“Fuck off,” he said, rushing to catch Karl. When he reached for him right as he got to the bathroom, he said, “Hey, I wanted to talk to you.”

Karl eyed him speciously. “For what?”

“Just need to.”

He shook his head. “Fine, give me a second to drain my snake,” he said, turning to go back in, but then he paused, laughing as he turned. “What? Are you going to ask me to marry Kacey?”

Jordie could only blink at him as Karl’s laughter died down. He held his gaze and then crossed his arms as Jordie said, “Yeah, I had a speech and everything, actually.”

Holding his gaze, he nodded. “Fine. On with it.”

“You don’t want to piss first?”

“No,” he said sternly, sending chills down Jordie’s spine.

“Um, fine, well,” Jordie stumbled and then shook his head, deciding to go with his heart. “I love Kacey, you know this, and I want nothing more than to marry her and spend the rest of my life with her,” he said slowly, his heart pounding in his chest. “I’m not perfect, I have issues, and sometimes, that’s hard to deal with. But she makes me a better person. She loves my issues away and she cares. I can promise you, I’ll never hurt her. I’ll only love her and take care of her the way you’d want me to. The way she deserves.”

Karl held his gaze for a long time and then nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, you don’t drive a Prius, so you’re already a better choice than that one idiot.”

Jordie laughed as Karl grinned. “What, you thought I was gonna say no?”

Jordie shrugged and he nodded, holding his gaze. “Yeah, I don’t deserve her!”

“Well, no shit, but you got her and she loves you. And I love you, son. You’re great for her and you’ve done really fucking good with your life. I think you two will be very happy for the rest of your life.”

With his throat thick with emotion, he slowly nodded. “You think?”

“I know,” he answered, reaching out to cup Jordie’s shoulder. “Don’t doubt yourself, Jordie. You have really done great things with your life and I, for one, am very proud of you and would be honored to have you as my son-in-law.”

Swallowing hard, he smiled, holding his hand out. “Thank you.”

Karl pushed it away and then pulled him in for a tight, backslapping hug. “I’m very proud of you, son.”

“Thanks, Da—Karl.”

Pulling back, Karl gripped his shoulders. “Well, as long as she says yes, I’ll be your dad and I’ll expect you to own up to that.”

Jordie smiled shyly. “I already do.”

Wrapping his arm around his shoulders, he squeezed him. “Well, then you’re halfway there, just need her to agree to it.”

“No pressure, right?”

Karl chuckled. “None at all,” he added with a wink. “She could say no and reject you, which would leave you broken and trying to take care of a new baby, and then you might start drinking, and shit would be bad. But no, no pressure,” he teased and Jordie smiled.

“Man, you’re the best dad in the world,” he said sarcastically but laughing since, of course, he had thought all that crazy already. He knew it could happen, but he wouldn’t start drinking again. He was done with that. He was more than an alcoholic; he was a good man. One who was gonna marry Kacey and have a family for once.

“I have a mug, you know,” Karl informed him. “Kacey gave it to me, and I’ll make sure you get one too once my new granddaughter is born,” he said with a wink.

Jordie laughed, thinking that nothing could get better than this. He had his family, he had his woman, and he was about to have a baby. Life was good. No, great.

But glancing back at his soon-to-be dad, he laughed, “I can’t wait. Make sure it’s blue for my son.”

“So apparently, I can’t go without my medicine yet.”

Oh God, Kacey thought as she drove down I-24 to get to Radnor State Park for her couples’ shoot with Jordie. He was meeting her since he had therapy today while she checked out a few places for her gym. Still no luck though, but her issues with that would need to wait. Lacey was having a crisis.

“Do I even want to know why you have come to this assumption?”

Lacey exhaled a long breath over the phone. “I stopped taking it like a week ago and things were fine. But then I woke up in a cold sweat last night and rushed to Mena’s room, tearing off her sleeper and checking her for breast cancer. It was insane, and Karson is trying to help, but I’m just screaming at him, Mena is screaming and, ugh, it was horrible.”

Kacey’s heart broke for her. “Oh, Lacey.”

“Oh, I know,” she said softly. “I took my meds today and I apologized to Karson this morning, and Mena, though I don’t she understands, but yeah,” she said, and Kacey could hear the tears in her voice. “I just feel weak, almost, and pathetic. I have to stop this.”

“You do. Have you thought about going to therapy? Maybe the ABC group isn’t enough?”

“Yeah, we talked about it this morning. I called Jordie too and he gave me his chick.”

“Julie is wonderful,” Kacey informed her. “I think you’d like her.”

“I’m gonna call her. I just wish I weren’t so fucked in the head.”

“You had a pretty traumatic thing happen at such a young age with no help, Lacey. Unlike other people, you know there is a problem and you’re gonna get help.”