with a smirk , sean replied , `` like i 'm gon na let you drive my car . '' he then slid into the driver 's seat as gavin reluctantly walked around to the passenger 's side . `` we 'll see you there in just a few , '' her mother called . sean acknowledged her with a two finger salute before cranking up and pulling down the driveway . megan worked to get mason into the car seat in her parents ' land rover . once he was safely strapped and buckled in , she hopped in beside him . her parents rattled along to each other as they made their way through the tree-lined suburbs where megan had grown up . while some might look on her as having a mark against her character being an unwed mother , she had lived a relatively non-rebellious life . even though she 'd been a cheerleader and ran with the popular crowd in school , she rarely partied to excess . instead , she had focused on getting good grades . at that time , she had her heart set on going to medical school and becoming a doctor . from the time she was a little girl , she had wanted nothing more than to help people . she was always mending birds with broken wings or trying to resuscitate squirrels who had been hit by cars . she ditched playing princess for playing `` hospital . '' her desire to become a doctor was why she needed the best scores and best activities and why she generally shunned any temptations to lead her off the right path . she had even managed to bypass the usual freshman craziness when she went off to the university of georgia . it was n't until she fell in love for the first time in her life that she threw everything away . sadly , she could n't say that her first love was davis , mason 's father . instead , it was another football player , this time a running back at uga , who captured and later broke her heart a year later . carsyn ran with the fast crowd , and when she was with him , she partied and drank too much . he was controlling and possessive , and he wanted all of her time . when she was with him , she had little time for studying . with her grades already in the toilet , she was unprepared for the emotional breakdown she experienced when carsyn broke up with her . devastated , she stopped going to class and ended up flunking the semester . by the time she got back on track with her grades , she had abandoned any hope of medical school . instead , she decided that she would become a nurse , which would fulfill her need to care for sick people . of course , her relationship with davis ended up derailing shortly before graduation when she got pregnant unexpectedly . she had to take several semesters off after mason was born . she was a few years off from when she had originally planned on graduating , but she was excited after everything had that had happened , she was finally finishing . her mother 's voice brought megan out of her thoughts . `` here we are , '' she said pleasantly . leaning forward in her seat , megan eyed the clock on the dashboard . she was n't surprised to see they had arrived half an hour before the baptism started . one thing her mother prided herself on was being on time and lending a hand . as they started into the church , her mother reached for mason . `` we 'll take him so you can go see if emma needs any help . '' megan bent over to kiss mason 's cheek . `` see you in a little while , sweetie . '' he grinned and then happily dodged her mother 's arms for her father 's instead , which made megan smile . he was such a man 's man already . he loved sitting between her brothers on the couch and watching tv . while it was good that he had so many male role models , she only hoped he had n't inherited too much of his father 's personality . after megan watched them disappear in the crowd of family and friends waiting in the church alcove , she bypassed everyone by turning right and heading down the hallway . at the last door on the right , she knocked . `` it 's me , megan . '' emma 's best friend , casey , answered the door . `` well , if it is n't the fairy godmother , '' she mused with a grin . after megan stepped inside , casey threw her arms around her . megan had only met her a few times , but it was hard not liking emma 's vivacious and outgoing friend . casey 's long brown hair was pulled back in a lose knot , and she wore a demure black slip dress and heels . `` so how 's it going ? '' megan asked , gazing from noah 's diapered but na**d form to emma . she was feeding him a bottle while her upper body was draped in a towel . peeking out from the covering , she saw emma was wearing her signature color , green .