We both fell silent. Suddenly, a baby’s wail broke the silence.
“I’m sorry. My kid’s still young and doesn’t like being away from me, so I usually bring him to work.”
As Lydia spoke, she walked into the adjoining room. When she emerged again, she was holding a baby who was swaddled in a blanket. She coddled him for a while and he stopped crying. It was a rather warm sight to behold.
That’s Jackson’s kid. I
“How many months is he?” For some reason, my nose suddenly felt sharp as if I were about to cry. I walked over to her and looked at the baby, who wasn’t scared in the slightest. He looked quite a lot like Lydia and was very quiet.
“Just under six months.” Lydia’s face lit up with a smile as she talked about her child.
Kids were always particularly welcoming. I couldn’t help but reach out toward his little chubby cheeks when footsteps suddenly sounded up right outside the door. I turned around before touching the baby.
At the sight of Jackson standing in the doorway, I pulled my hand back awkwardly.
Jackson didn’t seem rattled. He looked at me for a couple of seconds before walking toward Lydia and taking the baby from her. His face finally softened slightly as he smiled at his baby.
I lowered my head and sighed in relief, having basically readied myself to be ignored. After a few seconds, Jackson’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Lydia told me you’re having twins.”
I thought I was hearing things and looked up rapidly to meet Jackson’s gaze before nodding. “Yeah.”
“That’s good. At least now you won’t have any regrets.” After that, Jackson turned his attention back to his kid and wife, clearly not planning to say anything else.
The three of them seemed to bask in a warm familial glow that I was clearly not a part of. I was starting to feel a bit awkward when Ashton walked in. The two men nodded at each other as a way of greeting. After that, we went through the check-up.
Once we left the hospital, I started thinking about Jackson’s cold attitude. It felt like a heavy rock was crushing my chest, making it a bit hard for me to breathe.
Ashton was smart enough to spot something wrong. He drove off for a bit and stopped the car once we were far enough away from the hospital.
“What did Jackson say to you?”
I shook my head. “He didn’t say anything.”
That was exactly why it hurt me so much. Macy, Jackson and I had been childhood friends for a long time. We had fought before, but usually, we got over our differences quickly enough once we argued it out. No one ever held grudges. On the contrary, we both seemed fine on the surface but there was now an invisible thick brick wall between us that I couldn’t break through.
Ashton lowered his head in deep thought. “You two should meet up and talk things out properly. Maybe you can ask Jackson to come over.”
I smiled bitterly and looked at him. “Jackson is a man too. Why aren’t you jealous of him?”
“I don’t get jealous of everyone.” Ashton turned back to start the engine again. “If Dr. Alder is his type, then you’re far from it. He’s not going to start anything.”
“Huh? What type is that?” I felt like he meant more than what he said.
Ashton chuckled slyly and didn’t answer my question. He just drove off.
I thought he was kidding, but he really invited Jackson over that night.
Things didn’t seem real at the sight of both Ashton and Jackson in the living room. It felt like we had gone back to the time before Macy died, back when the two of them were the most important people in my life.
Soon enough, the table was all set. Jackson and I sat opposite one another while Ashton sat in between both of me.
I looked at Jackson. He was just as calm and unruffled as ever. It was as if nothing had changed. What exactly did Ashton do to get Jackson to come over? I was really curious.
