Family Portrait | J.S

Broken Home

Third POV

"Hey Squirt, can I come in?" Will asks his nephew as he knocks on his bedroom door, he sighs as he hears Lucas sobbing. He turns the knob of the door and slowly steps in.

"I'm sorry, I feel like I should've been here for you. Come on, give your best Uncle a bear hug." Will says apologetically as he sits on Luke's bed where he lays face down into his pillow sniffling as he is emotional.

"I'm nine now, I am way to big for you to still be calling me squirt, but I could do with that hug." Luke replies before lunging into Wills arms and they hug in a tight embrace which last for a good few minutes.

"I've missed you Uncle Will. Its been so hard without you" he sniffs as he composes himself, will pulls Lucas away from his body and wipes his tears with both his thumbs.

"I'm here now okay, I'm not gonna leave you; I promise. And you will always be my little squirt, no matter how old or tall you get." Will says to his godson before placing a peck on his forehead and ruffles his hair, Lucas smiles softly and grabs onto his uncles hand. They cross their legs on the bed as Lucas prepares to open up about what's been happening over the last six months.

"I hate him Uncle Will, he's destroyed our family. He lies to me and Mŷa, and he's not honest with Momma either. He ruins everything and I wish he wasn't my Dad. Can I live with you?"  Luke asks and Will sighs

"I wish buddy, but you know your Mom really needs you right now? Because she's sad, and she needs you to make her feel happy." Will says to his nephew as he plays with Lucas' pokeball which is placed perfectly on his beside table before throwing it over to him. Like catches the pokeball before looking back at his Uncle.

"I'm mad at Momma too, we've always been honest with each other and she didn't tell me her and Dad aren't together anymore." Lucas says and a single tear falls on his right cheek, Will looks at his nephew with sympathy and a whole lotta love before giving him some truthful advice.

"Sometimes we don't tell people things and not because we want to lie to them, but because we don't want to hurt that person because we love them. Now, I love you kiddo and you know that you are never not welcome with me and your Aunt Arden, but  there's no one in the world who loves you more than your Mom and Dad; that soul filling, beautiful, unconditional and sometimes heartbreaking love,  you can only get from them. You feel the way that you do because you love them too, now I want my nephew to use his big and beautiful heart, to forgive his parents instead of using his pain to hate. Can you do that for me?" Will asks before wiping the tear stain seated on Luke's flushed right cheek, Lucas nods before wrapping his arms around his Uncle's neck and holding onto him for a while.

"I'm glad your home Uncle Will."

"So am I squirt, So am I."

Joes POV

I sit on the grass in the middle of Battersea Park with a bottle of Scotch in one hand and my wedding band in another, I place between my fingertips and take a closer look at the engraving on the inside of the ring

"Forever and Always.  Yeah fucking right?!" I murmur under my breath before taking a large swig of my scotch trying to drown out the voices in my head which tell me the unfathomable truth that I have single-handedly destroyed everything I have ever loved and ever will love, and this time it's for good. A body places itself beside me and I immediately know that my best friend has come to give me a lecture which I am so not in the mood for, William takes the scotch bottle from my hand and takes it back in two large gulps before handing it back to me.

"If you're here to give me a lecture you can fucking save your breath." I say before drinking once again, my body shaking from the winter air and I try my best to keep myself warm by pulling my legs over to my chest making sure that I rub my hands together to create warmth.

"I don't need to, you're very aware that you've monumentally fucked up. You wouldn't be sat on grass in the middle of a public park drinking like a 14-year-old if you didn't" Is all that comes out of Will's mouth and I roll my eyes irritably knowing that he is right.

"Come on, let's go drink in a pub like grown folk." We walk a few miles until we reach a dingy corner pub and we order a few stouts and sit in the booth, there is a long awkward silence before my closet friend hands me a photograph of the holiday we all went on to Dominican Republic a few years back! He and I have the boys on our shoulders and we're pecking our wives, and mine is rocking her baby bump; it feels like a lifetime ago that moment in time was captured.

"That is one of my best friends in the world, our family has been close for as long as I can remember; he was madly in love with his wife and he was a wonderful father to an incredible little boy who I worship because he is my Godson. I wanna know where he's gone, I wanna know where he is because this thing that is sitting in front of me; it's pathetic! This person shows up to his nine-year-old sons birthday party reeking of booze, he's so embarrassed by your behavior he doesn't even wanna know you anymore! Because this sorry ass excuse for man is Not his father and most definitely isn't my best friend!" Will yells at me and a single tear falls from my cheek before I take large gulps of his stout.

"What the fuck do you want from me?" I yell back

"Are you actually shitting me?! I want you to grow a fucking pair of balls and be a damn man! Look after your kids, oh and maybe not cheat on your fucking wife with co-workers and not have it come out on international media; humiliating her in front of the whole world." Will states sarcastically and I roll my eyes because I am proud and as much as I would like to be right, in reality I know that every word coming from one of the most important people in my life is true.

"I'm sorry!"

"I'm sorry doesn't clean this shit up, action does! Fighting for your marriage and not making pathetic excuses makes things right! I'm sorry is a word we've all heard too many times from you, and right now; we don't believe you."

"How is my life any of your fucking business?!" I say trying to defend my behaviour however inexcusable.

"Don't you dare, cause when it comes to that boy; it is my fucking business! you and his mother honoured me with this role, and unlike you I don't take vows lightly." Will slams his empty on the table before his totally frame rises from his seat, storming out of the pub.

Lucy's POV

"Girls, I haven't been completely honest with you" I say as I walk into my lounge where my best friends are seated with copious amounts of  wine are placed on our dining table

"What d'you mean Lu?" Melanie asks and I sigh before opening my long cardigan to reveal my growing baby bump

"Holy shit!!! You're pregnant! Like really, really pregnant.... Fuck!" Arden exclaims in shock that I have kept this pregnancy a secret, even from them.

"Does he know about this?!!" Melanie asks me in a concerned tone and I shake my head before sitting in-between the two most important women in my life who I'd trust the wold with; including my children.

"Of course not, and its staying that way!" I exclaim before looking both of my girlfriends in the eye with a warning look.

"But that's his child." Arden says trying to reason with me

"So is the little boy upstairs crying his eyes out! I don't see him around or sober enough to comfort him. This child will NOT go through heartache because of that man, I wont allow it" I say before I burst into tears, my best friends hug me from each side of my body and we all huddle together; this makes me feel like I can do this on my own, because I have the best friends in the world.

There you have it guys, Lucy's pregnant. What do you thinks gonna happen now with the divorce? Will Joe fight for custody of his children? Does he have a case?? You'll find out very, very soon!! 

I love you,

Kasey