Part 3
"It's nice to meet you," Sandy greeted Dave kissing his cheek in greeting.
JJ had introduced her mother to her mate and the two had immediately gotten along like a house on fire.
"It's nice to meet you too, Jennifer has mentioned you several times. She said you had been her rock," Dave said.
"She needed me after she and Will separated," Sandy said. "Needed someone to help look after her sons while she worked. I love them, so I was more than happy to do so, as getting to spend time with two of my grandchildren is never a hardship."
"Well, you're soon going to have at least one more," JJ said rubbing her belly. "I know I'm not showing right now, but I won't be astonished at all if I am pregnant and carrying at least twins."
"A new baby to look after and the possibly more then one," Sandy said looking excited.
"You're welcome to babysit anytime," Dave said and JJ shot him a grateful look. "I'm sure that you'll be babysitting a lot actually as we'll be out for dinner or at a movie or doing something else. I often attend art exhibitions and dinners with prominent members of society, so we'll need a babysitter as well as a nanny for when we attended these events."
"I'll be happy to," Sandy smiled, realizing her daughter had really fallen into the cream as Dave was apparently fairly wealthy from the way he talked, as she didn't think he was bragging just simply stating fact.
"My family has always been prominent in society," Dave said. "We give to worthy charities and so forth. These events will be much more enjoyable than they ever have been with your daughter at my side."
"Well, it seems like I'll have plenty of opportunities to babysit," Sandy smiled happily.
"So when can I meet the sons I've heard Jennifer talking about?" Dave asked changing the subject smoothly, as he really didn't like to talk about how wealthy he was. Really, he was very unpretentious compared to some people who had money to burn and preferred to live quietly.
"They should be up from their naps shortly," JJ said looking at her watch.
"So I'm assuming you're going to be looking for somewhere else to live as we have a full house here," Sandy said. "Besides, I doubt you'd want to live in the same house that JJ shared with Will as it would never seem like it was completely yours, not even if you totally redecorated," Sandy said. "I know how Alphas think, I was mated to one for many years after all."
"Jennifer and I have already discussed it," Dave said. "We are going to start looking for a place sometime in the next day or two."
"You are welcome to have this place as your own, even though it's not completely paid for," JJ said. "I could probably manage to keep up the house payments, especially as Dave has many contacts and he promised to help me find a job."
"If you want to stay here then I'll be happy buy it for you, even though I know you have a house in Pennsylvania," Dave said. "I just thought you might want to be closer to at least some of your grandchildren, though I understand from Jennifer that she has a sister that lives out in San Marino California."
"That's very generous of you," Sandy said. "I'll seriously consider it. Actually, to tell you the truth the house JJ grew up in, well, ever since my my mate passed away has been rather lonely. I have my own social circle of friends and acquaintances that's true, but still living alone with no family close by is hard."
"I would love to have you close by mom," JJ who had been mostly silent said, "and not just because Dave and I would have a babysitter that we could trust. We could go shopping just like we used to when Rosaline and I were growing up."
Sandy looked wistful and Dave suspected that she would be accepting his offer. It would make Jennifer very happy to have her mother close by and not just because they had a readymade babysitter.
"Well, if you're sure..." Sandy said finally.
"Of course I am," Dave said. "I would love to get to know you better and you and Jennifer could spend more time together. You are the one that helped Jennifer grow into the outstanding woman she is, along with your husband of course. JJ has already said that she'd love to have you close by so you can go on outings just as you did when she was a child and a teenager."
"Just think about it mom, you could spend so much time with your grandsons and whatever swims in here," JJ said pointing at her belly. "I know you miss Rosaline, but she lives out in California now and has for the last five years. I'm sure she'd be happy if you were to visit though."
"Well, okay then," Sandy decided feeling a little guilty for using Dave's money, but on the other hand he had offered to pay off the mortgage on this house so that she would be close by for her daughter and her grandchildren. Her mate had left her well set, but still, she couldn't afford to be extravagant, since their kind could live much longer then humans. She also brought in a little cash of her own by selling what she sewed, embroidery samplers and such as that kind of thing went for a pretty penny in the right market. "I'll be happy to stay in the area and help look after my grandchildren."
"Good," Dave said obviously pleased at her decision. "I'll see about paying off the rest of the mortgage, so that the house is yours free and clear."
"Thank you," Sandy said genuinely grateful. "Fred left me well set, so long as I was careful, but I couldn't have afforded to even pay the mortgage on this place, so I'm grateful. Selling the place in Pennsylvania, should see me financially secure and I also do a little embroidery on the side and sell that, which gives me some pin money for a few extravagances."
"You don't have to worry about money anymore," Dave said firmly. "When your daughter and I mated you became part of my family, so if having you close by makes Jennifer happy then I'm more than happy to accommodate her. Also I'll give you an allowance so that you don't have to worry about money, even if I know your mate left you financially secure. Things are expensive here in Virginia and there's no point of having to watch your pennies or denying yourself something, just because you can't afford it."
"You don't have to do that, but thank you," Sandy said. "I never expected such generosity."
"If there's one thing I've learned over the years what's the point of being wealthy if you don't use it to help people?" Dave asked. "As I said earlier I give generously to several worthy charities and help those that are less fortunate. How could I not do the same for you since you are Jennifer's mother and she and I both want you close by?"
"I'm glad JJ met you," Sandy said. "I now know that she was very lucky that she did."
"I'm the lucky one," Dave said leaning over to kiss JJ's cheek, causing her to blush a little, even while she looked very happy at the same time.
"Also I won quite a bit at the racetrack, more than I expected to really, but since Dave and I are now mated and he's already promised to take care of all money matters, I'm giving you what I won. I went to the racetrack in the first place, because I was having trouble finding a job and I needed money, but I didn't expect to win so big."
"Just how much are we talking about?" Sandy asked.
"Nearly $10,000 dollars," JJ said and Sandy stared at her in shock, promptly fainting.
"I didn't mean to make her faint," JJ said looking guilty.
"Of course, you didn't, bella," Dave soothed, kissing the side of her neck. "You just gave her a big shock that's all. She will be fine, she just fainted, because nearly $10,000 is a lot of money."
"I'm still not sure what made me choose that particular horse and I only bet about 100 hundred dollars," JJ said. "I'm not actually sure what made me decide to gamble as normally that's not my thing."
"You were desperate," Dave said. "You had just lost her job and been looking for another. You had to find a way to feed yourself and your sons. I admit it it's rather unusual for a first timer to win so much, but it does happen sometimes. Luck has a lot to do with winning, particularly in something like horse racing, you know and perhaps, it just decided to cut you a break. Some people just have the knack for choosing the right horses and end up winning a lot."
"I was lucky when I walked into that racetrack and sat down beside you," JJ said softly. "I certainly didn't expect to meet my lifemate, not long after Will and I had gone our separate ways."
"It was certainly the luckiest day of my life," Dave smiled, which reached all the way to his eyes making them twinkle happily. "I believe though that your mother is beginning to wake up."
Sandy opened her eyes then and sat up. "What happened?"
"You fainted," JJ told her, giving her a hug.
"I fainted?" Sandy asked puzzled. "That's not like me at all."
"You just had a bit of a shock, Sandy," Dave told her. "Your daughter just told you that she was giving you that nearly $10,000 that she won at the racetrack."
"I thought I heard you say $10,000," Sandy said looking completely shocked. "How in the world did you win that much?"
"Pure luck," JJ said. "I knew I was taking a chance on betting $100 on one of the horses, but I just had a really good feeling about Ransom. Dave suggested that maybe luck just decided to look my way and throw me a bone."
"It does happen," Dave said. "I go to the racetrack fairly often and sometimes I win quite a lot, sometimes I don't win at all and then sometimes I only win a few dollars. Winning a horse race involves a lot of luck, but then some people just have the knack of guessing the right horses more often than not."
"Since that's where Dave and I met I'm going to consider it a lucky place," JJ said cuddling into Dave arms. "That doesn't mean however, that I'm going to start gambling, just because I was lucky once doesn't mean I'll be lucky again. I never would've done in the first place if I hadn't been desperate."
"I can't take your money, Jennifer it's yours," Sandy said quietly.
"Yes, you can and I'm going to put it in your name when I take the check to the bank," JJ said. "If I hadn't met Dave that money would've been very useful to take care of myself, Henry and Michael and would've lasted until I could find a job. Now that Dave and I have mated I don't need the money and it would be very selfish of me to keep it when I no longer need it. Dave is very well-off and he's already said that he'll take care of everything I need or want and we both know how stubborn Alphas can be, so I'm giving it to you."
"Alright," Sandy said giving in, in the face of her daughter's stubbornness. To tell you the truth she was touched that JJ would give up nearly $10,000, but then she could also understand that with her mated to Dave she truly didn't need the money anymore, because she knew that the Rossis were more than well-off, although they hailed from New York not Virginia and that's only if Dave was related to the New York Rossis. Rossi was a very common surname, because it was like Jones or Smith here in America. Rossi was probably the most common name in Italy actually, along with it's many variations.
"Good, because Jennifer's doing the right thing and I'm very proud of her," Dave said, kissing JJ on the top of the head causing her to blush at the compliment prettily. "I am extremely wealthy and not just because my family is, but due to my own innate business sense and sound investments."
"Are you related to the New York Rossis?" Sandy asked curiously. "I know Rossi is a very common name, particularly in Italy, but it's pretty common here in the States to," Sandy asked.
"Yes, I am related to them," Dave said, "but I went my own way a long time ago, though I do go up and visit my family every couple of years. I have more cousins nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters then I know what to do with and all my female siblings seem to be popping out children on a fairly regular basis. I'm hoping to have at least a dozen with Jennifer, but of course, it's not just my decision."
"It's a decision that Dave and I will make together," JJ said.
"And of course, we'll be listening to whatever the doctor says as well, but as a rule females of our kind don't have trouble getting pregnant or giving birth so I'm not expecting any problems in that area," Dave added.
"You're right females of our kind normally get pregnant easy and give birth just as easy," Sandy agreed. "I certainly didn't have any trouble getting pregnant or giving birth to Jennifer and Rosaline."
"I'm always wondered why you went dad never had anymore," JJ asked. "I know Rosaline has to."
"It had a lot to do with finances, JJ," Sandy said. "Your father and I would've liked to have at least a couple of sons to go along with our beautiful little girls, but not every family can afford to have 5 or 6 children or even more. It was more financial constraints then the fact that we didn't want anymore. Of course, now that all my financial worries have gone away thanks to Dave, I'm too old to have anymore children from my body and also your father is no longer with us. Even if he was he couldn't get me pregnant as he had himself permanently fixed, so there was no possibility of more children."
"Well, you'll soon have lots of grandchildren, to love and spoil," Dave said.
"I should've thought of that and yet it never occurred to me and as far as I know it never occurred to Rosaline either," JJ said upset at herself. "Usually the only thing that can stop a female from having a lot of children is finances."
"Which is not our problem," Dave said.
"You'll let me know when you know the sex, right?" Sandy asked
"Of course," Dave said. "It'll be a month or so before we know, since our kinds children grow so fast in the womb."
"I'm hoping for at least two little girls since I already have two fine sons," JJ said.
"I'm sure that Dave wants at least one son to carry on the family name," Sandy said.
"I don't really care actually," Dave said. "As I said I have plenty a family, so carrying on the family name isn't going to be a problem. I have a ton of nephews, at least a couple a dozen, not to mention I have about nine brothers and ten sisters."
"Well, that's a lot of children," JJ said, blinking in astonishment.
"I did have eleven brothers, but one of them died as child and the other was stillborn," Dave said. "I wasn't even born yet, but my parents told me about them. Actually, they told all my siblings about them."
"Well, that happens sometimes, even in the best of families," Sandy said.
"Yeah, it does, but not usually to our kind," Dave said. "I thought my parents went overboard having children, you know? But on the other hand they could afford to have that many, as it's not like they couldn't feed, clothes and educate them. We had an au pair, several of them actually to help look after so many kids, though unlike a lot of parents who are wealthy mom and dad spent plenty of time with their children. Dad often travelled for business, but he always brought something home for each of us."
"Well, I suppose if a couple can afford it and the mate of the Alpha agrees to have so many children then neither mom or I have a right to say anything," JJ said. "However, I don't believe we'll be going quite that far when it comes to having children. I can deal with having a dozen, since I'll probably have twins or triplets every time, but anymore than that we'll have to discuss."
"A dozen is just fine with me as I told you earlier," Dave said. "If we add on Henry and Michael that would make 14, which is more than enough."
"Wow! 14 grandkids, plus the ones from Rosaline," Sandy looked dreamy, as she truly loved children, but then most of their race did, particularly the females, which had a lot to do with their inborn instincts.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," JJ laughed. "Let's get whatever swims in here born, then in a year or two Dave and I can talk about more. By the time Dave and I finish having children you'll likely get your fourteen grandkids, though I would think you would have more than enough with Rosaline, as she did just give birth again a few months back.
Rosaline now had, five kids, as she had given birth twice in the last five years and JJ knew that her sister wasn't done having children, not by a longshot. Paavali had a good solid career so he made more than enough to raise a dozen kids. Her sister Rosaline was the artistic one in the family, and drew people upon request. Really what Roz did was more of a hobby, but did bring in some money, much like her mom's embroidery and between her sister and her mate they were financially secure.
"I hardly ever see them though," Sandy said.
"Well, perhaps, it's time you took a trip to visit them," Dave suggested. "Before Jennifer needed your help, but now she has me. Personally, I would call your daughter and tell her you want to come and visit for awhile and make arrangements to do so."
"You sure you don't need me JJ?" Sandy asked her daughter.
"No, mom, you should go and visit Roz," JJ said. "I really appreciate all your help after Will left as I don't know what I would've done without you, but now I have Dave, so you should go visit my sister. Perhaps, convince her and Pav to come up here for a visit with their children, as I would love to see them."
"If you can't we can always go visit them, as I know you miss your sister," Dave offered. "I certainly miss my two brothers the ones that were born at the same time I was sometimes, but then twins or triplets or quadruplets for that matter are always close and usually share some type of connection."
"Maybe after this one is born," JJ said patting her tummy. "I would love for you to meet my sister and for my sister to meet you, but I think we can wait a few months at least, as we just met yesterday even if it seems like I've known you forever."
"I'll try to convince her to come down for a visit and bring the children," Sandy said.
"Thanks mom I hope you can," JJ said, "But we all know Roz can be stubborn."
"She gets that from your father," Sandy laughed. "Roz, is an Alpha like you are Dave, and just like her father."
"Yeah, even though I'm older than her by just a few minutes she's definitely the Alpha," JJ agreed.
"It happens that way sometimes," Dave said smiling.
"I know," JJ said. "Still, we're pretty close, as I'm sure you suspect, since we are twins after all. Roz always protected me when we were younger."
"I would love to meet her, but that can wait a few months anyway," Dave said. He cut off what he was going to say when Henry came into the room rubbing his eyes.
"Well, look, who's up from their nap," JJ said, rising immediately from Dave's lap and going to pick up her son.
"Mama, I'm so glad you're home," Henry said, cuddling immediately into her arms.
"I'll go get Michael, as he's probably awake as well, but he's not walking yet so he won't be able to climb over the crib bars by himself," Sandy offered.
"Thanks mom, I really appreciate it," JJ said, as she held her oldest son close and talked to him softly.
"Where were you mama?" Henry asked.
"Well, remember that story I told you about meeting your lifemate?" JJ asked her son.
Henry nodded, so JJ continued to softly explain in a language Henry would understand since he was only four after all.
"Well, I met mine totally unexpectedly and we needed some private time together. However, I'm back now and now you have a new father."
"What about daddy?" Henry asked.
"Honey, I know you miss your daddy," JJ said. "I missed him a lot to for the first few months, but while he'll always love you and he'll visit you, we're not going to get back together. Remember you met your daddy's lifemate, and you liked her a lot."
Henry said nothing, but JJ knew he was a little upset. What little boy wouldn't be as the separation of the parents he loved and that separation was always toughest on the kids.
"Henry," JJ said in an attempt to distract her son.
"Yes, mama?"
"You'll have a new brother or sister in just a few months. Likely at least two of them," JJ said. "You and Michael will be big brothers to whatever swims in here now." JJ patted her belly with her free hand and Henry looked down at his mother's still flat tummy.
"I'm going to be a big brother?" Henry asked, as he patted his mother's belly just a little tentatively, as if he was afraid he would hurt her.
"Yes, you're going to be a big brother for the second time sweetie and I know you'll be a good one because you already are," JJ said.
Henry seemed to consider this and then grinned at his mother.
"I'm going to be a big brother! I'm going to be a big brother!" Henry cheered, seeming to have forgotten all about his father for the moment.
"Yes, you are," JJ said smiling, as she ruffled his hair and then kissed his cheek.
"When will they be here?" Henry asked.
"Not for awhile," JJ told him calmly. "Dave and I just met yesterday, so it's going to be six months before your new siblings are here. Maybe we'll get lucky and get both."
"I want a little sister," Henry decided.
"Well, hopefully, you'll get your wish, because I would love to have a little girl or even two of them to love," JJ said. "Unfortunately, I can't control what sex they'll be, as that kind of thing is random."
Henry seemed to consider this and simply burrowed his head farther into his mother's shoulder.
"Now why don't you come and meet Dave," JJ suggested gently. "I promise you'll love him."
"Okay," Henry decided.
JJ walked over to Dave and introduced him to her son officially, even though Dave had watched and heard the entire conversation.
"Dave this is my son Henry," JJ introduced solemnly.
Dave winked at her to tell JJ he understood what she was doing and then introduced himself to the four year old.
"Hey Henry, I'm Dave," Dave told the little boy. "It's very nice to meet you. I've actually been wanting to meet you ever since your mother told me about you because she talks about you all the time. She's very proud of you."
Henry seemed to study Dave for a few seconds and then stretched out his wanted to be picked up.
Dave did so and took him out of JJ's arms holding Henry gently.
"Well, this means that Henry trust you, as he's usually kind of shy around strangers," JJ said pleased. "I wasn't sure if he would take to you right away or not, but I'm glad he did. I just thought it might take him a little time to warm up to you."
"I suspect he'll probably turn out to be an Omega like his mother then, since they tend to be like that when they're children," Dave said. "It's not a sure thing I know, but if he is we'll know as soon as he hits 13, as that's when they develop the mating gland on the side of their neck."
"Well, that's quite a few more years from now," JJ said smiling at the way that Dave was gently holding Henry in his arms.
"Down," Henry suggested, after a few more minutes.
Dave smiled, as he obeyed and put Henry back on the floor where he immediately ran over to a corner of the room where there were lots of toys for him to play with.
"Well, I guess that's the end of the introduction," Dave smiled with laughter in his voice.
"I'm actually surprised he stayed with you as long as he did as he slept for a couple of hours, which means right now he's brimming over with energy," Sandy said
Sandy had watched the entire scene, but had stayed out of it since Dave had seemed to be doing fine on his own, but now she handed Michael to him and Dave took the eight month old boy from her.
"Well, aren't you a cutie," Dave said, as he leaned down to kiss Michael cheek. "He's going to grow up to be just as handsome as his brother and he'll probably be beating off the girls once he's older."
"I know both of them are very handsome, but then I admit I'm prejudiced," Sandy said smiling. She liked the way Dave interacted with the two boys and she knew that it boded well for his and JJ's children. Just because their kind loved children as a general rule didn't mean they knew how to be a good parent. It looked like Dave was going to be a good parent, but then, he had a lot of nieces and nephews, so she assumed that he'd learned how to interact with kids just from spending time with them.
Michael looked up at this stranger wondering if he should start yelling, but then looked over at his mother.
"Michael, this is Dave, he's going to be part of the family now," JJ introduced hurriedly.
Michael seemed to be deciding on whether or not he was going to behave but finally, he simply stuck his thumb in his mouth and didn't start crying like JJ half expected.
"Well, you really do have a way with little kids," JJ said pleased. "This certainly bodes well for when ours are born."
"Lots of practice with my nieces and nephews and even a few of my younger siblings," Dave said, confirming Sandy's suspicions.
"Well, those experiences are going to stand you in good stead, for when your children finally arrive," said Sandy.
"Yep, it surely will," Dave agreed smiling, as he held Michael in his arms.
~~~Healed Hearts~~~
"What's for dinner mama?" Henry asked.
"I hadn't really thought about it, but I suppose it is around that time," JJ said looking at the clock on the mantle. "I admit I'm not really in the mood to cook so what about pizza?"
"Pizza! Pizza!" Henry cheered happily.
"Is that okay with you, Dave?" JJ asked.
"Sounds fine," Dave agreed smiling. "Having pizza is always fine."
"Yes, I love pizza," JJ said smiling, "And Henry at least takes after me."
"Most everybody loves pizza," Sandy said. "It's easy to eat and delicious to boot."
"And easy to heat up for leftovers," Dave grinned. "I think we had better order at least three because I'm sure it'll all be gone before it has a chance to spoil between the four of us, as Michael's a bit too young for pizza."
"No, he's still on baby food for the most part," JJ agreed. "That and single grain cereal. I know it won't be long before he's onto more solid food, that's a good thing considering that soon we're going to have at least one more baby to deal with where I'll have to repeat the process, just like I did for Henry, then Michael."
"I'll certainly be around to help, probably every day," Sandy said. "You'll probably believe I've moved in before the baby or babies is old enough to eat by themselves."
"I'll certainly be glad of your help, because I had enough trouble dealing with Henry and then Michael and their much farther apart then Michael and whatever is in here will be," JJ said rubbing her belly.
"We'll hire somebody to help out," Dave said. "I won't have you exhaust yourself looking after at least three small children and it's more likely to be four or even five, because I have no doubt at all that you are carrying at least twins and it's more then likely triplets. Of course, your help will always be appreciated, Sandy," Dave added smiling at JJ's mother, "but you can't handle it all yourself, even with mine and JJ's help. I know some parents do so, but they also usually have a large family that helps them out. Now, while my family is quite large they don't live here in Virginia and have lives in New York for the most part, so I don't want to bother them with this and have some of them interrupt their lives to come down and help look after whatever JJ's carrying, since they'd be here on a more less permanent basis. If we lived in New York we wouldn't be having this problem, but we don't and while I don't mind going out to visit the family, I don't think I would ever want to live in New York again."
"Too many family obligations?" JJ suggested gently and Dave nodded.
"That was part of it certainly, but I also had many females come onto me simply because my last name was Rossi. My family is well known in New York, since we've made it home for generations now, but that doesn't mean I want to be treated as a piece of meat that doesn't have opinions or a choice when it comes to deciding when to settle down. All those females wanted was to marry or mate with me depending on species, because of my name and perhaps get a large chunk of the family fortune. Most of them didn't care about me at all and although they might have grown to I wasn't about to get myself into that kind of situation. It was all the marriage proposals and other crap that goes along with it that was the main reason why I decided to leave New York behind."
"I hadn't thought about it like that," Sandy said, "but it would probably drive me insane to have to deal with that kind of crap."
"Some people thrive on it, but I'm certainly not one of them," JJ said.
"And neither am I, which is why I moved here to Virginia in the first place," Dave said. "I came here to escape all that, but now that I'm mated to you a lot of it would die down if we decided to move to New York. Still, I don't believe, I could ever live in New York again, not on a permanent basis anyway. I've grown to love my life here and since it's where I met you it will always have a special place in my heart."
"Well, I'm certainly glad you moved here, because we would not have met otherwise," JJ said smiling, kissing his cheek.
"Something I'll always be grateful for," Dave said kissing JJ's cheek in return. "I had given up on finding anybody to have a few children with, someone to love and someone who loved me. Oh, I know I could have had them, even without being mated, but that wouldn't have been right."
"Well, you certainly have better ethics than a lot of people," Sandy said smiling. "I'm well aware that a lot of men wouldn't care if they got some woman pregnant."
"Well, to change the subject I think it's time to order some pizza, because I know Henry's probably very hungry and so am I come to think of it," Jj said
"That's because you have babies growing within you," Dave said. "From now on you don't need to be skipping meals."
"Yeah, I know that's what the doctor told me when I was pregnant with Henry and also with Michael. I won't forget again," JJ promised.
"No, harm done, as you've only been pregnant for a day," Dave said. "Still, you'll start to be hungry, every few hours in a couple of months, because you know the babies in your womb burn up calories like nothing else."
"They need as many calories as they can get, since they're born a whole trimester sooner then for a human pregnancy," Sandy said. "I remember that time well and how hard it was to keep from being hungry, particularly in the last six weeks or so. Jennifer didn't have such a hard time, because she only carried one child both times she was pregnant instead of twins like I did."
"However, multiples run in all families of our kind, so she's more than likely to have at least two if not three," Dave said. "All my family has never had less than two and usually it's three, not in the last few generations, so the chances of it being a singleton are practically zero in my opinion. Of course, it's possible, I just don't think it's too likely not with my family's history of always having multiples."
"And the fact that I had twins as well, just up those odds," Sandy added.
"So I would say I'm probably expecting at least twins then," JJ said, "but if it's triplets I won't be surprised because of your family history."
"And the history of our race in general, who usually have multiples as a rule instead of singletons," Sandy said. "Having singletons is possible as we have two examples right here, it's just less common. I suppose it's kind like humans who have multiples, and are usually something of a surprise, especially if it's more then twins."
"Age, body weight and even height are usually a factor with humans while it mostly doesn't matter with our kind," Dave added.
"Well, we'll know in a few days. I'll make sure I get an appointment with the doctor after the first week, as the doctor will be able to tell whether or not I'm having more than one by then," JJ said.
"I'll be coming with you to your appointment," Dave said immediately. "I'm eager to find out whether I'm right about you carrying more than one."
"You'd be welcome," JJ said. "I truly believe you're right, just because of what you've told me about your family history of always having multiples, without a singleton in your families history. Instinctively knowing I'm carrying more than one doesn't make it fact though."
JJ then took out her cell to order the pizza or she knew her son would start complaining that he was hungry and Michael would be crying up a storm. Best to avoid the boys tantrums altogether if possible.
"I would like three large pizzas," JJ said into the cell. "One I want with nothing but extra cheese. What do you want on your pizza honey?" JJ asked pulling the phone away from ear.
Dave told and JJ put the phone back to her ear
"I'll have another with pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, green peppers, onions, and mushrooms," JJ told the person on the other end of the line. "Finally I want the last one to have pepperoni, ham, onions, hamburger, olives, and sun dried tomatoes."
JJ hung up the phone and said, "It'll be here in half an hour."
"Good, because I'm starving," Dave said patting his stomach.
"So am I and normally I wouldn't say that," JJ said.
"You think you're starving now just wait a couple months," Sandy said smiling. "I well remember the hunger pains and they only get worse the farther the pregnancy progress."
"You shouldn't be telling tales mom," JJ scolded her mother half playfully. "Haven't you ever heard of keeping such bad news a secret. Who would look forward to being hungry all the time, to having their back hurting constantly, to have their ankles swollen and their feet aching?"
"It's not like you haven't experienced it before to a lesser extent," Sandy said. "Besides you'll have several bundle of joys at the end, so that makes it all worth it."
"I've always respected what a female goes through to have children," Dave said. "All men have to do is donate their sperm, but they don't have to go through the pregnancy, other than in a supporting role. It's true that most females of our kind have no problem getting pregnant or giving birth, even to multiples, but the pain they go through, the moodiness, the hunger pains and so forth, makes me respect them for being willing to do that to have children."
"Well, that's definitely the right attitude to have," Sandy said approvingly. "A lot of men don't respect the fact that their wife, girlfriend or fiancée is pregnant and do absolutely nothing to help them or do the bare minimum. Jennifer's father wasn't like most men of his time, though being a an Alpha helped I know, since most of our kind are better about helping their mates, in paying attention to their needs, and this especially includes during pregnancy."
"I know I've run across that kind of thing more than once, usually among humans, though I have met a few of our kind that needed their attitude adjusted," Dave snorted his contempt for that attitude obvious. "I say you don't get somebody pregnant if you're not willing to do your part, though I know there would be a lot less children in the world if most obeyed that rule.
The doorbell rang just then and Dave got up to answer it, soon coming back with three pizza boxes stacked on top of each other.
"Dinner is served," Dave said, as he put the boxes on the kitchen counter.
While Dave had gone to get the pizza JJ had also risen and started to get down plates from the cabinet. There were bigger plates for her, Dave and her mother and a smaller plate for Henry.
"I had better get Michael fed or he's going to be screaming loud enough to wake the dead," JJ said.
"I'll do that," Dave offered. "You need to eat."
"Alright, but be careful Michael tends to spit it back out and it usually lands all over me or on mom if she's the one feeding him," JJ warned.
"I'll be careful, but I could use the practice considering that I soon will have a few kids to help feed," Dave said winking. "Besides, if Michael does spit up all over me it's not like I don't have other shirts and really spitting up is just a part of being an infant. I know some parents get upset if one of their children's spits up on them, but that's just silly, because it's not like they can help it. Why not just wear a bib or something you don't mind getting spit on, as that would be the sensible thing to do."
"It's only common sense to wear something that you don't mind getting ruined since throw up from an infant rarely comes out in the wash," Sandy agreed.
"I'm sure we'll be looking to you for advice," Dave said. "After all, you've raised to two of your own."
"Oh, Jennifer, is doing a really good job," Sandy said smiling. "She was doing a good job, even when I was in Pennsylvania and she and Will hadn't separated yet. Still, I'm willing to offer advice if you ask for it, because after all l've helped JJ out whenever she's having a problem with either Henry or Michael."
"There's nothing wrong with asking for advice," Dave said. "I might be the Alpha here, but I'm not going to turn down sound advice, just because I'm too arrogant to accept it."
The three continued chatting, as they ate their pizza, Dave eating the most, as he had like six slices, but then he was a big man. JJ wasn't far behind him with five and Sandy only had two, but then she wasn't a man and she also wasn't pregnant, so she didn't need as much food.
~~~Healed Hearts~~~