I opened the fridge and frowned. I started moving stuff around, on a mission to find something very important. "Hey, goddess?" 

"Yes?" Lanie answered from the table. 

"I thought you said there was beer in here."

I heard the flip of the pages from the magazine she was reading. "Yeah, look in the bottom right. I bought you a twelve pack." 

I moved the milk and take-out containers. "Found it." I grabbed a soda and sat at the table. 

Lanie looked up at me and frowned. "I thought you wanted a beer?"

I opened the soda can and took a few gulps. "That's for later. Since you and Harper are going out, Jackson said he was going to come hang out with me and little Nate. We're going to watch the game." 

Lanie's expression was pensive. "Has Jackson been acting weird to you lately?" 

Hmm. Jackson hasn't really seemed weird lately. But he has been over here a lot; mainly to babysit and spend time with my son. Nate and I noticed but haven't really talked about it. I was also curious if that was the reason he wanted to come over tonight. I tried to ask Jackson before if there was anything going on, but he brushed it off and said everything was fine.

"Not really," I answered. "Have you?" 

Lanie shrugged a shouler. "I'm not sure. When I've seen them together, they seem...not Harper and Jackson." 

Translation: they weren't all over each other like horny teenagers. "You don't think they'll break-up, do you?"

That would really suck. Harper and Jackson seemed so solid. I know they had a unique beginning to their relationship, but they were clearly happily in love. 

"I hope not," Lanie said as she got up from the table. "I'm going to try to talk to her tonight." Lanie poured some coffee into her favorite snoopy mug and added her cream and sugar. She turned back towards me and leaned against the counter. "Whatever it is, I hope they work through it. This is the first time I've ever seen Harper genuinely happy." 

That made me think of something..."Have you talked to Nate? How is Karma's dad doing?" 

"I talked to Karma yesterday and she said her dad woke up and is doing well. He should be discharged soon." 

"That's great!" I was worried when I heard the news. I didn't know Karma well, but she was a best friend of Lanie's. That made her important to me, too. "Is she getting along okay with Nate?" 

Lanie cleared her throat and buried her face in her coffee cup. "Um, yeah. I'm sure they are getting along just fine." 

My Lanie-senses were tingling. She was up to something. "Did something happen between them? I thought they had a bad breakup." 

Lanie's expression turned somber. "They did," she sighed, clearly frustrated. "Neither one of them told me what happened exactly. But Nate really loved her. He was just as wrecked about it as she was. I didn't see him with another girl for over a year after it ended." 

Whoa. Okay, that was very strange. It didn't seem like Nate to be without a woman for that long. I may not have known him when he was nineteen, but I knew him. He was a ladie's man for sure. I glanced back at Lanie. She was trying everything to avoid eye contact with me. 

"Are you trying to get them back together?" I asked suspiciously. 

She gaped at me. "What! I know better than that, Ayden. Shame on you for even insinuating—"

"Lanie..." I went to stand in front of her. "You know how he feels about you meddling in his love life. Remember how pissed you were about him hooking us up?"

She arched a brow. "But look what came of it! You and I are in love and we have a beautiful son."

I ran my hand over my face. "Lanie, this ended badly for them. You said it yourself. Karma moved all the way to Florida after. Maybe it's just not meant to be." 

Lanie stepped into my arms and wrapped hers around my waist. "Maybe," she said as she looked up at me. "But you didn't see them when they were together, Ayden. I was convinced they belonged together." 

She bit her lip nervously before she confessed, "You know, Nate told me he wanted a real relatiosnhip when he got out of the service?"

"Are you serious?" It was one surprise after another. 

She nodded. "It was when you guys came to visit for my birthday. He said he wanted a real relationship. Not like the one had with the fucking Barbie. Something real." 

When I looked into her eyes, I could see that she really believed what she was saying. She believed that Nate and Karma belonged together. 

"That's why you sent him to Florida, isn't it?" 

She smiled. "They both needed it. I know how close Karma is with her parents; she needed him there. They also need to talk about the elephant in the room, and they wouldn't do it here. They need to work through whatever happened so they can see that they belong together." 

Even though I was worried about the ramifications of all of this, I couldn't help but look at her with adoration. "You are extraordinary. Did you know that, goddess?" 

She beamed up at me. "Yes, but I never get tired of hearing it." 

I gave her a deep kiss, swallowing her moan of pleasure. I placed my hands on her waist and lifted her up to sit on the counter. 

"Ayden." she squealed, "the baby is going to be waking up soon. We can't!"

I reached under her dress and pulled her panties down her legs. "Oh, goddess. Yes, we can." 

***

"Want another beer?" 

Jackson looked over at me and shook his head. "No, thanks, mate. I'm good." 

Jackson got here about two hours ago when Harper came to pick up Lanie. They were going out for drinks and 'girl talk'. I thought I could use this opportunity to ask Jackson how everything was going with his relationship. 

"Are you and Harper doing okay?" 

His eyes were glued to the TV. "Fine. Why?" 

Yeah, that was a lie. "Jackson, clearly something is going on. You're over here all the time and—"

"Do you want me to leave?" Jackson snapped at me. 

What the hell was going on? "No! It's just—I can tell there is something going on with you two. You're both important to Lanie and I. We're worried about you guys. 

Harper and Jackson took such good care of Lanie while Nate and I were...missing overseas. Her pregnancy was so high-risk and she worried constantly. God knows what would have happened if she had been alone. She and the baby might not be here today. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if that happened. 

I waited patiently for Jackson to decide if he was going to confide in me. I considered him one of my best friends, and I would do anything to help. 

"How did it feel when you found out that Lanie was pregnant?" he finally asked quietly. 

Fuck. I had a feeling it was about something like that like. "Do you think Harper is..."

He shook his head. "No. She's on the pill." He looked over at me. "So, how did it feel?" 

I had no idea how to explain this to him. I still didn't know how I felt exactly. "Well, I was stunned at first. A little scared. Mostly because I never pictured myself as a father. That had a lot to do with my own childhood issues. But when I looked at that sonogram," I couldn't stop the smile that formed on my face, "and I looked at Lanie, I just knew it was right."

I leaned back and rested my arm on the side of the couch. "Honestly, Lanie was more worried than I was, I think." 

Jackson remained quiet as he thought about what I said. I wish I knew what was really on his mind. I had an idea, but I wasn't one hundred percent sure. 

I took a chance. "Do you want to have a kid?" I asked when I couldn't take the silence. 

Jackson looked in the direction of little Nate's door where he was sleeping soundly. "When I first met Harper, I told her I didn't want kids. She said the same. It was one thing we agreed on. We were happy with the way things were." He let out a frustrated breath. "This is when she and I were just two people fucking. She was engaged to Ryan and there was no possibility of a future." 

"Jackson," I interjected, "you and Harper were never just 'fucking'. Even from the beginning. I may not have known you guys at that time, but I know that's true." 

Jackson got up and started pacing around the living room, the game on the TV was forgotten. "She hasn't changed, you know." Despite his worrisome mood, he smiled. "Harper...she hasn't changed a bit since we met." 

I leaned forward. "But you have." 

He stood in front of the fireplace and picked up a picture of little Nate smiling. "Yes, I have changed. I used to sleep my way through women and life—never devoting or committing myself to anyone. Never letting myself love someone." He turned to me. "I lost her once. It was the result of my own fears and it nearly killed me. Lanie is the one who managed to save us."

"Sounds like her," I added with a smile. 

Jackson's expression grew pained. "I'm different now." He put his hand on his chest, as if to clarify that he was talking about himself. "My feelings for her haven't changed, but what I want has. I want more. I want to have a baby with her. A family. I didn't have a real family growing up, but I think I can provide that now." 

"Did you try talking to her about it?" 

Jackson scoffed. "I've tried. She changes the subject or distracts me with sex." 

"Maybe it's just not the right time for her. Maybe she wants to wait." I hoped that was the case. If not...

"I don't know," Jackson breathed. "But if that's not the case, there's a great chance that I might lose her. Again."