Imperfectly Beautiful (Jordan Knight Fanfic, Liadan #3)

Talents and Teams

-LIA-

"So I'm going to be a great grandpa three times over huh?"

I pulled my eyes from skimming over my laptop to see my father peeking his head into my home office his gray eyes twinkled and a grin filled his face.

"Four times over actually," I corrected with a smile and cleared space on the desk for him.

"Really? They can tell twins this early on now? Nate didn't tell me that," Jack pulled the French door open a little wider and stepped inside. His usual peppermint scent filled the air as his large legs reached over to mine as he settled in one of the chairs in front of my desk. "I guess it makes sense though, he's a twin."

"Well, I didn't even think of that," I shook my head. "So I guess it's possible we have more than two babies coming, but no, I didn't mean Nate was having twins—at least not that I know of yet. Marisa's pregnant too. They both made their announcements this morning."

Jack paused from pulling a stack of manila folders from his shiny leather briefcase and made a face, "Oh no, please don't tell me—"

I nodded before he could finish the sentence, "Yes and we're happy about it, Dad. We're happy about all our grandchildren."

"You're telling me Jordan's happy about his daughter having a baby with a cheating, potential felon? I know we have our differences in viewpoints, but I don't think we're that far off."

"Jack," I reproached.

"What?" he lifted his eyebrows. "And don't tell me I'm being too harsh because all of this," he dropped the folders on the table. "Is all that I've been reading since Christmas. Anthony Holloway is no angel and I have no idea why Marisa would allow him to get her pregnant again. Wasn't once enough?"

I sighed and shook my head, "Maria loves him and they were happily engaged at the time they conceived the baby. Right now they're trying to work through things in counseling and I think the plan is still for them to get married eventually.

"If he doesn't go to prison. If he does, I don't care how many kids they have, I will personally intervene to keep Maria from being a jailhouse bride to a man whose screwed her over enough times even if you and Jordan won't."

"Keeping him out of jail is our job," I insisted and ignored the second half of his comment. "I don't see any reason why together the two of us can't make a strong case. Didn't you look over the emails I sent?"

"I did," Jack nodded. "And I see what you're saying, but a lot of your defense is hinged on us painting Anthony as a good guy who was tricked into making a mistake and I'm just not sure if we can talk anyone into buying it. This kid isn't exactly an Eagle Scout, Natalia. He's got quite the reputation from high school with plenty of girls willing to testify that he's a playboy with pictures and, in some cases, even videos to back it up. I didn't find as much in college—"

"He had Grace and was engaged to Maria by then," I interjected. "He did a lot of changing since since high school."

Jack gave me a look, "Maybe, but there's still a few girls that suggest he was a perpetual flirt during his time at M.I.T."

"Well, he's pretty easy on the eyes, Jack, there's no denying he's got his father's good looks. It's possible he could've just been saying hello and those girls took it as flirting because of their own crushes."

"Possibly, but there's even one who goes so far as to say she was in a computer science study group with him and he made comments to suggest he'd help her with homework in exchange for her sleeping with him."

"Do you have anything to substantiate that? I have a hard time believing he would've done anything to jeopardize his relationship with Maria in college. Every one of his moments not interning with his dad or at school he was with her and Grace, usually here at the house. They even arranged their schedules so one of the two of them always had the baby—when Maria was at school, Grace was with him and vice versa with me and Jordan and Tony's mom helping out to fill in any overlaps."