Damaged Souls (Broken Man) - By Christopher Scott Page 0,3

paused, pleased to have caught him by surprise. “I said I think I’m pregnant.”

“You’re silly,” Jack laughed as he slowly resumed his favorite activity. “We’ve only been together for a week, and while I may be fast, I’m not that fast.”

“Very funny, Jack,” Amanda responded as she stopped his progress again and squirmed out from beneath him. “But, I’m being serious. We haven’t exactly been careful.”

Amanda sat up and looked at him carefully, curious as to how he would respond. They had not spoken about it until now, but all week, they had made love with reckless abandon, each time looking into each other’s eyes and signing an unwritten contract agreeing to the consequences and benefits of their actions. Jack wouldn’t break that contract, would he?

“Come here, Amanda,” he smiled as he pulled her on top of him. “I would consider myself the luckiest man on earth to have a child with you. You know that, right.”

“Thanks, Jack,” she was relieved he had told her exactly what she needed to hear. “I know it sounds silly after just a week, but I can’t explain it, just a feeling I have.”

“Well, I hope you are right,” he replied as he moved her into position again. “Do you want to try and make twins.”

“I’m not quite sure that’s how it works,” she closed her eyes once more and felt him about to enter her body. “But, let’s give it a try.”

Chapter One

Five Years Later

Amanda had been right.

Jack smiled as he remembered their conversation and watched his son trying to break the piñata. He had always wondered how she had known, how she had been so sure of it. Hard to believe it had been nearly five years and that Logan had already grown from an abstract concept into this wonderful little boy.

Logan’s swings got harder and harder as the kids screamed their support and Jack pulled the piñata just out of his range. Finally, Jack squared up the paper mâché dolphin for a center hit, and the candy streamed onto the grass as the kids scrambled to recover lost treasure. Chaos ensued, and Jack laughed as he watched Amanda help Logan pull off his blindfold, more interested in his performance as a batter than in gathering candy.

“Great job, bud,” Jack scooped Logan up and gave him a hug. “That was quite a hit.”

“I got it good, Dad,” he excitedly gave the play by play. “I missed a couple times, but hit it when I swung my hardest.”

“You did great, honey,” Amanda reassured him and gave him a kiss. “Why don’t you go gather some candy.”

“Okay, Mommy,” he nearly screamed as Jack returned him to the ground and he ran to join the other kids.

“You did a great job with the party,” Jack complimented his beautiful wife as he admired her low cut summer dress and enjoyed their annual Cinco de Mayo gathering.

“Thanks, Jack,” Amanda accepted his compliment as she gave him a kiss. “I think I did a good job planning around the limited attention span of four and five year olds. And, thanks for lending me Delaney and Greg. They’ve been a huge help today.”

“No problem. I just hope they don’t get into the booze,” he second guessed his decision to let them bartend the party.

“They will be fine, don’t worry. You’re not at work now,” Amanda reminded him as she touched his arm. “Even if they have a drink, they’re not going anywhere. I invited Greg to stay for dinner.”

“That’s fine, I didn’t know we even invited him anymore. I just thought he showed up every Sunday.”

“Well, he does seem to be part of the family now,” she responded as Jack could sense her happiness. “And I know Delaney and Logan love having him around.”

“You know it’s fine with me, especially if he cleans up this mess,” he replied as he surveyed the disaster in the back yard. “We should probably join the parents for a little while and then wrap this party up before these kids get too wired.”

“Look at you,” Amanda teased him. “Already plotting a way to get me alone.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be a Sunday without it,” Jack laughed, knowing she had read his mind.

* * *

“Here is your martini, sir,” Delaney presented another drink as Greg enjoyed the formality of her bartender routine.

She is so beautiful, he thought to himself as he looked away, trying not to stare. The most beautiful girl in school, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He had formed this