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One house over, Odelia and Chase were reading in bed, though it was actually Odelia who was reading a novel, with Chase sitting and staring at her, which she could detect from the corner of her eye. When she finally looked up, and found him grinning at her like an idiot, she frowned.“Is everything all right, babe?”

“Never better,” Chase assured her. “In fact I feel so great I could sing!”

“Please don’t,” she implored, remembering how he’d once serenaded her, at the instigation of her dad, and had been hit by a disapproving shoe from their neighbor Kurt Mayfield.

“I feel great,” Chase repeated. “Life is just so grand, isn’t it? Life is amazing!”

She placed a hand on her hubby’s brow. He didn’t seem to have a fever. “I think you’re coming down with something,” she said. “Maybe you should see my dad tomorrow.”

“I saw your dad today.”

“I know. The letter business.”

He made a dismissive gesture with his hand.“That’s all taken care of. Your dad got his letters back, gave them to your mom, and all is forgiven and forgotten.”

Judging from the version of affairs her mom had given her, all was far from forgiven and forgotten, but there seemed no sense in bringing all that up now.“You’re sure you’re all right? You were acting weird this morning, too.”

“I like to think I’m finally acting like my true self,” he said, that big grin still plastered all across his face. “I’m finally coming into my own. Being the real me!”

If this was the real Chase, she wondered what had happened to the old one. She wanted him back!“You haven’t made a drug bust recently, have you?” And sampling some of those illegal substances?

“Nope. No drug bust. The streets of Hampton Cove are as clean and safe as they ever were. In fact no crimes are being committed in this town. We’re probably the most crime-free town in America right now. And it’s all thanks to a positive mental attitude.” He punched the air with his fist. “Yes, we can, babe!”

And to show them that she wholeheartedly agreed, Grace chose that moment to open her mouth and start loudly wailing.

At the foot of the bed, two cats stirred and opened sleepy eyes.

“When is that child ever going to start behaving like a normal human being?” Max lamented, not for the first time.

“Yes, when is she ever going to turn into a normal person?” Dooley wanted to know.

Odelia swung her feet from the bed, but Chase beat her to it. In a flash, he was out of the bed and picking Grace up from her own little bed and cradling her in his arms.“There, there,” he murmured softly. “Daddy’s here, my sweet little princess.”

There was something to be said for this new, improved Chase, Odelia thought as she watched him comfort their baby girl. It might be a little scary, as it was a far cry from the sometimes grumpy Chase Kingsley she’d come to know and love, but Grace seemed to respond well to Chase 2.0.

He gave her a dazzling smile.“All she needed was her daddy,” he said, as Grace mumbled something and went back to sleep. And as he put her to bed, he said, “Your dad was right. Never let them see you sad. Some great advice right there.”

She frowned.“Wait, what?”

“Your dad? I asked him for advice on being a dad, seeing as he was such a great dad to you? And he told me to become Mr. Positivity. Always exude cheerfulness and a positive mental attitude in front of the kid. And I have to say, it works like a charm.” He grimaced and rubbed his cheek. “It’s hard on the facial muscles, though, all this smiling. Guess I’m not used to it.”

Now it was her turn to smile.“You asked Dad for his advice on being a dad?”

“I did. I mean, you turned out such a wonderful person, so he must have done something right, right?”

“I guess so,” she said. “Though Mom might have had something to do with that, too, and Gran, of course.”

At the mention of Gran, Chase grimaced. Clearly his opinion of Gran’s parental skills wasn’t as high as it could have been.

“And of course every child has its own personality. I had mine, and Grace has hers, which is going to be different from ours. Not sure there’s a lot we can do about that—no matter how often we smile, or display a positive mental attitude.”

His smile faltered, but then was back in full force.“Tex raised you to be a strong, independent, wonderful human being, and I’m determined to do the same with Grace. And if I have to grin like an idiot every time she’s with me, then so be it.”

Odelia pressed a loving arm to her husband’s shoulder. “You don’t have to grin like an idiot to be a good dad, Chase. You are a good person, and a great dad.”

This time his smile vanished, and was replaced by a look of sheer anguish.“But what if I screw it up? I only have one shot at this, babe. And I don’t want to ruin it. I don’t want to look back on my life and realize I was a terrible dad.”