FORESHADOW

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"Are you serious?"

Jack looked at the redhead beside him, arching an eyebrow. "I promised."

"You promised your sister's best friend that you would make her dinner on the night of our four month anniversary?"

Jack blinked. He's met Kelly Echeart in one of his classes at George Washington University and he'd been immediately attracted to her. Upon dating her, however, he'd been treated to a completely different side of her. And he hadn't liked it. And now she was harping on him about his extremely close relationship with Gabi.

"Are you serious?" he inquired.

"You don't think our anniversary is important?" Kelly replied. "What am I to you?"

"Kelly, it's four months. It's not exactly a milestone," Jack argued back.

"Not exactly a milestone? Are you going to say that about our six month anniversary?"

"Kel, you're overreacting," Jack said.

She raised her eyebrow. "Overreacting? You're blowing me off for another woman! How else am I supposed to react?"

"With grace? Come on. It's Gabi. What do you think we're going to do? Have hot sex on her parents' couch?"

"Have you thought about it?" Kelly accused.

"No!" Jack exclaimed. "I've known Gabi forever, Kelly. Why are you overreacting?"

"Because it's always Gabi this, Gabi that. What else am I supposed to think?" Kelly exclaimed.

"That she's one of my best friends. That's she's no threat. Why are we even having this conversation?" Jack said in exasperation.

"You're making us have this conversation. I had the day all planned out."

Jack sighed. Years ago he'd made a promise to not only Gabi, but to his little sister AJ. Family came first. He'd sworn to them, to his father, to his stepmother. Gabi came first. AJ came first. He had never broken a promise to Gabi. "I'm not going to break my promise to Gabi," he told her.

"Then we're done."

Jack stepped into his father's house with a heavy sigh. It wasn't how he'd wanted things to end with Kelly. He dropped his bag in the front hall. His sister was in the living room watching a movie with one of her friends. "Hey, Annie," he greeted.

AJ looked over. "You're home early."

"Yeah," he replied. "Dad home?"

"Not yet. Mom's in the kitchen with Kate," AJ replied. "They're doing math."

Jack shook his head affectionately. "Math isn't the end of the world AJ."

"Is to!" the fourteen-year-old replied. "So is science." She knew her brother was that kind of person.

"Jack!"

He grabbed his whirlwind of a younger sister as she impacted his stomach. "Hey Katie Bear."

"Mommy's making me do math!"

"I do math all the time," he told her, meeting Emily's eyes over Kate's head. He knew there was no way he could hide his confusion and angst from her. "Do you know when Dad's going to be home?"

"He said he'd be home for dinner," Emily replied. "Is everything okay?"

Jack shrugged. "How about we go downstairs and I'll help you with the math."

Emily smiled as she felt strong arms wrap around her stomach. "Jack's home. He was looking for you."

"Is everything okay?" Aaron asked, kissing his wife's cheek.

"I didn't want to pry," Emily replied. "He took Kate downstairs with her math homework."

"He does have an uncanny ability to make it interesting for her," Aaron agreed. "Should I wait?"

"If Kate's not done?" she asked. "Dinner's still more than half an hour away."

"I'll go talk to him," he replied, slipping his hand under her chin to press a kiss to her mouth. "Hello."

Emily's laughter followed him out of the kitchen. It wasn't the first time his hello had been usurped by something considered more important. He made his way into the basement, unsurprised to see Jack and Kate playing cards over the coffee table.

"Go fish!" Kate exclaimed triumphantly.

Aaron grinned. He'd been afraid at first that Jack would always be too old to want to spend time with his younger siblings because of the large age difference between them. He leaned against the staircase and watched as Jack scrutinized his cards. His oldest child blew out a breath.

"I think you've officially destroyed me, Katie Bear," he said folding his cards.

"I always win," the eleven-year-old responded primly.

Aaron smiled, well aware that Jack let her win. He was a good big brother like that. It was probably the reason Kate idolized him. "Tell me the only reason the two of you are playing Go Fish is because Kate's homework is done."

"Daddy!" Kate exclaimed, racing over to hug him.

"Hey Angel. You think you can go help your mom with dinner?" Aaron asked, pressing a kiss to his youngest daughter's head. "I need to talk to Jack."

"Okay!"

Aaron made his way over to the couch where Jack sat as Kate pounded up the stairs. Someday, he was going to teach his daughter that pounding wasn't necessary for her ascension up the stairs. "Emily said you wanted to talk to me?"

Jack nodded as he gathered the cards. "Kelly broke up with me today."

Now he understood why his son had been home early enough to help Kate with her homework. Lately, Jack had been squeaking home just in time for dinner. "I'm sorry."

Jack shrugged. "I don't know if I am."

That was telling. "Why did she break up with you?"

"Because I'm cooking dinner for Gabi on what was going to be my four month anniversary with Kelly," Jack replied. "And I wouldn't drop Gabi to spend the day with her."

"Why?"

Jack cocked his head to the side.

"Why wouldn't you postpone your cooking with Gabi?" Aaron clarified.

"Because I don't break promises to Gabi," Jack replied.

"And Kelly felt threatened by Gabi."

"That's what I don't understand," the younger man admitted. "Why would she be threatened by Gabi?"

Aaron blinked. "You tell me. Why would Kelly feel threatened by Gabi?" It didn't surprise him in the slightest. Gabi and Jack had always been close, almost closer than close. He was her protector, knew more about her than anyone else and Aaron knew the same held true for Jack. They'd formed a bond from childhood that couldn't be broken. It had proven time and time again.

"I don't know," Jack said in exasperation. "I don't understand. I was hoping you did."

Aaron debated in his head for a minute. "Jack, did you think about how close you two are? Women are threatened by other women. Gabi's a threat to your girlfriends so long as you choose her over your girlfriends."

Jack seemed utterly perplexed. "What?"

"Women are like that. Regardless of your real relationship with Gabi, when you're willing to simply put Gabi first, girlfriends are never going to like it," Aaron tried again.

"But it's Gabi! Gabi. Gabi's the least threatening person in my life."

"Jack, AJ is the least threatening person, specifically the least threatening female except maybe Emily or Kate."

"They're related to me," Jack said, wrinkling his nose in a way Aaron recognized even from when he was a child.

"That's my point," Aaron replied with a smile. "They're threatened by Gabi, by how close she is because they want to be."

"Did you ever have that problem? With Emily?" Jack asked after a moment.

"When Emily and I started dating we were at very different point in our lives. And I really didn't have any close female friends when I was in high school," Aaron replied.

"Gabi's important to me," Jack said, his voice still sounding baffled. "I don't..."

Aaron sighed, clapping his hand on his son's back. "Maybe someday you'll find a girl who understands that Gabi is extremely important to you. Some just aren't comfortable enough in themselves to trust in someone else."

And unfortunately that was all he could offer his son.