Jacob

What is there to say? I thought to myself as i sit on the edge of my bed. Nothing. There's nothing left to say. It was all said tonight, and I feel stupid for not seeing it all from the beginning.

"How are you doing?" I ask Zoe as she climbs into bed, turning her back to me.

"About what?" She pulls the blankets over herself, avoiding my gaze.

"About what?!? The hell that happened today?" I raise my voice, frustration boiling over.

"Well," Zoe starts, her tone sharp, "I can't believe Rachel never told you about Matty. For five years, Jacob. Five years! And you never told me about Rachel, but worse, you pretended that she was nothing to you when I got here."

"She's not. Not anymore. For years now," I insist, trying to convince both of us.

Zoe turns to face me, her eyes searching mine. Silence hangs between us as I wait for her to respond. "What?" I snap, irritated by the pause.

"This is how we're going to handle this," she says, sitting up, determination etched on her face. "You're going to tell my parents that you didn't know your ex-girlfriend had your child. While visiting your mom, she revealed to you that you have a son."

"It's exactly how it happened, Zoe! Why am I the one telling your parents?"

"Because it's not my mess. You fix this." Her voice rises, matching my anger.

"It's a kid, Zoe. You don't just fix kids. He's not a contract." I rub my face, the weight of the situation crashing down on me. He's my son.

"No, he's not a contract. But did you ever think that now Rachel might ask for child support? Especially with the TV show and the clothing line?"

"She's not like that, Zoe."

"Really? Because she managed to hide the identity of her child's father for five years." She crosses her arms, frustration radiating from her. "Look, I don't want to argue. She's the one who ruined our party and could ruin our marriage if she wanted to."

I stare at her, my heart sinking. "You're still going to marry me?" I ask, desperation creeping into my voice.

Zoe's tears fall silently. "I dont know yet. Despite this crazy shit, I still love you."

"But now it's different. I have Matty. He is my son. I have to co-parent with Rachel."

"From a distance. Yes, you have a son." Zoe looks down fidgeting with the blanket, " It's not what i expected, but we'll try tomake it work." Zoe leans into me, pressing her lips to mine. "I love you, Jacob Bridgestone, and no one's taking you away from me." She turns away, burying her face in the pillow. "Goodnight."

I sit up, staring at her, the mix of relief and fear flooding through me. "Goodnight."

I get up.

"Where are you going?" i hear Zoe's voice.

"Outside for fresh air. I can't sleep." I answer as i pull back the curtain and walk out the back door.

I walk down the porch stairs, pulling out my pack of smokes. I walk towards the dancefloor and light up my smoke. I inhale and exhale with such force, hoping it will relieve me for the feelings of confusion and pain.

I have a son. I say to myself. Flashes of memories of Matty in these last days fills my head like a movie. The way he smiles, the chats we've had. The scare of losing him to a bee sting. All of it crashes my head.

I... have... a son. My own boy. My body shivers with warmth. With Rachel. I chuckle. Holy fuck Jacob, I say to myself, Matty's your son. I'm a dad.

I smile. I'm going to be the best dad ever.