*smiles* ~Shaymie

Kasey

"How would you feel about me and Muffy naming the baby after your dad?"

"...Are you serious?"

"Dude, I wouldn't joke about something like this. Your dad was family to me. I miss him, too."

Kasey let out a shaky breath and sunk into his seat, his grip on the phone growing limp. This wasn't what he expected when Jack called to give his regular baby update. He's been slowly getting used to the idea of being a father. At the very least, he didn't sound absolutely terrified at the thought of it. Kasey was worried at first that his best friend would run for the hills the second Muffy started showing.

"So does this mean you guys are having a boy?" he asked, choking back his tears. He knew that today was the day that Jack and Muffy were learning what they were having. Since Kasey obviously couldn't be there for the gender reveal, Jack just promised to tell him over the phone. Muffy's supposed to be calling Angela and Reina to announce the pregnancy since she felt she couldn't put it off any longer.

Angela's probably going to be pissed that Kasey knew before her.

"Yeah. Doc was worried he wouldn't be able to find out because the baby's been in a bad position at every appointment but the little dude decided to behave for once." Jack sounded genuinely excited. Seeing your child for the first time was a magical experience. Kasey's pretty sure he cried more than Lumina when they got the first ultrasound. He nearly passed out when they learned they were having twins.

"My dad, though... Are you sure about this?"

"Well, I'm sure as hell not naming this kid after me. Three Jacksons is enough, thank you very much. And of course I'm sure. I wouldn't ask you if I was just considering it. Your dad was awesome, Kase. It would be an honor to name my son after him."

It took everything Kasey had to not burst into tears right there in the classroom. The kids were out for "recess" (really, they're just playing outside the school for about half an hour) and he didn't want them to come into him crying. Taking a personal phone call when he's supposed to be working probably isn't the most professional thing, but nothing about this school was really typical. It's one class of five kids in four different god it's only elementary school. Nothing too complicated, and the hardest part of the job was getting the kids to sit down and focus.

Gill helped him out with making the curriculum for each grade. The first week after he moved here was filled with meeting after meeting. He barely had time to catch up with his sisters, he was so busy. If he wasn't doing something for work, he was with the twins. When he wasn't doing either of those, he was trying to finally get his house in order. There were a lot of unpacked boxes laying around full of old photo albums and game consoles. He's still pulling clothes from his suitcase because he hasn't even begun to organize his closet.

The only albums that weren't packed up were the ones Romana gave him. Lumina documented practically everything about Mara and Gideon's early childhood. He may have missed some first steps and first words but at least he could have these memories. The fact that Romana was willing to give him those precious memories just reinforced his theory that she wanted to cut all ties with the twins. She didn't help him pay for the move out of the kindness of her good old heart. She did it to make sure he got them as far away from her as possible.

He wanted to take the kids to visit Claire for Thanksgiving but he didn't know what he'd do if they asked to visit their grandmother. She didn't want them and she hated him for ruining all the plans she made for Lumina. He didn't want them around such a bitter old bitch, inheritance be damned. He wasn't sure if they were still getting it. She promised it to them when Lumina was alive because she fought for it, but now that she's gone, Romana didn't have a reason to keep her promise.

"How does Muffy feel about having a boy? Hasn't she always wanted a little girl?" Kasey asked, bringing himself back to the present. He always worried too much about the future or even things he could have done differently in the past.

"She's just happy to have a kid." Jack went silent for a few seconds, and Kasey could hear Muffy calling him in the background. "Sorry Kase, gotta go. Talk to you later?"

"Sure thing. I should probably start getting back into teacher mode anyway." Jack's laugh was the last thing he heard before hanging up. He tucked his phone into his pocket and finished off the last of his sandwich from lunch. It wasn't anywhere near as good as the sandwiches Molly packed him sometimes, but what could he do? Despite being the one to help Molly when she was learning how to cook, he absorbed none of the cooking ability their mother had.

The rest of the school day flew by in relative ease. Paolo was a pretty smart kid so he didn't need much help. Chloe and Taylor could focus on their work as long as they weren't seated directly next to each other, though they still sometimes managed to mess around. He's lost count of how many notes he's had to intercept notes between them. Still, despite the learning curve to teaching, he was actually enjoying his job. Definitely more satisfying than either of his old ones.

"Is Auntie Molly still sick?" Mara asked as they left the school. Gideon had already run off with Taylor and Chloe somewhere, leaving his backpack with Kasey. The kids have been bummed about not being able to see Molly since she caught that cold from Chase. She stubbornly insisted upon staying at his house until he got better. Angela filled Kasey in on everything over a cup of coffee, and she was getting impatient. She really wanted someone to make a move already. Kasey was fine with Molly being single for now because while he knew Luke wasn't a bad guy, he still didn't know how to feel about Chase. He's fine with Chase being friends with Molly, but the thought of them dating felt weird.

Maybe he's just bitter that Molly and Ash weren't together anymore. He understood why, of course, but it still saddened him. Ash was perfect for Molly. He was one of the few people who could calm her down when she got upset. He understood her probably even more than Kasey could at times. Everyone thought the two of them would get married in a couple years, after Molly's career took off. But then it all fucking fell apart.

Molly was still a bit bruised from everything that happened. They still couldn't bring up ballet or their father around her without her reacting in some way. The light in her eyes seemed a bit dimmer, and he's not sure if she'll ever get that spark back. Angela said that Molly had told her some upsetting things a while ago but refused to elaborate on it. She just said they needed to have a family discussion at some point when things calmed down for him.

"Uh... yeah," Kasey answered Mara's question in a bit of a daze. "She'll feel better in a couple days though, I'm sure. Aunt Angie's taking good care of her."

"I wanna draw a card for her when we get home! Can you help me with the letters, please?" He chuckled at the barely tacked-on please at the end of her sentence. Romana had drilled manners onto their heads from the moment they learned how to speak, but sometimes the twins had moments of almost forgetting. He didn't mind it but he had to wonder if their grandmother had ever yelled at them for "poor manners." Gideon always looked scared when he slipped up until Kasey reminded him that it was fine.

"Sure thing, Rosie." Kasey smiled down at his daughter. The twins didn't have any homework yet, but he still worked on their reading and writing at home. He might not be as good as the private tutors Romana probably would have hired to teach them, but he's doing the best he can. Jack always told him not to worry too much about trying to be a perfect father, but that advice seemed a bit hypocritical now that his friend panicked over the slightest development in Muffy's pregnancy. He almost wished he could be there for Jack's reaction once the baby dropped.

"Yo Kasey, just the guy I wanted to see!"

Luke grinned and waved Kasey over to where he was standing in the currently-unused field. Angela said it was the future site of their greenhouse that most definitely wasn't getting built until the beginning of next year at the earliest. It still amazed him that his sisters owned so much land. The mayor must have been desperate for someone to buy it for him to sell it for so cheap.

"Me?" Kasey asked in confusion. Luke nodded, waving back at Mara when she gave him a shy wave. She ran off to pet the cow while Kasey walked over to Luke. This was certainly something new. He wasn't used to Angela's boyfriend actually wanting to talk to him. Mikhail always acted like he was so much better than everyone else. Kasey tried to bond with him over their one mutual interest—music—and just got brushed off.

"Ange said she wanted to build something for the twins. I wanted to make sure you were cool with it before I actually started." Luke jerked his thumb in the direction of a large tree. "What would you think about a treehouse? There used to be one here before, but it got taken out by a really bad storm years ago. I used to play in it all the time with everyone and it bummed me out when it got messed up."

"You guys hung around an abandoned farm for fun when you were kids?"

"Nah, there used to be a farmer here about... fifteen years ago, I think. He kinda just disappeared one day after he did a bunch of stuff to help out the town. Nobody's lived here since."

"...Disappeared? You mean he moved away, right?"

He was expecting Luke to laugh and correct himself, but he just chuckled awkwardly and scratched at his cheek, explaining that it basically was like the previous farmer disappeared. Apparently he just skipped town in the middle of the night and left a note saying that "his duty was done."

...Well, alright then.

"So, a treehouse?" Kasey ignored the goosebumps suddenly covering his skin and looked towards the tree Luke had pointed out. It would be nice for the kids to have a place to play. They spent a lot of time here anyway. His biggest gripe with his house was the lack of a backyard. He could see why Luke and his friends came here to play around when they were younger. "I'm cool with it. You didn't really need my permission. But didn't you just finish building Ange's room? Don't you want a break first before moving onto another big project?"

Is Angela paying for this? he wondered. Even if Luke loved his job, Dale didn't seem like the kind of guy to let him do work for free.

"I was just trying to get an idea of how big the tree is. Probably not gonna start building for a couple weeks. I want to spend some time with Ange."

"You've... only been dating her for a few months now. How can you be so sure that what you're feeling is love?" It took him at least a year to tell Jill that he loved her. Even now he wasn't sure if he actually meant it. So much of his relationship was for other people's sake. Everything he did was because it was what everyone else expected. He kept going out with Jill because people thought they looked good together. He went on dates with her because that's what a good boyfriend was supposed to do. He proposed because that's only natural after dating someone for a decade.

Jill could have a bit of an attitude problem at times but she didn't deserve what he'd done.

"I don't know, man. How do you explain why you feel a feeling? I just know that I love Ange. She makes me happy and I hope I can do the same for her. Sometimes I feel like she's way out of my league. She's incredible." Luke had a warmth in his eyes that Kasey had never seen in Mikhail's. He's heard of people finding the one, but he didn't think Angela would find hers so soon after everything that happened with Mikhail. He thought she would guard her heart a bit more carefully. She went through every emotion after the break-up. It wouldn't have surprised him at all if she didn't want to date anyone after that.

"You and Ange are really serious, huh?" he muttered, running a hand through his hair with a sigh. "I don't know if she told you about her ex. He was a complete dick that treated her like shit. She couldn't do anything without him judging her for it. I'm sure Ange told you that I'm an overbearing asshole, but I hope you can understand why I was so worried about you guys. I don't want to see her hurt like that again."

Mikhail trampled all over Angela's fire and stamped it out. Made her into something she wasn't and broke her heart on top of it all. She's finally getting back to how she used to be and while Kasey knew that he most likely had Luke to thank for that, there's still that stubborn bit of him that refused to fully let his guard down. The look on Luke's face as he talked about Angela was enough to wash away any doubt Kasey had left, though. There's no faking that.

"I promise you, I'm not going to hurt Ange. I love and respect her too much to ever do that. Besides, I think she'd kick my ass if I tried anything," Luke chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. That's what Kasey thought would happen with Mikhail, which was why he didn't say anything at first. She used to argue back but that asshole wore her down. She was so desperate for someone to love her that she just accepted the way he treated her.

Kasey was itching to know more about their relationship. How it started, who asked who out first and all that, but he heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Molly walking over. She was holding a blanket over her shoulders and still seemed a bit tired. Behind her, he could see Chase poking his head out the door with a scowl on his face. He's been returning the favor and cooking meals for Molly while she recovered, but unlike her, he wasn't spending the night over.

"What the hell are you doing, Freckles? You're supposed to be resting!" he called out, arms crossed over his chest. It looked like this time he brought his own apron this time around. No more borrowing Molly's that were definitely way too small for him. She turned to face him, and Kasey didn't even have to see her face to know that she was pouting. The puppy dog eyes were her specialty.

"But Kasey and Luke are here!"

"That doesn't mean you should go running off like a child!"

"It wasn't a run," Molly retorted, and for some reason that got a short laugh out of Chase. Kasey could understand why the twins thought they were dating if this was how they acted around each other.

He suggested they all go inside to talk since it was a bit chilly. Mara was disappointed that her time with Minnie was being cut short. Molly promised that she could come by anytime she wanted to play with her. He wasn't sure how you could even play with a cow, especially one as laid-back and lazy as Minnie, but it appeased Mara so he decided not to question it.

Molly took a seat on the couch, rolling her eyes when Chase checked her forehead.

"Two minutes outside won't make my fever come back," she huffed, sticking her tongue out at him. "You worry too much, Chase. I wouldn't have expected that from you."

Mara tugged on Kasey's sleeve and gestured from him to lean down. When he did, he heard her quietly sigh as she asked, "are you sure they're not dating?"