Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten. ~David Ogden Stiers
Third Person POV
*Three Years Later: Total of Eight*
"Papa! Papa!" A young child screamed in Ashton's sleeping ear.
"Ugh, what do you want Jake?" Ashton groaned as he opened his tired eyes.
"Where's daddy?" Jacob asked, he was only about four years old, but he sure did love his parents.
"I don't know, probably at work." Ashton sighed.
"But it's Saturday!" Jacob whined.
"Well sometimes daddy has to work!" Ashton snapped at his child. Watching Jacob duck his head and walk out. Ashton instantly felt guilty, but alas, he laid back down anyways.
Jacob entered the room a few minutes later. "Papa I'm hungry."
"Okay, Jake, go downstairs and wait in the kitchen." Ashton sighed, he waited until the door closed before pulling himself out of bed.
Lately, ever since Luke got premoted, Ashton and Jake had spent much of their time together since Luke was gone.
He was lonely, to say the least. And it was nearly suffocating to the couple because even when Luke did get home, he was too tired to want to do anything.
Ashton was deprived of his Luke.
Ashton eventually walked into the kitchen but was shocked to see Luke sitting there. A hand in his blonde locks. A dark brown bottle in the other.
"Luke?" Ashton asked.
"I found daddy," Jacob whispered. "But he won't talk to me."
"Luke?" Ashton said again, with more force. A pair of blue bloodshot eyes was raised up to Ashton while he sat in shock. "Jakey go to your room. I'll bring your breakfast to you."
"But papa - "
"Go." Ashton said, his teeth clenched.
"Okay.." Jacob mumbled as Ashton approached Luke.
"Before you ask me anything." Luke said quietly. "You should look at this." He passed Ashton a pink slip of paper.
"You were laid off.." Ashton mumbled. Before noticing something strange. "Luke, this was addressed to you a month ago. You were fired a month ago. Where have you been spending all your time?" To say Ashton was nervous was an understatement. More like petrified.
"Searching for the bottom of my next bottle." Luke sighed as he glanced at the glass bottle in his hand.
"You've been getting drunk? For a month?" Ashton said, wide eyed.
"Heh, yeah." Luke said, his voice hoarse.
"Why didn't you tell me you got laid off?" Ashton asked. "That's something I think I deserved to know."
"I know." Luke said. "I'm failing you as a husband and I'm failing Jacob as a father." Luke covered his face as he cried. "I'm going to be just like my father."
"Oh Luke.." Ashton said softly as he wrapped his arms around his body. "I promise you will never become that man. Jacob loves you a lot, you have to see that."
"I'm letting you both down." Luke choked.
"You're not letting me down, daddy." Jacob poked his head in the kitchen, walking towards the two. He climbed into Luke's chair and onto his lap. Wrapping his arms around Luke while Luke ran his hand over the dark brown hair, his arms tight around his son.
"Daddy why are you crying?" Jacob asked.
"I got fired." Luke said quietly, kissing the top of Jacob's head.
"What? Why? Daddy they're dumb to fire you!" Jacob gasped.
Luke cracked a smile. "Thanks Jake."
"I love you daddy so no crying." Jacob said as he stood on Luke's legs. "I like happy daddy and papa does too."
"You're right, I'm being silly, huh?" Luke asked his son.
"Little bit." Jake shrugged. "Now will someone make me breakfast?"
"Yeah I got it." Ashton sighed as he made the three breakfast. Luke sat while Jacob told him all about anything and everything. Luke listening attentively, smiling and nodding with Jacob's words.
"Here boys." Ashton set three plates of food down. Noticing the grimace on Luke's face. "Something wrong Luke?"
"Huh? O-Oh. N-No." Luke smiled as he sat Jacob in his own seat. Ashton and Jacob began to eat but Luke only poked at the food with the fork, giving it a look like it would eat Luke. Ashton immediately picked up on it, knowing exactly what this was.
"Luke." Ashton said forcefully, making the blonde jump. "Eat your breakfast."
"O-Okay.." Luke mumbled and began to place food in his mouth.
"So, I was thinking we should go out today." Ashton said. "Maybe we could go see if Jamie is home. Or Michael or Calum."
"Jamie! Jamie!" Jacob clapped his messy hands. Jamie had a few kids of her own, one of them was indeed Jacob's age and he loved playing with him.
"Okay, we'll go see Jamie but you need to clean up first." Ashton smiled. "You too Luke."
"Yeah! Daddy is messy!" Jacob smiled.
"Not as messy as you are." Luke smiled, hooping his suns nose before walking upstairs and going to change while Ashton took care of Jacob.
"Papa," Jacob said. Ashton turned his eyes to the boy. "How was I born if you and daddy are both boys?"
Ashton smiled. "We adopted you."
"'Adopted', what's that mean?" Jacob asked.
"Well, we're not your real parents. Someone else have birth to you, we just took you into our house. To raise you like our child." Ashton said.
"So..Why do I call you papa if you aren't my real papa?" Jacob asked.
"Because I'm legally and technically your papa." Ashton smiled as he patted Jacob's head.
The two were just being comfortable in each other's companies when they heard a sound almost like a..
"Is that a guitar?" Jacob asked.
"I..I think so.." Ashton said quietly. "Funny..Daddy's the only one here and he hasn't played in well, years."
Jacob sat in silence for a second. "It's very pretty."
"Daddy was always good with music, in school he took two music classes." Ashton said. "But he stopped playing after my mum died."
"Sh, listen." Jacob covered Ashton's mouth. "He's singing."
Ashton listened and could hear Luke singing the tune, but it was too quiet for him to recognize what it was.
"Sh, let's sneak up on daddy." Ashton smiled at Jacob and the creeped up the stairs.
However their sneaking didn't last too long when Jacob burst through the door, startling Luke.
"Daddy you're so good!" Jacob yelled as Luke set down the guitar.
"Thanks bud." Luke smiled and ruffled Jacob's hair. "Are we ready to go?"
Ashton nodded, taking Luke and Jacob to Jamie's house, Jamie opened the door. She was currently pregnant with her third child but it didn't show in the hoodie she was wearing.
"Hey boys!" Jamie smiles wide as she let them inside. "How are you Jake?"
"Good." Jake smiled. "Do you have a baby in your tummy still?"
"Yes." Jamie smiled as the four walked to the living room, sitting Jacob on her lap.
"I don't understand girls." Jacob said.
"What do you mean?" Jamie asked.
"Well, you're a nice girl, but there are weird girls and mean girls." Jacob shrugged. "You're complicated."
"Well let me tell you a thing about girls." Jamie said. "All they want is a nice guy, but not too nice. And a protective guy, but not obsessive. And a guy win a desire to be around them, but not too clingy. A guy who shares traits and a guy who thinks the opposite."
"That's expecting too much out of me." Jacob said, putting a hand up to silence Jamie.
"You asked!"
"I know and I regret it." Jacob smiled. "There's just this really cute girl in my class."
"Pre-kindergarten?" Jamie asked.
"Mhm, her name is Persephone, she's nice and pretty. But I want to make sure she likes me." Jacob said.
"Oh he's talking about Kara's girl." Luke said.
"That's adorable. I could gag!" Jamie smiled.
"Rude." Jacob scoffed.
"This is why we're family." Jamie smiled.
"We're a great family." Jacob smiles as he leaned into Jamie. "Daddy was sad earlier, but now he's happy."
"Uh..Yeah." Luke laughed nervously.
"What? Why?" Jamie asked.
"I got laid off." Luke shrugged, leaning back with arms folded keeping his head to the side.
"Oh Luke.." Jamie sighed. "I'm sure you'll find work elsewhere."
"I don't doubt that, it's just that we were financially set, now I'm not so sure." Luke said, running his hand through his hair.
"Well we're always here, Luke." Jamie smiled. Luke just gave her a slightly odd look. "Hey, you married my little brother, you founded my nephew, I'm going to take care of you."
"Me too." Ashton smiled and kissed Luke's cheek.
"Me three! Me three!" Jacob yelled as he ran over into Luke's lap, snuggling into him. "Forever and ever."
AUTHOR'S NOTIFICATION
Jacob though.
Lol hope you enjoyed! I'll put up the LAST EPILOGUE in like twenty minutes or so. Okay? :3
In the meantime.
Hugs, Kisses, Cuddles and Serenades xX