“I figured.”
“She’s excited about the baby,” Liam added. “I am too. It’s huge, in the best way. I just don’t want to mess it up.”
“You won’t,” Jacob said, no hesitation, like it was fact.
Liam huffed. “You say that like it’s already decided.”
“It is.” Jacob took a sip of his drink, eyes steady. “You care. You’re already in it. That’s half the battle.”
The certainty in his voice caught Liam off guard. “You sound so sure. You’ve got two, right?”
Jacob’s expression shifted, something almost tender pulling at his features. “Yes. Rose and Asher. Some days I don’t know how I ended up with something that good.”
Liam watched him, something warm rising in his chest. “That’s… kind of beautiful.”
Jacob’s voice dropped. “I didn’t grow up with a father who stuck around.” He hesitated, then added, “He had another kid many years later. Stayed for that one. There was a time I thought it was my fault. Turns out, some people just leave.” He looked up, eyes sharp with conviction. “I made a promise early on: I’d never be the kind of father he was.”
Liam’s throat tightened. “You didn’t deserve that. Your kids are lucky to have you.”
Jacob’s jaw worked for a moment before he said, “And your kid will be lucky to have you. The fact that you’re scared? That means you’ll show up. That’s what counts.”
Liam traced the rim of his glass, thinking it over.
The quiet gave way to easier things, and conversation picked up again. He wasn’t sure how long they stood there—an hour, maybe more—but the time slipped without him noticing. They talked about everything and nothing: childhoods, why they hated first takes, what they did in their free time. Jacob stayed a little guarded, but he gave more than Liam had expected. He found himself laughing and enjoying this moment with him.
For a while, it felt like they were in their own little corner of the world—the party fading to background noise. Until Emma appeared, her hand slipping into his. Jacob stepped back like he’d been caught doing something wrong. The air instantly shifted and the moment dissolved into noise again—the change so sudden it made Liam’s stomach twist.
“Hi there,” Emma said warmly. “We haven’t actually met.”
Jacob straightened. “Jacob Wolfe.”
“Emma.” She offered her hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Only bad things, I’m sure.”
“No,” she said with a smile that was all sincerity. “Actually, none of it.”
Jacob gave the faintest nod, his hand dropping back to his side. “That’s generous of him.”
Liam’s throat went tight, watching the exchange like it was happening in slow motion, his brain ping-ponging too fast to land on a single thought, let alone a word he could force out.
Emma glanced between them. “You two looked deep in it. I couldn’t tell if it was work talk or real life.”
Jacob’s jaw shifted. “A bit of both.”
“That’s probably a sign of a good working relationship,” she said easily.
Jacob only nodded.
Liam cleared his throat, trying to ease the static in his head. “We were talking about his kids. Kind of spiraled from there.”
Emma’s expression softened as she turned to Jacob. “You have kids?”
He nodded. “Two.”
“That’s wonderful,” she said, no false note in her voice.
Jacob’s eyes lingered on her. “Yeah. They are.”
