"Daddy, do you think mommy is pretty?" Jadon looks up at me, and I think he's just been looking for ways to keep calling me daddy, which I definitely don't mind. Allie and Ted have been talking in the driveway for a while. I've been watching occasionally. Not being nosy or anything...

"Of course, I do, buddy. Your mommy is so beautiful," I tell him while patting his hair down. He's ready for bed but waiting for her to come back in. God, she's more than beautiful.

"Then why don't you love her?"

Is she sure he's four? Did he just come out like halfway grown or something? What's he getting at, here? "Buddy, I will always love your mommy for having and taking care of you while I was gone."

"Okay," he says like it's the simplest thing in the world.

I hear the door to Ted's car close and he pulls out of the driveway, disappearing into the night. Allie comes in a minute later, and leans against the front door for a minute, staring down at her feet. Her hair falls into a curtain around her face so I can't see her, but the disappointment is clearly there.

No, I didn't want her to go, but Tom put something into perspective for me. She deserves a break, and I just ruined her night off. "Everything okay?" I ask her when she finally pushes off the door and steps out of those heels.

"Yeah," she sighs. "Apparently, a bunch of it was nonrefundable and whatever it was, it was some big event he wanted to take me to tonight, so he's going alone."

"So he's going to go stay in a hotel all alone for the night?" I don't get who would stay in a hotel by themselves but whatever, maybe he doesn't want to waste his money.

"Yeah, he said he's just going to go wherever it is alone and just get some work done."

Yeah sure, he's gonna work on the beach alright.

"Well Jadon," she bends down to meet Jadon's eyes, and I catch a glimpse up the skirt of her dress. "It's time to get to bed and then tomorrow I'll go with you and Lu-daddy to meet Katrina and your grandma and grandpa, okay?"

"Okay," he says while yawning. His general response so far is not what I expected at all.

"Alright, let's get you to bed mister," she says reaching for him. Jadon grabs hold of my arm and tells her he wants both of us to put him to bed.

Allie allows it, which is good because I can see their routine and try to mimic it when Jadon comes to stay with me. I already ordered him some furniture for the extra bedroom in the house and was planning to ask Allie her opinion on some bedding that he might like and other things I'll need for him.

But I know I screwed up her weekend, so she might not be willing to help me. I don't care so much about Ted, but I know her dad was right. She deserves to be happy and with someone that can make her happy. If that's some tall blonde asshole, then fine, I guess. She should have been able to go do whatever with him.

After Allie read Jadon a book and sang him a lullaby she made up, he was out. She looked at me for confirmation that he was asleep since his back was to her. When I gave her the go-ahead, she slowly picked herself up from behind him.

She is still in that dress from earlier and even looks cute with it wrinkled and with a little bit of toothpaste Jadon got on her when she was brushing his teeth.

Watching her with Jadon, I realized how cute they are together. They have their own little language, and words for things that they came up with. Jadon watches everything Allie says and does and tries to mimic her as best he can.

Even though I'm sure she's exhausted from working and raising a kid, Allie does it with grace. I've seen her get frustrated, but she never takes it out on Jadon and whatever issues she's handed, she just fixes herself without waiting for someone else to do it.

Had it not been for me, this girl would be getting ready to go to medical school right now. She'd be out having fun with her friends and enjoying life. Not reading bedtime stories and getting partially spit on by a little kid.

She quietly closes his door and watches me for a moment. I'm ready for a tongue lashing since she particularly enjoys doing that with me, but it doesn't come. Instead, there's this tension between us. I can't tell what it is, and I'm not sure if everything from earlier today is just gone.

"I, uh..." she sighs heavily, "I think I'm going to go change."

And the fact that she's not really showing her feelings right now is making things worse. "Oh, right. When you're done, could you help me with something?"

"Just give me five minutes."

I head down to the living room and pull my laptop from my bag and open the tabs with everything I plan to get for Jadon.

Allie makes her way down in some striped shorts and a tank top and it takes everything in me not to look. I feel like an asshole and can't keep creepily watching her in her own home.

It's no easy task, but I succeeded up until she sat next to me on the couch and her boobs bounce in her top. Fuck, she's not wearing a bra.

"What did you need help with?" she asks me.

Finding the best way to hide the erection I have under my computer.

"I ordered a bed and dresser for Jadon, and they're at my house now, but I need help finding some stuff he would like for a bedroom. I cleared out the spare room the other night and put the furniture in it, I just wasn't sure what he would like is all."

She nods and spends the next hour helping me pick out a few things online. She kept trying to take the laptop, but I held it firmly in place, needing it to cover something she really didn't need to see. Eventually, she stopped trying to take the damn thing and just pointed to things she knew Jadon would like.

"You think he's going to be okay tomorrow?" I ask her.

"Well, it really depends on how they approach him. Like, your dad, for example. I'm guessing he's fairly laid back like you and will be looking forward to meeting Jadon, right?" I nod. "He will probably like having another grandpa. I'm assuming this Jen is friendly, so he will probably be fine with her, too."

"And Kat? How do you think he will respond to her?"

"How do you think she will act toward him, Lucas? Will she be warm and friendly? If it's anything other than that, he will shut down and want nothing to do with her until otherwise."

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 talking about Jadon and I notice her check her phone a few times. That look of disappointment doesn't go unnoticed. Ted hasn't called or texted to let her know he made it.

The conversation moves from Jadon to other things and she tells me about how she's almost finished with school and her plans. This girl is freaking Super Woman, I swear. Every time I learn something about her, I find out how much she really goes through, trying to make a life for herself and for Jadon. If I never showed up and got the coaching job, she wouldn't have needed me anyway.

After a while, she slowly drifts off with her head on the armrest of the couch. She looks so peaceful and, just, young. She looks exactly the same as she did when I saw her that night in Kat's kitchen, only tougher. I know I should have taken the time to get to know her, but part of me feels like had I not done what I did, I wouldn't be here with her right now. With Jadon.

I get up, lay a blanket over her, and head for the door with my stuff. It's not even late, and she's out cold. I wonder if she was easygoing about not going with Ted because she knew she would get some sleep. I get out quietly and lock the door with my key, and head for the car.

Time to go break the news at the house.

With my dad and Jen seated on the couch, Kat is sitting in a chair on the other side of the room.

"I, uh, have some news." I feel awkward folding my hands with my elbows resting against my knees. "Uh..."

"Lucas?" My dad leans forward, and I can feel three sets of eyes on me. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," I feel my smile pointed at the floor. "It's, um, great actually." I take a deep breath and feel better about this than I did before. 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."

I can hear the clocks ticking in the room. 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, uh, how I found out." Yup. The gist. 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 fucking kid?" Her nostrils flare and pupils start dilating. "You have a kid and you waited until now to tell me?"

Jen, peacemaker she is, slaps a smile on and stands to try and be a buffer for Kat. "Well, I know this isn't what anyone expected, but," 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 does know." 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."

To say the rest of the conversation has gone smooth while I give them the cliff notes version of the past several days, would be a lie. Kat is two drinks in, but I think she made both doubles so far. She's not happy about this, which I can't blame her for. She's in a relationship with me, and I can understand this if the roles were reversed. But I can be understanding to a point. It wasn't planned and I'm handling it.

Dad and Jen are excited, though.

"Wait, what time is it?!" Jen checks her watch. "Okay, the stores are closed, but we'll go early in the morning. We need to get him presents!"

"You don't have to," I tell her. "He's got a lot of stuff at home already."

"Yeah, but he needs things here when he stays with you, Lucas. Clothes, shoes, toys. Oh, gosh! I'm so excited. Okay! Honey, let's go to bed. We need to get up early." Jen's excitement, frankly, is the best I could hope for and she's not disappointing.

Kat gets up and leaves the room muttering to herself. "I can't fucking believe this."

Quietly, my dad sighs and rolls his eyes. He doesn't keep his dislike for Kat to himself anymore. He tried, but the past few days have been bad between them. "Well, son, I can't say I'm shocked, with all the girls you had calling you back then, but I'm glad it sounds like you at least picked a responsible one to knock up," he pats me on the back. "I'm also glad you are stepping up, even if it is a little late in the game."

"Yeah, me too. The next one I have, I'll make sure to be there for everything that I missed with Jadon," I say back.

My dad and Jen look at one another before my dad asks, "Are you planning on having another anytime soon?"

"Oh, no. Not for a while, no. Besides, I don't think Kat wants to give up so much freedom right now." I don't know that she actually wants kids at all... she'd have to change her lifestyle.

My dad and Jen look at one another again before Jen smiles and asks, "Are you planning on marrying Katrina anytime soon, hon?"

"Um," I honestly hadn't thought much about it since everything with Jadon and Allie, but it's bound to come up now. Tom told me to stick to what I know, and I know Kat. "Well, yeah, once I get everything figured out, and Kat figures out what she wants to do with her life, we can plan a wedding and stuff."

I mean, what are my other options? I like Allie, but she wouldn't want me after everything I've done to sabotage her life. Tonight being the most recent example. Besides, she's serious about Ted. I still don't like him and know she can do better.

Oh, and Kat did figure out what she wants, alright. She told me last night she wants to go into modeling. She reached out to some agents and is going to go get some pictures taken of herself starting next week. I'm not telling anyone this, though, because I just don't see how she would want to settle down and want to be married if she's off traveling for photoshoots and whatever else models do.

"Well, hopefully you all figure it out sooner rather than later. You really have time," my dad says. "Well, Jen, you wanna head off to bed for the night?" he asks her and she nods. They both head to the guest room while I close everything up for the night in the house.

When I get in the bedroom, Kat is sitting up on the bed, on her phone, not even looking up at me.

Oh, here we go.