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"Just busy morning. Everything okay?"

"With me, yes. With you? I'm not so sure." Her tone shifts, a sign she's moving from pleasantries to the real reason for her call. "Have you seen Tess this week?"

I lean back in my chair, guilt tightening my chest. "We had dinner Tuesday."

"Yes. I heard you were on your phone the entire time dealing with some coffee crisis in Colombia."

"Bolivia," I correct automatically. "And it was important."

"More important than how Tess is feeling? More important than her doctor calling yesterday with concerns about her iron levels?"

My stomach drops. "What? She didn't tell me about that."

"Maybe because you've been unavailable."

I close my eyes, the weight of my avoidance sinking in. "I've been swamped with work."

"Bullshit." Jane's voice cuts sharp and clean across the line. "You're hiding. I've watched you do this for years. Whenever something scares you, you disappear into work. Dad taught you that trick, and it's the worst habit you picked up from him."

The comparison to our father stings more than she knows. "That's not fair."

"You know what's not fair? Tess going through this shock alone. Tess worrying about how to adjust her performance schedule around a twin pregnancy by herself. Tess trying to reach you and getting your voicemail."

"I haven’t been—" I check my call log. She's right. I haven't picked up Tess's calls in three days, just responded with texts. "Shit."

"Listen to me, Charlie." Jane's voice softens slightly. "I know you're scared. Anyone would be. But Tess is terrified too, and she doesn't have the luxury of burying herself in work to avoid it. Those babies are growing inside her right now, whether you're ready or not."

The truth of her words hits me with physical force. "I don't know how to do this, Jane."

"No one does. Parenting doesn't come with a manual. But you show up. You figure it out together."

"It's not just the babies," I admit, the words tumbling out now. "It's Tess. It's us. We barely know each other, really. We started as a fake relationship, for fuck’s sake. And now we're having twins? It's insane."

"Grow up, Charlie," Jane says, her voice firm but not unkind. "You have an amazing opportunity in front of you and I don't want you to fuck it up. Those babies need a father who shows up. And Tess needs a partner, not another child to worry about."

Her words land like a slap. "That's harsh."

"It's the truth. Look, I'm not saying cancel your business plans or abandon your ambitions. I'm saying make room for what matters most. Because in twenty years, you won't remember the Chicago opening or the quarterly projections. You'll remember the first time you held your children."

I'm silent, letting her words sink in.

"She wants to be with you, you know," Jane says quietly. "God knows why, but she does. And I think you want to be with her too, when you're not busy running away from your feelings."

I open my mouth to deny it, but nothing comes out. Because she's right.

"I don't know how to balance all of this," I confess.

"You're smart, Charlie. You run a multi-million dollar company. I'm pretty sure you can figure out how to be a fatheranda CEO."

After we hang up, I sit motionless, Jane's words replaying in my head. The conference room phone lights up—the real estate team has arrived—but I don't move. Instead, I pick up my cell phone and look at my last text to Tess. The dismissive words stare back at me accusingly.

I pull up her contact and press call instead of text. She answers on the second ring.

"Hi. Everything okay?"

The surprise in her voice when I actually call instead of text is another indictment of my behavior. "No," I answer honestly. "Everything's not okay. But I want it to be."

"What do you mean?" Her voice is cautious.