2: Telling His Parents

Jarren

           Jillie was more than tired by the time we’d finished everything, and she still had to go to her dress fittings. I stopped at an ice cream parlor and got her some vanilla ice cream.

“I love you.” She stated, taking it and digging in.

“Well, aren’t you easy to please?” I chuckled, amused.

“I mean it. You always know exactly what I need.”

           I pulled out of the parking lot, and we headed toward her house. I glanced over at her when she let out a deep breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“Do I have to go to this fitting?”

“Yes. Don’t you want to fit into your dresses?”

“Well, yeah, but do I have to have them on the same day?”

“It’ll be over before you know it.” It was quiet for a minute. “I think we should tell my parents you’re pregnant.”

“Why?” She asked, spooning some more ice cream.

I glanced at her. “Because maybe then you won’t be in denial.”

“I’m not.” She responded quietly.

“Whatever you say. Either way, we should tell them because if I can hear the baby’s heartbeat, so can they.”

“Do we have to tell my parents?”

I shook my head. “Not until we know what this pregnancy will be like for you.”

“Well, let’s go tell your parents. I’ll go with Phoenix to the dress shop and have my Mom meet us.”

           I nodded and headed to my house, or well, my parent’s house. By the time we pulled up, Jillie was done with her ice cream. I opened the door for her and grabbed her hand, leading the way inside.

“Prince Jarren, Princess Jilliannah.” Conrad greeted.

“Hey, Conrad.” Jillie responded at the same time I said, “Hello.”

“Your mother is in the library.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

           I lead the way to the library. Opening the door, I found my mother sitting on one of the couches with Nunny and my grandmother Marietta.

“Hey, Phoenix, Nunny, Grams.” Jillie greeted, hugging them all.

“We need to talk to you all,” I stated after greetings went around.

“About what, dear?” Nunny asked though I could tell she already knew by the smile she gave me.

“Well, um…you see…we…well…” Jillie stammered. I took her hand in mine.

“Jillie’s pregnant. We’re having a baby.” I cut in.

           I watched as the smile on Nunny’s face remained in place. I then looked at Grams to see that she also had a beaming smile on her face. My attention went to my mother, and her jaw was clenched.

“Jarren, can I speak to you in the hall?” She asked. Oh great.

           I got up and followed her to the door since she didn’t give me time to respond. Once I’d closed it behind me, she turned her attention, and the wrath I knew was coming on me.

“Before you even-”

“How could you be so stupid?” She asked, cutting me off. “What were you thinking?” I didn’t answer because I knew she’d continue either way. “Now she’s pregnant. Why didn’t you use protection?”

“How was I supposed to know she’d get pregnant?” It was an honest question. To his knowledge, it was difficult for a vampire to get a human pregnant. Not that it didn’t happen. Jillie’s grandfather was proof of that. It was just rare.

“What do you think having sex leads to?”

“You don’t want me to answer that,” I told her with a slight chuckle.

“This is serious, Jarren.”

“What is the big deal?”

“That she’s pregnant!” She shouted.

“I still don’t see the problem. We’re getting married.”

She just stared at me for a long time before speaking again. “Are you getting married because she’s pregnant?”

“What?! No! I proposed because I love her. I didn’t know she was pregnant and proposed over three months ago. Don’t you think she would have been showing by now?”

“I don’t know, Jarren. Human/Vampire pregnancies aren’t my specialty, but I do know that if she decides she wants a divorce, she could take everything simply by being pregnant with the next heir.”

I shook my head. “She wouldn’t do that. We’re not getting a divorce either way, so that doesn’t matter. You can’t honestly tell me that this is a surprise to you. I’ve been able to tell two heartbeats are coming from her for almost two weeks now.”

“I was just hoping I was wrong.”

“Well, you weren’t,” I stated, folding my arms over my chest. “So, I guess you just need to get over it and accept it.”

“Most people wait until they’re on the throne before having babies. This just isn’t heard of.”

“Well, it’s happening. Why are you so against it?”

“Because you’re throwing your life away before it can even start.”

I shook my head. “I’ve had more than three hundred years of life; I’m sure that’s enough.” I snapped back.

“What’s going on here?” I looked to see my dad coming down the hall.

“Go ahead. Tell your father.” Mom stated, folding her arms.

I took a deep breath. “Jillie’s pregnant.”

Dad paused before pulling me into a hug. “Congratulations, son.”

“Dominic.” Mom stated in disbelief.

“Phoenix, he’s practically grown. He’ll have the throne in a year or two. Don’t make a big deal out of this.”

“What will the people of the Kingdom think, Dominic?” She then asked him.

“Is what they think so much more important than his happiness?” Dad asked her. There was silence for a second. “Besides, you were pregnant before we took the throne.”

My head snapped to her. “You were?” I asked.

           Here she was scolding me, and she’d done the same thing. She was being the world’s biggest hypocrite right now.

“Yes, but I wanted you, Jarren. Jillie doesn’t even want that baby.”

I shook my head. “You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do. Because just like I was hoping I was wrong about her being pregnant, I’ve been hoping that if she is, the doubt I’ve seen in her eyes is fake, and it’s not.” She said softly.

“Yes, she’s having a hard time coping with this. She’s going to be a teenage mother. She’s going to become a mom, a queen, and she’s already a princess, and it’s all happening in the next two years or so. That’s a lot to deal with. Yes, she’s in denial, but I know that as soon as she starts going through changes, it will be real to her.”

“She’s not ready, Jarren. She doesn’t want this.”

“Yes, I am. Yes, I do.” Jillie’s voice came cutting off my reply. I hadn’t even noticed her come into the hall. “I’m ready because I have no other choice but to be. We would have eventually had kids. It just happened now. I want this because it’s a life that the man I love and I created together. Any person that wouldn’t want something as precious as that is an idiot. Yes, I was and still am slightly in denial, but I know a baby is growing inside of me. I may not be able to feel it yet or see any changes to my body, but I know that our baby’s in there.”

Mom shook her head. “What makes you so sure now? I’ve watched you the past two and a half weeks, and denial was written all over you.”

“Because he can hear her heartbeat.” She stated.

“Her?” I asked.

She ignored me and continued talking. “Because I’ve seen her.”