Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Weekend With The Beta: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

Nicole “Well isn't that just great,” Zach murmured as we hit the third red light in the past ten minutes. “There's no need to be so dramatic,” I teased, the only response I got was an eye roll. Unfortunately for us, red lights weren't our only problem. Less than five minutes later, we hit a stretch of road under construction, forcing us to take a detour through backroads that were anything but smooth. “This is ridiculous,” Zach muttered, gripping the steering wheel tightly as the car jostled over a particularly rough patch on the road that I assumed to be a pothole. “You need to chill,” I told him, “It was probably just a pothole.” He opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a loud thud. “Oh, come on,” he groaned, pulling over once again. We both got out of the car to inspect the damage. Sure enough, the front passenger tire was completely flat. “Well, this is just delightful,” I said, crossing my arms. Zach sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Stay here

Zach It wasn’t long until we managed to let the kids wear themselves out and finally go to bed. Honestly, I’d never been more grateful for their bedtime in my life. Between the endless rounds of hide-and-seek and their wild energy, I felt like I’d run a marathon. Nicole stood by the door, arms crossed, watching the kids with a soft smile. There was something about the way she looked at them, gentle, warm. She caught my gaze, and I quickly looked away, clearing my throat as I stepped out of the room and into the hallway. “Who knew getting these two to bed could be such a workout?” Nicole whispered as she closed the door quietly behind her. “Tell me about it.” I chuckled softly, running a hand through my hair. Nicole grinned, nudging me lightly with her elbow as we made our way to the living room. I nodded absentmindedly, sinking into the couch. Nicole sat down beside me, curling her legs underneath her. I should’ve been relaxed, relieved, even, but my mind kept drifti

Zach The house was quiet, well, as quiet as it could be with Leah and Jack’s two little whirlwinds around. I glanced at Nicole, who was perched on the edge of the bed, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. The kids had finally dozed off in the living room after a chaotic evening of bedtime stories, giggles, and not-so-gentle wrestling matches. The itinerary were the same for each day, wake up, spend half an hour trying to wake the kids, get them to do something as simple as brushing their teeth, get them to bath and the most important part, serve them breakfast. Did I mention how spoiled these kids were? I mean I did contribute to that, but being the stand-in dad was completely different from being the fun uncle. I finally understood why Leah often reprimanded me for being too liberal with the girls. At the mention of Uncle Zach, I’m racing through the thickest glass doors to indulge in whatever mischief they may have up their sleeves. Some days, I even play the

Nicole My mouth parted slightly, shock rippling through me as his words landed. I was still holding a napkin, when Zach casually dropped that sentence into the room like it was nothing. The girls burst into giggles, of course they did , because to them anything involving babies, or the word “kids,” was instantly hilarious. Jack laughed too, shaking his head like he’d just walked into a sitcom. But Leah? Leah turned to Zach so sharply I swear I heard the air slice. “Oh?” she said slowly, eyebrows climbing. “You asked her that?” Her tone was laced with annoyance. I could feel my face heating up again. Why was I the only person in this house permanently embarrassed? Why was my emotional stability suddenly a family project? Zach didn’t even show an ounce of remorse for his comment. If anything, he looked carefree and very amused. “It was a joke.” A joke. Real funny. I stared at the napkin like it was the most interesting thing on earth. If it could’ve grown legs and

Nicole I stood outside his bedroom door longer than I should have, my hand hovering over the wood like the slightest touch would shatter something fragile on the other side. A part of me wanted to knock, to ask if he was okay, to step in and make whatever was wrong just a little easier. But another part of me, the more anxious part, kept whispering that I was the reason he had shut down in the first place. He had barely spoken the night before, not even when I tried to ask if he needed anything. He had simply nodded, retreated into his room, and closed the door. The soft click of the latch had felt final, like a barrier I shouldn’t cross. So I didn’t. I spent half the night trying to convince myself that giving him space was the right thing to do. Maybe he needed room to breathe. Maybe he needed quiet. Maybe… maybe he needed distance from me. By morning, I had made up my mind to talk to him, really talk and stop dancing around the tension that had been building all week. Leah