Expect the Unexpected (Zack Merrick/All Time Low)

Chapter Twenty Nine

sorry it took sooooo long for updates, oops

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Erika watched as Jack peeked over his menu, taking a not so stealthy glance around the restaurant they had decided on for lunch. Nudging him under the table with her foot, she gave him a what the hell are you looking for glance when he stopped his James Bond impression and smiled sheepishly at her.

"Stalking isn't a very flattering profession, Jack." Erika joked giving him a wink.

Laughing nervously, Jack rubbed the back of his neck and licked his lips. "Nah, I was just looking around ya know the lunch crowd in this place are some real characters."

"Why don't I believe this?" Erika asked taking a sip from the water she'd asked for and raising her brow at her companion for the afternoon.

"Because it is complete bullshit." Jack confessed with a shrug and a smirk. "C'mon, Eri, you know me I'm a nosey bastard."

"You're something alright." Erika chuckled with a snort.

Muttering something about how it was impolite of the receptionist to assume he was the father of Erika's baby, Jack stuck his nose back in his menu humming to himself playfully. Erika shook her head and turned her attention back to her own menu, a smile playing on her face at Jack's comment. It was a little assuming of her doctor's new receptionist to assume Jack was the father; the real laugh had been Jack who loudly informed the older lady that he was nothing more than Uncle Jack and he was just coming for moral support.

Jack had been elected to tag along, when Codi decided to take a visit home to Toronto for a few days, taking Rian with her. Alex was in New York with the band's manager discussing some new ideas for the next record and Victoria was busy with work, although once she was finished for the day Jack would return to his girlfriend leaving Erika to her own devices. Tomorrow Alex would be home, Rian and Codi would be back the day after and the day after that the band flew out to get ready for their next tour.

If all went well, tour would end a few days before Erika was due. Codi would be there as well as Victoria and Zack's parents would be around, but Alex was pretty determined to be home before the little one arrived. Jack played it off, but if asked he too really wanted to be home, there was no way he was waiting to see his new niece or nephew. No blood relation and yet Jack was acting more excited than most biological family members about a baby. Leave it to Jack.

Placing their orders, Jack twirled a fork around looking almost bored and at the same time thoughtful. "So after tour and the baby is born, any plans?" Jack asked absentmindedly

"Lose some sleep, maybe? I'm not really big on plans." Erika replied cautiously. "Why? Is there something I should know about?"

"No." Jack shook his head. "I just thought maybe, once things settled for a little while that you and Zack would have a plan or something. Alex said Codi has been at you to talk with him and I thought maybe you two would be discussing all the fun stuff that comes with having a kid."

"If Zack wants to talk to me, he knows where to find me. Besides, isn't he away on vacation or something?" Erika asked focusing her attention on the window a few feet away.

"He canceled his trip, I guess he had other things come up." Jack replied bobbing his head up and down, as if he could hear music nobody else could. "So you and 'Lex."

"What about us?" Erika questioned narrowing her stare at Jack.

Jack Barakat wasn't one to pry or push things; Jack was the one to allow things to happen as they would. This prying Jack wasn't a person Erika seemed to favour, it seemed as lately everybody was always in her business and until now Jack had been the one person she could rely on to not be like everybody else.