Mine and Yours

...Awkward

"What's up?" Blue deadpanned as he opened the door on quite an angry looking man who he inherited his build and jawline from.

Jared Li was a typical looking white American man who hit the gym pretty regularly. He was in his later middle age with greying hair and skin that was permanently tanned from a life of contracting work. We owned his own business, the same business Blue had been working at every summer since he was 14 learning the trade and skills his dad spent a lifetime honing. I loved Jared. He was the father I didn't get to have. Mine was a completely no show so Jared gladly took me into his family. His nephew got married last year and I was invited as Blue's plus one. When the father daughter dance started, I picked at the hem in my dress awkwardly, sad for the umpteenth time in my life that I would never get that. I expected Jared to take Sondra's hand to lead onto the dance floor, but instead his hand appeared in front of my face. I had looked at him, shocked, then at the rest of the Li family around me. Mei—Hua had a huge smile on her face nodding in encouragement. Sondra sent me a wink as she took a sip out of her wine glass. Blue had squeezed my hand under the table and lightly bumped his shoulder into mine, telling me to go and he'd have my next dance. Jared had smiled like a million bucks when I carefully took his hand and let him lead me out to the group of slow dancing men and women. It had been the best night I'd had in a long time. Even after 10 years, it was still hard for me to grasp just how much of a part of the family they thought I was.

We'll see if that's still the case after this conversation. I hope it still is. These people were my home.

Standing behind Blue, I looked over his shoulder at Jared whose jaw was ticking. Blue had inherited the same indicator of anger.

"What's up?" Jared scoffed, throwing his hands up in the air. "I don't know Blue, maybe the fact that I can hear you two carrying on from inside the house. I've been home for an hour. Your mother has been listening to you all day. And this camper," he hit the side of the wall to run home his point, " has been shaking so much I thought it was going to tip over." He glared up at his son. "And if you didn't know already..." he gestured behind Blue to me, "KAYLA IS ALREADY PREGNANT! Why are the fuck are you carrying on like you're trying to get her more pregnant. Sorry son but you can't! It's not possible!" I shrunk against Blue's back at the temper his dad was exhibiting. Sure, I'd seen him mad at Blue before. Blue was a stubborn, hard headed, clone of his father. Who also liked to get into trouble. But I'd never been on the receiving end of any of that anger. Even when I was an equal partner in the mischief, I never got yelled at. I guess we were pretty rowdy with our lovemaking. I'd give him that. "And," Jared added on, "You both look like you've been to war! There is a baby in there that can still be hurt if you guess are too reckless and rough." My hands wrapped around my bump protectively, my ire starting at the insinuation that we were being harmful toward our baby. We were very careful, no matter how lost in each other we got. We had our little human in mind always.

And that was when Blue had enough.

"Do not. Think for a second that I would be careless with my woman and child." He hissed at his dad, stepping out of the trailer and going nose to nose with him. Inch for inch and pound for pound, they were pretty evenly matched, but I could see Blue was going to surpass Jared. And soon. Jared's brows rose in surprise at the fact that Blue was challenging him, but he didn't waiver for a second.

"You think you're a man now just because you got a girl pregnant? That's not a man. You won't be a man until you can provide a life for them. You think you can do that right now, you go right ahead and hit me son."

"Blue!" I called, worried this was going to turn ugly quick. I'd never seen them like this before. They loved each other dearly and normally got along like two peas in a pod. But I could see there was something simmering here. Something that had been brewing for a bit. Something I had not clue about. Blue completely ignored me so I called his name again. "Baby, please don't do something you're gonna regret." I begged from the step of the camper.