20. Amends.

Jessica was engulfed in the show You, she was annoyed by the knock on her door that was stopping her from continuing to watch it. She huffed as she exited out of the show, she knew it was Mateo. She threw on a tank top and some shorts before walking towards the door.

He knocked again as she neared the door. "I'm coming!" She yelled out with an attitude as she unlocked the door. Mateo stood there looking every bit of stressed. He looked her up and down, his eyes staying on her stomach longer before looking back up at her face and walking in.

She rolled her eyes as she closed and locked the door. She turned around to see him still standing there. She brought her eyebrows in, "what Mateo?"

He could sense her anger, but that's not what he wanted to focus on right now. He looked back down at her stomach again, "Can I?"

She knew he was asking to touch her belly, and it dawned on her that he had yet to really touch it. "Yeah," she said lowly, she wanted to be angry with him right now but she wasn't going to deny him this moment. He walked towards her placing both of his hands on her stomach. He dropped down to his knees becoming eye level with her belly as he closed his eyes and kissed it.

In that moment, in that position he was reminded he needed to pray more. Jessica grabbed his hand moving it to another part of her belly where she felt the baby. She didn't know if he would be able to, but it was worth a shot.

"You feel that?" Jessica asked as their son kicked again. Mateo looked up at her, a smile coming to his face. "Yeah, it's not strong but I feel it a little bit."

He focused back in on her belly as he started talking to it. "Hey little man," that caused another kick and Jessica definitely felt it more than he could. "I think you woke him up," she let out as Mateo continued to feel around her belly and talk to their son.

In that moment it felt as if the day's events were insignificant. But that feeling wouldn't last long enough.

Mateo stood up, removing his hands from her belly before focusing on her face. Her eyes soft, her lips slightly parted and her hair free. "I'm sorry," he let out as his eyes roamed over her face.

The softness in her eyes disappearing as she walked past him going to her living room in which he followed. She sat down and he took a seat on the same couch as her. "What I did was inappropriate."

"You said you weren't going to throw blows like high schoolers and then we leave the restaurant and you literally throw blows like you're a high schooler." She let out before he could even finish the rest of what he was saying.

"I know," he sighed. He was being his usual calm self . "And I'm sorry for that, but Dwayne had that shit coming with his comments."

"And I get that, but it just wasn't the time or place. It was childish as fuck on your behalf, especially after you were saying that Dwayne was acting childish."

"I know Jessica, I know." He sighed as he leaned forward and looked at her. "That's why I'm apologizing and I also apologize for Sofia's behavior. I don't want you to feel like I don't have your back, and I realize how I haven't truly had your back lately. And I'm sorry for that."

Jessica didn't say anything as she placed one of her hands on her belly causing him to look down at it. "I know you need your time, so I know you aren't just going to get over it quickly. But I do want you to know I'm sorry."

He was so opposite of Dwayne, where Dwayne would argue her down to defend himself Mateo would just apologize and sometimes she didn't know how to respond to that.

She looked at him, "don't act like you know me."

He shook his head, she could be so stubborn. "I've unfortunately made you upset enough times to know that."

That she knew to be true, "and that's sad as hell."

"I know, I'm sorry for that too."

She rolled her eyes as she switched her position on the couch, facing him more. "You're doing a lot of apologizing."

He nodded. "You deserve a lot of apologizing from me." And that Jessica wouldn't argue with. She was just wondering where it was all coming from.

"You know with apologies, changed actions have to follow for them to truly be sincere." She informed.

A small smirk came to his face as he focused on her, "well aware. Actions are following."

She didn't say anything as she just studied him for a second, "but," he continued, "if you could put all of your anger and disappointment for me to the side for a moment so we can get some things figured out with the baby before I go I'd appreciate it."

She sighed, "go ahead Mateo."

He gave her a small smile, "have you thought of any names since we last talked about it?" He questioned.

She nodded, "I was looking up some names after the appointment and I liked Jace, Bryson, Mason, I liked Milo too, but that kind of sounds like a dog name to me. But I also like Jeremiah, did you think of any?"

He shook his head no. "Not really, are you mainly sticking with the J's or M's? I only heard one other letter in that list."

Jessica shook her head no, "it wasn't intentional."

Mateo nodded, "I like Jace and Bryson or Mateo Jr. That sounds nice too."

Jessica gave a closed mouth smile. "I don't know about the junior thing." Mateo didn't really care he wasn't one of those people who had to have a son named after them.

Mateo laughed, "my last name?" Now that he did care about.

"Jace Santos, Bryson Santos. Not really a ring to that one. Jace Brown, Bryson Brown."

"I don't even know why you're trying out your last name, it's not happening. That's one thing I need him to have, my last name."

She rolled her eyes, as long as he was an active part of the child's life she didn't have an issue giving their son his last name to carry on. "I guess."

"We'll decide on a for sure first name soon enough. But you'll be due soon and I definitely want to try and be here if I can. It would be even more beneficial if you were in San Diego..." The thought of Jessica moving to San Diego had been on his mind a lot. But he also knew they didn't have the best relationship so convincing her to do that wouldn't be easy.

"No, I'm not going to San Diego."

"Jessica."

"Hell no, my life is here!"

"I'm not saying move there forever, at least not yet." Jessica looked at him like he was crazy.

"Besides," he continued, "you said you wanted a water birth, are you going to do that here? In this carpeted apartment? I have hardwood floors downstairs in a townhouse I own."

"You own more than one home?" Jessica questioned, this was news to her but it was also something they never really talked about.

He nodded, "yeah, and you could stay there. You don't have to worry about any of the bills. I'll have all of that taken care of."

Jessica laughed, "Mateo, I'm not moving to San Diego and I'm not about to let you pay all my bills and shit. I have a job here, friends here. Everything is here." She emphasized. "And we barely can get along, it's always some bullshit."

"With you being eight hours away you might as well be in another state."

She shrugged her shoulders, "I want to be an active part of my child's life and I don't want it to just be through FaceTime calls and flights when I can get them." He continued.

"Then move here!"

"It's not that easy! My job is in San Diego, you work in a hospital. You can literally get a job anywhere! Besides my mom will be in San Diego and she can definitely help, she can babysit while you work. I'm not too big on putting him in a daycare early on."

Jessica rubbed her head, this conversation was bound to happen. They were going to have to talk about these things. "Mateo I'm not about to just up and move my life because you want me to. Just because I got pregnant by you. That's not how this is about to go."

"You can't act like it wouldn't be more convenient though."

"Yeah convenient for you!"

"And you Jessica, I don't want you to feel like you're doing this alone. Especially with the season starting back up, it's intense as hell. We're playing a game damn near everyday and in a different city. At least you'll have my moms help and some of my other family as well, if you meet them and are comfortable with it."

"I have help here too, Dwayne has had a child before, Lex will be willing to help."

"If you think I'm going to be okay with him watching my child you've got me fucked up Jessica."

She rolled her eyes, "okay then keep that same energy when it comes to Sofia watching him."

"I never even mentioned Sofia, I mentioned my mom and my family so that's fine. And what child has Lex babysat and helped with? From what I know she's a party person."

"Oh my gosh, do not tell me you are that kind of person, acting like only certain people can watch your child. Lex can be responsible so don't do that." And she could, realistically she knew she would only call on Lex when it was last resort, because he was right she was definitely the party type and not the baby type. "and besides be real, there is definitely going to be a time that Sofia will watch him."

He shook his head, "my mom doesn't work so no, well except for when she meal preps for people and even then that's out of her house and they come to her to get it. So no."

"We're not handing him off to your mom all the time!"

"I'm not saying we are, but if push came to shove and you were dead set on Sofia not watching him I'd make a way. I'm just letting you know there will hardly ever be a time where I have to push him off on her alone. Will she be around yes? Just like I know Dwayne will be, all I'm saying is I don't want him watching my child alone. I don't trust him."

She understood his point and she couldn't argue it seeing as how he would easily respect her wishes on Sofia not watching him if she asked. But Dwayne and Alexis were really about all she had, she had some friends from work that she could trust but she wouldn't want to rely on them too much and her mother was a lost cause. But she couldn't tell him that because that would further help his argument of her moving to San Diego.

"Okay," she said instead.

He studied her as she sat there quiet, "what's running through your mind Jessica?" He was hoping her moving to San Diego was what she calculating in her mind.

She shook her head, the thought of her really not being ready ran through her head. Granted she still had a couple of months, but having someone to watch their son was important and he definitely had more resources, and he easily had the means. Had she saved up enough for the time she would be out of work? She hadn't even got a lot of the things the baby needed.

He sighed, "Jessica." He could tell her mind was running rampant. "We have time to get everything together and figure stuff out. I just wanted to throw that out there. Just make it easier for both of us."

He paused, giving her a chance to respond. When she didn't he continued to his next question in order to get her mind off of it for the moment. "Do you still not want to have a baby shower?"

She looked towards him, "no. I told you I would have no one to invite."

"All of my friends are here," he mocked. She rolled her eyes, "I don't have that many. It'll be like five people and my sisters don't live here."

"I feel like if we plan it for like two months out, you know a good month before you're due that'll give them plenty of time to get plane tickets and get here. We'll have my family and friends there too."

"They don't know me Mateo, I'm not Sofia and that would just be awkward."

He brought his eyebrows in, "but they know me. It's our child Jessica. A baby shower is mainly about getting things for the baby."

She shook her head, "I don't want one. I can just get the stuff myself."

"We Jessica, we can just get the stuff ourselves. Stop talking like this is just you by yourself."

She didn't mean to, she wasn't even realizing that she was doing it. "My bad. Well we can just get it."

He nodded, "alright, but are you sure you don't want a baby shower. I mean it's your first child."

"Mateo do you want a baby shower or something?"

He laughed, "no, I mean it would be nice for you to meet some of my family and some of the people who are going to give gifts regardless if we have a baby shower or not."

"Why do you want me to meet these people Mateo? We're not together."

He brought his eyebrows in together, confused on what eluded that response. "I'm well aware, but you are the mother. If I have him and I'm saying I'm going to stop by so and so's it won't be 'who is that?' and 'don't be bringing my son around all these people I don't know.'" Mateo has heard that said plenty of times by his teammates baby mothers and some of his friends.

"I'm not even like that."

"Yeah, you say that now until he actually gets here."

"You're a celebrity Mateo, I know he's at some point going to be around a lot of people I don't know. That shit just isn't happening early on."

"Okay," he stated with ease. "So no baby shower," she let out. He nodded in agreement, "no baby shower."

"So the birth in San Diego though? In the townhouse? I've even compiled a list of doulas and midwives since you mentioned them." He didn't actually get the list together but had his teammate Jose's wife too since she birthed her daughter the same way. He wasn't giving up on getting her to San Diego.

Jessica rolled her eyes, "I already have one here. They're preparing me for a water birth here. I've already told my gynecologist my plan. Which also is a thing, I have my gynecologist here."

"So you're having it here?" He pointed around the apartment. "In here?"

"No, they have a birthing center."

Mateo rubbed his chin, "can you at least consider coming to San Diego for the birth and those first few weeks?"

She sighed, knowing she had to say yeah for him to shut up about it. "Yes Mateo, I will think about it."

He shook his head, "that was too easy. I'm serious Jessica. I can probably take a seat for a few weeks and not travel and be with you and the baby. But I'll still have to go to practices when they're here and it'll just make it easier for me. So yes this is selfish of me in a way but I want to be there."

Jessica couldn't be mad at that, she sighed "okay, I'll seriously consider it."

"That's all I'm asking. I know it's asking a lot of you but I'll do whatever you need me to in order to make it happen."

"Okay." She replied ready to put the topic of San Diego to rest.

Mateo stood up as he stretched, "okay, well I'm going to head out. We have a early flight and I want to stop by the bar to get a drink before I head in."

Jessica stood up as well. He smiled down at her as he looked at her belly. "That belly poking girl."

"Shut up, I know. I swear each week I wake up it's bigger." Jessica laughed before quickly stopping. "And we are still not cool right now, I'm still upset with how you acted. I set my anger aside just for that conversation."

He nodded letting her know he understood as he motioned for her to come closer. She did with suspicion as he reached out and pulled her into him, hugging her as she stood their slightly confused before returning the hug; this honestly being one of their first real hugs. He pulled away from her, looking down at her. Sincerity in his voice and on his face. "I'm sorry again, for everything. I promise you're about to see a whole new me. Who I should've been from the start."

Jessica gave a small smile as she backed up a little, "I'll be looking forward to it." She paused for a moment, "but give me my time first, and then let's continue to move forward because at the end of the day, I have to deal with you regardless of all the bullshit because of this little one." She pointed to her stomach. "Which also means no more bullshit with Dwayne, that's a part of moving forward." She added on.

Mateo put his hands up as if to surrender, "I'm cool, it's his mouth Jessica. I'm chill but there's only so much crazy talking a person is going to deal with."

Jessica nodded, "remind your girlfriend of that! She sounds like she really wants to keep the peace but please let her know, she won't see that nice side of me she saw at the restaurant if she tries that again." Jessica smiled.

Mateo shook his head, "it isn't happening again. No worries." He started making his way towards the door.

"Well, we'll be in contact." He stated as he placed his hands on her belly again, "bye little man." Jessica smiled at the interaction.

He looked back at her with a smirk on his face. "Bye baby mama."

"Bye." She smiled as he walked out, rolling her eyes with a smile still on her face. She didn't know what had came over him from earlier in the day until now, but she liked it.

She knew he would be a great father, no matter how much stupid shit he did and said, she couldn't take that away from him.