We’ve shared so much together, and I’ve never felt this close to anyone before.
We have something truly special.
“Kaz?” Joe’s voice drags me from my thoughts.
“Hey, man,” I sigh.
“You okay?” he asks, sitting down on a bench nearby. He looks exhausted.
“Are you?” I ask, walking over to him and sitting as well.
“Fuck, everything happened so fast. And now…she’s pregnant,” he mutters, more to himself than to me.
“Bit of a shock?” I chuckle, understanding exactly how he feels.
He snorts with laughter, a quiet, unsure amusement amid the craziness of today’s situation.
“That’s an understatement,” he smirks. “We just got married. And the alliance is new, and she’s going to have a baby, and all of us are only just recently starting getting along and…”
“What’s really bothering you?” I ask, realizing he’s just listing random things but not saying the thing that’s truly on his mind.
Joe presses his lips together and groans. He clenches his jaw and pushes his hand through his hair, then leans forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his head hanging.
“I don’t want to be like my father,” he mutters quietly.
“Your father? Are you kidding me?” I blurt out in disbelief.
“No man, I’m serious. It’s in my blood. I’m his son. He’s the only father I ever knew, and I’m worried that I’ll turn out to be just like him,” he sighs.
I chuckle, and he turns to look at me with his nose scrunched in confusion.
“Come on, man, you aren’t and could never be like him. You go out of your way to protect your family. You take care of your sister. You make sure she’s safe. You created this alliance to go against your father. You gave up power and assets to protect Maria. Are any of those things your father would do for anyone?” I ask. “You put others before your own needs, Joe.”
He licks his lips, nodding. “Maybe you’re right,” he sighs.
“Not maybe. I know I’m right. There are plenty of things to worry about without adding things to it that don’t make sense. Like, where the hell do people buy diapers? What do babies eat? How often do you feed them?” I blurt out, throwing my hands in the air.
Joe starts laughing. “You aren’t serious, are you?” he asks in amusement.
“Man, I am dead serious. I don’t know the first thing about any of this,” I huff.
He laughs harder, shaking his head. “You’re lucky you’re not alone in this, man,” he says, slapping me on the back.
“Well…things just got wilder, didn’t they?” Joseph says, standing up.
“Shall we get her home and figure out what our next step is?” I ask, standing up too.
“I’m going to take a minute down here, you go ahead.”
I leave Joe in the garden and make my way back to the fourth floor.
Ben and Artur step aside and mumble something about getting air too.
I sit on the edge of her bed and take her hand, not knowing where or how to start.
“I’m so sorry, Kaz,” she mumbles. “I know this is a commitment thing and you hate commitment,” she sighs.
I chuckle and shake my head.
