Will
After breakfast, I showered and put on Tessa's favorite shirt because I liked the way her face lit up when I wore it. She had bought it for me for Christmas last year and it was a really nice shirt. I went in search for my little brother as I finished getting ready.
The little guy had a girlfriend and I couldn't believe it. When I looked back to when we were little, it made sense that James and Barbara ended up together. They gravitated toward each other, just as Tessa and I did.
James was sitting on his bed, texting someone when I plopped down in his beanbag chair. He ignored me as I sat there, waiting to be acknowledged.
"Who are you texting," I sing-songed.
"I'm pretty sure that's none of your business," he shot back and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Oh, so it's Barbara. Tell her I said hi." He shook his head and rolled his eyes as I leaned back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling. To be honest, I was a little upset that James never told me about Barbara. We told each other everything and I didn't understand why he felt he couldn't talk to me about it. "Why didn't you tell me, Jay?"
"I don't know." He threw his head back against the wall taking a deep breath and tossing his phone on the bed.
"I just don't get it. The moment I decided to tell Tess how I felt about her, I told you. I tell you everything and something big happens to you and you don't tell me."
"I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you, but every time I went to, you started talking about Tess and I just couldn't get a word in. Don't get me wrong, I want you to talk about her, but sometimes you don't let anyone else talk."
"Okay." We didn't need to say anymore because we knew we would be there for each other no matter what. He was right. When I was getting up the nerve to Tess how I felt about her, I wouldn't shut up to James about it. I had been completely self-centered and forgot all about my brother. "I think it's great, by the way."
"Yeah?" I nodded. "Can I tell you something?" I nodded again, encouraging him to continue and letting him know that I was listening and that I was there for him. "So, since she's moved back down the street, Barbara and I have been sneaking to each other's houses every night and sleeping together, just sleeping."
"Wait." I shook my head and tried to process the information. "You are doing something wrong? James Herondale is a degenerate?"
"We don't do anything, but sleep, asshole." He threw a pillow at my head and I laughed. "Don't act like Tessa didn't sleep in your room the other night. I know Dad saw you, too, so it looks like I'm way better at hiding things because this has been going on for two months."
"Wow, I'm impressed." James went back to texting Barbara and I turned his TV on to play some video games. Why I didn't have a TV in my room was beyond me, but it made sense since I was almost always in James' room.
After a while, I decided to go back into my room and give Tessa a call. I was going to see her in an hour, but I just liked hearing her voice and I hadn't talked to her since our date. I was halfway down the hall when I heard Dad call upstairs.
"Hey, family meeting in two minutes," he shouted from the bottom of the staircase. "Get your asses down here."
I instantly panicked thinking that Dad had told Mom about Tessa sleeping in my room. James came out of his room with a perplexed look on his face.
"They know," I simply stated. "Oh god, they're going to give us 'the talk.'"
"Calm down," James said as we started walking downstairs. "Just act natural. We don't know if they know anything so don't start acting guilty."
We made our way downstairs and into the living room where Mom and Dad were sitting on the loveseat. I sat down on the couch and faced them as James sat down in the big chair in the corner. Mom and Dad stared at us for a second and I was sure they were about to come down on me for letting Tess sleep in my room.
"What's up guys," James spoke up after a few minutes of silence. Dad took Mom's hand and took a deep breath.
"Well, your mother and I have something to talk to you boys about," Dad finally said. His formal one was really freaking me out. When had he ever called Mom our mother? It was just weird.
"Actually, we have something to tell you," Mom piped up from beside him.
"What's going on," I asked after she paused again. "You're really starting to freak me out."
"Okay, fine," Mom threw her hands up. "I guess there's no easy way to say this. I'm pregnant."
Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that. My mouth hung open as I stared at my parents who were sitting and waiting for our reactions. James was in the same state as I was and I felt like hours went by before anyone said anything.
"But, you're old," I said when I could finally form words.
"Gee, thanks," Mom slumped back into the couch. "Apparently I'm young enough to have a baby."
"That means that you guys still do it." I leaned forward and put my head between our knees. "Ugh, I'm going to be sick."
Someone hit me on the back of the head and I snapped my head to see James.
"I think what Will means to say is congratulations," James said from beside me. "When did you find out?"
"This morning," Dad said as he shook James' hand and hugged Mom.
"We're going to have a little brother," I asked, still trying to process the information.
"Or sister, but yes," Mom replied and placed her hand on her stomach. I didn't remember her being pregnant with James and I began to wonder what it would be like to see my mother pregnant. Then I started thinking about a little sister and how much I would love her and protect her. In a matter of minutes, my view of my mother's pregnancy changed completely. While they were all discussing whatever it was they were discussing, I walked up and wrapped my arms around Mom.
"I love you, Mom," I whispered, overcome with emotion. "This is really exciting."
"I love you, too, honey," I could hear the tears in her voice as I pulled away slightly.
"Okay," Dad said clapping his hands together and we all took our seats again. "We're going to add one more Herondale to the bunch. I want you two to help your mom out around the house. She needs to rest and she's probably going to be sick for a while."
We nodded in agreement and Dad started rattling off random things that I just couldn't pay attention to. All I could think about was getting some fresh air. Once Dad dismissed us, I grabbed a beach towel and made my way down to the beach.
As I sat in the sand, I thought about my mom and how amazing she was. She was forty-one and having a baby. I'll admit that the idea kind of grossed me out, at first, but now I was really excited to have another little sibling to watch grow. This was different, though. James and I were so close in age that we really did grow up together. We learned all of life's lessons together. I always felt like we were more like twins and I was getting excited to have a much younger sibling that I could teach and protect.
Mom having a baby got me thinking about what I wanted in life. I really wanted the life my parents had because it was the only life I knew and it was amazing. If I could have a love like my parents and throw in a few kids, my life would be complete. I knew then, that I wanted that life with Tessa. It seemed weird to me to know who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but I had known that I wanted to marry Tessa since I was ten years old. I wanted to make all of her dreams come true, which included an MMA career and I hoped we could both continue the legacy our fathers laid out for us.
I looked out onto the ocean, which always calmed me. Taking a deep breath, I felt at peace with everything happening in my life. I felt arms wrap around me and inhaled the scent I would always recognize. Tessa kissed my temple before moving to sit next to me. She didn't say anything as she held onto my arm and leaned her head against my shoulder.
"Hey, angel," I said as I turned my head to kiss the top of Tessa's head. "Where is everybody?"
"My parents are inside talking to your parents," she replied as she snuggled closer to me. "So, James has a girlfriend, huh? I never thought I'd see the day."
"You and me both." I let out a chuckle. "Is she here?"
"Yeah, James is in there with the parents." I laced our fingers together and kissed her head again. "Do you think we should go inside and talk to her?"
I shook my head. "I just need to be away from everyone right now." She nodded and reached up to kiss my cheek. I tuned my head and leaned down to kiss her. It was sweet and innocent, but I needed to tell her how much I appreciated her being there for me. "What's on your mind, Will?"
"A lot happened today." She didn't say anything for a while, just letting me be.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you, but I want to." She nodded and ran her hand up and down my arm. "Mom's pregnant." Tessa snapped up and turned to face me.
"What?" The look on her face rivaled mine when I found out. "Your mom, Aunt Clary, is pregnant, with a baby?"
"That's right." I watched as the information was being processed in Tessa's mind. She had the cutest look on her face with her brows furrowed and her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "It's weird, right?"
"Yeah." She sat down on her knees in front of me and put her hands on my knees. "I mean no. I think it's kind of wonderful."
"I'm kind of excited because I don't remember her being pregnant with James, so I think it will be cool."
She nodded and settled back down next to me. I kept thinking that we should join the family, but I couldn't bring myself to share Tessa. I finally understood why James didn't tell me about Barbara. It was selfish, but I understood not wanting to share your girl. I knew that I shouldn't keep Tessa away from her family, but I couldn't bring myself to get up and walk to the house. They would all be out on the beach eventually, anyway.
Sunday barbeques were one of my favorite things about summer. Tessa and I trained six hours a day everyday, except Sundays, in the summer and these barbeques allowed us a chance to relax and defuse from a week of hard training. I had two years until I could officially go pro and Tessa had about a year and a half. We needed to be ready when the time came so we could go straight into our professional careers and start making names for ourselves.
When I heard people walking in the sand toward us, I finally decided to let ourselves out of our little bubble. I stood and offered my hand to Tessa. She placed her hand in mine and I pulled her up before bending and throwing her over my shoulder. Tessa let out a shriek as I turned toward the water.
"William Herondale, put me down right now," Tessa yelled as she pounded my back. "You know I can kick your ass, so I don't understand why you're pushing it." I laughed as I tightened my hold on her and made my way into the water.
Sure, she could take me, but the position I had her in wasn't one she could get out of. When the water reached my waist, I slid her down and caught her in a cradle position. She could try and act mad all she wanted, but I could she the light in her eyes. She liked playing around like this. I kissed her, then, to try and save my ass for bringing her in the water. When we pulled apart, she had a smile on her face and I almost panicked when I remembered that everyone was on the beach and probably watching us. I tossed Tessa into the water as she shrieked and I dipped under the water.
She was fuming when I popped out of the water and I couldn't hold in my laugh until she tackled me. We began wrestling in the water and I let her have control because I didn't want to get in any more trouble. When she was on my back and trying to choke me out, Dad called us over to eat. I turned my head back and kissed her before she slid down my back and ran around me toward the deck. I ran to catch up with her and laced our fingers together.
As we walked back to our families, I couldn't help being overwhelmed with everything that had happened in the past few days. In the matter of a weekend, I made Tessa my girlfriend, James got a girlfriend and we found out Mom was pregnant. We were all embarking on new adventures and I couldn't have been happier.
Thanks for reading! I hope you're all enjoying the story so far because I'm enjoying writing it. Please let me know what you think and leave a review! :)