"So I think Faith likes Jason," Kaylyn told Matthew after putting the kids to bed that night. The words had been hanging on her lips ever since realization of the fact dawned and now that they were finally to themselves, Kaylyn was happy to spill the beans.

Matthew paused in the process of shrugging off his jacket, turning to face Kaylyn with a quizzical look on his face.

"What?" he exclaimed, brows knitted as he awaited clarification.

A smile curled at the corners of kaylyn's mouth, chin lifted as she prepared herself for what she was about to say.

"She likes him, it was kinda obvious after today," Kaylyn stated as she flopped down on the sofa.

"What?" Matthew reiterated, still a bit confused, not quite able to fathom his wife's words.

Kaylyn rolled her eyes and released a gentle huff. "I don't understand why I didn't see it earlier –"

"Maybe because there was nothing to see," Matthew cut in pointedly, taking a seat beside Kaylyn and turning to meet her gaze. "Look honey, maybe you're just getting ahead of yourself, they're just friends."

Kaylyn shook her head as Matthew spoke, not accepting his words or the disbelief he held against hers.

"Didn't you see her reaction to Daniel's proposal?" She exclaimed, perking up a questioning brow as she gazed at Matthew.

"Of course I saw it, she was shocked!"

Kaylyn scoffed. "There's no point talking to you about this, but next time, just look when they're around each other. I didn't see it earlier but I saw it today and maybe if you had heard the conversation I had with Faith, you would have seen it too."

Matthew was silent, seemingly in deep thought as he pondered on the words his wife had spoke. Of course, he had been around the two enough times to pick up on a possible chemistry, but he had never seen it. Faith was always glued to Daniel and Jason was always to himself, so hence the lack of evidence to kaylyn's suspicions.

"Honey, maybe you're seeing things that aren't really there because you don't like Daniel," Matthew reasoned, trying to put another alternative in his wife's head, since her suspicions were frankly, ludicrous.

Fanning him off dismissively, Kaylyn resisted the urge to blatantly gawk at him. "I'm not trying to cause trouble, if that's what you're implying. I'm trying to prevent my friend from making a mistake."

"Kaylyn, tomorrow is the beginning of the in vitro process, if you try to convince Faith that she is making a mistake, she will never speak to you again. You know how she is; if what you're saying is somehow true, Faith will eventually come to realize it in her own time," Matthew explained, hoping his words would resonate with her.

Kaylyn was momentarily silent before she spoke again. "So I should sit back and watch as she makes a huge mistake?"

"You don't know if it will be a mistake. She loves Daniel and this is what she wants, so let it be."

Kaylyn sighed heavily, her shoulders slouching as she looked at Matthew, defeat evident in her eyes. "Fine, maybe you're right after all, but I can't shake the feeling that something bad will happen, you know."

Matthew smiled, understanding the concern she had for her friend. It was something he admired about her; her care for others, especially those closest to her. He reached for her, pulling her towards him, against his chest while he placed a kiss on the top of her head, wrapping his arms around her while he breathed in the scent of her.

"Everything will be perfectly fine, believe me." Matthew said as he gently rubbed her shoulder.

Kaylyn gave a small smile against his chest, hoping, praying, his words would be true and she had only been fretting unnecessarily.

*  *  *  *

Faith glanced at the small diamond ring from different angles, smiling when the reminder of Daniel's question came crashing back to her.

She had been sitting in that very spot for a few minutes - on her bed, already dressed - waiting for Daniel to finish getting dressed so they could leave for the clinic. She huffed out a breath and reached for her phone, smiling at the text message she received from friends and family, wishing her the best.

Her stomach churned with nervousness when she thought back to what would transpire in just a few hours from now. Excitement was the dominant emotion, but it wasn't all-consuming like she hoped it to be, and once again, she couldn't understand why. There was no doubt in her mind about her want for the baby - she wanted her little person badly, but it was something else which was grating on her mind.

Daniel emerged from the bathroom, smiling when his gaze came upon Faith.

"Hey, you're ready early," he acknowledged while moving towards the closet to get his suit.

"Yeah, I'm excited," she grinned, getting up and smoothing out her skirt.

Daniel got dressed and soon they were out the door, headed to the clinic where the process would being; involving the retrieval of Faith's eggs and Daniel's sperm. Faith had received some supplements weeks earlier which she took regularly in order to stimulate her eggs for ovulation.
       Lily's presence wasn't particularly necessary today, until about three to five days later when the best fertilized eggs would be placed in her uterus.

      They arrived at the clinic a short while later, surprised to find Jason in the parking lot as they got out of their car. Faith's expression was one of utter shock as she gazed at him.

        "Don't look so shocked," he said, shoving his car keys in his pocket as he approached them. "Lily's on her way too."

      "Why?" Daniel inquired before anyone else had the chance to say anything else. His brows knitted and his eyes held question as he awaited an answer.

      "Support, I guess. She texted me last night and told me she would be here since she has nothing better to do. I hope you guys don't mind," he said, seeing the similar looks on both their faces.

       "You guys text?" Faith and Daniel both asked in unison, glancing at each other because of the likeliness to their words.

Jason eyed them curiously. "Just last night, she seems cool," he shrugged in nonchalance. "You guys ready up go in?"

     "Er, yeah...."

Daniel's throat cleared. "Sure, let's go."

They came upon the doubled glass doors to the building, both men, pushing open each side for Faith who looked at them with pure skepticism. There stood her best friend and her boyfriend, opening doors for her and yet she was rallying with which side she should go through.

     Her stomach doubled over at the idiocy of the situation– at the direction her mind had trailed to at just the simple gesture.

She was happy when her phone rang, leaving her to mentally rejoice at small mercies. Quickly, she fished it out of her pocket, smiling at the caller ID and finding more reason to love her best friend.

  It was Kaylyn.

"You guys can go ahead, I'll be in, in a bit," she briefly explained to both men who nodded and slowly moved into the building.

Faith turned in the direction of the parking lot. "Kaylyn, hey," she answered.

       "Are you guys at the clinic as yet?" she asked. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it."

Faith smiled. "We're here and it's fine, I know you've got my back," she reassured.

    A heartbeat of silence passed between them. "Is Jason there?"

   Faith cleared her throat, swallowed visibly and involuntarily scratched the back of her neck before answering. "Yeah, he's here. Why?"

     "No reason really, I just knew he'd always be there for you," Kaylyn explained which had Faith heart racing a bit.

She used the tip of her tongue to quickly moisten her lips which had instantly seemed dry. "Yeah, I guess. Umm, hey, I'll talk to you later, Kay, I've gotta go."

     "Yeah, sure," Kaylyn quickly replied. "As soon as you're done, give me a call, OK?"

     "Of course, laters baby," she exclaimed before hanging up.

She sighed heavily before moving to join the others.

   *  *  *  *

     
    To collect Daniel's sperm, he was offered two options; masturbation or the retrieval of it with a needle. He chose masturbation since it was the easier way and there no blockage where his sperm flow was concerned.

      Handing him a tape with porn, the nurse smiled and directed him to a room in which he should 'do his business'. Daniel grew a shade or two paler when he saw Faith and Jason hiding their amusement.

     "Hey!" he exclaimed, looking not at all pleased, but then his lips curled as he moved towards Faith and muttered something naughty in her ear. She choked up a laugh and playfully punched his shoulders, a blush coloring her cheeks.

          "Boy, please. Go get cracking," she bit her lips. "Or should I say nutting?" she grinned, which transition to a laugh when Daniel gave her 'the eye'.

He left after bouts of encouragement on Faith's part, leaving her with Jason who stood staring at her.

      "It's your time now to get intruded on, big head," he teased, perking up a brow while watching her.

Faith smiled. "Yeah, I guess," she shrugged, turning to leave.

       "Hey," Jason called leaving Faith to pause in her tracks before she turned back to meet his gaze. "What do you say about lunch tomorrow?"

She looked indecisive for a short moment before she smiled and nodded. "Sounds great, just as long as you're paying."

He lightly chuckled. "Don't I always."

Lily bursted through the door suddenly, a smile splitting her face when she saw them. "Heey!"

Faith's eyes widened, mouth opened mirthfully as she embraced her in a warming hug. "Thanks for coming," she said, watching as Lily pulled apart to hug Jason.

Faith's smile slightly fell but as soon as Lily pulled apart and turned to her, it once again, brightened.

      "I'll see you guys on the other side," she joked before moving off, leaving Jason and Faith behind.

Jason watched as she left, his gaze following her until she went down the hall and to the last door on the right, her smile visible as she glanced at him before entering.

    He smiled too, eyes settled on the spot she had earlier occupied, his thoughts taking him to her and what she was going to do and the man she was going to do it with. He told himself that he shouldn't feel anything else but the joy he should feel for his friend and her happiness, but unfortunately, that wasn't entirely the case. Though he felt happy for her, the completeness of it was not in existence. There was another factor which was pressing on the line of their friendship, restricting the all-consuming  happiness he should be feeling and he knew exactly what it was.

He knew it a long time ago; knew he shouldn't feel it considering the fact that she was his best friend, but it was simply not something he could fight against. It was dominant on his part and it was pure, but Jason told himself that it was something he would have to forever keep to himself, given the circumstances.

Just like he had eventually realized where Kaylyn and Matthew was concerned, he knew not to tread on another man's property.

But only difference between the two was: He had never been in love with Kaylyn.

___________

Author's note:

So there you have it guys. I'm trying to make up for slacking with updates. I hope you guys enjoyed.

Something important was revealed in this chapter. What do you guys think of Jason's feelings? Too soon or just right? I don't think it's too soon, but I want to hear your thoughts. Soo.....?

Well, until next time.. I'll try to give another update soon but in the meantime, please share your thoughts and leave a vote!

Thank you for reading!
Laters baby!
Nuff love.

❤❤