“I mean with the baby and all.”
“She’s good, Dad. Kim and Trevor will be great parents. And I get to be part of her life. You can too if you want.”
“I wish you would’ve kept her, but I understand why you didn’t.”
His acceptance was all she’d wanted from the beginning. It was a little unsettling to actually get it. “Thanks. I needed to do what was right for her.”
“That’s why we sent you to Bridget.” He sat forward, bracing his meaty arms on his knees. “You were smart and pretty and we were gonna screw you up. With the boys . . . I knew what to do with them. A slap upside the head usually did the trick.”
“I wanted to stay,” she whispered.
“Jimmy was leaving and you were already acting out. Ditching school and causing trouble. Following in your brothers’ footsteps in no good way.”
“I w
