Sophomore Year || Parenthood Series, Book One || WATTYS 2018

Chapter Five

SOUNDTRACK: "Going to California" by Led Zepplin

Jared took a deep breath as he sat in his truck in the parking lot of a coffee shop in San Diego. The reality that he was a parent was very slow to set in. Sam had given him Mr. Emerson's contact information and left it up to him. He had called on Friday and set up a meeting with Kate and her stepfather for Monday, figuring that he may as well get it over with. The anticipation had preoccupied him the entire weekend. It was a combination of nerves at meeting Kate, the uncertainty of what she'd be like, how well they'd get along, and whether or not he had made the right choice.

Connie's heartfelt plea had worked on him and she had spent the entire weekend alternating between describing Kate's appearance in detail and rattling off all the things she wanted to do with her.

"Mom," Jared had reminded her. "I don't have official custody of her yet. I can only see her in San Diego right now and I'm certainly not going to bring the entire family with me and throw you all at her at once. That's just not fair."

It wasn't just that he wanted to protect Kate from getting overwhelmed; he also didn't want his mother or Shannon to develop an attachment to her when he wasn't really sure what his role would be in her life. There were a lot of variables at the moment. Robin was paying close attention to any possible leaks. A rock star and Academy Award winner having an illegitimate teen daughter was major news in Hollywood. He wanted to keep it a secret as long as he could, for no other reason than the fact that he didn't even know how to handle it.

So there he was, staring at his steering wheel, trying to control his breathing. He was supposed to be in the coffee shop five minutes beforehand; tardiness would not reflect well in this situation. With another deep breath, he heaved his car door open and got out, jingling his keys nervously in his hands. He slid his sunglasses up his nose and adjusted the beanie over his bright hair (which he was now regretting since premiering it at the VMAs). He pulled open the door to the shop and walked in, sliding his sunglasses off and allowing his eyes to adjust to the light change.

He spotted them in the corner and he felt his heart stop. Mr. Emerson was drinking from a large coffee cup and Kate was reading a book. Her brown hair was pulled away from her face in a bun on top of her head. He walked over to them and cleared his throat.

"Ryan," he said, extending his hand in a polite gesture.

The other man took it with a forced smile. It was very obvious to Jared that he had no interest in being there. He gently nudged Kate's shoulder. She looked up in surprise, pulling earbuds from her ears.

"He's here," Ryan told her. "I'll be over there if you need anything," he added, pointing to a booth about twenty feet away.

Kate nodded and watched him walk away. Jared sat at the table opposite her and glanced at the book in her hand.

"What are you reading?" he asked.

"Diary of Anne Frank," she answered.

"That's...depressing," he remarked.

"Its for school," she explained. He nodded. "So you're my real dad," she said, looking up at him.

The breath hitched in Jared's throat as her eyes met his. It was like looking in the mirror at his own face - well, the eyes and nose at least. "Yeah," he coughed out. "You can call me Jared. You already have a dad. Ryan raised you."

Kate nodded and folded her hands in her lap. "I know."

He bit his lip nervously. "So I'm sorry to hear about your mom," he said. She shrugged but stayed silent. "I lost my dad when I was a kid." More silence. He was having a much harder time than he had anticipated. "What - uh - what year are you in school?"