No Time Left To Regret

Chapter 6

As we walked into the house my knees became weak and I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I did everything I could to keep my composure. We walked into the kitchen where his parents were sitting at the table eating lunch. We stayed at the far end of the rectangular table, while Joe still had a hold of the baby carrier in his right hand, the baby out of sight blocked by the table and chairs.

Joe cleared his throat. "Mom... Dad..."

His parents looked up. "Oh, hey guys! I didn't even hear you come in." Denise greeted us with a smile.

"I... um, we have to talk to you." Joe managed to say. I could tell he was really nervous, as his hand sweated within mine.

"There's no need to explain anything. I see the two of you worked out your problems and are finally back together." Denise affirmed, still smiling at us.

"Yeah, but..." Joe began but Denise continued talking over Joe. "And not a moment too soon. Joseph, you've been moping around this house for months. Such a depressing sight."

"I know but I..." Joe tried to talk, but Denise spoke against him once again.

"I know you missed Beth, but you've got to stop being so stubborn like your Father." Denise said, looking at Kevin, Sr. and laughed, before looking back towards Joe.

"It's - it's a little more, um, than that." Joe stuttered.

"What is it then?" Denise asked, her smile waning.

"I... we had a little problem." Joe said, his blank expression never changing.

"You two no more than get back together and your already having problems again?" Denise asked shaking her head at the two of us.

"No, the problem is I never told you guys about..." Joe began to say, but Jonathan beat him to it as he let out a little cry. Joe and I looked at each other shockingly, then back to his parents.

"Did I just hear... a baby cry?" Kevin, Sr. said aloud, while giving Denise a funny look. Then they both looked blankly at Joe, waiting for his answer.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you... Beth had a baby." Joe conveyed, as he raised the baby carrier and set it on the table.

"Is that why you guys broke up?" Denise asked, pointing to the baby carrier

"Sort of. It was my fault though." Joe shrugged.

"Why is it your fault? Did she cheat on you while you were out on tour?" Denise questioned, her eyes darting between Joe and I constantly.

"No, she's never done that" Joe answered, shaking his head.

"Wait... That's not - your baby is it?" said Denise with a hand partially covering her mouth.

"Yes, it's mine" Joe admitted, looking at his Mother. No doubt she was crushed by the news. She didn't show restraint as she lit into Joe.

"How could that happen?!! I mean, I know how that happens!" Denise waved her hand at the baby carrier. "But you made a promise Joseph! To me and more importantly to God! What were you thinking?"

"She was, but apparently I was thinking with the wrong head." Joe's eyes downcast to the floor as his parents yelled at him.

"No! She wasn't either. If she was than she would have made you use protection, so nothing happened that you both would regret later!" Kevin, Sr. yelled, now getting upset.

"Don't say that! He's not a regret!" Joe yelled, standing up to his own Father.

That was enough for my already nervous stomach. I ran into the bathroom and threw up.

"What!? don't tell me she's pregnant again?" Kevin, Sr. accused. Gesturing in the direction where I had just ran.

"Dad, don't be ridiculous! She just gave birth yesterday." Joe said nonchalantly.

"Yesterday?" Denise said shocked at the same time Kevin, Sr. yelled "YESTERDAY!!!!!"

Then Denise put up her hand to quite her husband down and spoke in a civil tone to Joe.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner so we could have handled this differently?"

I walked back into the room just in time to see how Joe would handle the rest of this situation.

"I didn't know how to tell you. I knew you'd be mad..." Joe trailed off as his Father interrupted.

"You got that right!"

Joe continued, looking at me as he explained himself to his parents.

"I had a lot of soul searching to do, to decide what was the best thing to do for me, my career, for Beth and the baby. I left her the day we found out she was pregnant, and I stayed away from her during the entire pregnancy."

"Joseph!" Denise gasped. "I thought I taught you better than that!"

"I know it was wrong Mom. I thought I was doing it for all the right reasons, like protecting my career. I knew if I was seen with her like that it would have ruined me and the band, since we weren't married. But it killed me inside to be away from her and my unborn child, and missing all the doctors appointments. That's why I wouldn't talk about Beth and would walk out anytime her name was mentioned. I was also scared to be a Father but I wanted to be there for the baby, so when Kevin called me...."

Joe was interrupted once again as his Father yelled.

"Kevin? what does he have to do with this?"

"He told me she was in the hospital." Joe replied.

"How would he know something like that?" Kevin, Sr. demanded to know.

"I don't know... but after hearing that she had the baby, I had a million thoughts racing through my mind. That was judgment day for me. To decide my fate if I was going to be a real Father or a deadbeat Dad. My decision was to step up and be the man you and Mom raised me to be and to raise my child in a stable home." Joe explained, looking to his reeling parents.

"Stable home? You don't even have a home, son!" Kevin, Sr. yelled, still upset.

"Kevin, let me handle this. Your clearly upset over this whole thing." Denise said calmly.

"Damn right I am! I expected better from my boys!" Kevin, Sr. yelled while slamming his hands down the table.

Mr. Jonas never swore, so I knew this was going to get even uglier that it already was.

***Chapter end notes*** - Hope you liked this latest chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much for checking this story out.