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.
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