A/N: I know it's a quicker update than normal, but I had some time and inspiration to get this chapter out. Hope you enjoy!
Thank you ultraluckycatnd for looking it over and thank you everyone for reading!
Again there is some smut, not actual sex, but just in case, I included the asterisks before and after the scene. I wasn't sure where to put it afterward, so there is some aftermath after the asterisks indicating what they had done, but if you want to skip it entirely, feel free to jump ahead to the scene break.
"Dad, stop!" Emma laughs as she swats her father's hand away from the pan. "It's not ready yet."
He pouts and pulls his hand away, his hands resting on Emma's shoulders as she stirs the sauce. "But it smells delicious. I can't just have a taste, you know, to sample it?"
"No!" Emma and her mother say in unison.
"Not until dinner's ready." Mary Margaret gives him a quick kiss on the lips, then points to the kitchen door. "Now leave so we can finish making dinner."
He's still pouting, but he kisses the side of Emma's head and sighs as he removes his hands from her shoulders and reluctantly leaves the kitchen.
Mary Margaret shakes her head as she turns on the faucet to rinse some dishes they had dirtied while they had prepared the lasagna. "Your father is so impatient."
"What's new?" Emma agrees with a laugh, but she can't deny she loves spending time with her family like this. She loves cooking with her mom because it's one of the things they get to do together that doesn't involve church or school. It's really handy having a teacher as a mom because she's always willing to help with homework, but most of the time neither of them wants to think about school.
Emma had sent in a bunch of college applications to appease her parents, but she already knows she's going to Storybrooke University since they have a police academy training program. She can get her associate's degree there and take the required testing the following fall. By then, her baby will be two years old and she'll have plenty of time to get in shape again after the pregnancy. SU also has a really great athletic facility and computer lab, they have campus daycare and family housing available to full-time students with children. Luckily, she and Killian don't have to be married to qualify as a family in the state they live in; they only have to be eighteen and full-time students permanently living together. Not that she's opposed to marriage; she can definitely see that happening somewhere down the road. But, she and Killian have enough on their plate as it is without having to also plan a wedding. And she doesn't want to get married just because she's pregnant. She doesn't want a shotgun wedding. Once they turn eighteen and get admitted into SU, they can apply for family housing.
There are also many jobs they could get close to, or on campus. The university has an Aviation program and offers night classes, so when they're not working, one of them can stay with the baby while the other one goes to school.
It's still weird thinking about that. Their baby.
She's about ten weeks pregnant and even though she knows she's too early to really show yet, apart from a small baby bump, she's still paranoid about it. Luckily, for a good majority of her pregnancy, it will be cold outside, which means Emma will be wearing lots of baggy sweaters. She's thought about telling her parents, but she's not ready yet. She sees how happy they are and how proud they are of her; she doesn't want to disappoint them. But she knows she has to tell them soon. If she doesn't, they'll figure it out on their own, eventually.
She'll tell them soon, though. It helps that she and Killian have some sort of a plan now. She and Killian both decided SU would be the best choice, and it would be a huge plus that they'd be staying in Storybrooke, close to their families.
When the lasagna is almost done, her mother asks her to set the table, so Emma gets on her tiptoes and reaches into the cupboard, grabbing four plates and stacking them. Emma can feel her mother's eyes on her when her sweater rises, revealing the slight swell of her belly.
"Putting on a little holiday weight I see?" Mary Margaret teases playfully.
Emma freezes, her face paling at her mother's comment. Is her belly really that noticeable? She sets the plates on the counter and self consciously tugs the hem of her sweater down to cover her stomach. "Uh, yeah, I guess so. Too much of your pie and Christmas cookies," she laughs nervously.
"I understand, believe me," Mary Margaret says, placing her hands on her belly. "I, myself, tend to overdo it with the cookies, both with the baking and the eating," she laughs. "Just wait until you're a college freshman. With the amount of stress and pressure you'll be under, you'll likely gain that Freshman 15."
Emma's cheeks burn as her mother hands her the silverware, and she grabs the plates and heads to the table to set it, hoping her mother doesn't notice how flushed she is. Gaining fifteen pounds during freshman year is the least of her worries. She'll be too busy taking care of her infant with her boyfriend while working to help pay for said infant's needs and going to school to worry about her weight.
"I'm sorry, Emma. I didn't mean to upset you," Mary Margaret says in a worried tone. "You really shouldn't feel so self-conscious about your body." She strides over to Emma, gently cups her cheeks in her hands and presses a kiss to her forehead. "You're beautiful and perfect the way God made you. Don't forget that."
Emma offers a feeble smile and continues her task as her father enters the kitchen.
Mary Margaret looks at him and says, "Right, honey?" even though he wasn't present for the conversation.
"What's that?" he asks, cracking the oven open to look inside and get a whiff of the yummy food smells. "Mmm, the lasagna looks and smells delicious."
"Emma's beautiful and perfect and doesn't have to worry about gaining the Freshman 15."
David closes the oven door and turns around, furrowing his brows. "Of course she is. Who said otherwise?"
Emma rolls her eyes as she finishes setting the table and goes over to kiss his cheek. "No one, Daddy."
The timer on the oven goes off and Mary Margaret turns it off, along with the oven. She grabs some oven mitts, takes out the pan and transfers it over to the counter to cut the lasagna up into serving sizes. "All I said was, Emma put on a little holiday weight because she's got a cute little belly on her, but that she shouldn't feel self-conscious about it," she says to David while looking up from her task.
"I'll get Leo," Emma grumbles, wanting to leave this topic behind in the dust, especially with her father in the room.
She makes her way out of the kitchen when she hears her father say, "Of course she shouldn't feel self-conscious. I have to beat the boys off of her with a stick as it is."
Emma stops in her tracks and spins around, glaring at her father. "What do you mean you have to beat boys off of me with a stick? What boys?"
He shrugs nonchalantly and leans back against the counter. "Boys at church mostly. Do you know how many times I've caught them in the front row, trying to look up your dress while you're on stage singing?"
"Daa-aaad!" Emma screeches and raises her hands to her face, groaning into them.
"What? I didn't actually beat them off with a stick. I only gave them a polite warning."
Emma drops her hands to see the clueless look on his face. He really has no know idea how embarrassing he is asking boys to stay away from her. Anger surges through her as she thinks about the texts he sent her from Killian's phone. "Yeah, like you gave Killian a polite warning to stay away from me," Emma blurts out, but doesn't realize it until it's too late and claps her hand over her mouth.
Crap.
Her father's expression becomes hard as he crosses his arms over his chest. "Emma, that boy lied to my face. He told me you two were only friends, yet the texts between the two of you said otherwise."
Emma almost explodes and looks to her mother for support and sees the bewildered look on her face. Her mother had no idea what he had done. "Why were you looking through his phone?! That's just weird and wrong, Dad!"
Mary Margaret narrows her eyes at her husband. "You were looking through Killian's phone?"
David sighs and plants his hands on his hips. "Yes, because I wanted to see if he was lying. He was obviously trying to pursue you, Emma."
"And that's such a bad thing?! I'm seventeen, almost eighteen, and you're still telling me I'm not allowed to date!"
"Because I don't want you to make the same mistake your mother and I did!"
And there it is.
Emma's heart plummets in her chest, her eyes welling up with tears. And she knows it's not because of her hormones. "So I was a mistake?"
Her father's expression softens as he steps toward her. "Emma, that's not what I meant."
Emma steps back to put more distance between them. "You just said you and mom made a mistake and we all know you're referring to mom getting pregnant with me."
"Emma, you are not a mistake, you know that. I just meant—"
"I know exactly what you meant." Tears are streaming down her cheeks as she dashes out of the kitchen, despite her parents' pleas for her to come back.
She hurries to the foyer as her brother is bounding down the steps. Emma grabs her jacket from the closet and frantically pulls it on. Then she grabs her backpack and pulls the straps over her shoulders.
Leo eyes her in concern as he reaches the bottom of the staircase. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she answers dismissively and wipes away her tears with the sleeve of her jacket as she heads for the door.
"Where are you going? I thought dinner would be done by now."
"It is, but I can't stick around another second. Tell Mom and Dad I went to Ruby's and I'll be back before my curfew."
"Okay."
"Bye, kiddo," she says with a sniffle and drops a kiss to the top of his head.
"Bye, sis. Love you."
"Love you, too."
Emma escapes and peels out of the driveway in her car before her parents find out she's gone. She needs to get away. She's sick of her parents referring to her as a mistake. She steers with one hand and places her other one on her belly and vows to never make her child feel like a mistake. She may be too young to be a parent but she's having a baby with the man she loves and wants to spend the rest of her life with him. Even if she didn't have Killian in her life, she would never consider her baby a mistake.
Emma knows she should call him and let him know she's coming over, especially since she knows his father is home and she's never actually been there with Mr. Jones also there, but right now she doesn't care. She has to see him. And if her parents find out, well she doesn't really care at this point.
She pulls into his driveway, a bit nervous about what his father will think of her showing up out of the blue. She looks in the sun visor mirror and wipes the rest of her tears away from her eyes, making it less obvious that she's been crying. She grabs her backpack, gets out of the car and walks up to the front door, her hand trembling as she knocks.
The door opens a few seconds later, and the person who answers the door is not who she suspects. It's a young woman, probably a few years older than her. She's confused at first because she's not the same woman who Mr. Jones is always flirting with at church before he finally made her his girlfriend. No, this woman is too young to be Mr. Jones' girlfriend.
"Hi, can I help you?" the woman asks kindly.
Emma pulls the cuffs of her sleeves over her hands, trying to keep her hands from freezing as a chilly wind swirls around her. "Um, is… is Killian here?"
The curiosity on her face is more evident, a smile beaming across her lips. "Yes, he's in his room." She steps back, opening the door wider to let Emma in.
"Who is it, babe?" a man asks from the living room.
"Someone's here for your brother," she calls out to the living room and returns her attention to Emma in a quieter voice. "I'm sorry, what was your name?"
"It's Emma."
Her eyes light up, and she calls out to the living room, "It's Emma!"
This makes Emma very happy. This young woman's reaction could only mean one thing—Killian has mentioned her name, probably talked about her.
The man steps into the hall and Emma instantly recognizes him from the photos she'd seen him in, only he's a little older now. He has brown curly hair and the same blue eyes Killian and Mr. Jones have. Emma knew he and his fiancé were visiting for winter break, she just thought they had left already.
"Hi," he says, stepping up to her and extending his hand. "You're Emma?"
She nods nervously and shakes his hand. "I am."
He looks at his fiancé, and they exchange not-so-subtle smirks before he returns his attention to Emma. "I'm Liam. It's nice to finally meet you."
"Finally?" she asks, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Aye, you're all my brother talks about when our father's not around."
Emma's surprised by this. She didn't think he told anyone except for his friends about them. "Oh? Hopefully good things?"
Liam laughs as he wraps his arm around his fiancé. "Are you kidding? He talks about you like you're his savior."
Emma smiles at that. "Really?"
"Aye, it's pretty pathetic, actually."
His fiancé gently swats his shoulder and rolls her eyes. "I'm Elsa."
Emma shakes her hand and Liam offers to take her coat. She sets down her bag to pull off her coat, and he takes it to store it in the closet. Emma tugs off her boots so she doesn't track snow on the carpet and places them neatly next to the other boots before grabbing her bag.
"Do you want anything to drink?" Liam asks as the three of them walk into the living room.
Emma shakes her head. "No, thank you. I'm just here because Killian's helping me with my homework."
Even though Liam and Elsa seem kind, Emma's stomach is full of knots. And then she sees Killian's father when he walks out of the kitchen with a beer in his hand.
He stops in his tracks when he sees Emma standing in his living room. "Emma? I didn't know we were expecting you. Is everything okay?"
She nods. "Yeah, everything's fine. I just need help with my Chemistry homework and Killian offered to help me."
"Oh. My apologies, he never mentioned you were coming over."
"He doesn't know," Emma says nervously. "He offered a few days ago, but we never discussed a day or time. Sorry, I should've asked him if it was okay with you if I came over."
"It's okay, Emma. You're more than welcome here. And I'm sure Killian won't mind you dropping by unexpectedly. He's upstairs in his room. Do you want anything to drink?"
"No, I'm okay, thank you." Emma's nerves ease a little at the kindness Killian's family shows her.
"Let me show you to his room," Elsa says.
Emma has to suppress the smile threatening her lips because she's already been well acquainted with Killian's room. And his bed.
She follows Elsa upstairs, letting her lead Emma to his room. "So, I thought you and Liam were heading back to Boston after winter break," Emma says.
"Yeah, there's been a slight change of plans because our flight was canceled due to the weather. But we're leaving soon."
"Ah, I see."
They walk down the hall and before they reach Killian's room, Emma's hand migrates to her belly. She's tried to break the habit so people won't notice, but sometimes she does it subconsciously and doesn't notice it herself.
When they reach Killian's room, Elsa goes downstairs and Emma knocks on the door.
"What do you want, you wanker?" Killian grumbles as he hauls the door open. "I'm bus—" He pauses when his eyes fall on Emma. "Emma?" Apology fills his eyes as he opens the door to let her in before shutting it again. "I'm sorry, baby, I thought you were my brother."
"It's okay," Emma reassures him and takes his hand in hers. She looks around the room and sees the open textbook and homework spread out over his desk. Her eyes revert to his. "I hope you don't mind me showing up like this. I just needed to get away."
"Are you kidding? Of course, I don't mind. Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I just got into an argument with my dad." Emma sets her bag down on the floor and wraps her arms around the back of Killian's neck. "And I needed to see you."
Killian cups her cheeks in his hands and kisses her softly. When he releases her lips, he presses his forehead gently against hers. "I'm glad you're here. I missed you," he whispers with a smile.
"I missed you too. I hope I don't get you in trouble, though, for having a girl in your room."
Killian chuckles and slips his hands underneath her sweater, placing his palms on her belly. "I'm more worried about getting in trouble for this little troublemaker we created," he comments playfully. He gently rubs her stomach, his touch instantly making Emma feel better.
She laughs and lifts up her shirt, placing her hands over his. "You're right about that. Our baby is a troublemaker, and they're not even born yet."
Killian wraps his arms around her and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Our baby isn't even born yet and I already love our little troublemaker," he whispers against her skin.
His words give her goosebumps—pleasant goosebumps—her heart warming inside her chest. "I do, too."
"So my papa was okay with you coming up here?" he asks and tilts his head to gaze into her eyes as he raises his hand to her face, his thumb gently caressing her cheek.
Emma nods into his touch. "I told him we were working on our Chemistry homework."
Killian chuckles and smirks. "Our Chemistry is the last thing we need to work on, don't you think?"
Emma giggles and rolls her eyes. "You're such a nerd."
"Your nerd," he adds and pulls her into a warm hug.
"Damn right you are," she murmurs against his neck, pulling her arms tightly around him.
He just holds her in his arms in a comfortable silence as she rests her head on his shoulder. She never wants him to let her go. She just buries her face in his sweater and relishes the smell of him. She doesn't even realize how much she had missed him until now. She hates being without him.
When they break the hug, Killian looks contemplative, his expression more serious now. "You said you got into an argument with your dad. Do your parents suspect anything?"
Emma shakes her head. "I don't think so, but we need to tell them soon."
"We will, Emma."
She sighs softly, kissing her boyfriend again. It's just a slow, gentle kiss, but it eases her more than she can comprehend. He releases her lips and peppers her cheek and neck with several kisses. Emma giggles at the way the stubble lining his jaw tickles her skin. He smiles against her neck and proceeds lower and lower down her body, until he's on his knees, lifting up her sweater again and sprinkling delicate kisses over her belly.
"You're so beautiful and perfect. If our baby is a girl, she's gonna be so beautiful and perfect just like you."
Emma closes her eyes, her hands combing through his hair as she relishes in the feel of his warm lips on her skin. "If our baby is a boy, he'll be handsome just like you."
"Whether our baby is a he or she, they'll probably have your eyes and your smile." His voice is warm and soothing against her belly as he continues with sweet caresses and kisses, making sure to cover the entire expanse of her stomach.
"That feels nice," she murmurs, his soft lips making her completely forget their conversation.
She loves moments like these. It's just a shame they don't get many of them since they have to sneak around to keep her parents from finding out about them. But she's looking forward to moving in with Killian after graduation. She's looking forward to getting out of her parents' house.
Killian tugs at the waistband of her yoga pants and she opens her eyes, giving him an inquisitive look.
"What are you doing?"
He smiles and looks up at her with mischief in his eyes. "Just relax, Emma. I want to make the mother of my child feel good." He doesn't wait for her response before he starts pulling down her pants.
She places her hands over his to stop him, panic in her tone. "But what if someone comes up here looking for you?"
"Good thinking, Emma," he says and quickly gets up, hurrying across the room and locking the door. He comes back to her and reclaims his spot in front of her on his knees. "Now, where was I?" he asks with a sly grin. "Oh, right…" he tugs at the waistband of her pants again, "getting these pants off of you." This time, she doesn't stop him and he pulls her pants down her legs, taking her panties along with them until she feels cool air fanning the skin below her waist.
Her breath is caught in her throat, her heart slamming in anticipation.
His hands slide over her bare butt, firmly squeezing her cheeks in his palms and he's about to continue kissing her belly, but then he stops and looks up at her. "This is safe, right? I mean, it won't hurt the baby, will it?" he asks in concern.
Her boyfriend is so hot, and he's even hotter when he's concerned about their baby like this. He's going to be an incredible father.
Emma arches a brow, a small smile curving her lips. "What do you plan on doing that would initiate your concern for our baby?"
He flashes her a wicked smirk and gently noses her nub, breathing deeply through his nostrils to take in her scent. "You know exactly what I plan on doing to you."
Emma's entire body shudders and she tries to hide the effect he has on her by batting her lashes innocently. "I'm afraid I don't," she claims, but her shaky voice gives her away, and she can see the smugness in his grin.
He growls against her skin, sending vibrations through her core. "I plan on licking your pretty pussy until you cum in my mouth."
Emma moans and bucks her hips against his lips. "Killian…" She's cupping his head in her hands and pressing herself against his face, searching for something more. "Fuck," she whispers, rocking her hips against his mouth. She can almost feel his tongue on her, even though all she can feel is his hot breath. She didn't expect him to be so crass, but she's not complaining; she loves when he's like this. She has to brace herself against him to answer his question. "No, it won't hurt the baby. In fact, sex during pregnancy has a lot of benefits."
"Is that so?" he asks with a quirked brow as he looks up at her, curiosity in his expression.
Emma manages a nod. "Since we started having sex over two months ago, seven months is a long time to go without, so I researched sex during pregnancy to make sure it was safe."
He gives her a wicked smirk. "You're a siren."
She blushes and grins, but isn't willing to argue. "Your siren."
He growls. "Damn right you are."
He kisses her folds which are gleaming with her arousal and he eagerly licks it up with his tongue. A moan tumbles from her lips and she clutches onto him for balance, letting her eyes fall shut. She wants his tongue deep inside her, but apparently, he's hellbent on teasing her right now because he's picking her up and placing her on his bed. She scoots backward with her pants and underwear still wrapped around her legs and lays her head on the pillow, anticipation coiled in her belly. He removes her bottoms before climbing onto the bed and getting settled between her legs. Emma's heart is pounding as he softly paws her thighs wider apart until she's completely exposed to him.
His hands are now on her hips as his lips make a hot trail down her nub and he whispers, "You're so hot and beautiful," between kisses. His tone is low and husky, and Emma's amazed at his ability to make her wet and wanting after how angry she was with her father. He's now the furthest thing from her mind, and all Emma can think about is Killian's warm lips on her skin.
"Killian…" she begs unabashedly, her voice cracked with the desire coursing through her veins as she looks down, her eyes meeting his.
He grins up at her. "So impatient."
She's about to argue but the words are swallowed by a thunderous moan the second Killian wraps his wet lips around her clit and starts sucking.
"Oh, fuck!" she cries, unladylike, but not caring.
Killian chuckles against her body and the vibrations travel through her like an ecstatic earthquake. Pinning her thighs apart with his warm hands, he starts working his tongue on her clit, mimicking the way he kisses her mouth. "God, you're so wet for me," he groans, lifting his head for just a moment.
She whines in frustration and tugs on his hair, urging his face back where it belongs.
Killian circles her clit with his tongue, catching it in a whirlpool of pressure and wetness and just enough friction. This isn't the first time he's gone down on her, but she's always amazed by how good it feels. Even the first time when he didn't really know what he was doing, he quickly found out what buttons to press by her reactions and what made her tick. And still, he gets better every time.
She makes noises deep in her throat she didn't even know she was capable of before him—wild, uninhibited, un-Emma-like noises that he always assures her he absolutely loves.
One of his hands leave her thigh and as his tongue continues its seemingly impossible rhythm, he slips a finger inside her.
"Killian!" Hoping anyone downstairs didn't just hear her, she grabs a pillow near her head and covers her face with it.
He adds another finger as his tongue slides across that one spot that always sets her off. With the combination of his fingers relentlessly thrusting inside her and the way he devours her with his tongue, Emma flies over the edge without warning, and she's coming in his mouth, grasping fistfuls of his hair and moaning into the pillow. He clamps his lips around her clit and squeezes rhythmically, riding it out with her as she rides his tongue. Her walls grip his fingers in waves and he waits until her tremors have completely dissipated before slowly sliding his two fingers out of her and into his mouth to lick them clean.
Emma tries to catch her breath as he lies beside her.
"Mmmm, you taste so good," he comments as he sucks the last of her flavor off his knuckles. He removes the pillow from her face and lies beside her, wrapping his arm over her and pulling her close against his body.
He happily cuddles with her while she lies in a blissed-out daze because he's so damn good with his mouth, and she wonders how she became so blessed with someone like Killian. He's almost too good to be true.
Emma turns toward him in his arms and when she does, she feels his erection poking her through his jeans and suddenly feels selfish that he didn't get to cum. "Um, do you want to do anything else?" she croaks, reaching between them for his belt buckle, mischief lacing her lips.
He chuckles. "Love, I'm not opposed, but I don't expect anything after that. Tasting you and making you cum is more than enough."
Emma doesn't listen though and instead moves her hand to his erection and starts palming the firm bulge in his pants.
"Emma… you don't have to," he groans, but the movements he's making with his hips and the arousal surging through his piercing blue eyes betray his words.
"Did you know that sperm is good for pregnancy?"
Killian arches a brow at her, very much intrigued. "It is?"
She nods. "It cures morning sickness and lowers blood pressure." She's not sure if that's actually true, she only read something online about it, but she's more than willing to test out her findings.
"Through oral… or..." he starts to ask, moving his hand to her entrance and slipping a finger inside her, mimicking the way he moves inside when he makes love to her.
She smirks at him and says, "Both."
Killian groans. "Well, in that case…"
His reaction gives her all the inspiration she needs, and soon his belt is unbuckled, his pants are undone and her hand is in his boxers stroking his cock.
He groans, his forehead resting against hers as he rocks his hips into her touch.
He feels so good in her hand, she wants him inside her but she fights off the urge to climb on top of him and ride him, because she has other ideas in mind. She releases him for only a second and shoves down his boxers so she has more room, his manhood bobbing against his stomach. She sits up and gently urges him onto his back before she takes him in one hand again while her other one cups his balls.
"Fuck…" His words are shattered and his eyes are in the back of his head as she strokes his hard length roughly in her hand and simultaneously massages his balls.
Precum is oozing from his tip and she can't wait to have his amazing dick in her mouth. She removes one of her hands so she can lean in and kiss him first. She's laying on her side, her fingers alternating from gently caressing his balls to pumping his cock as they get caught up in a mind-boggling kiss, her tongue sweeping over his. She moans, arousal surging through her when she tastes her orgasm on his tongue and feels the wetness on his stubbled chin. She doesn't hate it. In fact, she kinda likes how she tastes and it makes her crave the way he tastes. Breaking the kiss, her lips work down his neck and his chest, her hair dragging along with her. He gathers as much of it as he can in his hands to keep it out of her face and sinks his head back into the pillow as she leaves a path of wet kisses down his stomach and makes her way to his throbbing erection.
Her hopes are immediately shattered by the knock on the door.
"Killian." Liam's voice is muffled by the door as the knob jiggles fruitlessly.
"Fuck," Killian whispers as Emma quickly removes her hand so he can pull his boxers and jeans up. He jumps out of bed, frantically zips himself up and replaces the button.
"Killian, you know Papa's rules. You're not allowed to have a girl in your room with the door locked. Now open the door."
"Just a sec," Killian calls out as he grabs Emma's pants and hands them to her.
"Open the door right now!" Liam yells and Killian gets flustered as he helps Emma with her pants.
She stands up and pulls them on before quickly running her hands through her disheveled hair and sits on the bed. Killian is still hard as a rock but with the way Liam's banging on the door, he knows he doesn't have time to calm down.
"Killian, open the door or I'll bust it down!"
Killian quickly yanks the door open. "What do you want?" he asks, obviously agitated by the intrusion.
Emma waves at Liam, a shy smile curving her lips and she and Killian both try to be nonchalant. But as Liam glances back and forth between them and then to her backpack on the floor, which is both bulging and unopened, she knows he's on to them. He knows they weren't working on homework.
Killian turns to look at her and she has to suppress a laugh because she can see the obvious bulge in his pants.
Liam glares at him, offended. "I came up here to say goodbye to my brother because Elsa and I are taking off."
Killian's face clouds with apology. "Oh. Okay, bye, Liam." He tries to hug his brother, but Liam puts up his hands to block him.
"Not so fast, little brother. Before you go near me, you need to wash your face."
Emma brings her hand to her mouth and snorts into her palm at his comment. Liam was so insistent on Killian opening the door, he forgot he had her orgasm all over his chin.
"It's younger brother," Killian mutters and then storms down the hall to the bathroom.
Great. She's left alone with Liam, who's well aware of what she and his brother were doing a few minutes ago.
She offers a small smile. "I hope you have a safe trip," she says, rather than sitting in awkward silence.
"Thanks, lass," he says with a polite smile. He steps into the room and extends his hand to her. "It was nice meeting you."
Emma's cheeks burn and her eyes flash with embarrassment as she thinks about where her hand was. "I would shake your hand, but I have to wash mine first," she says apologetically.
He retracts his hand, rolling his eyes. "Right."
Emma quickly leaves the room and passes Killian on her way to the bathroom. He stops her and takes her hands in his, pressing his lips to her forehead, his beard now clean and dry. "I'm sorry about my brother, love."
"It's okay," she assures him with a smile and a kiss on the lips. As she does, she can sense Liam's presence, and when she pulls away, she looks back to see Liam watching them with his arms crossed over his chest and a stern look on his face.
She continues to the bathroom and washes her hands, dreading going downstairs. She hopes Liam doesn't say anything to his father.
She dries her hands and the three of them head downstairs, meeting Elsa at the door. Mr. Jones joins them and thankfully, doesn't seem to know anything about what happened in his son's bedroom. He asks about the commotion upstairs, but Liam assures his father they were just doing homework and didn't want to be interrupted, so that's why the door was locked. Mr. Jones seems to buy it.
He and his eldest son and soon to be daughter-in-law exchange pleasant goodbyes. Emma waves to Elsa and Liam as they head out the door with their luggage. Brennan asks her to stay for dinner and she's relieved beyond belief and also happy to stay and spend more time with Killian. However, she doesn't get a chance to finish what she had started before Liam interrupted them. It would be too risky since Mr. Jones tells Killian he has to keep the door open when Emma's in there with him after dinner. They begrudgingly obey and instead, actually work on homework.
Emma groans as she lays on the couch in her living room. She hasn't spoken much to her father since their argument a few days ago, despite all of his attempts to talk to her. But she has a bigger issue now—morning sickness. She wishes Liam hadn't interrupted her and Killian that day. She wishes they could have tested the theory about sperm curing morning sickness. But she's not sure why they call it morning sickness; they should call it any time of day sickness because nausea and vomiting are not picky about what time of day they choose to strike.
On top of that, she's always exhausted and it's getting more difficult to hide her pregnancy from her parents. Last night, she had to rush out of the kitchen when she smelled her mother's chicken and dumplings. She loves chicken and dumplings. But her hormones and a heightened sense of smell weren't having any of it.
Emma's holding her belly, feeling green in the face when her mother walks into the room.
"Are you feeling okay, sweetie?"
"Yeah, I'm just feeling a little under the weather, that's all," Emma rasps as her mother takes a seat on the edge of the couch beside her.
Her mother presses the back of her hand to Emma's forehead. "You do feel rather warm. Maybe I should take you to the doctor," she says in concern.
"No," Emma replies in panic. "I'll be okay, I just need to rest is all."
"Well, I should check your temperature at least to make sure it's not too high. You feel a bit feverish."
"Mom, I'm fine," Emma assures her. "I don't want to go to the doctor."
"Why, because then I'll find out you're pregnant?"
"Yes, exactly," Emma replies and lets her eyes fall shut.
Once she realizes what was just exchanged between her and mother, her eyes fly open wide, her face paling. She sits up quickly, staring at her mother in awe.
"How did you… how did you know?"
Her mother gives her a sad smile, and Emma can't tell her if she's disappointed or offended. Or both. "Because I've been pregnant twice. I know the signs and I know my daughter more than you think I do."
Emma's face clouds with apology and also panic. Since her mother knows, does her father know too?
"After I commented on your belly the other night, I got to thinking. I knew your belly wasn't caused by holiday weight because you're always able to eat whatever you want without gaining a pound. I'm always so jealous of you," she says with a small laugh as she wraps her around Emma's shoulders.
Emma smiles weakly, still in shock but somewhat at ease that her mother isn't yelling at her right now.
"Then you ran away from my chicken and dumplings—that was the second clue. I've been making chicken and dumplings for you since you were seven years old and never once have you ever rejected my chicken and dumplings."
Emma nods in agreement, blush warming her cheeks. "That's true."
"And then I find you sleeping all the time and not feeling well. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together, Emma."
"Does Dad know?"
Mary Margaret shakes her head, and Emma sighs in relief. "No, I haven't told him. Because I want you to be the one to tell him."
Emma nods. "I will. Killian and I planned on telling you and Dad together."
Her mother's eyes light up. "I knew it! Killian's the father!"
Mom!" Emma screeches, pressing her index finger to her lips to shush her. "Not so loud," she whispers.
Mary Margaret claps her hand over her mouth. "Ooops, sorry, Emma."
"What do you think Dad will do when he finds out?" Emma asks in a panicked tone.
Mary Margaret sighs and they both slump back into the couch. "Well, knowing your father, he'll be disappointed, but… he'll still love you," she says, looking over at Emma and swiping away some stray strands of her daughter's hair from her face and tucking them behind her ear.
"But what about Killian? Do you think he'll lash out against him?"
"Emma, I can't answer that. You know he's very protective when it comes to his children. Finding out you're pregnant might break him. He didn't want the same to happen to you that happened to us when I became pregnant. He doesn't want you to struggle like we did trying to raise an infant when we barely knew how to raise ourselves."
"But the difference is, Killian and I are graduating soon. And we have a plan. It's not like Killian knocked me up and left me. He's helping me raise the baby." Emma pulls out her necklace from underneath her sweater to show it to her mother. "He gave me this the day we found out I was pregnant and made a promise to be there for me and our baby no matter what. We love each other, Mama."
Mary Margaret smiles as she studies the pendant. "He is a very sweet boy, and I don't want you to get your heart broken, but I know you're almost an adult and you'll make your own decisions, whether your father and I approve or not. I tried to tell David that forbidding you from having a boyfriend would only drive you into one's arms, but I can't blame your father for wanting to protect you from teen pregnancy.
"You were wrong before when you said he thought you were a mistake. Because he doesn't think that at all, Emma. Yes, we had you before we were ready, but neither of us would change anything. The only mistake we made was not being prepared for you. Your father and I had to run away because my parents ran a very strict Catholic household and didn't believe in premarital sex. When they found out, they disowned me and kicked me out. And his stepfather threatened me and told me to stay away from his son because he said I would ruin his life."
That sounds familiar, Emma scoffs to herself.
"So David ran away with me, but we had nowhere to go when I was pregnant with you, so we got married, thinking my parents would accept me into their home again, but they didn't. So we stayed on a friend's couch and had to leave when you were born. Thankfully by then, we had saved up some money for a tiny studio apartment but we could barely make the monthly payments. We didn't even have enough room or money for a couch because it was either that or a bassinet. Our apartment consisted of a kitchenette with an icebox and a sink, a bathroom, a makeshift table and a mattress that didn't have a bed frame." Mary Margaret shrugs. "But we made it work."
"That sounds awful," Emma comments. She knew her parents were sixteen when they had her but she had no idea what they went through at that time.
"Your father did everything he possibly could to make sure you always had food in your belly and a roof over your head. So after we graduated from high school, he went to college and worked three jobs while I stayed home to take care of you. And he made a vow that he would never be like his step-father. I shouldn't be telling you this, but I guess it doesn't matter since you never met him anyway, but your grandpa George always claimed to be a Christian, even though he was an abusive drunk. And despite your father's upbringing, David had always aspired to be a man of God. Did you know he wanted to be a priest before we met?"
Emma shakes her head. "No, I didn't know that."
Her mother nods. "When we met, he knew right away he wanted to be a family man." She takes her daughter's hand and squeezes gently as Emma digests everything she's just heard. "Emma, we may have had you sooner than we expected, but you were our plan all along, not a mistake." She moves her free hand to Emma's belly. "And neither is my grandbaby."
Emma smiles at her mother's explanation. It does make her feel better, but her father shouldn't have said it the way he did. "Wow, you're gonna be a grandma."
Mary Margaret frowns playfully at her daughter. "Hey, I may be a grandma, but I'll be a cool grandma." She thinks about that for a second, letting her words sink in. "Wow, that's weird to say. I'm gonna be a grandma. But hey, I'll be one of the youngest and best-looking grandmas there is."
Emma laughs and leans her head on her mother's shoulder. She's actually relieved her mother knows now. Not only will she no longer have to be paranoid about her finding out, but her mother knows what it's like to be pregnant, so she'll be a great source of information. Emma's head is filled with so much junk about pregnancy from the internet, she doesn't know what's true and what's not. "This is nice. I'm so glad you found out. I just hope Dad doesn't flip out. I hope he's as understanding as you are."
"Now, I wouldn't go that far. You're still grounded for breaking your father's rules," she says firmly.
Emma frowns. "And here I thought you were gonna be a cool grandma."
Mary Margaret smiles brightly and rests her head on Emma's. "Oh, I will be, you don't have to worry about that. My grandbaby will be so spoiled, just you wait."
Emma smiles and rubs her belly. She really can't wait to have this baby.