One more sugary one-shot to add to the collection, just like Bending With the Autumn Wind, I brought this over from my AO3 after writing it earlier this year. So it's a bit out of season right now. But, as usual, all feedback is welcome and encouraged.
All Things New
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Sated.
That's the only word Jenna could come up with as she and Jim collapsed, breathless, into the sheets. With a satisfied moan, she rolled off of him. He tugged her closer, a hand running up and down her hip and to her back as he kissed her softly.
Their legs tangled together again, the heat between them coming down to a simmer.
"Am I an awful person," Jim began, still catching his breath as he kissed her again, "for fully enjoying these hormonal changes?"
Jenna shook her head and muttered into his lips, "Uh-uh." She lay on her back then as the two of them settled, pulling the sheets closer to themselves. "I'd say they're benefitting both of us just fine."
He propped himself up on one arm, using his free hand to gently comb his fingers through her hair. "Glad I'm not alone," he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love you," he whispered. His hand traveled down her body to her belly, and he sat up so he could lean down a press a kiss to the gently rounding expanse there through the sheet. "And I love you."
Jenna's hand joined his there. Already fifteen weeks, and she was showing just enough to not be noticeable with baggier clothes. Which worked just fine for her; she'd wanted to wait as long as possible to tell anyone this time. She wanted to enjoy this pregnancy, and she hadn't wanted to overshadow the holidays with it either. Especially after she and Jim had already announced their engagement.
But the news would have to come out soon enough. It had been too long.
"We both love you," she assured Jim, sitting up with him to bring her lips to his again. Then she glanced over at the clock to see they'd let the afternoon slip by faster than she'd thought.
As she began to push the covers off of herself, he asked her, "Time to go already?"
"I told Sarah's mom I'd be there to get Lulu at 3:00," she explained, pointing to the clock. It was already after 2:00.
"Ah," Jim noted with an accepting nod. He moved closer to the edge of the bed while she began to pick up her discarded clothing. She tossed him his boxers and he kicked off the sheets to pull them on while she took her clothes with her to the bathroom. The two fell silent as she cleaned herself up.
"You know we have to tell her," Jim spoke across the room while she dressed.
Jenna stopped once her bra was hooked and placed her hands on her belly. "I know," she said, her voice low.
As excited as she was to tell her daughter she would be a big sister, there was also an underlying fear. A fear that she'd feel like Jenna was replacing her. A fear that bringing Jim into their family was already too much, even with Lulu's assurances that she wanted a father in him and she was excited about their wedding, let alone adding another child. A fear that something would go wrong with this pregnancy and break the eleven-year-old's heart almost as much as it would break hers.
Now here she was in her second trimester, barely able to hide the truth anymore.
"What if we tell her tonight?" Jim suggested. "Everyone will be here. We can tell her first, let her enjoy the excitement, and then she can tell the gang with us."
"You're ready for that?" she asked as she returned to the bedroom.
"Of course," he assured. "Jenna, I've been ready. The question is are you ?"
"I guess I have to be," she admitted. Jim had stood up then, meeting her in the middle of the room to wrap his arms around her. She leaned into him, enjoying the warmth and the comfort.
"Do you think she'll be happy about this?" Jenna asked after a few moments. At Jim's questioning look, she clarified, "You don't think she'll feel resentful, do you?"
"Well," he began carefully, treading with uncertainty, "I can't rightly say how she'll feel." At her frown, he explained, "I guess I can't promise she won't struggle, but I fully believe she's going to be excited for this and embrace her new role."
Jenna nodded. "I certainly hope so."
They let go of one another and took a step back, Jim placing his hands on her hips.
"How are we going to tell her?"
She shrugged. "We'll figure it out. I kind of want to tell her myself," she revealed. When a study of his face revealed no emotion, she bit her lip nervously and added, "If you're okay with that."
He smiled in understanding and nodded. "She's your daughter. If you want me there, I will be. If you want it to just be the two of you, that's fine, too. You should tell her how you want to tell her."
"Thank you."
She kissed him then before walking over to the dresser for her hairbrush. With a quick run through her hair, she finished straightening herself up before hurrying to the door.
"Be back soon," she promised.
"Be safe," he beckoned.
She called back with an I will as she scurried to find her shoes and make it out the door.
She had a stop to make on the way.
The evening brought everyone together for a feast of homemade soup and finger foods. Dawn, Ogie, and the twins were the first to arrive at the Barker-Pomatter household, bringing with them a crockpot of veggie beef stew. Meanwhile Becky had rolled in fashionably late with snacks.
Lulu forced New Year's crowns onto the boys the second she was able to, and the three holed up on one of the couches playing the twins' new Nintendo Switch.
While they played and Ogie asked Jim to look at something on his car, Jenna found herself in the kitchen with her two best friends.
Two very suspicious best friends.
"Sparkling grape juice?" came Becky's confused voice while Jenna stirred the taco soup she'd made.
Jenna glanced at the other end of the island counter to see her friend examining the bottles they would be toasting from at midnight.
"Yeah," she stayed casual, hoping to brush it off as quickly as possible.
"I thought we always get champagne," Becky noted, brow furrowing.
Jenna stayed nonchalant as she replied, "I didn't want the kids to feel left out."
A poor excuse , she scolded herself.
"They've never felt left out though," Dawn chimed in. Then, treading lightly, she lowered her voice and asked, "It wasn't too expensive, was it?"
"Oh, no," Jenna tried to assure - though champagne was absolutely expensive. But that wasn't the issue, and she needed to come up with something plausible. Fast. So she tried, "It just felt like so much hassle, trying to get both so the kids had something. I figured I'd make it easier on all of us. We don't need to be drinking around them anyway."
"If you say so," Becky dismissed. Then she pointed to the tray of sweets she'd brought and announced, "I did make rum balls, though, so at least there will be some form of alcohol."
Jenna's gaze fell to the sweets, and she had to appreciate the little sign in front of them that read adults only - that means NO, Mikey and AJ . She instinctively placed a hand on her belly and thought, None for us, either, little one .
Thankfully, Dawn had changed the subject and started rambling about a cheese dip she'd wanted to try making. That got the two women brainstorming fondue ideas for the catering menu, which gave Jenna an out.
She slipped out of the kitchen before they could notice and made her way to the living room.
"Oh, Mom!" Lulu shouted excitedly over the boys who sat on either side of her. "I just won my first Grand Prix in Mario Kart."
Jenna, though she didn't quite understand, could tell this was important to her daughter, so she went with it. "I'm so proud of you, hon! That's wonderful."
"Lulu, show us how to do it!" AJ begged. "We can never win."
"You just have to practice," she told him, handing him the Switch. "Also, I always play with Rosalina, and...check out this bike and these tires. Keep scrolling there."
The three children once again became engrossed in the videogame. Jenna stood watching for a minute, observing the way Lulu dealt with the boys. They were only a couple of years younger than she was, but they seemed to look up to her. And she had taken a shine to them from the moment she met them after their birth; she was a natural.
Jenna had to smile at the three of them laughing and playing together. They were all growing so fast.
She tried to picture a few years down the line, a high school-aged Lulu with a three-year-old on her lap. The difference would be vast. Lulu could, if she wanted, become a parent herself before this child even graduated from the 8th grade (a stretch for sure, but not out of the realm of possibility). Her new son or daughter's childhood from ages six to ten would consist of wondering when their sister would be home from college. They would have a bond, but it wouldn't be the same closeness, the same camaraderie Lulu had with the twins.
They wouldn't have the luxury of growing up together.
At the same time, though, she knew Lulu would be involved. She would help take care of her younger brother or sister as they grew up, look after them. If the child was indeed a girl, she would have Lulu to go to for things she couldn't come to Jenna about as she became a woman. (Another terrifying thought, but even Jenna knew there were some things you didn't tell a parent; whether for your dignity or theirs.) If the child was a boy, he would have another woman in his life to impart kindness and gentleness on him that most young men weren't taught.
He would also have his father to teach him that, of course, but that was an entirely different thing.
"Hey."
Speak of the devil.
Jenna felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to find Jim behind brought a hand up to cover his where it rested.
"Hey, you," she greet him, melting at his smile.
"Everything alright?" he asked. She nodded. "I got that present wrapped, by the way," he informed her, his voice low.
She leaned over to give him a quick peck and whispered a, "You are the best."
He gave her shoulder a light squeeze then and assured her, "She's going to be amazing."
"She already is," Jenna agreed, watching her daughter once more.
A little before midnight while everyone was in the living room watching the New Year's Eve coverage on TV, Jenna went searching for Lulu.
A few minutes previously, the 11-year-old had disappeared into the kitchen in search of water and pretzels. Jenna, carrying a gift bag behind her back, found her at the island counter holding a handful of the salty snacks.
"Hi, sweetheart," she greeted her.
Lulu swallowed the pretzels she'd been crunching on and replied, "Hey."
"You got a minute?" Jenna asked, to which the girl nodded. "Here, let's go sit down."
She gestured toward the table, and Lulu quickly found a paper plate to put her pretzels on before following her. The two sat down, Jenna in the chair on one side of the table with Lulu on her left adjacent side.
The girl frowned. "What's going on, Mom?"
"I need to talk to you about something," Jenna decided to be forward. "I also have a little present to go with it."
"Christmas is over and my birthday's not until July, though," Lulu pointed out, confused.
"I know," Jenna told her. "But you'll understand in a minute."
She placed the gold-colored gift bag (complete with fluffy tissue paper, thanks to Jim) on the table in front of Lulu. The girl looked at it uncertainly before Jenna encouraged her to open it. She reached in and pulled out a smaller wrapped package.
"What is it?" she asked curiously, then began tearing at the paper.
She gasped as she pulled the paper back to find a matching journal and pen set in purple. She tore the plastic off and traced her small fingers over the inspirational words on the front: Follow Your Heart .
"This is the one I was looking at the other day," she nearly whispered.
"I noticed," Jenna grinned. "And you're getting older. You've been through a lot of changes this year. I thought you'd like something to write down all your feelings in. Somewhere safe to put your thoughts down until you're ready to talk about them. Something just for you."
"Thank you, Mom," she said gratefully, her lips curving up into a bright smile.
"There's something else," Jenna noted. At Lulu's curious look, she explained, "Open the card."
The girl reached into the bag and pulled out a white envelope. As she pulled the hand-made card out, stared at the outside for a second, uncertain.
"Read it," Jenna encouraged.
"2020," Lulu began, staring at the sparkly numbers Jenna had scrawled on with a gold glitter gel pen earlier. "A big year for a…" Her eyes grew wide as realization seemed to hit her, and she read the last words, "big sister."
She stared up at Jenna, mouth agape. As she opened the card, she gasped again.
Inside was a fuzzy black and white photo. The sonogram from Jenna's last scan. Lulu touched the picture, slowly, cautiously.
"You're pregnant?" she finally spoke after what felt like several minutes of Jenna squirming in her seat. Her voice cracked, too, and Jenna couldn't tell if it was from joy or not.
"Yeah," Jenna's voice cracked right along with her daughter's. "Due in June."
"I'm gonna have a baby brother or sister?"
"Yes, baby."
All at once, tears began to fall from Lulu's eyes, but the smile on her face grew even wider and she let out a laugh as she stood up to wrap her arms around her mother.
Jenna laughed and cried with her as she embraced her, reaching up to run her fingers through the child's hair.
"I can't believe I finally get to be a big sister," the girl declared through tears.
"Oh, sweetie…" Jenna murmured. Then, as Lulu took a step back, she asked, "So, you're excited?"
The girl nodded vigorously as she wiped her eyes. After taking a second to collect herself and taking her mother's hands, she asked, "Do you know what it is yet?"
Jenna shook her head. "Not yet. But you can come to my ultrasound in a couple weeks when we find out."
Lulu brightened up further at that and became her usual bouncy self again. "Can I?"
Jenna caressed her arm and said, "Absolutely."
At that Lulu cheered and attacked Jenna with another bear hug. Mother and daughter stood there for a few moments, just embracing.
Then, a knock at the doorway to the kitchen.
"Can I come in?" Jim asked timidly.
"Of course!" Jenna invited him as she and Lulu separated.
He tread carefully as he entered, then stopped in front of them and asked expectantly, "So?"
Jenna stood up and placed her hands on Lulu's shoulders.
"Well, I definitely think someone's happy right now," she announced, placing one hand on her belly.
Lulu grinned and agreed, "I can't wait!"
"Good," Jim said, his noticeably tense shoulders relaxing. He exchanged a reassuring look with Jenna before adding, "That's what we were hoping for."
"So, are you guys getting married after the baby's born?" the eleven-year-old asked.
Jenna was the one looking to Jim now. This was when all the questions would start, and if they were honest they didn't have a ton of answers yet. At least nothing set in stone.
"I think that's the plan," Jenna responded. "We've been talking about next fall."
"Well, I'm carrying the baby down the aisle then," Lulu insisted.
Jenna laughed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We'll talk about it."
There was a pause while the trio stood, letting the moment and the happiness sink in. Lulu asked Jenna if she could feel her belly then, and she grinned. There wasn't much to feel yet, though she flinched a bit at what little movement there was. She and Jenna stood marveling for a moment until Lulu decided she'd felt enough.
When the girl let go, she turned to look at Jim and asked, "Are you excited to be a dad?"
Apparently taken aback by the question, Jim stared for a minute, glancing back and forth between the two women before replying, "Yes, absolutely." He placed his hands in his pockets and shifted nervously on his feet, "I can't wait for this baby to get here." Then he paused, looking at Jenna, then turning back to Lulu and adding, "And I've already got you. If that's...how you want to see me."
"As a dad?" the eleven-year-old questioned. At his nod, she whipped her head around to look at her mom, as if to silently ask for permission. Jenna gave her an encouraging wink, and she turned back to Jim and told him, "I'd love that."
Jenna watched them, trying to figure out what they would do next. They both stood still for a second, uncertain. Then Lulu slowly stepped toward him and reached her arms out to him. They met in the middle in a hug, Jim being ever so gentle and cautious; still not sure how to delve into this new role he was gaining. He looked like he was about to cry happy tears.
As she watched the pair, Jenna felt like her heart might burst. The two most important people in her life fully accepting one another as family.
Every bit of nervousness and doubt washed away. Lifted from her shoulders.
At ease, Jenna walked up and placed her arms around both of them, and beckoned, "Let's say we go tell everyone else then."
"Oh, oh!" Lulu started bouncing again. "I wanna tell them!"
As she started to run ahead, Jim reached for Jenna's hand, his fingers slipping easily between hers. She gave his hand a little squeeze and then addressed her daughter.
"Okay, but wait until we tell you to," she stipulated.
The girl nodded, and they all filed out of the kitchen together, turning the corner to the living room.
Inside, AJ and Mikey were curled up around Dawn. Ogie was sat back comfortably, legs crossed, flipping through Jim's latest copy of TIME . Becky was flipping through channels on the TV, probably trying to find a better New Year's Eve show than the one they'd been watching earlier. They were silent, growing tired with the late hour. However, as the trio walked in together, they each looked up at once.
Jenna knew they were all alert that something was going on. They just didn't know what.
But they were about to find out.
"Guys, I think Lulu has something she wants to share with you," Jenna announced.
Dawn perked up at that while the rest gave their attention. "What's that, hon?"
Lulu stayed silent, biting on her lip with a shiteating grin, leaving them in suspense. Really hamming the whole thing up.
"Well, spit it out," Becky pleaded. "I'd really like to know what's been happening all night, because your mama's been acting strange."
Jenna hadn't realized Lulu had carried the sonogram with her, until she pulled it out from behind her back, held it up proudly, and cheered, "I'm gonna be a big sister!"
"What?!"
"Jenna, oh, my god!"
"Well, golly!"
"Wait, huh? What's happening?" "Auntie Jenna's having a baby, dingus!"
Jenna could barely make out who said what, but the next thing she knew, she had a house full of people tearing themselves from their seats to hug her, Jim, and Lulu.
There was laughter and congratulations. There might have been more tears.
The group had gotten so riled up in the news that they almost missed how close to midnight it was. Because the next thing they knew, Dawn was turned to check the TV and calling out to them.
"Guys, look!" she shouted excitedly. "The countdown's started."
The group dispersed then, gathering closer to the TV to watch the ball drop in Time's Square. Lulu and the twins stood right in front. Ogie and Dawn stood right behind the boys, arms wrapped around each other. Becky wasn't far behind them, draping her arm over Lulu's shoulders.
That left Jenna and Jim to stand back, taking in everything that was happening. Jim's arm found its way around her waist, and she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. She smiled up at him, eyes trained on his as the rest of the group began to count down.
10...9...8...7...6…
Jenna turned more so he could wrap both his arms around her and she could bring hers around his neck, foreheads touching and noses brushing.
5...4...3...2...1…
A chorus of "Happy New Year!" sprang from the rest of the group while Jenna brought her lips to Jim's. They savored the kiss, ignoring everything else.
As they parted, Jenna whispered breathlessly, "Happy New Year…"
Jim stood back a little taking her left hand in his, admiring the ring sitting on her second to last finger. He kept eye contact with her as he brought the hand to his lips, tenderly.
"Happy New Year, Jenna." Then he leaned down to kiss her belly. "And to you, who we finally get to meet this year."
Jenna giggled, pulling him up. It wasn't long before Lulu was running over to them and pulling Jenna in for yet another hug. Then she pulled Jim in to join them, and Jenna knew.
This was why this was going to be the best yet.