As promised: new chapter, plus a surprise. Just a reminder, this is rated T.
Let me know your thoughts!
"Nick and I are having a baby. I'm pregnant"
There was a dead silence in the room as her parents processed the information. Then, suddenly, Joan rose from the table and pulled her chair back, squealing. "Oh, sweetheart!". Crying, she pulled up Jess from her chair and threw her arms around her. "You're pregnant?", she managed to say, in between sobs. When Jess nodded, she squealed again and started to kiss her cheeks loudly. "This is so exciting, a baby!".
Nick, who had been watching the scene from his position next to Jess, glanced over at Bob, who was still frowning. Jess saw Nick staring at her father, and realized that he hadn't said anything. "Dad?" she asked, in her sweetest voice. Joan still had her arms around her daughter, and turned her head to look at his ex-husband. "Bob! Come here immediatly, didn't you hear what she said? We are going to be grandparents!"
"But how..." Bob cleared his throat, still confused. "I thought you had broken up?"
"Yeah, dad. I... I got pregnant before we broke up."
"Did he break up with you because of it?" Bob said, raising his voice and getting up from the table.
"No! We didn't... we didn't know I was pregnant when we broke up. And he didn't break up with me, dad. It was mutual." Looking at Nick, who was as pale as she'd ever seen him, Jess let go of her mother and extended her hand for Nick to take it. When he did, she pulled him to his feet and turned to look back at her parents, still holding his hand.
"But, then, does it mean you're back together?" Joan asked, excitedly. "Not exactly", Jess answered.
"What do you mean, not exactly?" Bob said, starting to lose his temper. "You're pregnant, for heaven's sake! What are you going to do, raise a child on your own? Living with three other guys? And you!" he said, pointing his finger at Nick. "I knew you weren't good enough for my little girl, but this? How could you do this to her?"
"Dad! Stop it! He didn't do anything to me! It takes two people to make a baby, you know?" Jess yelled, starting to feel sick.
"But honey..." interrupted Joan, much more lovingly. "What are you, then? If you are not together..."
"We don't know yet, mum. We're figuring it out now, but..." She looked down at their joined hands. "All we know is that we're together in this."
"Well... I guess that's enough for me. Come here, kiddo." Joan said, opening her arms for Nick. He shyly embraced her, surprised at how strong her hug was.
"Well, it is not good enough for me! Or for you, Jess!" Bob wasn't going to let it go that easily. "Sweetheart... think about it. You're not ready to have a baby on your own, it is hard enough to have one when you're married. And you can't be certain that he..." He glanced an irated look at Nick "... will be there for you!"
Before Jess had a chance to answer, Nick let go of Joan and turned to look at Bob, stepping forward. "I've had enough of this, Bob." he said. Where is this courage coming from?. Jess closed her mouth and stared wide-eyed at him. "I know you don't like me, I know you never did. And I can't blame you. But mark my words: Jess and I are together in this, and there's nothing you can say, or do, that will make me change my mind. This baby... our baby, already means the world to me, and so does Jess. I would rather kill myself before letting anything happen to either of them." He looked briefly at Jess, and seeing her smiling brightly at him, he continued. "We don't know what we are, but I do know that I love her, and she loves me. That's all we need right now. The baby is our priority from now on, and we're not going to endanger our relationship. This kid will grow up with both parents by his side, Bob. That's the only thing we know for sure."
There was another silence in the room for a few seconds. Jess, now with her eyes teary, stepped forward too, taking his hand again. Smiling at her, he forgot about her parents, about his outburst, and he focused on her. We are together in this. Was their thought, as they remained completely oblivious to the stares her parents were giving them.
"Well, Bob," Joan interupted their moment. "I think he has made it clear." Turning to look at the pair, she went ahead and kissed her daughter's forehead. "If any of you need my help, you can always count on me."
Seeing three heads turning to look at him, Bob rounded the table and approached the small group. "I'm sorry", he said. "Jess, honey, can you forgive me?"
"Of course, dad!", she threw herself into her father's arms, and he pulled her tightly against his chest. "But it's not me you owe an apology to" she whispered in his ear. Sighing, he whispered "I know". Letting go of her, he kissed her cheeks and nose, eliciting a chuckle from her.
"Nick? I'm sorry." he said. "I promise I won't judge you again. What you just said... it made me see I've been a real...well, asshole, for lack of a better word." He extended his hand and Nick shook it vehemently. "The only thing I can say is... congratulations."
Joan buffed. "That's all? After what the poor kid went through because of you! Meh!" She winked her eye at Jess and Nick, and smiling, asked them: "So how long do I have to wait before this beautiful baby is here?"
Smiling, Nick said. "Around thirty weeks, Joan. But if he takes it after me... he'll be here sooner."
"He? It's a "he"?" Bob interrupted.
"We don't know yet, dad. It's too early. But calling the baby "it" seemed awkward, so we're switching from him to her."
"Ooooooh, that's sweet! I still can't believe it! And how are you feeling, sweetie?"
"I'm fine", Jess replied, smiling. "Kind of tired, but fine."
"Right. Bob? Go get our bags. She needs to rest, and it's late." Seeing him about to protest, Joan shook her head no and pointed to her daughter's room. Bob shrugged his shoulders and went to gather their bags.
Joan smiled at Nick and Jess. "Give him some time. He's happy, I know he is. Will you come say goodbye tomorrow before we leave? He will probably have reacted by then." They laughed at this.
"Of course, mum." Joan then looked at Nick, waiting for him to answer. "What, me? You want me there too?"
"Absolutely! You're part of the family now!" she said, seeing his eyes lighting up again. She then hugged him, and kissed Jess for the hundreth time that evening. Hearing Bob cursing throught the hall, she rolled her eyes and went to retrieve her bag.
"Well, then... I'll see you tomorrow?" Bob asked. They both nodded their heads and Bob opened his arms for Jess. She hugged her father and kissed his cheek, and saw him smiling brigther than before. Nick extended his hand for a shake, but Bob swatted it away and pulled him in for an awkward hug. Nick patted his back, unsure of what to do. Both Jess and her mother chuckled, watching Bob trying to behave normal. "Rigth. Let's not do that again." Bob said "Ever", Nick completed. Laughing, Nick and Jess walked her parents to the door.
"Get some rest, sweetheart. We'll see you two tomorrow."
"Sure.", she answered. "Be good, you two!" she shouted, while the doors to the elevator were closing.
"Wow, that was crazy!" Jess said, resting her back against the now closed front door. "You were amazing back there, Miller. Who knew?" she said.
Nick shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "So now it's official. Everyone knows."
"Yes, now you can stop worrying you're going to blurt it out." Jess laughed. "God, I'm exhausted." The loft was silent. "Winston? Schmidt?" Jess called. Hearing no answer, Nick said. "They probably went to Coach's to watch a movie, the girls were out of town this week. You know he isn't meeting anyone tomorrow, right?" he chuckled, "He just wanted to get the hell out of here as soon as possible."
"I thought so. And Schmidt? I thought Winston was going to have to drag him out of the kitchen!"
"I know" Nick said, and they both chuckled. They started walking towards their rooms. "Hey, Nick?, Jess said, grabbing his arm. "Thank you for what you said earlier. I must admit, I didn't think you would have the courage to say all those things to my father."
"Me? Of course!" he said. "Although now that I'm replaying the conversation in my head, I think I'll faint soon." He smiled at her, and she smiled back.
Walking towards him, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder, and his arms went around her waist. They lingered in the embrace for a few minutes, none of them wanting to let go. The soft smell of her fruity shampoo filled his nose, and his Old Spice made her smile against his neck. No words were spoken, and then Jess pulled her head back to look into his eyes. He saw her glancing briefly at his lips, and then he felt her moving closer. We shouldn't be doing this, he thought, but as he felt her lips on his, his brain shut down. He moved his hand to cup the back of her head while his other hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her as close as humanly possible. Walking forward, he pressed her back against her door. Moaning, she tilted her head and opened her mouth to his, as the kiss intensified. Hearing her moan, he moved his hands to her hips while she gripped the lapels of his shirt, eliciting a groan from him. After a few moments, Nick felt her pull back, lips red and swollen. She rested her forehead against his, their noses almost touching as they tried to catch their breaths. He stepped back, and let his hands fall from her hips.
"I... I don't know what got into me, Nick."
"It's, uhm, it's OK. Just caught me by surprise. Probably just the hormones, you know?" Bullshit.
"Yeah, probably." Not true, and you know it. Feeling his dark eyes staring at her, she blindly searched for the knob and opened the door. "Well... Goodnight, Nick."
"Goodnight, Jess." He headed for his room and opened the door. Turning around, he saw her leaning against the frame. Both of them smiled, and their doors closed.
What did just happen? Was their only thought.
Well? WELL? Did you like it? Do I suck at this and should never write anything similar? Let me know your thoughts!