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“Your dad filled me in on why Joey’s back. And the news she dropped on you.”
“Yeah. It’s big news alright.”
Jacob stopped walking. “How do you feel about it?”
J.T. took another few steps, then stopped and turned back to Jacob. “About a million different things. Disbelieve. Anger. Frustration. But mostly I’m scared to death.”
Jacob nodded. “I remember the day I was told I was going to be a father. I damn near had a panic attack.”
“And then you had twins.”
“Yeah. Double panic attack. A year and a half later, I was raising them on my own. I was twenty-one. You, J.T., are a lot more mature and emotionally equipped to handle the responsibility than I was. You’re not going to be alone on this adventure, but you’re going to be a single dad like I was and like your dad has been for the last eleven years. The best advice I can give you is to lean on your family. You don’t need to do this alone.”
“Are you volunteering to babysit?”
“I’m volunteering to do whatever you need me to do.”
“Thanks Granddad.” J.T. moved to a fallen log and sat down. “How do you not worry about your kid every second of the day? I haven’t even met Finn yet, and I already feel so… responsible.”
“That’s a tough one. And I’d like to say you’ll get over it. But you won’t. Your dad and Aunt Genny are forty-six years old and I still worry about them. It never goes away. But you learn to live with it and trust you raised them to the best of your ability.”
“What if my best isn’t good enough?”
“You were raised by a good man. Just think about what he’d do in any given situation and go with that.” He sighed. “And ah…I don’t know how Joey’s relationship with her father is currently, but the man has always been a pain in the ass. So, steer clear of him as much as possible.”
“No problem there. I’d like to strangle the man.”
“Well, pain in the ass or not, he’s still the boy's grandfather.”
“Yeah. Unfortunately.”
“J.T. you will find your way. And you’ll figure out how to work with Joey. You need to set aside any animosity you may be feeling toward her and raise that boy up in an amicable environment.”
“Yeah. I know. I can do that.”
“Good. Anything else on your mind?”
J.T. took a moment. “Just one thing. It’s weird that my son is going to be older than his future nieces or nephews, right?”
Jacob laughed. “Yes. It is. But we’ll figure that out, too.”
“What do you think about Dad becoming a father again?”
“I say God bless him.”
“Okay. That works for me.”
Chapter sixteen
"You're my favorite brother."
J.T. bounced his knee nervously as he sat on the porch and drank his morning coffee. In thirty minutes he was going to meet his son. He tried to think if he’d ever been this anxious in his life.Nope. Never.
The sound of his phone ringing startled him. “Shit.” He took it from his pocket and noted it was Sage calling. “Hey.”
“I just wanted to wish you luck. Not that you need luck. Finn will love you.”
“I guess I’ll find out soon enough.” He looked at the time on the phone. “In twenty-five minutes.”
