Nine

Adam pushed into George's room and he had to bite down on his bottom lip to push back his sob. George was on his bed, his glasses on as he tried to wipe his tears underneath it with his fingers.

"Darling..."

"Poppy..."

Adam got on the bed and pulled George next to him and pressed kisses to his hair. He gently pulled off George's glasses and placed it beside him. He cups his son's face.

"Darling... I love you."

"Do you really, Poppy? Because dad used to say the same thing to me?"

"No, love. I love you. I adore you and I will for a long time. I will until I die. Even after I die, I will keep loving you and watching over you." Adam promised, using his thumb to wipe his son's face. Adam doesn't even notice he, himself, was already tearing up.

"You're crying, Poppy."

"Really?" Adam asked and sniffed. George reached out for his father and wiped his fathers tears with his fingers. Adam grabbed onto them and pressed kisses to it.

"I love you so much! I am never going to leave you. To leave your brothers and sister behind. I love you all too much to. You are my children, you are a part of me."

"I am also a part of Dad too."

"Your Dad is going through some things but that doesn't mean he doesn't love you. He just doesn't know how to say it."

"Are you going to stay with him? You're not gonna get divorced like Stacey's parents?"

Stacey was one of George's classmates. Her parents divorce had been messy and loud and had also involved screaming matches at the school. Adam remembers trying to explain the meaning of divorce to George and Bella. Back then he never knew he was going to get to this point. To a point where divorce was an option in his marriage to Jensen.

"I don't know, Georgie."

"You told me parents break up when they don't love each other again. Is that what you're gonna do with dad? Do you still love dad?"

Adam looks into his son's big blue eyes as he spoke. "I love your dad with my heart, my soul and every atom of my being." The but I don't know if he feels the same is hanging in the air between them.

"I don't like the way he treats you."

"What do you know about the way he treats me?"

"You're always alone at night and the other day he kissed someone who wasn't you."

Jhoni was actually right. They had all seen it.

"I don't know what to tell you, Georgie. I don't even know how to explain it to myself even but I won't do anything without the interest of all four of you." Adam said, tears threatening to spill.

"I wanna go with you. Stacey has to stay with her Mum and she doesn't like her. But I like you. I love you. Don't make me go with daddy."

"Baby.... shhh..." Adam cried and pulled George much closer. He hugged him so tightly. He tried to say something but he couldn't. There's a possibility that Jensen would get the kids if they do get divorced.

"It's gonna be alright. We are going to be alright."

They stay like that for a while until George was calm. The wheels in Adam's head began to roll as he thinks of something to do. He bit his lip and decides to send his CV to different companies.

"Why don't you go wash up? I made sandwiches and you can get ice cream."

George nods but doesn't pull away instantly. He takes him a couple of minutes before he moves.

"You don't need to bribe me with ice cream."

"Yet I don't hear you saying no, thanks papa."

"Who says no to ice cream." George says with a small wobbly smile.

Adam gives George the room. He made his way down the stairs and headed straight to the kitchen where Jhoni was feeding Ian, Sara on the stool beside him.

"Did you cry?" Sara asked him immediately he walked into the kitchen.

"I had a talk with George." Was all Adam said.

"Well, shit."

"I need to send my CV to different places. I want to try different publishing houses, maybe a couple of schools too."

"Why not send it to my publishing house? They're currently looking for a head editor. All you have to do is read a couple of scripts and correct it." Sara said, leaning forward so she could test her hands on the kitchen counter.

"Can I really do that?" Adam asked, his eyes a bit wide with hope.

"Sure. Why don't you send it now and I'll make a couple of calls later."

"Thank you, Sara."

"You don't need to thank me. You are my best friend, I'd do anything for you and I know you'll do the same." Sara said and it was true. Heck, it was even Adam who had advised her on what publishing house she should choose when she was approached by many. They had each other's backs.

"Jhoni, would it be okay with you if I get a job?"

"Of course it is. Why did you even ask me?" Jhoni asked.

"Because things might change from here on out and I want you to be alright with whatever I do."

"You have my support, Papa."

Sara squealed and clapped her hands. "This is great. You can even work from home too but you have to come for meetings at the end of each month so they can review your works and all."

"Sara would you watch the kids while I send the mail?"

"Sure thing, bestie-roo."

"Never call me that."

"Don't call Papa that."

Sara looked at Adam then and Jhoni before rolling her eyes dramatically. She shakes her head and gestures for Adam to leave the kitchen. Adam made his way back up the stairs to his room. He doesn't focus on anything and just headed for his computer. He already had a saved copy of his CV on his laptop. He sends it to RedStripes Publishing.

When he got back downstairs, he finds everyone in the living room, munching on their sandwiches and salad.

"Papa, can we have Thai food for dinner?"

"I was just about ready to make dinner."

"Please." All three children choruses, Sara and Ian even joining in even if Ian's please sounded more like peas. Adam couldn't say no to his children. It's the first thing they've asked for since Sunday and if it would make them happy and take their minds off things, then he'd order Thai food for dinner.

There was still time to order, so after agreeing. They all settle down to watch an episode of The Adventures of Gumball, then Ben 10. Ian was nestled against Adam, his thumb in his mouth as he watched the tv shows, sometimes smiling around his thumb.

"You okay, bestie-roo?"

"Sara..." Adam earned, peeping over at Jhoni who was tapping at the screen of his phone.

"Are you okay though?"

"As alright as I can be."

"Good. You'll rest a bit by not making dinner this evening. I'd have made dinner instead but you know I hate cooking and I don't even know how to cook."

"Trust me, Sara. I know." Adam said and then chuckled. "Do you remember the time you wanted to cook for us during our second year at Uni?"

"Yeah! I literally burnt down the kitchen. The wall behind the stove was black and everything smelt like barbecue."

"Remember the landlord's face when he saw it?"

Sara burst out laughing. "His entire face turned red and his nose was flaring so bad that you could see up it."

—

Jhoni looked up from his phone and turned to his dad who was laughing with Aunt Sara. He stared at him for a few moments before getting up from his seat.

"Papa, can I go out? I'll be back in an hour max. I just want to see a few friends." Jhoni asked.

"Sure. Call me when you get there and when you're on your way back home."

Jhoni nods and quickly ran up the stairs to his room. He changed into a white shirt and grabbed his black jacket. He doesn't bother changing his jeans and just slid his legs into his Vans and then his way back down. He waves at his Papa and his Aunt before walking out of the house. He didn't really need to go far because he finds the red Mustang just a bit up the road and got in.

"Yo, Jonny." Dick cheered and taps Jhoni repeatedly on the shoulder when he got into the car.

"Thanks for coming, man."

"The weed is in the compartment. There's also a couple watcher of Rephynol and SK. If you're looking for a bit more... spice." Dick says with a wink.

The need to escape reality was growing stronger within Jhoni, especially since the moment George had told him about his fear of being abandoned by Papa too. Jhoni mostly stuck to weed and cigarettes and he knew his dad or Papa would flip if they found out. But they had shit to sort out.

"You can also grind up the Ref and snort it through your nose with a rolled up bill."

Richard Denver AKA Dick has been friends with Jhoni since they were eleven. Dick has always had a way of getting his hands on stuff. His life was even more messed up than Jhoni's but you'd never know.

"I'll just stick to swallowing my pills, Dicky."

"Want a little something to push it down?" Dick asked.

"No alcohol, Dicky."

"You're no fun."

"That's not what you say when you have my dick up your ass."

—

"He asked you if you're going to divorce Jensen?" Sara asked.

She and Adam were in the kitchen, the menu of the Thai place not too far from them on the table in front of them. They've already placed their order and it would be delivered to them in forty minutes or less.

"Yeah and I didn't even know what to say."

"I feel you should ask Jhoni to tell you who the blonde bimbo is."

"I actually don't want to know who the man is." Adam replied honestly. "I'm just looking for a solution."

"Do you think divorce is it? Are you ready to call your lawyers and have them draw the Papers up?"

"I think so."

This was the first time Adam was actually consenting to divorce. He had to pull himself together because this might actually happen. Yes, he still loved Jensen with all his heart but marriage can't be held up by one person. There was also the option of Jensen having full custody of the kids because Adam lacked a couple of things.

"But before I sign the papers, I need to find a job, maybe a new place to live."

"And maybe someone to date too." Sara raised a brow. "Mr. Baker says hi by the way."

Adam's eyes widened as he stared at his best friend. She had a smug expression on her face.

"Why didn't you tell me Ian's new teacher was a sexy beast?"

"Because he's a person not a beast and my son's teacher."

"I see him as a very sexy man interested in my very cute friend."

"Your friend who is a married man."

"Not happily married though."

That hit a spot in his heart. It was so painful to hear those words because he had never once dreamt unhappy would be an adjective used to describe his marriage to Jensen.

"I'm sorry." Sara said remorsefully, her bottom lip pushed out a bit as she pouted.

"It's okay. It just still shocks me sometimes."

"I've known Jensen for a couple of years but the Jensen I saw last Sunday wasn't the man who bawled at your wedding as he read his vows to you."

"I know."

"Why don't you and the kids stay with me? It must be painful living in this house. All the memories and all the pain."

"I can't do that to you, Sara. You have your own life to live without me adding my baggage to it."

"I have a book tour coming up and then after that I'll be in Germany working on a new book with a couple of other authors."

"I'll pay half the rent."

"That's cute but I guess i forgot to tell you that the house is actually mine. I bought it and paid in cash." Sara grinned. "You're trying to get yourself together and I want to be here for you."

"You are. You are giving me the strength I need t-"

"I love you, Adam but all this mushy stuff is rotting my teeth."

Adam rolled his eyes at his friend. "And you call yourself an author."

"It's different when it happens to my characters and not me."

The door bell went off, successfully bringing their discussion to an end. Adam paid for dinner and as he was about to shut the door, Jhoni appears. His hair wet and a small smile on his lips.

"Is that dinner?"

"Of course." Adam replied. "Where did you go?"

"I went swimming with Richard and a couple of guys." Jhoni replied as he walked in and shut the door behind him.

"Your tongue is blue." Adam adds.

"We had a couple of sodas and candy."

"Too much candy isn't good for you." Adam tsked as he and his son walked towards the sitting room.

"I know, Papa."

"Take off your jacket and come eat."

Jhoni pulled off his jacket and falls into a heap on the floor, Bella and George going instantly to him. Adam and Sara sit on the floor too, the food in the middle of them. Adam watched his kids eat as he fed Ian and he hopes they were all going to be alright.