AllFreeNovel
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It’s going to take a lot of convincing for Kat to accept this. Yeah, I should have told her sooner, but I just wasn’t sure about how she would take it. She’s already complaining about my dad and Jen being here, so no telling, really.
We spend the next hour planning out the visit and she checks her phone every minute like he’s going to call or check in with her. Ted is mad that he didn’t get his way, and if he’s really driving so far to wherever, he’s not calling her while he’s still angry. That disappointed look on her face doesn’t go unnoticed.
I wonder if he’ll even let her know that he’s made it.
If I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t have left her alone with a guy the way he did. At least, not someone I cared about.
The conversation moves from Jadon to other things, and she tells me about school and her business plans. If there’s one consistent pattern with Allie, she’s determined to accomplish her goals no matter how long it takes to reach them. Every time I learn something about her, she mentions her struggles, but she pushes through to make a life for herself and Jadon. The evidence is clear that she doesn’t need me.
Allie drifts off with her head on the armrest of the couch. Her features soften as her breathing slows, and her pink lips part in a way that pulls a smile from mine. Allie looks exactly the same as she did when I saw her that night in Kat’s kitchen, only tougher. I should have taken the time to get to know her, but part of me wonders if that would have led me here.
She smiles when I lay a blanket over her, and before I do something stupid like stay, I head for the door with my stuff. It’s not even late, and she’s out cold. On the one hand, Tom is right about my interfering with her plans, but I wonder if she was really upset about it. She didn’t seem bothered once Jadon went down.
My drive home is a mixture of thoughts and a parade of feelings from the night. This next part hangs over me, and I wish I didn’t have to do this part alone.
Break the news to my family.
With my dad and Jen seated on the couch, Kat sits in a chair on the other side of the room.
“I, uh, have some news.” My voice dips and an awkward churning in my stomach reminds me she had to do these things on her own, and I can too. “Uh...”
“Lucas?” My dad leans forward, and when I tear my gaze from the comfort of my floor, all three sets of eyes stick to me. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” My smile spreads easier on the floor, thinking about the way she looked in that robe earlier. The way she held onto my hand when breaking the news to Jadon. “It’s, um, great actually.” I take a deep breath and remind myself that it’s okay. Allie will come tomorrow, and they’ll adore her. They’ll love her and Jadon. “Dad,” I have to tell him directly. “I have a son.”
The clocks tick in the room, and I didn’t even realize we had them until now. Everyone is still, but it’s Jen that breaks the silence. “When you say you have a son...”
“He’s four.”
“He’s for what?” my dad asks. “What does that mean?”
“No, Dad, I mean he’s four years old.”
I glance over at Kat, since she’s oddly quiet.
“Sorry. When did this happen?” my dad asks. “And who is the mother? And how did you find out?”
“I met her in high school, and uh, well,” shit, this is weird. “Introduced her to the back seat of my car and then she got pregnant.”
Probably should have practiced that part ahead of time.
“Anyway, I ran into her recently and that’s how I found out.” Yup. Thegist. That’s all they need to know. “Oh, her name is Allie Greenfield and his name is Jadon.”
“Allie?” Dad frowns. “Coach Greenfield’s daughter?”
Yes. The one he helped pick a car out after she had Jadon, and hers was totaled.
“Wait!” Kat stands and there it is. She points a finger at me with her face screwed up in anger. “Your boss’ daughter?”
“Uh, yeah. I didn’t know who she was when we met and I’m sure you all can gather what happened—“
“I can’t believe this, Lucas! You have a fuckingkid?” Her nostrils flare and pupils dilate. Here comes the overreaction. “You have a kid and you waited until now to tell me?”
Jen, peacemaker she is, slaps a smile on and stands as a buffer for Kat. “Well, I know this isn’t what anyone expected.” Jen brings her hands together when Kat flinches away from her. “Lucas, you must have been just as shocked as we all are. But,” she smiles at me sweetly, “is it possible for us to meet this Jadon? Does he know?”
“He knows.” Kat storms out of the room and into the kitchen. “He and Allie are coming over tomorrow.”
My dad scratches his head. “I can’t believe this. I met him just as a little baby. I had no idea it was my grandson.”
