He watched her wife busy herself in the kitchen, fixing a nice dinner for them and a few guests. They had invited their close friends to join them, wanting to share the good news.
After consulting with their doctor, she assured them they had a healthy pregnancy. There was nothing to be concerned about in terms of their experience. Although the doctor still advised caution.
"Are you sure you don't want to do that?" He asked her, both excited and anxious for her.
Although she did not show signs of depression, the therapist reminded him to look for any indications. But she was doubtful that Jacky would succumb to despair again if she received emotional support from him and her friends.
Even Andy agreed to join them tonight for their grand revelation. However, he still could not get hold of his sister, who had been silent for a few days. He could not help but worry about her emotional state since Gerald's death.
"I can handle this, Marcus. You heard the doctor. I can do my routine. I just had to be more careful this ti." Jacky answered, giving him that sweet smile.
He could see that she was genuinely happy. What he felt reflected in her eyes. He guessed that should be good enough to make him relax. But still, the thought of his sister nagged at him.
He still had not heard from Alex about their investigation around Gerald's death. Did they hear from the investigator? Did they receive the result of the DNA tests?
He had been busy with Jacky's pregnancy that he had not thought of it until now. But he would ask about it later when his friends arrived to join them for dinner.
"I am happy that you are happy." He wrapped his arms around her waist but was careful not to hug her tightly. He did not want to hurt the baby if he pulled her too hard to him.
But he landed a soft kiss just on the top of her head before letting her go so he could help her with the table. He insisted that she should get an assistant that would be around when he was not, but that was still sothing they had to discuss further.
In the anti, he had to watch her, afraid that sothing would happen to her when he was not looking. Trauma could do that to a person. He could not stop second-guessing his actions when it ca to her well-being.
"Finish the table before they arrive." She reminded him as she closed the oven after pulling out the pot roast she had just finished baking.
He quickly moved to her side, seeing that the platter was heavy. He did not want her to exert too much effort or get involved in another accident. "Let take that." Carefully seizing it from her hands.
"Why don't you sit down and let finish this?" He suggested as he placed the dish on the counter to let it rest for a few minutes before he started plating. "Or better yet, why don't you finish fixing your hair and makeup? Andy will be here any minute." Reminding her.
He knew that would work since she always wanted to look great for her brother. After her trauma, she had seen Andy worried about her. But now, she wanted to show him she was fine and doing so much better.
He finished the rest of the preparation in the kitchen and dining area, even putting on a few candles and flowers to set the mood. Now, all they needed were for their guests to arrive. But it was still early. They still had a few more minutes.
"Jacky, are you done?" He shouted on the landing of the stairs, wondering what was taking her so long. But, of course, it was Jacky. She always had to look perfect.
Then, he heard the bell ring. That ant their first guest had arrived. Imdiately, he moved toward the door, answering it before it rang again. When he opened it, he was not surprised to see Andy on the other side.
"Hey, man. I am so happy you ca." He had beco close to Jacky's foster brother as they spent ti together. But the boy had a busy schedule, being an athlete and a straight-A student. Therefore, they could only see each other when both were not busy, like tonight.
"You know I will not miss a good free al." Andy jokingly said as he gave him a manly hug. "And I am starving."
"Damn! You are growing too fast, bigger and stronger." He comnted as he saw the changes in the skinny young boy in the picture Jacky had shown him before.
And it was also probably because of the care the boy received from his foster parents. In addition to the sport he joined. He heard the boy had excelled in it since he joined the team.
"Where is Jacky?" Andy asked as he looked over his shoulder, scanning the room for his sister.
"She is upstairs, getting ready. You know how she is." He implied, which Andy quickly picked up.
But Marcus would pick this Jacky over the Jacky who barely moved out of bed, took a shower, or combed her hair. He would never trade the Jacky he loved over anything else.
"I know. Should I go and get my beautiful sister?" Andy offered to help, which he gladly accepted.
But before he could move away from the door. The bell rang again. He knew who it could be even before he opened the door. And his guess was spot on as he saw his favorite couple standing outside his door.
"Hey, Marcus. What is this all about?" His best friend asked as he entered his house, followed by his wife.
"Hey, man. Hi, Dani." He also greeted the stunning woman standing beside his friend. "Let get your coats." He offered before showing them inside the house.
"Where is Jacky?" Dani hurriedly asked when she did not see her around the living room. "Is she in the kitchen?"
"No, she is still upstairs. Andy is with her right now." He inford them. "Can I offer you guys a drink while we wait?" Acting like a gracious host.
He was never good at it since they barely held parties or dinners in their new house. Usually, it was their friends who threw parties, not them.
He was only good at hosting poker night and other manly activities, where he would throw beers in the fridge and order boxes of pizzas. But, of course, that was not the sa as this.
"I will have one." Alex accepted his offer.
"Not . I am still breastfeeding." She explained.
"So, you have not answered my question. What is this dinner all about?" Alex took the drink he offered as they settled on the couch while waiting for his wife to co down.
"Can't we invite our friends to a nice dinner? It has been a while since we have done sothing like this." He reasoned, not wanting the surprise to get out of the bag, not just yet.
He wished to tell them about their big reveal when Jacky was with him. For now, they would have to settle for small talks. Suddenly, speaking of a topic nagging at him, he turned to his friends, deciding to ask them.
"Have you heard from the investigator? Did you get the results of the DNA?" He could not help but ask. Although he was directly related to Gerald, he still had a vested interest in the case since his sister had a close association with the dead man.
He wanted to know if he needed to be concerned for his sister, who seed to have disappeared from the phase of the earth. He was starting to think if he should hire his investigator to look for her.
He thought of going to his father to look for her, but his guts told him that he would not be of any help. He rembered that Haley had run away from him in the first place. Therefore, his father would probably be the last person to know where his sister was.
Suddenly, he felt his heart skip a beat, noticing how his friends looked at each other. They knew sothing that they were not telling him. He could sense it in their subtle interaction. They had been silently communicating.
"What is it?" He insisted, deciding that he had to push them to tell him.
"Well, we received the reports." Alex was the one who first answered him. It was like he chose his words carefully, afraid to say the wrong thing.
"Truthfully, we don't know if we should even tell you what the reports said about Gerald's death," Dani interjected, joining the conversation.
Now, all alarms started sounding in his head. He did not like where their conversation was going. But before they could talk more about it, Jacky and Andy greeted them as they descended the stairs.
"Can we talk about this more later, privately?" He told his two friends, not wanting to let Jacky hear the topic.
The last thing he wanted was for his wife to hear that there was sothing more to worry about. Jacky had beco close to Haley. She did not want her to think sothing was wrong with his sister.
Not when things were only getting better for her.
"Sure." His friends imdiately greeted his wife, understanding what he ant. They kept silent about the situation and discussed everything except Gerald and Haley.
For now, they would have to settle for dinner and the revelation to the soon-to-be new mber of their growing family.
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