by Andria Large
Jayme nodded. “I know. I just figured I’d be buying it all myself.”
“Nope!”
Jayme chuckled, then moved through the crowd to say hi to everyone. He watched the man he loved as he laughed, shook hands, and hugged people. Jayme then went over and looked at the table where the cake was set up. Jayme looked at it, then turned to look at him.
“You even got a cake?” Jayme asked with a smirk.
“It was go big or go home, Man.”
Jayme barked out a laugh, then went over to look at all the gifts. He figured since it was an all guy party, that he wouldn’t make them wrap their presents. Plus, what guy wanted to sit there and watch another guy unwrap gifts? None of them, that’s who. Everything was unwrapped, except for maybe a bow or two.
Jayme shook his head, then looked out at the crowd of men. “This is incredible. I really appreciate this.” His gaze then met Tripp’s, and only an idiot wouldn’t have seen all the love and affection pouring out of it. Shit, the guys from work might find out about them sooner, rather than later.
They spent the next couple hours talking and drinking. He made them play a couple games, like: don’t say baby, and baby word unscramble. There were a lot of laughs, and Jayme seemed to be having a great time. They ate dinner, and then the cake was cut up and handed out.
Before they knew it, the night was over, and the crowd started thinning out. They were down to Jayme’s family, Will, and Matt. He was clearing off one of the tables, when Jayme came up next to him; and wrapped his arms around Tripp’s waist. He straightened, and turned to drape his arms around Jayme’s neck. Jayme leaned in and kissed him.
“I fucking knew it!” Matt yelled.
He smiled against Jayme lips, before turning to find Matt charging toward them.
“You assholes! Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Matt demanded, thrusting his hands on his hips.
“Like you didn’t know. You can’t tell me your wife hasn’t talked to Mallory about it,” Jayme said. “Mallory tells her everything.”
“Well, yeah, but I thought Mallory was just being pissy about you living with Tripp. I didn’t know you guys were actually a thing.”
“We’re a very serious thing, and if you don’t mind; We'd like for you to keep it to yourself. We don’t want it to get back to the Captain. He’d probably split us up at work.”
“Probably.” Matt nodded. “Fine. I won’t tell anyone,” he said begrudgingly.
He looked to Will, who made the motion for sealing his lips and throwing away the key. He smiled, and gave him a nod.
“Hey guys, we’re heading out,” Seamus said, as he and Mitch stopped next to them.
“Thanks for coming,” he said, and gave them both a hug.
“Thanks for doing this, it was fun,” Seamus said.
He then hugged Jayme, waited for Mitch to hug him too; then they left. Ian and his dad, Callen, helped Jayme get all the big presents, like the pack-n-play, stroller, and the swing into his truck; before they left too. Matt and Will helped clean up and take down the decorations, before they headed out. He and Jayme took care of packing up the rest of the food and cake, then they left to go home themselves.
Once the food was in the fridge, and the presents piled in the living room; they both flopped down on the couch with a sigh.
“That was great. Thank you very much,” Jayme said sincerely. He took Tripp’s hand, and kissed the back of it.
“You’re welcome, Baby. I’m glad you had a good time. Were you really surprised?”
“Yes. I had no idea.”
“Good.”
“Are you gonna let me take advantage of you tonight?”
“When have I not let you take advantage of me?” He chuckled.
“True. Come on. I want to properly thank you for my party.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They both dragged themselves off the couch and headed up to their room.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Tripp
THEY GOT the call half way through their shift on Wednesday, January 30th. She was a couple days past her due date, but her water finally broke. Tripp dropped Jayme off at home so he could quick get changed, and then race to the hospital. He had to finish out the day, before he could go over to the hospital to see the baby. Jayme called him right as he walked in the door after his shift to tell him that the baby was there, and he was beautiful.
He got to the hospital about a half hour later. He went to the room number that Jayme told him, and knocked on the door before peeking his head in. The sight before him was something he’d never forget. Jayme was sitting in a rocking chair, holding his son, staring down at him in awe.
He said hi to Mallory, before walking over to stand next to Jayme. He leaned over and looked at the gorgeous baby in his arms. Jayme turned, and smiled up at him.
“You want to hold him?”
“Yeah, can I?”
“Sure.”
Jayme stood, and handed the baby carefully off to him. He looked down at the little bundle in his arms, the love immediate. He had felt it with his nephew too. They are such a huge part of your life in an instant.
“What’s his name?” he asked.
“Logan,” Jayme says.
“Nice. I like it.”
“Thanks. Mallory let me pick.”
He was only there for maybe fifteen minutes, when Brendan walked in. He knew from the look on Brendan’s face that something was wrong. He had a paper in his hand, and dread pooled in Tripp’s stomach.
“Brendan,” Jayme said in greeting.
“Hey, Jayme. Tripp.”
Tripp gave him a nod. “What’s up?”
“Jayme, I...I found something that you should see,” Brendan said, and held out the piece of paper to Jayme.
Jayme took it and looked it over. His brows cranked down, and he frowned hard. “What the fuck is this?”
“Where’d you find that?” Mallory hissed.
“It was on the kitchen counter, under some mail,” Brendan answered coldly.
“Jayme Flanagan, Mallory Flanagan...Test results show that Jayme Flanagan is excluded as the biological father...am I...not the father? Mallory? What the fuck is this?!” Jayme barked and shook the paper at her.
“Ugh. No, you’re not the father. I printed out a fake test result online. Brendan’s the dad.”
The pain and devastation on Jayme’s face had Tripp’s heart shattering into a million pieces.
“Why? Why would you do this to me?” Jayme croaked.
“I told you, you’d regret leaving me. I wanted to show you that you could want to have a baby, and we could have done it together; if you weren’t fucking hard-headed and stubborn about it,” she said.
“How long were you going to wait before telling me that Logan isn’t mine?”
“I don’t know. I hadn’t planned it out yet. And I’m changing his name. I hate Logan.”
If Tripp wasn’t holding the baby, he’d have strangled her. Jayme pursed his lips and nodded. He then tossed the paper on the bed, and calmly walked out of the room. Tripp was livid. What kind of person did this to another human being?
“Mallory, that was horrible. It was a seriously fucked up thing to do to someone. What’s wrong with you? You know what? If that’s my baby, I’ll help take care of him; but we’re done. And I want a paternity test, because I don’t know if I can trust you,” Brendan said, the hurt clear in his tone.
“Brendan, don’t be ridiculous--“
“No. It’s not ridiculous. You’re the one who’s ridiculous. I can’t believe you did that to Jayme.”
“What do you care? He doesn’t even like you anymore.” She scoffed.
“You’re a bitch. I don’t know what I ever saw in you. I fucked up a good friendship because of you.”
“You can’t just leave me to raise this baby on my own.”
“I told you, IF it’s mine, I’ll help you; but I don’t want to be with you after this. I never thought you could be
that rotten and manipulative. I don’t want a girlfriend like that.”
“But Brendan--“
“Just stop. There’s nothing left to talk about.”
She rolled her eyes, then looked at Tripp. “Can I have my baby back?”
Tripp walked over and handed Mallory the baby. He leaned in close, making sure she was looking at him. “You’re going to wish you never met me.” He snarled.
Uncertainty and a little bit a fear flashed in her eyes. Good. He’d get her back for this. He didn’t know how or when, but he was going to ruin her life for what she did to Jayme. He said a quick goodbye to Brendan, then left. Jayme’s truck was gone, he assumed he went home.
When he got there, he walked into a quiet house. Jayme’s truck was there, but there were no signs of him. He checked the kitchen, before going upstairs. He found Jayme in his old room, which they had converted into the nursery; leaning on the rail of the crib with his head hanging.
“Hey,” he said quietly.
A sob broke out of Jayme, and he covered his mouth with one hand. Tripp rushed over and gathered him up in his arms. Jayme’s shoulders shook as he cried. He hugged him tight.
“How could she...do this to me?” Jayme said between sobs.
“Because she’s an evil cunt. But you listen to me...” he said, and grabbed Jayme by his shoulders so that they could look at each other. His eyes welled, and his bottom lip trembled as he talked. The devastation on Jayme’s face was killing him. “...We can still have a baby. We’ll adopt or find a surrogate. We can still do this. You and me. If that’s what you want.”
He swiped at the tears pouring down Jayme’s face. “You would want that?” Jayme asked.
Tripp smiled as his own tears slipped down his face. “With you? Yes. I’d want that.”
“I can’t handle it right now...”
“It doesn’t have to be right away, Love. It can be a year, two years from now; but know that we can do it on our own. We don’t need her. We’ll find a surrogate and have our own baby that’s both of ours.”
Jayme nodded. “Okay.”
“Everything’s going to be okay. I promise. Just...forget about Mallory. We’ll do this without her in our lives. It’ll be better this way. We don’t ever have to see her again.”
Jayme nodded again. Tripp pulled him back into a hug and just held him until he stopped crying. Jayme then wanted to be alone for a little while, he left him in the nursery and went downstairs to give him some space.
About a half hour later, Jayme came down with his ringing phone in his hand. He handed it to Tripp.
“I can’t tell them. Can you please talk to them? They keep calling me,” Jayme said softly.
He looked at the screen to see that it was Jayme’s mom, Mary. “Yeah, sure.”
“Thanks,” Jayme replied, and went back upstairs.
Tripp answered the phone. It was torture to tell Jayme’s family what had happened, and that Jayme wasn’t in the position to talk right now. They were sad and hurt, obviously, but they understood that Jayme wanted space and time to process what had happened.
He made dinner, then went upstairs to check on Jayme. Jayme was sitting in the glider in the nursery rocking slightly, staring off at nothing. He went over and smoothed his hand over his short auburn hair.
“Hey, babe. I made dinner, you want to come eat?”
Jayme shook his head. “I’m not hungry,” he murmured.
He sighed. “All right. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
“Thanks,” Jayme whispered.
He went back downstairs and ate by himself. He hated seeing Jayme like this. He wished there were more he could do, but he didn’t know what. He felt helpless. He was hurt too. The love he felt for the baby got torn away. It was painful. He couldn’t imagine how Jayme must be feeling. The loss is immense. He was in mourning.
Later that night, he locked up and shut out all the lights; then headed up to bed. Jayme was already in bed, lying on his side; his back to the door. Tripp wasn’t sure if he was sleeping or not, he quietly got ready for bed; and slipped under the covers. Jayme didn’t budge. He didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know if Jayme wanted comfort or space; he laid on his back and tried to fall asleep. A few minutes later, Jayme rolled over; and snuggled against his side. He inwardly sighed in relief, then tried his best to fall asleep. It was hard when the day kept replaying in his head.
~~~
Tripp
Jayme called out of work for the rest of the week. He hadn’t eaten anything and had mostly stayed in bed all day. Tripp was getting tired of it. He understood that he was mourning the loss of a baby that he thought was his for nine months, but he couldn’t live like this, it wasn’t healthy.
He got home from work that Friday and went up in their room to get changed; and found Jayme still in bed, in the same clothes he was in on Wednesday. He got changed out of his uniform, then went to Jayme’s side of the bed and sat down next to him.
“Jayme. It’s time to get out of this bed. You need a shower, a change of clothes, and you need to eat.”
“I don’t want to,” Jayme murmured in return.
“This is getting out of hand now. I understand how devastated you are, but you can’t live like this. You’re falling into a depression.”
“I don’t care.”
“Well, I do. Now, come on, get up. Get in the shower.”
He got up and tore the covers off, then grabbed Jayme’s arm and dragged him into a sitting position on the edge of the bed.
“Tripp leave me alone,” Jayme said, and slapped his hands away.
“I will not. If you don’t pull yourself out of this funk, I’m gonna be forced to take you to the VA. Is that what you want?”
“No.”
“Then get moving. Shower, then come downstairs and you can eat.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“I don’t care. You’re going to eat anyway.”
“You’re being a dick.”
“Oh well, I guess that’s what you need right now.”
He waited until Jayme trudged into the bathroom and turned on the shower, before going downstairs. He had set up the crock pot that morning with chicken soup. The house smelled delicious. His stomach rumbled. He was hungry, but he was going to wait for Jayme before digging in.
Fifteen minutes later, Jayme shuffled into the kitchen in a fresh pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. His hair was still damp. Even though he spent most of the past couple days in bed, he had dark circles under his eyes.
“There, don’t you feel a little better now that you showered?”
Jayme shrugged. “I guess.”
“Sit down. I made chicken soup.”
Jayme sat at the table and waited while Tripp got them each a bowl of soup. He brought it over to the table and put one in front of Jayme. He set a spoon down next to it, then sat down adjacent to Jayme at the head of the table. Jayme stared at the bowl of soup for far too long.
“Eat,” he snapped.
Jayme jolted in his seat, his eyes flicking over to Tripp for a moment; before he picked up the spoon and started eating. Once he started, he ended up finishing before Tripp. Apparently, he was hungry. Asshole.
“Do you want more?” he asked.
Jayme nodded.
“Good. I’ll get it.”
He got up and got Jayme another bowl of soup. He set it down in front of him, and Jayme started eating right away. He hoped that he was doing the right thing. Jayme already had problems with PTSD and anxiety. He no doubt could easily fall into a deep depression if Tripp wasn’t vigilant and forced him to take care of himself.
“Have you taken your medicine?” he asked, knowing that the answer was probably no.
Jayme shook his head. “No.”
“You’re going to take it when your done eating.”
“Okay.”
Jayme finished his second bowl of soup, then got up to go take his medicine. When he came back into the kitchen, he grabbed his bow
l; and took it to the sink, where he rinsed it and put it in the dishwasher. He then sat back down at the table and rested his head in his hands.
“Jayme, I know you’re devastated. I’m hurting too. I don’t know what to do to help you though. I just know you can’t keep this up.”
Jayme shook his head which was still in his hands. “I didn’t even think about how this whole thing impacted you. I’m sorry.”
“If you think for one second, I didn’t fall in love with that baby the moment I laid eyes on him, you’re fucking crazy.”
Jayme lifted his head and met Tripp’s gaze. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been selfish, and only thinking about myself the past couple days.”
“It’s okay. I understand, but I want you to start moving forward. Life is still here, and you still have to live it.”
“Yeah. You’re right. I’m wallowing. I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing. All I ask is for you to come back to me. I want my Jayme back.”
One side of Jayme’s mouth lifted, as he reached across the table and took Tripp’s hand. “Okay. I’ll try.”
“Thank you.”
“I never thought someone could hurt me as much as she did.”
“She’s a fucking asshole. Karma will get her.”
“In a way, I’m kinda glad that I’m not tied to her forever; but I didn’t want it to happen this way. I was ready to be a father, and she tore it away because she wanted to teach me a lesson.”
“It was totally fucked up. But, yeah, you dodged a bullet. Now poor Brendan might be stuck with her forever. I’m glad he asked for a paternity test, who knows how many guys she’s been sleeping with.”
"Yeah. For real."
“Come on, why don’t we go out. It’s Friday night, let’s go to Rain; get drunk, and dance.”
“Ehhh, I don’t know if I’m ready for all that.” Jayme ran his hand over his short hair, then rubbed the back of his neck.
“How about just the bar then? We can sit there and relax.”
Jayme nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay.”
“Sweet. Let’s at least put on a pair of jeans first.” he chuckled.
“Okay.”
They both went upstairs and changed into jeans. Tripp drove them to the bar. He figured Jayme deserved to get drunk if he wanted to. They walked in and found an empty table. The waitress came around a couple minutes later and took their drink order.
