41. Jay
CHAPTER 41
JAY
I drive over to Hannah’s place, annoyance fueling my foot on the gas pedal.
I love my sister, but she’s always had a tendency to involve herself a bit too much in other people’s lives, especially mine. Her call to Violet tonight is a perfect example. I know she means well, but she needs to understand that Violet and I need to handle this on our own terms.
We’re already struggling enough. Violet having one of the people she should be able to count on berating her for her choices is too much. I need to talk to Hannah without Violet present.
I park outside Hannah’s apartment complex, taking a moment to collect my thoughts. This conversation could go a lot of different ways, and I need to stay calm and focused. I knock on her door, and after a few moments, she opens it, looking surprised to see me. She’s no longer on the phone, so she must have finished her conversation with Violet.
“Jay? What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk, Hannah,” I say, stepping inside as she moves aside to let me in.
“Okay… about what?” Hannah shuts the door behind me and makes steady eye contact. We’ve gone toe-to-toe before, and I intend to win this time.
I take a deep breath. I don’t want this to come out too harshly, but it needs to be said. “It’s about Violet and me. And about you getting involved in things that aren’t your business.”
Her eyes widen, and she crosses her arms defensively. “I was just trying to help, Jay. You know I care about you both. And everything I said was right. You can’t even argue. No one wants to get pregnant from a one-night stand. Seriously, ask for a show of hands. None would go up.”
I snort and shake my head. “The problem is that Violet is already dealing with enough trying to process this. Your judgment doesn’t help. At all. There’s a difference between caring and interfering. Violet and I need to figure this out ourselves. You calling her and pushing her about the pregnancy... it’s not helping.”
She looks hurt, but I can see the defiance in her eyes. “I was worried about her. About both of you. This is a big deal, Jay.”
Charlie comes out of the bedroom to see what’s going on, but my issue isn’t with him. I continue to stare at Hannah as we stand in the doorway of her apartment.
“I’m not an idiot, Hannah. I know it’s a big deal. But Violet is freaking out. She’s lost her dad, her home, and now she has a whole pregnancy to deal with. She needs support from you, and if you can’t give that, then maybe you should just shut up and give her space.”
“How dare you?” Hannah says, her tone rising. “I’m her best friend. And it’s your fault she’s even in this situation to begin with.”
I snort. “Okay. Say that all you want if it makes you feel better.”
“It’s true! ” Charlie comes over and starts rubbing his hand in circles on Hannah’s back. He’s probably trying to get her to calm down, but she’s not about to do that. “You know you’ve never been Mr. Committed. You’ve always slept around, and you’re lucky this hasn’t happened until now. But of course, when it does, it’s with my best friend!”
Charlie squeezes Hannah’s shoulder but doesn’t say anything.
“Judge me all you want, but you have to let us handle it. We’re adults. We need to make our own decisions, even if they’re hard ones. Be supportive or don’t be there at all. But the negativity isn’t necessary.”
She shakes her head, frustration evident on her face. “And what if you make the wrong decisions?”
“And you know what the right decisions are? Last time I checked, you were working a dead-end job that you hate at the community center. So–”
Hannah throws me a hateful look, and I know I’ve gone too far. I know I have to be the bigger person here and extend a peaceful hand, but goddammit she’s pushed me too fucking far.
I take a deep breath trying to bring my tone down. I’m supposed to be helping the situation, and right now, that’s not the case.
“We’ll ask for help if we need it, but you have to trust us to handle our own lives. We can’t have you stepping in every time we’re dealing with something. It’s not fair to us, and it’s not fair to you.”
Hannah lets out a heavy sigh, her arms dropping to her sides. Charlie takes her hand in his and squeezes it. “I just want to make sure you’re both okay.”
“I know you do, and we appreciate it. But there are boundaries, Hannah. You have to respect that.”
She looks down, her expression conflicted. “It’s just hard, you know? I care about you so much, and I don’t want to see you struggle.”
“We can’t have a perfect relationship. You know I’ve dealt with commitment issues in the past. Well, now, I have to be committed because a kid who has my DNA is going to be relying on me. This isn’t going to be easy. But we’re figuring it out. Violet could use your support, not your demands.”
There’s a long silence as she processes what I’m saying. Finally, she looks up at me, and it seems like she’s finally getting it. “Okay. I’ll back off. I’ll let you and Violet handle this. But if you need anything, anything at all, you come to me. Promise? And please don’t keep secrets.”
“I promise. Thank you, Hannah.”
She steps forward and wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. I just love you, Jay.”
Her words hit me hard. We’ve never been the type of siblings to say we love each other. I don’t know how to respond for a moment. “I love you too,” the words finally find their way out of my mouth.
We stand there for a moment, just holding each other, before she pulls back and gives me a small smile. “So, what’s the plan? Have you two figured out what you’re going to do?”
“We’re taking it one step at a time. We’re going to see a doctor, figure out our options, and make a plan from there. But one thing’s for sure–I’m going to be there for Violet and the baby, no matter what. You don’t have to worry about my commitment.”
Hannah nods, her smile growing a little. “That’s good to hear. You’re going to be a great dad, Jay.”
I’ve known for less than an hour, and this is the first time someone has said those words to me. Coming from Hannah, who was just berating me for not being responsible, who doesn’t have a dishonest bone in her body, it’s overwhelming.
“Thanks,” I take a deep breath. “I hope so.”
Charlie offers me his hand. “Congratulations.”
And I shake it.
We talk a bit more before I need to get back to Violet. It’s just past eleven now, and I hope that Violet is sleeping. Hopefully still in my bed. I’ll talk to her more tomorrow.
As I drive back to my house, my mind is racing with thoughts of the future. This isn’t how I pictured things going, but I’m determined to make it work. I’ve always wanted kids one day. I just didn’t know that “one day” would be so soon.
When I arrive, Violet is sitting on the porch, looking lost in thought. She looks up as I approach, a small smile on her face.
“You're awake?” I ask, coming up to sit down next to her on the creaky porch swing.
“I was worried about you. Where’d you go?”
“Worried about me?”
She nods. “You didn’t say anything, and you just left.”
“I went to speak to Hannah in person. She and I… needed to talk things out.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “What did you say?”
“We had a good talk. She understands now. She’s going to back off and let us handle things, but she’s there if we need her. I told her we need support, not judgment.”
Violet nods then nestles her head into my shoulder. “That’s good. I was worried about how she’d take it.”
“She’ll be fine,” I say, taking her hand in mine. “But there’s something I need to tell you.”
She looks at me, her expression wary. “What is it?”
I take a deep breath, feeling my heart pound in my chest. “I want to be with you, Violet. Baby or no baby. I want us to be together. I asked you to be my girlfriend before I even knew, and that’s still what I want.”
She squeezes my hand tightly. “But this changes things. It’s not just going to be me anymore. Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. I love you, Violet. And I want to be with you. We’ll figure this out together, one step at a time.”
I can see her trying to hold back tears. “I love you too, Jay. I’m so scared, but knowing you’re with me makes it a little less terrifying.”
“We’ll get through this. We’ll make it work.” I squeeze Violet to me.
For the first time in my life, I have some people really counting on me, and I intend to be there for both of them.
It was only a month ago that the sexiest redhead I’d ever seen sauntered through the doors of The Rusty Oak and back into my life. It’s funny… when one moment changes your life forever, you don’t know it until long after the fact.
Of all the bars Violet could have walked into that night, I’m so goddamn glad it was mine.