“So you’ve explained countless times.” She flushed. “He didn’t know what to do or where to put it or anything. So I’m pretty sure it was his first time, too. We figured it out together. He’s a good guy. You should trust him.”

“I do. With anything but you.”

“Oh, Daddy. Can we please be done?”

He nodded, knowing he’d reached his limit. But that didn’t mean the problem was solved. Make that problems. He still had to decide what to do about Luka and figure out how make sure Lissa knew what good sex was supposed to be like and deal with Ellen, although she was the most confusing of all and how had this all happened so damn fast?

Ellen watched Cooper stand at the barbecue, monitoring the chicken he’d put on the grill a few minutes ago. He was so much taller than he had been a couple of years ago, but the lankiness was the same. It would take him until his early twenties to put on all the muscle he wanted.

She knew that Keith was careful with the guys’ training. When they wanted to overtrain, he reminded them that they were still growing and adding too much muscle would mean they wouldn’t be as tall as they could be. It was enough to scare them into being sensible—something she appreciated.

She crossed to the outdoor table she’d already set. They were having a big green salad with their chicken. They’d both eaten plenty of junk food on the trip. She’d vowed they would have lots of vegetables and other healthy foods for the next few days to counteract the wildness. She’d already pureed the peaches she’d bought to freeze into a sorbet for dessert. So far Coop had only complained twice—a win in her book.

Life had returned to normal more quickly than she’d anticipated. Coop had done his laundry the day after they got home and had started his summer job. She was already working at the fruit stand in the afternoons. The only downside was she hadn’t heard from Keith. He’d left her standing in a parking lot nearly forty-eight hours ago and hadn’t been in touch with her since. She was going to give him until tomorrow, then she was going to find him and demand that he talk to her. She didn’t like him being mad at her and she didn’t think he was being fair.

More significant, she missed him. They’d spent so much time together on the trip and now she hadn’t seen him in two days. She felt as if she were going through withdrawal. Not just from the sex, although she did miss that a lot, but also from him. She needed to see him and be with him to right her world. Every minute with him had been wonderful. Okay, not counting the last ten minutes—those had seriously sucked.

“I think these are done, Mom,”