,” she said as she turned the handle.
    “What the fuck, Joe?” Brent said quietly after she’d gone in.
    Hake gestured at the bedroom door. “Let’s take this somewhere else.”
    Leading the way down the hall with an aggressive stride, Joe tossed over his shoulder, “What the fuck, me ? What about you, Brent? You can’t tell me you’re happy about this. You either,” he added with a fierce look at Hake as he ushered him into the living room.
    “I don’t know how I feel about it yet,” Brent replied, his voice even, his eyes flashing fire, “but I know you’re scared out of your fucking mind. I also know it doesn’t give you a free pass to act like an ass to Mandy.”
    “Why am I the only one who’s willing to ask the hard questions?” Joe demanded. “Why is she still carrying this baby? It can’t be good for her at her age, and the chances of it having Down syndrome are—”
    “Nil,” Hake said mildly. “Just have a seat and we’ll talk about the hard questions, all right?”
    Joe’s stomach contracted at the idea, but he was the one who’d brought it up so he had to tough it out. He was just about to sit in one of the recliners when Brent grabbed him by the arm and steered him toward the couch. Joe could have given him hell but he already had enough conflict to deal with and the warmth of Brent’s palm felt good, so he dropped to the couch as directed. When Brent sat close enough to feel the heat radiating off him, Joe’s skin prickled. He hadn’t realized how chilled he was.
    Hake chose the easy chair by the Christmas tree, which Ariel had plugged in first thing this morning. She and Brent had put up the artificial fir last night, and decorated it with strings of multicolored lights and garland and an assortment of ornaments AJ had saved from her parents’ house. Watching had stirred up too many memories for him, so Joe had left them to it and gone out to the shed to work on her present.
    “You asked about Down syndrome,” Hake said, bracing his elbows on his knees. “We’ve already checked for all the common chromosomal abnormalities, and as far as the doctors can tell, the baby is perfectly normal and healthy. So is Mandy. They don’t anticipate any problems with the pregnancy.”
    “Well that’s good to know,” Joe said, meaning every word of it, “but I still don’t get it. What do you and Mandy expect to happen here? Are you looking for our blessing? A promise of child support? Because if it’s money you need, I’ll write you a check right now.”
    Brent rolled his eyes. “Oh, for crying out loud.”
    “No, it’s okay,” Hake said. “They’re valid questions and he has a right to the answers.”
    Suddenly unable to take his overly civilized attitude any longer, Joe jumped up and started pacing the carpet on the other side of the oak coffee table. “Why aren’t you pissed? Your wife is having another man’s baby, for God’s sake!”
    “Where do you want me to start?” Hake countered. “First off, there’s no point in getting pissed because it was an accident. You guys took the appropriate precautions and it happened anyway. That’s life. Some things are just meant to be, and apparently this baby is one of them.”
    “And you’re sure it’s not yours?” Joe knew Hake never used a condom because his sperm count was low enough for Ryan’s conception to qualify as a miracle, but if one miracle could happen, so could another.
    “The