Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

JILL

“ W hat is going on?” Lily said openly, turning to look at her as she stood there looking out the windows of the living room near the fireplace, watching her beloved husband walk off in a huff.

“What got his knickers in a twist?” Lena said in disbelief, looking at all their faces before landing on Jill’s. “Is he mad?”

“His knickers stay twisted…” Juliet muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Doesn’t it make it uncomfortable for him to walk?” Lyndsey said jokingly, pulling out a chair and sitting down brightly before holding up a hand. “Hi, strangers – I’m Lyndsey, your newest addition to the ol’ proverbial flock.”

“Forget the knickers. The stick up his butt makes it much worse,” Ortega chuckled. “Can you pass me another roll, Logan?”

“Lyndsey is closer to the basket.”

“Dude, the new chick referred to us a ‘flock’ – and with Houghton’s sour attitude, he certainly ain’t getting…”

“Uh-huh,” Lena barked out, holding up her finger. “Don’t say it, Jake. Children are present and would not appreciate your delightful play on words. Just leave that one alone… for me.”

“Anything for you, Baaaaaa -by,” Jake mocked in obvious delight, causing an uncomfortable ripple of laughter around the table.

“The new chick is capable of passing the rolls, Potty Mouth,” Lyndsey quipped, causing Griffin to lift an eyebrow as he pointed at Ortega – who mockingly pointed back at him, giving him the same expression.

“Where’s Panic?”

“At the disco?” Logan retorted as Juliet choked beside him – but Jill saw Lyndsey hold up a hand and high-five the man over the table for the joke. “Sorry, Jules – it was just too easy.”

“Panic is living up to his name and decided to skip attending dinner,” Lyndsey said simply, pointing at a bowl. “Can you pass me the green beans – and by the way, that was brilliant, mister.”

“Logan,” he corrected. “Nice to meet someone who appreciates good music.”

“Oh boy,” John muttered. “Here we go…”

“Music? Music?” Ortega retorted, “Lemme tell you about some music…”

“I like Sleeping Beauty’s song,” Rose, John’s daughter, chimed in openly in a high-pitched voice that had everyone turn to look at the little girl. Ortega’s entire face softened as he leaned toward the little girl, smiling and began humming.

“Is it that one?” Ortega asked – and Jill realized that no matter the gruff, tough exterior front that these guys put up, they were all the same when it came to family.

Rose nodded happily – and then looked at her daddy. John rolled his eyes dramatically but got up from his seat, scooping up the little girl as his wife looked on, laughing softly. John carried Rose into the living room and began to waltz with his daughter in his arms as she continued humming her ‘favorite song.’

Lena leaned her chin on Ortega’s shoulder as the two shared a tender look. Juliet and Logan shared a smile, and even Lyndsey looked enchanted at the simplicity of a daddy showing affection for his child, who obviously meant the world to him.

But her sweet Babe had left.

Jill drew in her breath to keep from crying at how unfair all of this was – but this garbage going on wasn’t going to continue either. Houghton was about to have a ‘come-to-Jesus’ discussion with her, and she was going to set him straight on a few things that needed to change immediately.

After dinner, Jill was washing the dishes and putting away the food with Lily, Lena, Juliet, and Lyndsey – only to hear a distinct clearing of the throat behind the five women coming from the doorway.

“Ladies, with me,” Juliet ordered, grabbing Lyndsey and Lena by the wrists as Lily followed without hesitation, almost like it was choreographed. Logan and John stood in the doorway, looking at Jill. Both men were shoulder to shoulder; arms crossed over their chests with sympathetic knowing looks on their faces.

“You can’t be hungry,” Jill said simply, looking away from them and busying herself. “If you are, just get something from the pantry to…”

“Jill,” Logan said quietly. “We’ve known each other for years, and I think you know better than to assume I came back for seconds or thirds of dinner.”

“You were always a beanpole.”

“And you were always impatient,” Logan retorted softly, causing her to whirl around as her eyes stung and a lump in her throat nearly choked her.

“Impatient? Impatient! Don’t you even start with any of that prattle…”

“We know,” John interrupted simply, smiling at her.

“We both know,” Logan added. “But you’ve got to trust him and give him a moment to work things out in his head.”

“There’s nothing to work out,” Jill said, hating the fact that it came out in a sob as she looked at her husband’s two best friends. “I’m pregnant at forty years old. After all this time, all these years, God has blessed us with a child and… and my husband isn’t happy about it.”

“He’s beyond happy, Jill,” Logan replied. “I promise you that. He couldn’t help but share the news because he was so ecstatic about the baby – but you need to trust him, trust in your commitment to each other, because I can tell you that man is tearing himself up over things – but it will work itself out if you have patience.”

“Why?” she snapped hotly. “Why should I sit here patiently and keep getting pushed away when all he does is run every time I look at him sideways…”

“Jill, he loves you,” John answered. “That man was always talking about you when we could get him to open up overseas. He doesn’t say much, and when he does, half the time it sounds like he’s griping, but you are – what’d he call her that night that we teased him, Logan?”

“Oh yeah,” Logan chuckled as the two men shared a grin before looking at Jill where she stood waiting. “He said you were ‘ his moon, his stars, and his entire universe… and without you there was nothing ’. We teased him for being a romantic twat… and he punched me.”

“He split my lip,” John added, chuckling.

“My sweet Babe said that?” Jill whispered, stunned.

“He did.”

“More than once.”

“Just be patient with him – and trust in his love for you. I promise everything will be okay. If you know him, then you know everything has a place, a specific way of things to be done, a certain time, and if someone messes with his things?”

“Then he feels like he needs to fix it,” she answered softly. “I messed with something, didn’t I?”

“In the best way possible, my friend,” Logan replied softly, holding out his arms and stepping forward to hug her. Jill turned easily to her friend, fighting back the tears as John joined in, hugging the both of them.

“It’s gonna be okay, Jill,” John promised.

“Hey! Can anyone hop in this ‘Hug-A-Thon’…” Ortega said from the doorway glibly – and she was nearly bowled over as Logan stumbled where he was holding her. Ortega had barrelled into the trio and was now at her back, hugging her. “Congrats, little Mama…” And Jill laughed tearfully, realizing that her husband had told Ortega about the baby too.

Maybe they were right about Houghton being happy. Maybe they were right about everything , and she needed to rely on that silent strength that had gotten her through so many years of loneliness. If she could be strong for her marriage then, she needed to be that way now.

“Friendship, trust, and understanding,” Logan murmured, kissing her on the forehead. “Hold onto that because it’s the best motto from a friend I truly admire – but don’t tell Jules I said that,” he finished, chuckling as they all laughed quietly, the four of them hugging in the kitchen like this was normal.

None of it was normal, but it was beautiful. God had blessed their marriage with a child after all this time; there had to be a reason it was happening now, at this point in their lives, when their closest friends and ‘family’ were here to celebrate with them.

“Daddeeeee!” Rose’s high-pitched voice came from the other room. “Come dance with me!”

“Duty calls,” John chuckled softly – and slapped Ortega on the shoulder. “Get ready, your turn is coming.”

“Nuh-uh, I’m gonna have a boy so I can play Hot Wheels with him.”

“Whatever…”

Logan chuckled as the two men walked back into the other room, and he smiled at her.

“Are you okay?”

“I am,” she nodded and then hesitated, smiling. “I wonder if his mother put ‘the curse’ on him when he was younger?”

“The ‘ your kid is going to be twice as bad as you were’ curse?” Logan laughed easily. “I hope for Lena’s sake she didn’t.”

“Me too.”