AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“My bad. My bad,” he laughs. “But thank you.”
“You raised a good one” I watch the proud smile overtake his face. “Two good ones.” The tone shifts between us once again. “Can I ask you a question? It’s kind of personal, though.”
“Oh, no. You and I don’t do personal,” Jack says with sarcasm, unable to hold back his laughter. “Shoot.”
“Is there a reason why you never had your own biological children?”
Jack’s eyes widen for a moment before his expression softens. “I’m not going to pretend like I don’t know why you’re asking.”
“Eli told you.”
“I think he just needed to speak it out loud. Whatever your conversation was yesterday was eating at him this morning.”
I completely understand that. It’s not like it’s some big secret that Eli can’t share with his family. They’re going to find out eventually.
“But to answer your question, no. There’s no specific reason we didn’t, but my family was complete once I met Marc and Mary. Marc and EJ are my sons, biological or not. But do you want me to answer your real question?” he knowingly asks. “Do you want to know how I let go of my fear of losing more people?”
I stare at him for a moment, then look up towards the ceiling, trying not to get emotional. There are a lot of personal things holding me back from wanting to give Eli children one day, but this major issue is at the forefront.
I bite my lower lip, so it doesn’t quiver as I nod my head.
“It’s one of those did the chicken come before the egg or did the egg come before the chicken kind of things,” he says. “The only way I got over my fear of losing the people I loved was by adding more people I loved into my life.”
I crease my brow, trying to understand. “Jack, your Yoda-like advice isn’t really sinking in this time, so I’m going to need you to explain this one.”
“Having lost the only family I ever had, broke me. It scarred me in the worst way. I was so closed off from the rest of the world. My logic was when you love people, and you let them in, it makes you vulnerable to getting hurt. So, I kept my circle small. Just me and EJ. The fewer people I loved, the fewer people that could break me if something bad happened, right?
“But then I met Mary, and she just had to squirm her smartass-self into my life.” He looks over his shoulder, pretending to shoot his wife a dirty look, but when he catches her eye, his expression softens as it always does. “They filled me up, those three. They took away all the fear that lived inside me and made me quickly realize that it’s worth loving and losing more than never having a family to love in the first place.”
I drop my head as I take in his words.
“Look, Logan. It’s your future. You choose what you want in this life. Don’t let anyone make that decision for you. But if you’re living in fear, you’re not living.”
“I know,” I agree, unable to add much else at the moment.
“And you know what’s great? You get to choose your family from here on out. You can build it however you want. Look at me, I have two sons that don’t even share my direct DNA, but they’re still mine. And I have a smoking hot wife, even if she’s crazy sometimes.
“So, if you want to keep your circle to just us four, that’s great. Or if you want to add more into it, that’s your choice. We will all support you no matter what, especially my son. It’s your family, Logan, and you get to choose how big it is, but that doesn’t change that, at a minimum, you have the four of us now.”
“Jack, I think you might need to start billing me for our therapy sessions,” I laugh, needing to deflect away from this serious but much-needed conversation.
“Not a chance. Whether or not you realize this yet, I view you as my own. These are conversations I assume you would’ve had with your own parents, and since they’re not here to have them, I’m honored to fill their role. You’re my daughter now, Logan, so get used to all this sage advice.”
Chapter 30
Eli
I make sure to grab a glass of champagne on the way back to our table, leaving Logan with my dad on the dance floor.
Kicking my foot up on one of the unoccupied seats, I elevated my ankle. Actually, all of our chairs are unoccupied because Marc has barely left the dance floor tonight and Mary is off chatting away with another wedding guest.
“What up, Mad-dog?” Ali takes a seat next to me after leaving Marc to continue his run on the dance floor.
“Not much. How’s my brother?” I tease suggestively.
She keeps her eyes away from mine before casually shrugging her shoulders. As soon as I’m about to grill her about what’s up with that, Liam approaches our table.
“EJ!” he says with excitement. “We are so glad you could make it, man.”
