Miss Parker thought back of the previous days. She assumed at first, it was due to stress. She laid her test on the bathroom countertop. It only took but a couple of minutes to confirm what she had already known.

"Blue line, positive," she read the instructions out loud. A trip to her physician's office calculated her date of conception which would have been that first night she was with Jarod.

She looked down at her not yet protruding front and laughs. She rubs her stomach in a circular motion. "Oh, my little pretender. You know, he even puts me to bed when I have too much to drink. No more drinking for me, huh?"

"Who are you talking to?" The father to be stood leaning against the bedroom door.

Miss Parker let out a scream, she clutched her chest. "Didn't hear you come in! Thought you left!"

"You want to tell me what's going on?" Jarod took careful steps to approach her.

"I'm sorry. I-I'm sorry for the way I've been acting." She leaned on him. "I do love you, you know."

"Uh-huh." He played with her hair, twirling a strand around his finger.

"Did you bring home something to eat?"

Jarod was amazed on how her mood had changed suddenly. He smiled. "No, I'm worried about us and you're hungry? Eating was the last thing on my mind."

"I'm always hungry and I've been getting sick in the mornings and sometimes at night, like tonight." Miss Parker spoke slowly and calmly.

"You're just stressed, honey. Come on, I'll fix you some food."

Parker grabs his arm stopping him suddenly, lashing out at him. "For crying out loud, are you listening to me, sweetheart?"

"What? You said you were hungry? I think we have some sort of communication barrier here."

"Yes and you're the problem," she pointed her finger at him.

"Why did I even come back in? I was already half way into my truck. Talk about morons."

"Hey, don't stop me from describing yourself! Hope it's not hereditary!"

"What are you talking about? Parker, you're driving me crazy at this very moment." He grabs his head and rolls his eyes.

"Do I make you crazy all of the time? Or just some of the time?" She spoke in a whisper.

"What! Parker, stop! Please stop! I could just rip my head off right now!"

She begins to laugh. "I wish you could see how ridiculous you look."

"I'm glad you find it amusing."

"Very! You sure know how to create one, but, you should do your homework on the symptoms of motherhood!"

He froze and stood dumbfounded. "Sweetheart? Did you hear what I said? I'm having a baby." Taking his hand, Parker lays it on her stomach. His hand never moved, he just stood there with a wide-eyed look.

It took a couple of minutes before reality sunk in. He held her tenderly, wrapping his arms around her still slender body, he gently caressed her lips. Jarod slid down, knees on the floor, his hands embraces her hips, ears to her tummy, then plants little kisses on her belly.

She ran her fingers through his hair. "I share the greatest gift from you...our baby." Miss Parker never knew she could actually love someone with all her heart, afterall, she thought herself as being cold-hearted. In one of their shouting matches in the early days of their "cat and mouse" games, Jarod had actually called her heartless.

"I could hold on to the both of you for a million years," he says tearfully.

TBC - last chapter