"We did it!" Kari turned in his arms and the next thing she knew Max was kissing her. Right there in front of everyone. When he finally released her, he held her face between the palms of his hands and said, "I hate to break it to you, but we lost. We needed that one to come in third."

"But I hit the post," she argued.

"It's called a stake," someone muttered.

"And you almost broke Fred's big toe," Dan reminded her.

"Sorry, Fred."

Fred waved a hand through the air, shrugging it off.

Jill came forward and hugged her warmly. "Good job. If you had hit Fred's toe, I would have given you ten extra points and you would have definitely won the game."

"Hey," Fred said. "That's not funny."

"Look what the cat dragged in," Dan said, gesturing toward the doors leading from the house to the pool area.

It was Joey. His face looked puckered in anger, and his posture was rigid as he marched to where Kari and Max stood. "Your girlfriend," he told Max, "suggested I see a therapist. What I want to know is what makes her an expert on relationships?"

Kari raised a brow. "Well, I-"

"You're dating Max Dutton," Joey told her. "Right there that tells me you don't know as much as you think."

"Hey kid," Max said. "This is the second time in a week you've crashed into my house and started causing problems. You're seriously starting to get on my nerves. And what the hell is wrong with the idea of Kari dating me?"

Joey let out a short caustic laugh. "You know nothing about commitment. I've seen you with more women in one week then I've been with my entire life."

"You're still young."

Joey turned to Kari. "Did you tell Breanne that we needed to talk to a therapist, or not? Yes or No?"

"I believe I might have suggested-"

Joey snorted as he turned about, looking around until his gaze fell on Breanne. "Why haven't you called me back?"

"I don't want to talk to him," Breanne told Max.

Max put a firm hand on Joey's shoulder. "We need to have a talk."

Max, Fred, and Dan formed a half circle about Joey, looking like a pack of wolves as they ushered him back into the house.

"They're not going to hurt him are they?" Kari asked.

"Don't worry," Jill said. "They're just going to have a talk with him. Max and Fred had a similar discussion with Dan before he finally saw the light."

Sally and Breanne nodded in agreement.

"Come on," Sally said, "let's go make another batch of low fat margaritas."

CHAPTER 8.

"Your girlfriend," Joey said to Max once they were in the house, "has no business telling Breanne that we need to talk to a therapist."

"You're this close," Max said pinching his fingers together, "to getting your ass kicked. And Kari's not my girlfriend."

Dan cocked his head to the side. "She's not?"

"No," he ground out. "She's my nutritionist."

"You were locking lips with her five minutes ago," Fred said incredulously.

Joey vigorously nodded. "Max would freak if a girl he dated wanted to move into his house, let alone have his baby. I'd call that calling the kettle black, wouldn't you?"

Fred nodded.

"Shut up, kid," Max growled. "I'm not engaged and I didn't knock up my girlfriend, so why don't we all keep this conversation headed in the right direction before I kick you all out of the house."

Ignoring Max's threat, Fred pointed his finger at Joey. "For the record, Breanne's not going to give up her baby for adoption."

"So, if you can't handle it," Max cut in. "You either need to see a therapist-"

"Just like his girlfriend told you," Dan added.

"Or you need to ship out," Fred interjected, "and leave Breanne alone."

They were all seated in various positions in the room. Joey's elbows were propped on his knees and his head slowly fell forward into his open palms. The men remained quiet for a few minutes before Fred said, "Having a baby isn't all that bad."

"All you have to do," Dan added, "is stick to the basics: Change, feed, burp, soothe. Rinse and repeat."

"That's right," Fred agreed. "Just don't make the same mistakes my father made."

Everybody waited for Fred to clarify.

"You know...no smacks to the back of the head when they get older...and no throwing toddlers into the deep end of the pool to teach them to be fearless."

"And never ever forget that the baby will survive in someone else's care," Dan added.

"Good point," Max said.

Joey lifted his head. "We can't afford a baby," he said, his face a shade paler than when he first entered the room.

Dan laughed. "Yeah, once the diapers, car seat, cute clothes, and other baby accoutrements start piling up, you can cross that new BMW right off your list of things to get some day, but hey, there's nothing better than raising a child of your own."

"So you don't go on a vacation for a few years or go out to dinner," Fred said. "Most of us have been there."

Joey's eyes were rimmed with red. He looked like crap. "What about sex?" Joey asked.

Dan and Fred shot one another worried looks.

Max shook his head. His well-meaning brothers-in-law weren't helping matters.

"You'll have sex again," Dan tried to assure Joey. "It just might not be the same."

Fred frowned. "Or as often."

"Just make sure she gets lots of rest."

"And long hot baths."

Max was actually starting to feel bad for Joey. If he'd known that Dan and Fred were going to go through a laundry list of reasons why no man would ever want to have a baby, he never would have brought the kid into his office in the first place.

Fred slapped the top of Max's mahogany desk as another bright idea popped into his head. "Don't forget cuddling. Before you know it, your wife's libido will be back to normal and you'll be doing it in the backyard under the stars again in no time."

"Yeah," Dan said, "or in the elevator once you can afford to take her on a nice date again. Sally likes it when-"

"Okay," Max said. "We're talking about my sisters here. I think Joey has had enough *therapy' for one night. Now I need therapy too."

"Will you let me talk to Breanne now?" Joey asked.

"No," they all said at once.

Everyone came to their feet.

Max put his arm around Joey's shoulders and led him out of his office, down the hallway, and to the front door. "I'll talk to Breanne and set something up, alright?"

Joey didn't look pleased, but he nodded just the same.

"And forget about everything Dan and Fred just told you. If having a baby was that bad, nobody would ever have more than one."

"Sure. Yeah. Thanks."

Max watched Joey head for his car and found himself wishing he'd never let Breanne move in because then he wouldn't be in the middle of all this drama. "I'll call you once I have a plan," Max said.

Joey didn't bother turning around. Looking defeated, he climbed into his car and drove off.

Max headed to the pool area and from the door he could see his sisters and Kari huddled around a table. The sunlight played with Kari's hair. She fit in, he realized. He wanted her so badly his gut ached. And yet when Joey had referred to her as his girlfriend, panic had set in. What the hell was it about commitment that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end? Sure, he was destined to die young, but did that mean he couldn't enjoy a nice normal relationship with a nice normal woman? A woman who got along with everyone. A woman who warmed his insides with a mere smile? He suddenly wished he was in Joey's shoes and Kari was his girlfriend, living with him, and pregnant. What would he do then? He would probably ask her to marry him; it was the honorable thing to do. And strangely enough...that thought didn't cause him to panic.

"What did Joey say?" Breanne asked Max the moment he stepped outside.

"Max merely asked Joey a few questions," Dan answered.

"If you really want to know what Joey has to say," Max said, "why don't you talk to him?"

Breanne shrugged her shoulders.

"This is a game to you, isn't it?" Max's tone of voice caused everybody to look his way.

"Max," his mother said. "If Breanne doesn't want to talk to him, so be it."

"Fine," Max said, pointing a finger at his sister. "But don't ask us to do your dirty work. Now that your brothers-in-law have talked to him, the poor kid is scared shitless."

Breanne's eyes popped. "What did you do to him?"

Fred scoffed. "Dan and I merely set him straight about a few things. You know, about changing diapers and the mess they make and all the crying that goes on."

All three of Max's sisters glared at him.

Fred raised his hands. "What? It's the truth, isn't it?"

"Tell them what you told Joey about sex," Max added with a smile on his face.

"You talked about our sex life?" Sally wanted to know.

"No, of course not. Fred and I just told him he wouldn't be getting any for a while."

Sally shook her head and turned to Breanne. "I'm so sorry. You've probably lost Joey for good now."

"Hey, everybody. I'm here! Let the party begin."

And here Max thought the drama might be winding down. Not even close. Yet another of Max's sisters, Nicole, made a grand entrance, wearing three-inch heels, a mini skirt, and an unbuttoned blouse tied at the waist, revealing a red pushup bra underneath.

Max walked over to Kari. "That's Nicole, number three sister. She lost her boyfriend in a tragic accident. She's been wandering from place to place ever since, trying to make sense of life."

"Out of all the sisters, she looks the most like you."

Nicole hugged Fred and Dan and then approached Max.

"I've missed you," he said as he drew Nicole into his arms.

She pulled away first.

"Good to have you home."

Kari stood and offered her hand. "Hi. I'm Kari Murphy, a friend."

Max smiled. "She's been helping me learn to eat right. In fact, there are plenty of soybean hamburgers left in the refrigerator."

"I'll get something later." Nicole kept her gaze locked on Kari. "Are you two dating?"

"No," Kari said.