“You what?” Her voice climbed several octaves. Was everyone in town on Cody’s side these days? She’d thought for sure at least her parents would stick up for her. Instead her father had joined the enemy camp.

“Why would you do that?” she asked plaintively.

Her father regarded her with amusement. “He’s the child’s father, for starters. He wanted to spend some time with her. He said he’d drop her off at your house and save you the trip. I guess he didn’t tell you that, though.”

“No, he did not,” she snapped. “Which is a pretty good indication of why Cody Adams is not to be trusted.”

“If you ask me, he’s been jumping through hoops to prove he can be trusted. Why don’t you give the guy a break?” He patted her cheek. “Come on, ladybug. You know you want to.”

“I can’t,” she said simply.

“Why not?”

“Because he’ll leave again at the first sign of trouble.”

“He left before, because you provoked him into it. I can’t say I blame him for being furious about finding you out with Brian. Going out with him was a danged fool idea to begin with.”

Melissa’s anger wilted. “I agree, but Cody should have stayed and talked to me. He shouldn’t have run.”

“Don’t you think he knows that now?” her father inquired reasonably. “Don’t you think if he had it to do all over again, he would make a different choice?”

“I suppose,” she conceded reluctantly. “He says he would anyway.”

“And aren’t you the one who made things worse by refusing to tell him about the baby?”

She scowled at her father, the man who had stood by her even though he disagreed with her decision to keep Cody in the dark. “What’s your point?”

“He forgave you, didn’t he? Isn’t it about time you did the same for him?”

Melissa was startled by the depth of her father’s support for Cody. “How come you’ve never said any of this before?” she asked.

Her father’s expression turned rueful. “Because your mother seemed to be saying more than enough without me jumping in and confusing you even more. Watching you getting more miserable day by day, I finally decided when Cody showed up today that enough was enough. I told her to butt out.”

Melissa couldn’t help grinning. “So there’d be room for you to butt in?”

“Something like that. Go on, cupcake. Meet Cody halfway, at least. For whatever it’s worth, I think he’s a fine man.”

Melissa sighed. “So do I.”