"I'm sorry, did you say pregnant?"
Susan nodded.
"By my measurements, you are almost 8 weeks along and will have a Thanksgiving baby or possibly an early Christmas one".
"But I haven't felt one symptom. And I had a physical last week and they didn't say anything about a baby".
"Who was the doctor?"
"Dr. Manchester".
"He's a man, so he's probably not automatically looking to rule out pregnancy like women doctors are. As far as symptoms, some women go their whole pregnancy without ever feeling the first one. It's not uncommon. And it's still early yet, so you might start to feel them. Have you been nauseous at all?"
"I was a few weeks ago, when our plane hit a lot of turbulence. And after a very stressful event a few days later, but I chalked that up to nerves and food poisoning. I was this morning, but I took my vitamin on an empty stomach".
"Ok, how about food aversions?"
Jennifer shook her head. "I used to enjoy wine at night, but I haven't felt like it lately".
"Your temperature is up. That can sometimes be a sign, but it's not the norm for all women".
"I just can't believe it".
"Well, I still have your urine sample, if you'd like I could give you a home test".
Jennifer nodded.
Susan got one out and stuck it in the specimen and then showed it to her. Plain as day on the stick was the word "Pregnant".
"Well, I guess that's it".
"Let this sink in, ok? After you get used to the idea, call me and make an appointment. Bring Jonathan with you, and I'll be happy to answer all of your and his questions. I promise you, it's going to be ok".
"Thank you, so much".
Jennifer got dressed while they were chatting, and Susan gave her some guidelines to follow.
"No alcohol, no smoking. Try to avoid hot tubs, and excess salty foods."
"Oh no! Jonathan and I were in a hot tub a couple weeks ago".
"It's ok. One time isn't going to hurt anything, but it's best to be cautious. You can still take bubble baths, but not longer than 15 minutes and not scalding hot water".
She handed her the picture of the baby, and Jennifer put it in her purse.
Susan walked her to the front, and Jennifer pulled out her wallet to give her a check.
"We will settle up next time, ok? Just go home and let this sink in".
"Thank you. It was so nice to have formally met you, I really appreciate it".
"Here is my card. Call me day or night, if you need anything".
"Oh, that's sweet, but I couldn't impose".
"No imposition. Any friend of Jonathan's is a friend of mine".
Jennifer headed home.
She sat down on the couch and picked up the phone and called Jonathan's office.
"Hart Industries, how can I help you?"
"Deanne, hi. It's Jennifer. Can you please tell Jonathan that I'm home from my appointment, and that I'm going to take a nap and we can talk when he gets home?"
"Certainly".
"Thank you".
She hung up and went and changed into her comfy clothes, and tried to read. Hard as she tried, she couldn't focus.
Jonathan got home around 5.
"Hi darling".
He leaned over and kissed her.
"Hi. Max is making us a special dinner. I think it's almost ready".
"Perfect".
He went to change and then came back and joined her on the couch.
"Darling, I have a riddle for you."
"Ok, shoot".
"This one is kind of hard, so I want you to really think about it".
"Ok".
"What do you get when you mix a Hart with an Edward?"
He thought for several minutes and then looked at her.
"I have no idea".
"Well, there are two options. You either get a boy, or a girl".
His eyes grew very wide.
"Seriously?"
She nodded.
He leaned forward and kissed her.
"You mean you aren't mad?"
"Mad? Of course I'm not mad!"
"I was so nervous that you were going to be mad with me. This doesn't fit into our plans".
"Darling, plans are just that-plans. They can be changed and it's ok".
He held her for a moment.
"Tell me all the details".
"Well, she said she thinks I'm about 8 weeks along, and that he or she will be here by the middle of December."
"But we've been preventing it".
"Not always. There was that time on the plane on the way back from Australia, and there was the time on the couch in the penthouse, and there was one time in Boston".
"Oh. Yeah. Well, I know one thing for sure, and that is that you are going to be the best mommy our kid could ever hope for".
"Thank you. And you are going to be the best daddy our kid could ever ask for".
She leaned up and kissed him.
Max came out of the kitchen and told them dinner was ready.
They went to the kitchen and ate dinner with him. Jennifer had finally found her appetite.
She and Jonathan did the dishes after dinner and then he made them ice cream sundaes.
They took them to the couch and watched a game with Max.
"Max, what did your niece and nephew call your mom and dad?"
"They didn't know my mom. But they called my dad Gdaddy".
"Is that what you would want to be called?"
"Oh no, Miss Edwards, I want something more distinguished. Something like Pops".
"Pops. Well, if that's what you'll want, that's what it will be".
"Miss Edwards, are you-?"
She nodded.
"For reals? I'm gonna be a Pops, and you twos gonna be parents?"
"Yes, Max. We found out today."
"Congratulations! That's wonderful!"
"Thanks, Max".
Jennifer finished her ice cream and then put the bowl on the coffee table. She leaned back and snuggled up against him.
"Darling, how attached are you to this house?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I love this house. I do, honest. I love it because it's yours, but also because it's home-y and cozy. But think about it-we can't have our kid sleeping with us forever, and the next closest bedroom is upstairs, so once he or she is upstairs, we will be running up and down the stairs in the middle of the night and I'm not sure I like that idea".
"Well, I see your point. And I do like this house, but at the end of the day, it's just a house. Home is wherever I am with you and Max and little baby Blade".
"Excuse me, baby Blade? No thank you".
"Darling, Blade has a very nice feel to it. Our son will have a very strong following".
"Yeah, from police officers".
He smirked and kissed her.
"As I was saying, baby Henry or Mary Angela will need to be closer to us".
"Henry or Mary Angela?"
"Those are very respectable names, Jonathan".
"Yes, they are. But my daughter will not be named the same name as the nun who made my life a living hell in the orphanage, Jennifer. It just cannot happen".
She smirked at him.
"Ok, I'll give you that one".
"Thank you. And Henry is out too".
"What's wrong with Henry?"
"Well, let's just say there was a kid in the orphanage named Henry. And he and I didn't get along, and I gave him a couple of fist to face lessons."
"You didn't?"
"Oh, I did. He was so arrogant. And he was the biggest know it all. I punched him good a few times, and then he got adopted, and then I met Max".
"I can't imagine you doing that to anyone not in self defense".
"And darling, you're right about the house. We can go look for another one or we can live in yours, if you want".
"Thank you".
She got up and went and got the picture from her purse and brought it back to him.
"This is our baby?"
"Yes".
"Darling, it looks like a…."
"Blueberry".
"Yeah. Ferdinand can't be a blueberry".
"Well until Hortense grows bigger darling, she's going to be a blueberry".
"What kind of mommy do you want to be to little Bernadette?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean are you going to be strict on her, or are you going to make me be the mean one?"
"Well, I don't know. I haven't really thought about it. We can figure that out when we take our parenting classes".
"Darling, do you want to find out if we are having a baby Blade or a baby Beatrice early, or when you have the baby?"
"I don't know. What do you want to do?"
"Whatever you want".
"Oh, you're a great help".
After the game was over, they headed to bed. They chatted for a long time about the baby.
They continued laying there together, tossing bad baby names back and forth, until she fell asleep on his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her and just held her.
"You've made me the happiest man in the world already. You are going to be the world's best mommy, I just know it".
***The next morning***
Jennifer woke up around 5 to pee and then came back to bed.
As she climbed back in bed, Jonathan woke up.
"You ok?"
"Yeah, just had to pee".
She fell back asleep easily and slept till his alarm went off.
They had breakfast together in the kitchen.
"Darling, Susan said I could make an appointment and bring you, she would answer any questions that you and I have and she would do an ultrasound so you could see the baby".
"Wonderful. Make it and then I'll make sure to be there".
She took a sip of her orange juice.
"Did she give you a conception date?"
"Not exactly, why?"
"Well, I just want to make sure that there won't be a doubt that the baby is mine".
"Well, Elliott and I used protection every single time, and the last time I was with him was 4 days before you found me in Australia, which pushes him out of the conception possibility circle. But aside from all that, trust me when I say that our encounters weren't ever long enough to result in anything, much less a pregnancy. I didn't even enjoy it, really. I was just going along for the ride so as not to upset him".
He smirked.
"We told Max last night. When are you planning on telling your father?"
"Today. I guess I better go call him".
She got up and headed to the living room and called her father.
"Hello, this is Stephen Edwards".
"Hi Pa, it's Jennifer".
"Hi my sweetheart, how are you?"
"I'm fine. I am calling to tell you that Jonathan and I have some good news to share with you".
"What's that?"
"You are going to be a grandfather".
"You're pregnant? Well, Congratulations".
"Thank you. We are pretty excited".
"When is my grandchild going to arrive?"
"Sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas most likely".
"Wonderful! I was going to call you today, I have shortened my trip. I'll be home at the end of July. I know you were waiting till I got back for the wedding, so now August is a contender".
"Wonderful. I will let you know when we have it all planned".
"Just remember sweetheart, the later in pregnancy, the more uncomfortable."
"I'll keep that in mind".
"Well, I better get back to my customers. I love you, sweetheart".
"And I love you, Pa."
"We will talk soon".
"Sounds good".
She hung up and went back to Jonathan.
"Well, that went better than expected".
"What did he say?"
"He was thrilled. And he reminded me that we probably want to have our wedding as early in the pregnancy as possible".
"Not a bad idea".
"I'm shocked he wasn't more upset".
"Darling, to be fair, we are engaged and you are a grown woman".
"I know, but this is Pa we are talking about, darling. You saw how he acted when you and I were kissing in the living room".
"Well, I'm glad it went well. Take it easy today? Call me if you need something. I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you".
"I love you too".
She kissed him goodbye several times and then headed to take a shower.
She headed out around 10 and managed to find a wedding dress at the first shop she stopped at. She purchased it, and then went back to the house.
She decided to ask Cassie and Ava to be her bridesmaids.
She knew that the Times had one of those video phones, so she called Jonathan at the office.
"Hello?"
"Hi darling. Do you have any video phones?"
"Yeah, we have those."
"Can you bring one home tonight?"
"Sure, I can do that."
"Thank you".
"Everything ok?"
"Yes, I found a wedding dress, and I think I may have decided on bridesmaids gowns, but I'm not positive. I'm going to have two attendants, so you will need to have two people on your side".
"I can do that. Listen, I have a meeting that's about to start. I'll call you later, ok? I love you".
"I love you too".
They hung up and she got down to business planning the rest of the wedding.
Jonathan got home around 5:30.
"Hi darling".
"Hi".
He sat down next to her and kissed her.
"Bill called. He's going to stop by after dinner".
"Oh great. He's such a nice man".
"And I got this in the mail at the office. You can open it if you want".
"Alright".
She looked at the envelope. It had a New York return address on it.
She opened it and found a letter.
"Mr. Jonathan Hart and Miss Jennifer Edwards, please find enclosed your payment for what you went through as a result of the Regent Airlines plane crash. We hope this resolves any outstanding issues that you have as a result of the plane crash. We sincerely apologize for our part in the crash and we hope that if we can be of any help in the future, you will let us know. Sincerely, Regent airlines".
She pulled out the rest of the envelope and found 2 checks, one made out to her and one made out to him, each for $7.5 million dollars.
She handed him the check.
"Wow."
"What do you want to do with yours?"
"I want to put it in a bank account for the baby".
"Great idea. We can put both of them in there".
She grabbed a pen and endorsed it, and then handed it to him.
He got the video phone out and got it all set up.
She called Ava at the Times.
A few seconds later, her face popped up on the screen.
"Oh my gosh! I miss you!"
"I miss you too! Do me a favor-will you get Cassie there, with you?"
"Sure".
She called her over and soon they were both on the screen.
"So, I have something to ask you both. Are you two ready to be in a wedding?"
They squealed so loud it was ear piercing. Jonathan got up and shook his ear as he walked to the bedroom.
"Omg! Yes! Tell us everything! How did he ask you?"
"At his work gala, in his final speech".
"Show us your ring!"
She held her ring up to the phone and they squealed some more.
Max came in just then.
"Did someone let loose a bunch of pigs in here?"
"Max!"
"Oh, sorry, Miss Edwards. Didn't realize you was on the phone".
She and Cassie and Ava all chatted for a little bit about all kinds of stuff.
"Jennifer-Morgan got fired from the Times. Last we heard, she was living in Jersey".
"Oh my gosh."
"Yeah. Her life has really taken a downturn".
Jonathan came back in and sat down next to Jennifer.
"Jennifer, what color dresses are we going to have?"
"Well, I don't know. That depends on what accent color Jonathan wants".
"Blue-like bright, royal blue."
"Oh, that would be gorgeous".
"Long dresses, or short dresses?"
"Well, that depends. If we are going to be outside only, then I will pick short. But if we are going to be inside and outside, and I can find a lightweight one, I will pick a long dress probably".
"We need to come for a visit-when is the wedding?"
"If we get the venue we want, August 26th".
"Perfect. Well, we are going to go now, they are about to shut us down-great to talk to you! We miss you!"
"Oh, I miss you both also. So much! We will have to do this again soon".
They signed off and she hung up.
She turned and rested on his shoulder.
"What's on your calendar tonight, Mr. H.?"
"Hopefully regaining my hearing".
"Jonathan!"
"Darling, when they come for a visit, I'm going to wear earplugs the whole time".
She chuckled.
"You will not…it wasn't that bad. Plus, talking to them made me happy darling. Isn't that your goal?"
"Yes, it is".
"Want to go see the house tonight?"
"We are meeting the appraiser there at 8".
She leaned up and kissed him, and then they got up and headed to the kitchen.
Max had fixed them a great dinner, and they insisted that he eat with them.
As soon as the dishes were done, they headed to the living room.
Bill arrived right on time.
Jonathan let him in.
"Howdy. You two having a good night?"
"We are, we are".
"Ok pretty darling, stand up and close your eyes".
Jennifer stood up and closed her eyes.
She could feel Bill touching her but she had no clue what was going on.
"Ok open".
She opened her eyes to find that he had put a sash on her and a tiara.
He handed her a red rose.
"There she is….. the newest member of the Club…..", Bill sang off key.
Jennifer chuckled.
"They approved me?"
"They did. And they approved your wedding date, as well."
"Well, that's wonderful news. Thanks for all your help, Bill".
She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
"Valentine, mark my words, I'll steal her away from you one day."
Jennifer took off the tiara and the sash as Bill and Jonathan arm wrestled. Jonathan won.
"One of these days, I'll beat you at that. Probably the day I steal her away".
"Don't count on it, Billy Boy".
Jennifer embraced Jonathan as they made plans to play golf later in the week.
They all went to the door and told him goodnight, and then Jonathan and Jennifer headed to the car to go look at her house.
As they drove along, he couldn't help but think how lucky they were.
And she was thinking how much her life had changed in less than a year.