Later that afternoon, Kat was standing on the sidewalk outside The World building, waiting for a cab. She had just turned in her latest article and Jack was covering an event several blocks away. They had agreed to meet at a restaurant near his location for a late lunch. It was fancier than Jacobi's, but he liked it well enough. She smiled in memory of their first visit there. He'd been convinced someone would announce to everyone that he was a fraud. When that didn't happen, he relaxed somewhat and began to be more open to new experiences in places Kat grown up in and around.
"Ma!"
Her reverie was broken by a familiar voice. She looked around and saw Romeo just in time to keep from being knocked down as he threw his arms around her waist. She laughed in delight as she returned his embrace. "What are you doing here?"
He stepped back and looked adoringly up at her. "I's done sellin' papes and been hangin' out here to see if you or Jack was workin' today."
She smoothed his hair out of his eyes. "Why didn't you come inside? Anyone could have told you where I was."
He cast a nervous glance at the front door. "They don't let newsies go inside."
"Well, we'll just have to fix that, now won't we?" she asked in a determined voice. She held her hand out. "Want to see where I work?"
"Really?" he asked in anticipation as he took her hand.
"Yup," she confirmed and led him inside.
The first person they saw was the guard at the desk in the front lobby. Romeo trembled nervously as Kat took him straight to the desk. "Hello, John."
He cast a suspicious eye at Romeo but only nodded in greeting.
Kat draped a protective arm over Romeo's shoulder as he backed into her. "John, this is my son, Romeo. I'm going to show him where Jack and I work. Please add him to the list of approved guests so he can come and see us anytime he pleases."
John pulled out a large book, but didn't open it. "Your son, Miss Pulitzer?" he inquired dubiously.
"It's Mrs. Kelly, John," she reminded him. "And, yes, Romeo is my son. He is not to be denied entry to this building when he wishes to visit either Jack or me," she repeated sternly.
"Yes, ma'am," John opened to a page with her name at the top and slowly wrote 'Romeo Kelly–son' on it.
"While you're at it, I have a few more names to add." She gave him the names of the other boys, Charles, Greta, and Annie, and had him add the same list under Jack's name.
He did as she asked, but slowly, casting suspicious glances at Romeo the whole time. She knew her father would hear of this before the day was out. She sighed. She'd hoped to keep their little newly-found-family bubble from popping quite so soon. She loved her father, but he could be exasperating.
John finished the last entry and closed the book with a soft thud, glaring at Romeo, who softly whimpered and hid behind Kat.
"Thank you, John," she said coldly. She reached behind her for Romeo's hand, shielding him from John's hostile gaze with her body. "Shall we go?"
"Ummm, yeah?"
"Would you like to see where I work first? Or Jack's desk?"
"We's really goin' in?" he asked in wonder, looking around the ornate lobby with awe.
She chuckled. "Of course. Come on. My desk first," and she led him to the bank of elevators where she let him punch the button to take them to the third floor.
He was excited but nervous as they wended their way through the busy newsroom to her desk beside a large window. He was fascinated by the typewriter and she let him play with it for a few minutes before asking if he was ready to go to Jack's desk.
"Yeah!" he hopped down off her chair.
She checked the time before they left. "Hold on, kiddo. I need to meet Jack in a little bit. Do you want to go home for lunch or eat with us?"
"I can stay with you?"
"Of course."
"OK!" he beamed.
"Let's call Greta so she doesn't worry about you."
"How's she gonna hear ya?"
"We'll use the phone, silly."
"The phone?" His eyes widened.
"Yeah, right here." She guided him to a table of phones in the middle of the newsroom. She showed him how to use one and how to ask the operator for a connection to the phone at home.
"Me? Ya wants me to do it?"
"Sure," she encouraged. "It isn't hard."
He took a deep breath and went through the steps she'd shown him. "Greta?" he tentatively inquired when his call was answered on the other end. He almost dropped the phone. "Ma! It's Greta!"
"Yes, I know!" she laughed.
"Greta! I's talkin' on a phone!"
Kat laughed even harder and ruffled his hair. "She knows, sweetie. Tell her about lunch."
As Romeo prattled on about his day to Greta, Lydia Walker, another reporter, sauntered over and stood next to Kat.
"Ma?" she inquired in amusement.
Kat just smiled, keeping her attention focused on Romeo.
"Got a thing for urchins, haven't you?"
Romeo's call ended just then and he heard her comment. He backed nervously into Kat even while glaring at Lydia.
Kat again draped a protective arm over his shoulder. He held on to her hand with both of his. "Romeo, this is Miss Walker, one of the people I work with. Lydia, this is my son, Romeo." Her gaze dared Lydia to say anything smart.
Lydia seemed to choke on her own tongue. Kat was friendly and easy-going, but definitely someone she did not want to anger. No matter who she'd married, she was still a Pulitzer. So she pasted on a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Romeo. Aren't you a handsome...um...boy?"
"Thank you," Kat answered for him. "And now, if you'll excuse us." Keeping Romeo in front of her, she guided him back out to the elevators. "Jack's office is on the fifth floor," she told him.
He pressed the button and eagerly danced until the elevator opened and he could tell the attendant which floor to go to. He was quiet on the ride up, but when they were in the hall, he asked, "Was that a mean lady?"
"No, sweetie. She was just surprised when you called me 'Ma,' that's all."
"But why?"
"Because she knows I don't really have any children."
"But you gots us?"
She knelt in front of him in the middle of the busy hallway. "You know I do. But you also know I'm not the mother who gave birth to you."
He nodded.
"I'd have had to be six or seven when you were born, and that's way too young for a little girl to have a baby, right?"
He giggled.
"That's why she was surprised. And it will surprise many more people. But you know what?"
"What?"
"It's OK if they're surprised. It would be kind of weird if they weren't. Some people will be nice about it and some people won't be. All you need to do is shrug and go on, because I am the mother in your heart, and that's all that counts. We decided that's how it should be, so that's how it is. It works for you and it works for me–"
"And for Jack?"
"Yes, and it works for Jack. And if you stop and think about it, those are the only people who matter when it comes to this, right?"
"Yeah." He pondered her words for a long moment. "So, folks'll think it's weird, but it's OK 'cause you's still my Ma, right?"
She hugged him tightly. "Yes. Absolutely. I'm your mother forever, Romeo."
"Good," she heard him whisper in relief before he pulled away. "Can we go see Jack now?"
She stood and took his hand again. "Jack's not actually here right now, but I'll show you where he works. Then we'll go meet him for lunch."
"OK.
Jack's office of cartoonists and illustrators wasn't nearly so busy or large as the newsroom where Kat worked, though it could get loud when the men exchanged differences of opinion on nearly every subject under the sun. With it being Friday afternoon, the office was empty and quiet.
Romeo loved Jack's desk with all its pens, pencils, and endless supplies of paper.
"Look," Kat opened a drawer and pulled out a tablet. "This is my favorite thing here." She sat in Jack's chair and pulled Romeo to stand next to her. She set the tablet in front of him and opened to the first page.
"Oh, hey! That's you!" he exclaimed and pulled the tablet closer. It was her, as Jack first remembered seeing her, on the eve of the strike. There followed several more drawings of her, then, "That's Race and Albert!" Jack had captured them in a light-hearted moment selling papers one morning. Romeo rapidly flipped through the pages, identifying his friends and Kat when he stopped, open-mouthed in disbelief. "That's me? Is that me?" He looked at Kat. "That's me!" He grinned. "I stole Race's cigar!" He giggled uproariously at the memory. The drawing caught Romeo ducking under someone's outstretched arm while a hand, presumably Race's, was reaching for Romeo, who was a step or two ahead of his pursuer. "I sure is fast," he stated proudly.
"You sure are," Kat agreed.
They flipped through a few more, not studying them for very long as Kat promised they'd come back and he could look at it again in more detail.
"Can't we take it home with us? The fellas'll wanna see it, too."
"No. It's Jack's and we can't take it without asking him first. But let's see if he's added anything new." She flipped the pages from the back to find the last page he'd drawn on. She opened to it and her breath caught. His last drawing was actually a series of small sketches illustrating what had happened since they night the guys had brought Crutchie home: an unconscious Crutchie in his friends' arms, the guys sleeping on blankets on the floor, the fight over the bathroom, Greta and Charles in front of the fire, Kat explaining family to a spellbound group, and, her favorite by far, her and Romeo cuddled on the couch looking at the catalog.
"That's us," Romeo whispered, melting against her.
"Yes, it is," she squeezed him.
"Oh, hi, Kat. I didn't know you'd be here."
Kat looked at the new arrival and smiled. "Hi, Luke. I was just showing Romeo where Jack works before we meet him across town for lunch."
"Lucky guy," Luke commented with a flirty grin. "Sure you wouldn't rather eat with me?"
Romeo stepped protectively in front of Kat. "We gots to go see Jack," he insisted belligerently.
Luke held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, kid, nothing doing." He laughed and playfully jabbed the air near Romeo's waist. "You tell Jack I said that you're a good man to have around, protecting your mother like that."
"You know she's my ma?"
Luke leaned against a nearby desk. "Yeah. Jack told me. It's a great thing for a boy to have a mom." He leaned forward and loudly whispered, "It'll help you with the girls later on," he winked.
"Stop putting ideas into his head," Kat admonished with a smile. She looked at Romeo. "This is Mr. Taylor. He's an illustrator here, like Jack is."
"Can you draw good as Jack?"
"Wish I could, kid, but there aren't many who can," Luke admitted ruefully. "Fortunately, papers don't always need top talent, so guys like me with only slightly above average talent can still earn a living."
Romeo regarded him for a long moment. "How come you don't think it's weird that Kat's my ma?" he finally inquired. "Everyone else does."
Luke smiled in understanding. "Because, kid, I was adopted, too."
"You was?"
"Yup. My great aunt Matilda adopted me and my two sisters after my parents died in a fire. Then I spent the next ten years making her life difficult," he winked with a cheeky grin.
"What'd ya do?"
"That, sport, is a story for another time. You two need to get across town to find Jack, and I actually only came in here to get some supplies." He snatched up a tablet and a handful of pencils. "I'm out of here. Enjoy your lunch!"
Romeo watched him leave, then turned back to Kat with a thoughtful expression. "Sooo," he dragged out the word, "is I 'dopted?"
Kat mulled it over and slowly nodded. "Yes. I believe in its most basic of forms, you could say you're adopted."
A grin lit his face. "And the fellas, too?"
Kat nodded.
"Alright!" Romeo cheered, jumping around the room in joy. "We's 'dopted!" He ran back to Kat. "Can I writes Jack a note to find like a surprise when he comes back to work?"
"Of course, but we need to head out so try to make it a quick one."
"OK." He flipped to the next blank page in Jack's tablet. "How do you spell 'our'?" After Kat told him, he painstakingly wrote in lopsided print:
Our Famly
Jack Cat
Race Albert
Speks Kruche
Me Anee
Greta Charls
"Who's 'me'?" Kat asked.
"Me," Romeo declared.
"You wrote everyone else's names, maybe you should write your name, too."
"Oh." He crossed out the 'me' and wrote 'Romeo' beside it.
"Very good," Kat praised. "Jack will love it."
"Fer real?"
"Yes, for real. Now, let's put it back and see if we can find him. I'm getting hungry."
"Me, too." Romeo put the tablet back in its drawer and skipped out of the room ahead of Kat so he could push the button to summon the elevator.
Not quite fifteen minutes – and Romeo's first taxi ride – later, Kat had the cab driver drop them off at the edge of the park where the winter festival Jack was covering was taking place. She walked hand-in-hand with Romeo down the sidewalk, enjoying the nip in the air and the jovial atmosphere of the crowd.
Romeo tugged her to a stop in front of a shop window displaying a variety of paper, tablets, pens, and other stationery. He pressed his hands against the window as he leaned in to get a better look. He pointed to a journal bound in royal blue canvas with gold embossed letters spelling out "Family Memories" across the front. "Look, Ma," he said reverently.
"It's a pretty journal, isn't it?"
He nodded. "Do ya think if Jack had somethin' like that he could draw us pictures at home like he did at work?"
"I'm sure he would. But he could do that for you in any tablet of paper."
Romeo was set on the beautiful journal.
She hid a grin. "Shall we go inside and see how much it is?"
He hesitated. "Shops don't like for newsies to go inside."
She tugged on his hand. "It'll be fine. You'll see."
A bell tinkled above the door and the shopkeeper bustled out from the back room. He saw Romeo first and his nose wrinkled in distaste. He was just about to ask the ill-dressed boy to leave when he heard a lady clear her throat. His demeanor changed at her obvious wealth. "Good day, ma'am," he gushed, deciding to ignore the urchin for the moment. "Welcome to Willow Tree Stationers. I am Martin Willows, proprietor. How may I be of service to you today?"
She held his gaze for a long moment before telling him, "My son is interested in a journal displayed in your window."
"And which journal is that?"
"Ask him."
"Where is he?"
She glanced down at Romeo, tucked behind her protective arms once more.
Mr. Willows looked down at Romeo, then back at Kat. He mentally shrugged. Who was he to figure out the wealthy? Their money was the same as anyone else's, and perhaps one sale would lead to more. So he smiled down at Romeo and asked, "Well, sir, which journal has caught your eye?"
"Umm, the blue one? With the gold writin' on it?"
"Ah, yes. A striking book, is it not?" He plucked the book out of the window and presented it to Romeo, who tentatively reached for it.
When it was fully in his grasp, he relaxed and showed it to Kat. "Ain't it pretty?" He flipped it open.
"It is, indeed," Kat agreed.
"Oh," he muttered in disappointment.
"What?"
"The pages gots lines on 'em."
"Is that not what you were expecting?" Mr. Willows asked.
"Do ya gots any with plain pages?"
"Plain pages?"
"We were looking for a book for drawing and sketching," Kat explained.
"Ah!" Mr. Willows nodded in understanding. "Yes. We have a selection of sketchbooks right over here." He placed the blue journal back in the display and led them to another part of the store.
"Does any of 'em gots fancy gold writin' on the fronts?"
Mr. Willows smiled. This kid had a certain charm about him. "Yes. That line of journals is also available in sketchbooks.
Romeo's face lit up when he saw his choices. He finally selected an emerald green one that said "Family Stories" on the front.
"How much do it cost?"
"This one is thirty-five cents."
Romeo went to the counter, dug in his pocket, and pulled out a handful of change, mostly pennies.
"How many papes did you sell today?" Kat asked him, helping him sort the coins.
"'Bout fifty. I wanted to be done in case I seen you or Jack." He started arranging the coins the way Jack had taught him: piles for tomorrow's papes, for today's lunch, today's lodging, and today's supper. Everything else was for spending or saving. After he had it all divided, his shoulders slumped. "I don't gots enough."
"Let's think this through again," Kat suggested. "This pile is your profits, right? And these three are for meals and a bed?" She got a mischievous look on her face and she softly sang a reminder, "Seems to me there's a rule about family..."
He looked puzzled as he followed her finger tapping each of the three piles then the word 'family' on the cover of the sketchbook. Suddenly it clicked. "Family don't pay to stay!"
"That's right!"
"So's I can get it?"
"Check and see."
He counted his available coins again and found he could afford the book after all, with a little left over. "I'll take it!" he crowed triumphantly, pushing piles of coins at Mr. Willows.
The shopkeeper chuckled. This child was truly delightful, even under the dirty face and ragged clothes. "Certainly, sir," he said, swiping the coins off the counter and placing them in the register. "Shall I wrap it for you?"
"Uh, yeah? But first could I use your pencil to write somethin' in it?"
"You may."
Romeo took the proffered pencil and carefully wrote 'For Jack Kelly From Romeo Kelly' on the first page. Then he scooped up the rest of his money from the counter as Mr. Willows wrapped the sketchbook in brown paper and twine. "Come on, Ma! Let's go find Jack!"
"Romeo, wait for me by the door. I'll be there in a minute."
"OK," he agreed, watching the activities in the street.
"Mr. Willows, I want to thank you for your patience with my son. It meant a lot to him and to me."
"He seems a remarkable lad."
"He is."
"I was most impressed with his budgeting technique."
She smiled. "It's hard sometimes for young children to understand their economic needs when they work and live on the streets. My husband taught the coin piles method quite successfully to many of the children he found looking up to him." She selected a few pencils and laid them and some coins on the counter.
He bundled the pencils into a small bag and handed it to her with a smile.
"Thank you again, Mr. Willows. I shall let my friends know your shop comes most highly recommended."
"Thank you very much, ma'am." As she opened the door, a memory clicked in his head. "Excuse me, ma'am?"
She turned in the doorway. "Yes?"
"If I may be so bold as to ask, Jack Kelly...?"
"Is my husband."
"That strike? A year or so ago, with the kids and newspapers?"
She grinned. "That's him."
"Then you are –"
"Mrs. Jack Kelly." She stepped out, pulling the door closed behind her. Just before it clicked shut, she stuck her head back in and announced with a small grin, "nee Pulitzer." She winked at him. "We'll be back, Mr. Willows. Have a nice day!"
He shook his head in disbelief. Who was he to know anything about the wealthy, but wouldn't his wife love to hear the story about the poor, rich urchin who visited their shop with Pulitzer's daughter!
Outside, Kat and Romeo walked among the vendor and food booths. Romeo hugged Jack's gift tightly to his chest, chattering about his purchase, alternately excited and nervous about it. "Do ya think he'll like it? Really?"
"You'll have to ask him yourself," Kat pointed to a man standing a little way ahead of them. Jack was at a booth, idly browsing the wares available.
"Jack!" Romeo ran to Jack, who turned just in time to catch him as he tripped and fell.
"Hey, slugger! Slow down!" Jack set Romeo back on his feet. "You OK?"
Romeo nodded, suddenly speechless in front of this man who had done so much for him over the past year or so.
"What's a matter? Cat got your tongue?"
"Uh," Romeo couldn't think of what to say. He felt Kat's hands on his shoulders and knew everything was OK. He thrust the gift at Jack. "I got you a present," he announced. "I saw it at the store and Ma helped me figure out I could get it 'cause family don't pay and do ya like it?"
Jack shared an amused look with Kat as he ruffled Romeo's hair. "You's somethin' else, kid, ya know that?" He looked down at the boy who was looking up at him with such trust and adoration that his heart nearly cracked. It didn't seem possible that he could love this ragamuffin scamp, but he did. He tucked Romeo under his arm and reached for Kat.
She took his present so they could hold hands. She kissed his cheek and explained, "Romeo was waiting for me as I was leaving work, so we decided we would both join you for lunch today."
"Ah," Jack responded with a twinkle in his eye. "I wondered at the pleasant surprise."
"Are ya gonna open your present, Jack?" Romeo asked impatiently.
"Let's find a place to sit down and I'll get right to it," Jack promised.
They found an empty bench on the outskirts of the festivities. Romeo was too impatient to sit still, so he stood in front of them, taking the gift from Kat and thrusting it back at Jack.
"What's the occasion?" Jack asked Romeo as he accepted the gift.
"Huh?"
"There's usually a special reason for giving someone a present."
"Uhhh," Romeo looked to Kat for help.
"No special reason. He just saw this in the shop window and thought you would like it," Kat explained.
"Yeah," Romeo agreed. "Do ya?"
"Gimme a minute," Jack protested lightly, tugging at the twine.
Romeo was bouncing from foot to foot in anticipation of Jack's reaction.
Jack laughed at his antics. "Settle down, kid, or you's gonna hurt somethin'."
"I never gave someone a present before and I just doesn't know is ya gonna like it."
"Romeo, I knows I'm gonna love it. Now, sit down," he patted the bench, "you's makin' me nervous."
Kat giggled softly.
Romeo knelt next to Jack and hung on his shoulder as Jack peeled away the paper. When at last the book was revealed, Jack smiled as he traced the gold lettering on the front.
"Do ya likes it, Jack?" a worried voice whispered near his ear.
Jack turned his head to reassure Romeo that he liked the book. At the look in Romeo's eyes, he froze for an instant at a long-forgotten memory suddenly resurfacing in his mind.
The winter Eddie had been born, Jack had found a dime on the sidewalk. He'd tucked it in his pocket and dreamed all day about how to spend his newfound wealth. That night, when Pop had come home between jobs, he'd mentioned to Ma that his gloves had another hole in them. The next day, Jack had taken his dime to the general store on the corner and bought his father a brand new pair of gloves, good, thick gloves without any holes in them. He nearly drove Ma crazy with his impatience for Pop to get home. When Pop finally arrived, he'd barely had time to sit down before Jack had given him the gift. Pop had stared at the gloves for what seemed like forever. Looking back, Jack supposed that his parents had a million better uses for that much money, but if so, neither had ever said so. Instead, as Pop looked at his young son, he thought not of the expense of the gift, but how the gloves were an expression of a son's love for his father, and he was rendered speechless. As his father had tried on the gloves – they were a perfect fit – he had said, "Truly, no man in the world has as fine a son as I do," and he'd pulled Jack into a bear hug.
Looking at Romeo now, Jack was reminded of himself that long ago day, wanting nothing more than to show his Pop how much he loved him. Jack imagined his father had probably felt as Jack felt now, so Jack did the same thing his father had done: he pulled Romeo onto his lap and hugged him tightly. "It's one of the best presents I ever got from anyone, Romeo. Thank you."
For the space of two or three heartbeats, Romeo stared pensively at Jack, then his face lit up as he beamed. He flipped the book open to show Jack all the blank pages. "I got it for ya 'cause I's hopin' you'd draw us pictures for at home like ya gots in your desk at work. I wanted to bring it home to show the fellas, but Ma said we had to leave it there 'cause it's yours. So I thought you might could have one that was yours that you left at home?"
Jack laughed. "You's wantin' pictures?"
Romeo nodded eagerly.
"Ya gotta give me room, then."
Romeo slid down to sit between Jack and Kat.
Jack reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a stub of a pencil.
"Here," a bag of new pencils materialized before him. He smiled his thanks to his wife and flipped to the front page and froze again when he read the inscription in Romeo's untidy scrawl.
Romeo pointed to it. "See? I wrote down that I gave it to ya so's ya wouldn't forget."
"That ain't likely to happen, squirt," Jack assured him in a hoarse voice. "'Kelly,' huh?" He moved his finger over Romeo's name.
"Yeah, the man at the desk put that in the book so's I can come and see you and Ma anytime I want. Ma didn't tell him it was wrong, so," he shrugged, "it must be right."
Jack cleared his throat. "I guess so." He took a deep, steadying breath before selecting a new pencil and handing the bag to Romeo. "Let's see what we can do."
Romeo and Kat watched in fascination as, right there beneath Romeo's words, Jack's pencil somehow created a sketch of a woman and a boy looking in a shop window.
"Hey! That's me and Ma!"
"Yeah."
"You seen us?"
"I saw ya lookin'. I didn't know you's went in." Jack looked down at Romeo. "I was still lookin' for stuff to draw for work."
"How do you do it?"
"I don't know, squirt. I just draws what I see. I picks up a pencil and pictures come out of it."
Romeo squirreled under Jack's arm to lean against him as Jack turned the page and drew several sketches of the members of their patched-together family.
After the last one, Jack overrode Romeo's requests for more. "Let's leave some pages for later. I promised your Ma lunch, and she's lookin' a bit hungry right now."
Just then, Romeo's stomach grumbled loudly.
"Oh, ho! Maybe you's the hungry one?"
Romeo rubbed his empty stomach. "I could eat," he admitted.
"Then let's go find us some lunch," Jack suggested.
"A fine idea," Kat agreed.
They had taken only a few steps before realizing that Romeo was not with them. They turned and saw a very worried boy rooted to the spot.
"What's the matter? Ain't ya hungry?" Jack asked.
"Yeah..., but, um..."
"What's on your mind?"
"I's just wonderin' did ya mean it?"
"Mean what?"
"'Bout me bein' a good son for ya?"
Jack was stunned. Of all the things Romeo could have said, that was the last one he'd ever have expected. "Did I say that out loud?"
Romeo's face fell and his shoulders slumped in disappointment. "That's OK. We can still be just brothers."
Jack handed his book to Kat and went to sit on the bench, turning Romeo to face him. Jack's heart melted at the crestfallen expression on the boy's face. And where did the kid get such huge eyes? Large brown eyes now swimming in tears he was trying desperately not to shed.
Jack looked to Kat for help. She smiled encouragement but was obviously going to leave this up to him. He saw her love for him in her eyes, and gained confidence from that. He took a deep breath and looked back at Romeo. A couple of tears had finally escaped and trickled down his cheeks. "Hey, there's no reason for any of that." He wiped away the tears with his thumbs.
"Sorry," Romeo mumbled.
"For what?" Jack asked. "Kat'll be the first to tell ya that sometimes ya gotta cry."
"Why?"
"I can't remember all the reasons, but, trust me, it helps sometimes."
"Oh."
"Look, Romeo, when I said that about havin' a son, I was hearin' my Pop say it to me when I was a kid. I didn't know I was sayin' it out loud, too."
"It's OK, Jack."
"Shut up, will ya?" Jack took a breath, trying to gather his thoughts. "It's just that I didn't know you wanted a father."
"I didn't know neither, 'til you said that."
"Yeah, well," Jack cleared his throat, "Truth is, I didn't know I wanted a son 'til you asked if I meant what I said."
Hope began to blossom in Romeo's expression.
"I think you'd be a fine son for any man," Jack continued softly.
"Even you?"
"Why'd you want to pick me? I ain't never been a father before. I could be awful at it."
"But you won't be," joy laced Romeo's words as he felt like he might be getting the wish he didn't know he'd had.
"How do you know?" Jack asked, truly puzzled.
A soft hand covered his. A gentle kiss pecked his cheek. A tender voice whispered in his ear, "Just love him. The rest will come natural."
He looked at his wife in awe, a feeling of joy spreading through him as she repeated his own words of this morning back to him. He supposed she was right. He'd never been a father before, but she'd never been a mother, either, and she seemed to be doing a fine job. "You'll help me?" he whispered back.
She caressed his cheek. "Of course."
He kissed her, then said, "I don't know why I's anyone's choice for friend, much less a brother, a husband," he looked at Kat and smiled, "or father," he looked at Romeo, "bit if ya wants me, ya gots me."
Romeo stiffened with excitement and hope that he'd heard correctly. "For real?"
"Yeah, kid, for real."
Romeo looked between Jack and Kat. "You'll be my Pop?"
"Yeah. Soon's ya make up your mind about it," Jack chuckled.
Romeo fell into Jack's arms, hugging his neck, crying tears of frustration and happiness. They only lasted a minute or two before he nestled between them, beaming with unabashed elation. "I never, ever thought I'd have a mother and a father," he sighed blissfully, leaning against Jack and holding Kat's hand.
"Join the club, kid. I never though I'd have a wife," he smiled at Kat, "much less a son, a houseful of brothers, a housekeeper aunt and her daughter, and a butler uncle."
Romeo and Kat laughed heartily at his descriptions of their family. Then they laughed even harder as Romeo's stomach rumbled again.
"Shall we finally go find our lunch?" Kat asked, standing.
"Yeah!" both guys agreed enthusiastically.
They set off for the restaurant, Jack and Kat, hand-in-hand, while Romeo danced and ran in front of them.