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4 - Jacob

**A WEEK LATER**

**ANDY POV**

Jacob and I walked into the burger joint and took a seat in the booth. Mel still wasn't home, and I wasn't the best cook so us eating out was really the only option we had. I told Mel I had the vasectomy reversed, she didn't even give me a response, she just up and left dinner that night after telling Jacob she wasn't feeling well. I thought this was what she would want to hear but now she was seeming to be shocked.

We quickly ordered our food and then just sat waiting. Jacob had been silent recently and I wasn't sure as to why.

"What's going on Jake?" I asked.

Silence.

"Jake..." I said using my dad voice and he finally turned his head to look at me.

"When is Mel coming home?" Jacob asked. This question actually hurt me because I had no clue.

"I don't know, we haven't talked about it."

"Do you think you could apologize for whatever you did and make her come home. I miss her." Jacob said.

"Hey, why does this always have to be on me?" I asked.

"Because let's face it dad, the hurt she has on her face whenever she looks at you isn't because of something she did." Jacob said.

I hated to admit he was right, I couldn't get that hurt look to stop haunting my nightmares every night when I closed my eyes and slept in our bed we used to sleep in together.

"Jacob, please just stop okay. You don't want to get into this. I'm trying to work it out with Mel and once I do everything will be fine." I said.

"Did you cheat on her? I have seen some of those paralegals at the courthouse or who come to your office...you weren't that stupid were you?" Jacob accused.

"What?! No! I would never cheat on Mel. I love Mel too much to even look at another woman." I said.

"Then what?! What could you have possibly done to make her this mad?" Jacob asked.

"Jake, come on..."

"DAD!" Jacob semi yelled and people looked.

"Stop! Act like the adult you think you are. Do you really want to know?" I asked.

"Yes, I want to know why Mel won't come home." Jacob said.

I looked down at the table and I knew not to lie to him, he needed to know the truth.

"I lied to her."

"Lied to her? I mean don't people tell little white lies in marriage sometimes?" Jacob asked and I sighed.

"Little white lies are never good Jake, especially in marriage. But no the lie I told was a huge lie, life changing, life altering lie."

"What happened?"

"So right before your trial and things were kind of up in the air with your mom and I...I was worried something would happen, so I went ahead and had a vasectomy -..." I started off saying. Jacob shifted a little in his seat and I had to give a little smirk.

"Okay so..."

"So, when I met Mel and we got married she started talking about wanting a baby. I wanted to give her one so bad knowing she wanted to be a mother. Well, I never knew a good time to tell her that I had the surgery and for a year I let her think it could happen. She spent time and effort going to doctors, taking tests, being heartbroken every time it was negative, taking the pills, getting the shots...all of it. When it was me the whole time and I never said anything. Finally, a few weeks ago after another round of nothing and me having an appointment with a doctor that I knew I wouldn't be going to I had to come clean." I explained.

Jacob just sat there in shock the entire time. He didn't know what else to do, he didn't know what else to say.

"So, for a year, you never found a good time to just tell her that you trying to get her pregnant was never going to work? You couldn't think of anytime?!" Jacob snapped.

"Jacob please..."

"No! You weren't there when she was drinking that horrible green smoothy shit before you would get in the kitchen in the morning because the doctor told her it could help. You weren't there when everyone else was having babies or bringing babies around and she had to stand there and just smile. You didn't even care about her feelings! No wonder she left you." Jacob said.

I couldn't even get mad at him for what he said because I didn't blame her either.

"You know, when you and mom decided to divorce, I didn't like it but I knew something better was coming. When Mel entered our lives, I didn't even know what to expect but she was amazing. She knew she couldn't take the place of mom, but I look at Mel as my mom more than my own. She loves me and cares for me more than mom ever did. Now though dad, you have ruined it with Mel, and she probably isn't even coming back." Jacob said.

The food was brought to the table, so we stopped talking and I just sighed.

"She will come back Jake. She just needs to figure out some things. I put the ball in her court when I told her I got the vasectomy reversed."

"YOU WHAT?!" Jacob yelled again and I groaned as people looked again.

"Jake!" I snapped.

"You seriously got it done and then just told her?! No wonder she isn't back! You could have had it done right before or after you guys got married! You could have had it done anytime within this year but yet you wait until shit hits the fan and then you get it done?! Wow!" Jacob said.

Jacob nudged his food plate away and just leaned back crossing his arms.

"Eat Jake." I said.

"I'm not hungry." Jacob said looking down at the table.

"Jake..."

"I gotta go." Jacob said and quickly walked out of the burger place. I threw money down on the table and rushed out.

"JACOB!" I yelled after him as he just kept walking.

"Leave me alone dad! You may have ruined everything good in our lives! I need time!" Jacob yelled back and I stopped walking.

I had lost my wife and now I was losing my son.

**MEL POV**

I was sitting at the same kitchen table at my parents' house going over some files of parents to pair kids with when there was a knock on the door.

I looked at the time and it was almost 8 o' clock.

"I got it!" My dad, Erik said.

I went back to working until I noticed someone standing in the doorway to the kitchen and I looked up to see Jacob standing there with my dad.

"Jake?" I asked in shock. He rushed over and hugged me and wouldn't let go right away.