She winced. “Please don’t say ‘down with that.’ We’ve talked about your attempts to fit in with teenagers. It’s very sad.” But she was smiling as she spoke.

“Do you want to stay here after you graduate from high school and go to community college?” he asked.

She sucked in a breath and then nodded.

“You’re sure?”

Another nod. Her gaze met his. “I’m not ready for a four-year school. I don’t know what I want to study and the idea of the quote, unquote, college experience scares me. I need time to figure things out.”

“Can I use half your college fund to buy a real expensive sports car?”

“You’re impossible.”

“I know. But still, you’re stuck with me.” He studied her. “I love you and I’m totally fine with you going to community college. But you have to do something for me, too.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not going to like what it is, am I?”

“Probably not. I want you to see a counselor.”

“What?” She scrambled off the bed. “Dad, I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine. You’re dealing with a ton of crap and I should have seen that sooner. Just the stuff with your mom is probably enough to keep you in therapy for a couple of years, but let’s agree that you see someone for the next three months. If it’s helping, you can continue. If it’s not, you can stop. But you have to put in the effort first.”

He thought she would push back, but she surprised him by sighing heavily and then saying, “It’s probably a good idea. I don’t want to end up being a forty-year-old woman with mother issues.”

“I wouldn’t like that either.”

She flung her arms around him. “You’re a really good dad.”

“Thank you. Now explain to me about how the hell you ended up sleeping with Luka. And when you’re done with that, convince me not to kill him, because that’s next on my agenda.”

She flopped back on the bed. “Dramatic much? You’re not going to kill anyone. You don’t have the temperament.”

“Want to bet? You’re my daughter and he defiled you.”

She sat up. “Dad, seriously? Defiled? It’s not the fourteenth century.”

“It’s close enough and the word works. What happened?”

“Sometimes Mommy and Daddy share a special kiss and then a baby is—” She looked at him. “Not funny?”

“Am I laughing?”

She muttered something under her breath. “Fine. Luka and I have kind of been eyeing each other for a while. But when he wouldn’t ask me out, I figured he wasn’t really interested. On the bus trip, that changed.”

“How?”

“You really want the details?”

“Every one of them.” Knowing what had happened would help him decide how he was going to kill the kid.

“Fine. That first night, when Ellen wanted to go sing karaoke, Luka and I went for a walk. We started talking and he told me he liked me a lot.” She paused, her mouth curving up into a secret smile. “We kissed and that was it. We were together.”