Chapter 301

The morning sun woke up a couple on the other side of town. They'd slept peacefully, even with worry on their minds—unlike the soon-to-be-parents. Denise turned in her husband's arms so she could look at him as she spoke. She wanted to see his facial expressions, wanted to know what he really thought about their daughter and how she was acting. Not that she thought he would hide anything from her, but she wanted to see his reactions.

"Are you sure you have no idea why Dalton's asked for a leave of absence? I'm telling you, something is going on with Mandy, but she wouldn't tell me what it is. She asked me how I felt when I learned I was pregnant with the twins. You don't think…" She trailed off; leaving the words on the breath she'd stopped. More than once in the last few weeks as she'd looked at her daughter, she'd wondered if maybe she was continuing the family, so to speak, but Mandy had always been her responsible child.

"No," Liam's voice was forceful. "Both of them know bette