“Thenmarrythe girl, for fuck’s sake, Josh. It’s not that complicated.”
I exhale in exasperation.
“Josh, Kat obviously turned you down because you were asking her out of obligation, not love. If you ask her again, but this time tell her you love her, she’ll say yes—I guarantee it.”
I wave Jonas off. “I’m not gonna ask Kat again. Once was enough. The truth is I have no interest in getting married, not even to Kat. If I wanna be with someone, I’ll be with them. And if I wanna go, then I’ll go. And it’s the same for her. I think it’s more satisfying to know the other person’s there because theywantto be—not because theyhaveto be based on some stupid piece of paper from the government.”
Jonas shakes his head but he doesn’t speak. After a moment, he surveys the table again. “Eight-ball, rebounding off your two, and then into the far right corner.” He sinks his shot and wins the game.
“Goddammit, Jonas. I hate playing against you.”
Jonas puts his stick on the rack, his jaw muscles tight.
“What?” I ask.
“Nothing.”
“Dude, I can tell you’ve got something to say. Just say it.”
“Nope. I’ve got nothing to say. Congratulations on telling Kat you love her tonight. Big step. I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to hear it.”
“Jonas,” I say, exhaling. “You don’t understand. I’m gonna support my kid, okay? I’m gonna be the best father I can be. That’s a given. And I’m hopefully gonna raise the kid with Kat because I love her and wanna be with her. She’s the most incredible woman I’ve ever been with and I can’t imagine finding anyone better, ever. But I’m not the marrying kind of guy. I don’t need a piece of paperforcingme to be with Kat—I’m gonna be with her because Iwantto be.”
There’s a long beat.
“Cool,” Jonas says, clearly brushing me off. “Congrats. Come on. The chef wanted to talk to you, remember?”
“Yeah, and you gotta get the fuck out before Kat gets here.” I look at my watch. “Kat’s supposed to be here in ten minutes—which means she’ll be here in thirty.”
We start walking toward the dining area.
I keep expecting Jonas to say something, but he doesn’t.
“What?” I finally say. “Just say it.”
Jonas presses his lips together.
“Fuck, Jonas. I know what you’re thinking.”
“You do? What am I thinking?”
“You’re thinking I should propose to Kat again. And, yeah, I know that’s the way we were raised—you get a girl pregnant, you marry her. No other option. I know that’s what Dad would demand of me. But I’m not beholden to Dad anymore. He’s gone—he made his choice—and I’m a grown-ass man. I’ve decided I’m not gonna ask Kat to marry me and that’s final. It’s my choice. I love her, I really do, and that’s enough. I’ve decided I’m gonna love Kat with all my heart and be committed to her and help her raise our baby and we’ll just see what happens between her and me. If she wants to go, she can. Same for me.” I’m breathing heavily. My chest is tight. “What? Stop looking at me like that.”
“Mr. Faraday?” It’s the chef, accompanied by a guy in a tux. “How are you this evening, sir? This is Gregory. He’ll be serving you tonight.”
The four of us shake hands.
“Is this your guest for the evening?” The chef asks, motioning to Jonas.
Jonas and I look at each other and laugh.
“No. This is my brother. He’s just leaving. My guest will be arriving in a few minutes.”
“But I’d love to get your card,” Jonas says. “I’m thinking about hiring you guys as a surprise for my fiancée.”
I smile at the exuberant tone of Jonas’ voice when he says the word “fiancée.”
“When’s the wedding?” the chef asks.
