Family Merger - By Leigh Greenwood Page 0,33

more valuable to her than a ruby pendant would have been.

The second gift was the same for everyone - very expensive German chocolate. The girls started sampling theirs immediately.

"It was very thoughtful of you to remember us," Kathryn said. Taking the hint, each girl thanked Ron, even Betsy who was so nervous she barely whispered the words. "Now run upstairs and put away your pendants. I'd hate to see you lose them."

Lisette clearly wanted to take Kerry off by herself. "I have to talk to Kerry first," Kathryn said to Lisette. "I'll tell you when you can come back down. You, too, Cynthia. I need your father's help for a few minutes."

Cynthia didn't show any of Lisette's reluctance to leave.

"What can I do?" Ron asked.

"Kerry, tell Mr. Egan what your father said. Maybe he can think of some way to help."

"That's a nice man," Ruby said when Kathryn entered the hall. "You be nice to him." With that, she turned and headed back to the kitchen.

Kathryn very much wanted to know what Ruby meant by her remarks, but she put her presents away and returned to the living room. Kerry had just finished telling Ron what had happened.

"Have you ever held a job?" Ron asked Kerry.

"No."

"Cut the lawn or carried out the trash?"

The boy shook his head.

"Then I suggest you put all thoughts of marrying Lisette out of your head, go home and tell your father you'll do anything he wants as long as he doesn't throw you out."

Kathryn was hardly more surprised than Kerry. "I love Lisette," the boy said. "I want to marry her and take care of our baby."

"You're a baby yourself," Ron said, dismissing him carelessly. "Leave playing house to real men."

Kerry jumped up, uttered a few four-letter words and turned to the door.

Ron grabbed his arm and nearly threw him back onto the sofa.

"It's easy to cuss when you get mad. It's not much harder to get your girlfriend pregnant. What's hard is stepping up to the role of being a man, a husband and a father. It wouldn't be as important if you only had to worry about Lisette. She's got a family to take care of her, but you've helped her create a baby. And no matter what kind of spoiled kid you are, no matter how little you were concerned with anything but your own physical gratification, you're this baby's father. For the rest of your life. It's up to you to determine if the kid will say That's my dad with pride or use some of your own four-letter words. You've got to learn to think and act like a man, learn how to support a family."

Kerry looked as if he'd been hit in the face with a fish. Kathryn didn't feel much different. Ron's actions had taken her by surprise, but it was the emotion behind his words that riveted her attention. He was white about the mouth. She hadn't seen him look this intense, so tightly wound.

"I want to take care of my kid," Kerry said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I love Lisette."

Kathryn was afraid Ron was going to tell the boy he had no concept of what love was, but instead he released Kerry and settled back into his own seat. "Tell me why she ought to marry you instead of waiting for someone else."

"Because nobody else will ever love her like I do," Kerry said.

"What do you love about her?"

Kathryn listened as Ron guided Kerry into giving a more intelligent answer than she would have expected from him.

"Have you thought of the changes getting married and having a baby will make in your life?" Ron asked.

"I haven't thought of anything else since we found out."

"Do you have any idea what you want to do? It'll be hard to finish your education and work enough hours to support a wife and child. And there's Lisette's education."

"I've thought about all of that," Kerry said. "I know what I want to do."

"Good. Go discuss it with your family."

"My father won't listen."

"Make him. If you're going to be the head of your own family, you've got to stop thinking of yourself as a kid whose parents will take care of everything. Your decision forced you into the role of a man whether you're ready or not. Now it's time to step up to the plate."

Kerry didn't look completely confident, but neither did he look like the panicked boy Kathryn had found on her porch.

"Now you need to talk