There's mention of Jeremy and Mikki is in this chapter as well and they both belong to KikiJuanita. You need her permission to them, just like you need permission to use Onyx and any other characters you do not recognize.
Enjoy!
It's been two and a half months since they were in New York for Jeremy's Broadway debut. As fun as that had been. Because yes, they had fun. They enjoyed the vacation when it was the two of them, and they shared plenty of laughs and made a bunch of memories with her second family. And not only that, they found the time to visit with his family. His sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew happy to see them. Because as nervous as she was to seeing the kids she met at Christmas, she wasn't sure if they would remember her. They did, happy to show her all of their toys and kidnapping her, for the most part, to play dolls or build with Lego's. She didn't mind; it showed her a few things. How much she really looked forward to having a family of her own. And that she needs to check in with her mothers.
As fun as that was. They had their own fun in the privacy of their hotel room. That rain check happening a few times over the course of their stay. That fun, excluding to her nervous behavior as she entered her home, seeing her boyfriend getting ready for work.
"Hey babe, I thought I was going to miss you," he smiled, slipping his shoes on, quickly tying them.
"Hey," she smiled placing the bags on the counter. She couldn't only buy one thing when going to the store and bought what they would need for a few nights. "Yeah, I had to grab something and did the shopping," she told him the obvious.
"I see that," he chuckled lightly, pulling her into his arms. "What's going on?" He asked, kissing the frown lines on her forehead away.
"You know how I have been sick recently, and we've been through a list of what it could be?" She asked chewing her lip. He nodded, still feeling stumped over it all. "We've been quite the ditz about it," she sighed.
"What do you mean?" He asked with a frown of his own. Whatever it is she's talking about; they could handle it; he was sure of that. Their relationship is strong enough to survive it all.
"Well I haven't talked to my doctor, but I have an appointment for tomorrow after school, and well I couldn't wait that long without having a better answer than I might be," she rattled on, pulling the at home pregnancy test box from the bag. "There's two in there," she told him.
"Before we freak out," he told her, taking a deep breath, doing what he can to stay calm, because he really wants to freak out. He doesn't know if he is ready to be father. He doesn't see their relationship ending, in fact, he sees a life with Onyx. Kids being a part of that future, just not yet. "Let's go take the tests," he said.
She nodded, taking the box to the bathroom, opening one on the small trek from the kitchen. She's had all day to freak out about the possibility of being pregnant at work. She did so in silence, not wanting to tell anyone other than Clint what she thought was going on. She wasn't sure how to feel about the chance of being with child. She wants to be a mother, has for a long time. She wasn't quite sold on the idea of being a mother now. She didn't know if her life was in the right place for kids.
"Are you really going to stand there?" She asked, looking to her boyfriend, as she got ready to take the test.
"Is something wrong with that?" He asked, leaning against the sink.
"It's weird," she commented, handing him the first test, now that she put the cap back on it.
"If these and your doctor say you're pregnant; I would rather have been there from the start," he explained, looking at the test.
"It takes a few minutes," she told him, flushing the toilet. "And when we get down to it, you were there from the start. I can't be expecting, or think that I am expecting without you," she told him, placing the second test on the bathroom counter next to the first one, washing her hands.
"Really? I didn't know that," he replied, sarcasm dripping through his tone. "I want to be there for every step of the way."
"Afraid to be by yourself, where your thoughts are going to get the best of you?" She asked him. He nodded slightly. "I get it," she sighed, folding into his embrace. "You don't want to get excited, and you don't want to feel guilty for not wanting a baby," she shared.
"Oh yeah," he agreed, kissing the top of her head. "Other than figuring this out, how was the rest of your day?"
"It was good," she told him. "After first period, it was a movie day, since that's when it hit me. I couldn't exactly function to do a lesson," she shared. "But no trouble. Won't you be late?" She asked, twisting his wrist to see how much time has passed.
"They'll survive if I don't make it in tonight," he told her. His personal life ranked higher than his work life. That is why he has a manager, so he doesn't need to be in every night. He had spent his afternoon going over the books in his office. "Is it time?" He asked her. A few minutes have never felt like they've dragged on in such a way as they do in this moment.
"You can look if you want," she told him, burying her face into his chest, scared to look at the test to see what the results were.
"What does two lines mean?" He asked, picking up both tests to see they both had two pink lines on it.
"It means we're pregnant," she told him slowly. The news having a hard time settling in as of yet.
"We're pregnant," he repeated, in shock. The news hitting him hard. "Is there a chance, they could be wrong?" He asked, staring at the dark pink lines.
"There is, but all the signs have been there. I honestly, think we'll be told the same thing tomorrow afternoon," she told him.
"Okay," he nodded, failing at wrapping his head around being told his going to be a father. "Why don't we get dinner, ice cream and watch a movie?" He suggested.
"I'll order dinner; you call in to work," she told him, standing on her toes to share a quick kiss.
With dinner ordered and a movie waiting to play, she waited for her boyfriend to finish on the phone. She still wasn't sure how to feel about being pregnant. The thought of being a mom thrilled and terrified her all the same. She still didn't know if they were ready for kids now. Could they make their relationship work now that they're bringing a baby into the mix? Would they be able to co-parent if they couldn't make things work out?
"We need to find a bigger place," she told him, the second he joined her on the couch.
"We can make an appointment with Mikki," he suggested. "And we can make this place work for a while yet. So we're not in a huge rush."
"I wasn't going to rush into it. I'll give her a call tomorrow. Seb mentioned having a special night planned, and I am not going to ruin it," she said, shaking her head. "Finding a new place isn't something to rush into." Not that she was sure she wanted to be pregnant while moving. And it would be harder when they had the baby to move. That is why she has brothers for.
"Like I said no rush," he said, pressing a kiss to her temple.
"Please don't say anything about us being pregnant to anyone. So far, all we have to go off of is a home pregnancy test and things can go wrong this early on; it's just best to wait," she told him, snuggling into his side.
"I won't say a word," he promised, hitting play on the movie.
The problem being that with such huge news of being pregnant, they couldn't focus on the movie. It didn't matter it was one they both liked watching. Their minds to busy wrapped up in the fact, they were going to parents. That yes, they needed a new place. A house preferably. One with a backyard for Captain to run around in, to have a backyard for the child to play in, to have cookouts. A house to build the rest of our lives in.
They laid curled up together on the couch, but they were mikes away, lost in their thoughts about what the future held for them.
"Onyx, hey, do you have a quick minute?" Seb asked, entering her classroom between classes.
"What's going on?" She asked, looking from the stack of papers she was going through to give her friend all of her attention.
"Is there any way that I can change detention with you?" He asked. "I am scheduled for today, but I messed up last night, so I need tonight as a redo," he sighed.
"How'd you mess up?" She asked with a frown.
"I forgot the ring in my desk," he sighed, shaking his head. "So plans had to change last night, and I need to do it tonight. Can you help me?" He pleaded.
"I wish I could," she told him with a frown. She knew how important tonight is going to be for the both of them. "But I can't. I have a doctor's appointment, that I can't reschedule," she told her friend.
"Is everything okay?" He asked her. Stepping closer to her, to see if he could see anything wrong. She didn't look sick, and she wouldn't be at work putting so many people at risk. So it had to be something else, not that he could see anything.
"Yep," she nodded. "Just a check-up," she told him, hoping he couldn't see through the lie. "Talk to Mike, I'm sure he'll cover for you, if he knows how important tonight is," she suggested. She really needed the heat off of her before she blurted things out.
"That's a good idea," he smiled, turning to dash off once more. Mike would gladly help him out.
"Oh and Seb," she called after him, he stopped turning to look at her, from his spot in the hallway. "Don't forget the ring this time," she smirked.
"I won't," he laughed, heading off to find Mike. He already placed the ring his bag to take home.
She shook her head, letting a sigh out, happy to have avoided that situation. Because she was pretty close to telling her friend what was going on in her life. She knows she can't tell anyone, told Clint that last night, but she didn't think it would be so hard to keep it to herself. If it turns out that she really is pregnant, she doesn't know how long she can hold off on telling her friends and family. Seb and Jeff will be able to see through her lies before too long.
Luckily for her, the school day went by fast, and she was able to keep herself busy so nothing would slip out that shouldn't have. At lunch, she took her food to her classroom and made a call to Mikki, seeing when she'd be able to see them about looking for a house. They made plans to get together on Saturday, and she would get a few houses picked out that she thought would fit their style. Mikki had questions on what they would like their house to have. She made sure to give Mikki the things she wanted, but she wasn't completely sure on what Clint had in mind. Mikki assured her that she would call Clint and get his input as well.
From the waiting room to the exam room, she couldn't stop fidgeting. Sitting still was a huge problem for her. Clint tried to keep her nerves at bay, but he too was having a hard time. Their world could potentially change within a matter of moments. Bringing a baby into the world is a huge responsibility. And he didn't know if he was fully ready for that. He would be, just like Onyx would be. They'd do right by their little one. It did bring a smile to his face, thinking about having a baby the perfect mix of them both, watching him or her grow up and be memorized at the world around them. They wouldn't have any shortage of love.
"I know we haven't talked about what to do if we are having a baby," she started to say, placing her hands on her still flat stomach.
"There's only one thing we can do, Onyx," he said, cutting off whatever else it is she wanted to say. "We created this baby; it's out of love, and the only thing to do is watch him or her grow up, coming into their own person," he told her, placing a hand on top of hers.
"Those're my thoughts exactly," she told him, some of the worry leaving her. "Even if this baby wasn't created out of love, giving him or her a chance would be the only choice to make," she said. "Its half me and half you and that's just crazy," she laughed. Maybe when their baby is born, and she's holding the tiny newborn for the very first time it will finally sink in that they created something so magical. And that maybe it won't be as scary as it's imagining things to be right now.
"It's weird but in such a wonderful way," he smirked. She nodded.
"It's settled then; we are no where near ready for a baby, but we can get there with this one, if there is one," she shared with him. "You did grab the folder right?" She asked, only now remembering that everything they had gone over they would need for the appointment before she left for work.
"Yes," he said, showing her the folder. "I called to get as much information as I could on my family." She had done the same, already knowing most of the history when it came to her family. And the little she needed to know had been easy to figure out without setting her family off on the fact she might be with child. "I've added a few more questions and have that as well," he told her.
"Good, because I couldn't help myself today when I had breaks and wrote more questions down as well," she told him, taking a folded piece of paper from her pocket to give to him.
"Who wants to see if they're expecting?" Dr. Rose asked, entering the room with a soft knock on the door.
They sat in the car outside of the school, as she needs to pick her car up, taking in the news, they just learned. Going in they had a suspicion they were expecting. One can never know with at home pregnancy tests. False positives can happen. That wasn't their case. Their baby's due date being November 6th.
They walked in with a lot of questions and those questions may have been answered, but they walked out with more questions. A lot of those questions circling around them as a couple. Could they really do this? Raise a baby? Be parents when they didn't know how to be parents? Be parents to a child when they didn't know how their relationship is going to end up. If things did end badly for them, they were both sure that they could rock the whole co-parenting thing. But that wasn't what either one wanted.
"We can do this right?" She asked, looking down at her lap. Insecurities about being a parent were going to creep into her head a lot; she had a feeling. And no she didn't like second guessing herself on her abilities.
"Yes, we can do this," he answered. Feeling equally as terrified on this new adventure. "I want to believe that as amazing as this is, it's equally as terrifying. Together we have this," he tried to comfort her.
"I love you," she smiled, opening her door. He caught her by the wrist before she could move from the seat, pressing his lips against hers.
"I love you," he whispered, against her lips.
"I'll see you at home," she told him, getting out of his car.
As much as she loves him and needs him in her life, she needs a few minutes to herself, to really digest the news of being an expectant mom. That's why she insisted on grabbing her car from the school parking lot. It would give her a few minutes of peace to work out the multitude of thoughts swarming in her mind. As much as she needed the time to herself, she got a feeling that the same amount of time will do him some good as well.
"I don't want to rush into marriage," she blurted out, after coming home from the clinic, she sat at the kitchen counter as Clint worked on getting something for dinner going.
"Where is this coming from?" He asked with a frown. They haven't even broached the subject of marriage. For him, it's coming out of nowhere, really fast.
"It's just that we're having a baby together, and I want us to focus on that and not about getting married to be a family, because we don't need to be married to be a family," she explained to him. Sure she could have brought the topic of marriage up in so many different ways, and she didn't mean to blurt it out the way she had, she couldn't help it, and she can't take it back.
"I am still having trouble following you here," he sighed, stopping what he was doing to give his girlfriend his complete attention. "Where's this coming from?" He asked. "I would understand if we've been talking about marriage, but we haven't." For a while now, he's been trying to find the right way to drop that bomb in their relationship. To have a very in-depth talk about getting married. He does see their relationship going that way, but he also knows that it's not something to take lightly, not after everything she's been through with Hunter.
"I've seen people rush into marriage because they were expecting a baby, and it doesn't work out. I don't want things to get ruined between us," she explained with a sigh. "I love you and the life we've created for us," she smiled, reaching for him. "But I can only take one life-altering change at a time. Do I see a future with you? Yes. Do I see you as my husband?" She asked, toying with his fingers. "Yes, but not right now," she told him, feeling bad for how it sounded to her ears.
"Then we are on the same page," he told her, it sounds like music to her ears. Knowing that she didn't mess anything up. "I love you and this life we have. We have enough on our plates with this life we created; we don't need to pile onto that with a wedding. Life happens and we can only take it one day at a time," he shared, pulling her into his embrace to share a hug, pressing a kiss to her head. "You as my wife, that's what I want and hope that it's the path we go down, because anything can happen any day, but I love you and see a long life by your side."
"So it would be wrong to get engaged?" She asked, closing her eyes, feeling his heartbeat speed up.
"Yes and no," he said, having a hard time getting his thoughts in order. "Didn't we just decide that rushing into marriage isn't for us?" He asked, starting to get a clear mind on his thoughts.
"Yes," she told him. "But people get engaged and have very long engagements," she shared.
"And if we get engaged, all our friends are going to know something's up, and we'll never hear the end of it," he told her. "I really do believe that our best option right now is to focus on the life we created and finding a house, we can grow old together in raising our children," he shared.
"You want more kids?" She asked. She didn't know how many kids she wanted. She's thought about it, and the number has always changed. When she thought about being a mom, she wanted at least two kids, maybe three. And when she got older and saw how troublesome kids can be; she thought about only having one. Now she just isn't sure how many to have.
"Maybe two of them, I don't know if we can handle more than that," he chuckled. "Though one is plenty as well," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"I would say, leave it to fate, but I don't think I want more than two. I really enjoyed having a sibling. I would have been lost without having Jeff in my life growing up," she shared with a sigh. "Not to mention I don't know if I would have became friends with Seb."
"Oh you would have, but it would have been different, and you wouldn't be family to him," he told her.
"Yeah and thinking about that outcome, I don't like it," she sighed. "I think we should stick to two kids," she told him.
"We can worry about the number of kids later. Let's just focus on the one we've already created," he shared.
"And ice cream," she told him.
"Ice cream?" He asked with a laugh.
"Yeah, I want some and Captain needs a walk," she said, seeing their dog at the door wanting out.
"Then let's go," he said, pulling her gently to the door to take the dog for a walk and to get some ice cream. "I can't wait until we have a yard where he can run around," he commented, clipping the leash to Captain's collar.
"You and me both," she said, opening the door. "Late night and early morning walks are the worst," she sighed. He nodded agreeing with her.
They could get through the next 6 and a half months, the fear of being parents, hopefully dissolving later into the pregnancy. He was sure they could handle the stress of having a baby, as long as nothing else chose to come up for them. As much as he wanted to have their own house, they could make the apartment work for a while yet. At least for the next year to year and a half. It may still be early in the pregnancy, but they had it under control. It would all work out. It had to; this is his family, and nothing could stop that from being the very best that he can make it.
"Pizza has been ordered," Clint said joining his girlfriend and their friends in the living room. Ready to look at the houses Mikki thought that would be a good fit for them.
So far, Mikki nor Seb questioned why they were looking to upgrading to a house. And Onyx was totally okay with that because the less they had to lie to their friends, the better off she would be. Not that wanting a bigger place to really call their own would be lying as they do want that. They had talked before their company came over on how they would answer such questions.
"Do keep in mind that you don't have to settle on any of these houses," Mikki told them, waiting for her laptop to load. "And things can be changed within the house, if you see one that you do like," she let them know.
"I've been meaning to ask," Seb started to say, only to grow quiet. "Never mind," he said shaking his head.
"You want to know why we want to move from the apartment to a house?" She asked her friend.
"Yeah," he nodded. "But it makes sense and it was such a stupid question. It's just time to move to a place you can call yours and have a bigger space for your dog," he shrugged, as Captain played with one of his toys.
"Yeah that one is starting to out grow this place. And not just the dog, but someone has more shoes than closet space," he remarked, squeezing his girlfriend's shoulder.
"Yeah you," she teased, nudging him. He couldn't protest that. His shoe collection is right up there with hers.
The first house they saw is a four bedroom, three bath home with 2,238 square feet, for $269,900. The house looked amazing on the outside the front of the house having a rock finish it to. They both loved the black granite in the kitchen. It was the mint green walls, they weren't a fan of. The bedrooms seemed to be pretty spacious. They loved the big backyard. Plenty of spaces for their dog and their kid when they get bigger. Changing the color of the walls would be an easy fix, it was the fact the kitchen seemed to be too small for them.
The second house is a five bedroom, three bathroom home with 2,336 square feet for $239,500. The place looked absolutely gorgeous. The outside of the house a light-gray color. Hardwood floors, that Onyx loved. The kitchen wasn't overly big, but it wasn't small and it was nice. But it would need some work done. She liked the little breakfast nook on the side of the kitchen. She did like the fireplace, and the big bay windows overlook the backyard. They found it hard to find anything they didn't like about the house. It was one they would have to see in person to have a better feel of the place.
The third house was gorgeous on the inside; the outside would need to be repainted as it was an ugly mint green color. It's a four bedroom, two bathroom house with 1,500 square feet, which didn't seem to be big enough for them. They loved the house. The open kitchen concept was something they wanted they had yet to see in the other two houses. They just wanted more space inside the house. The backyard was spacious. It just wasn't the house for them.
They liked a lot of the houses they saw. A few of them not having enough space inside the house. Others not having enough space outside. A good chunk of them being too close to their neighbor.
"Now that I have a better understanding of what you two are looking for; I will keep looking," Mikki told them.
"Sorry we're so picky," Onyx apologized.
"Nonsense, everything needs to be perfect; it's your home," she nodded, understanding how it goes, having dealt with the same thing since she became a realtor.
"I see you said yes," Onyx commented, seeing the ring on her finger.
"I did," she smiled, looking at her ring. "It was my mom's ring," she shared. "This one won't tell me how he got it either," she said pointing to Seb. Onyx shared a look with him and shook her head. "You knew?" She asked.
"Yep," she nodded.