Jarren I made it to my former house and opened the door after unlocking it. Xander was lying across the couch watching TV while Kaileeh and Garret were seated on the loveseat. I pushed Xander’s feet off the sofa before sitting down.“Kaileeh, where does your mom think you are right now?” I questioned, turning my attention to the TV.“At my Dad’s.” “And where does your dad think you are right now?”“With Carla.”“And where does Carla think you are?”“She knows I’m with Garrett. My Dad’s away, so I get to spend the next few days h

Jillie                 We’d just finished watching a second episode when Jarren texted me, saying he would be with his dad and grandfather for a bit longer. I turned my attention back to the TV for a few minutes before glancing at Xander. Every time I was around him, I tried not to think about what he’d said as we danced at the wedding, but it was difficult. He looked so sad, so broken. I wanted to ask him what it was about, ask him who the girl was that broke his heart.“Xander,” I said, drawing his attention. What happened?” I questioned. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I’d like to know. What you said at the wedding made me wonder. You were just so…sad,” I finished in a voice barely above a whisper.He sighed. “No offense, Jillie, but why do you care?”“Because I care about you, stupid. You&r

Jillie The smell of pancakes wafted through the house, causing my stomach to growl. They began to slowly blend in with the other things Jarren was cooking, but I could still smell them—probably because I was having a craving for them. I’d been eating them every morning for the past week, and I hadn’t grown tired of them yet.           When everything was done, Jarren fixed my plate and sat it in front of me with a glass of orange juice. I dug in almost immediately. After all, I was eating for two, and the little person growing inside me seemed to want to eat all the time. My food intake had almost tripled in the last week or so.           Once I was done eating, I helped Jarren clean the kitchen before taking my vitamins. I was waiting for Xander to call me. He was supposed to let me know how the venue setup was going. I’d laid out specifically to the

Jarren  Once Jillie was asleep, I returned to the book I was studying. I was almost done with it, and I didn’t plan on starting a new one for a while. Jillie was right. I had been neglecting her, but I wasn’t doing it intentionally. I just wanted to get this out of the way. When I sat down and went over things like this, it helped me forget about the other problems that were occurring.           Xander was supposed to use his contacts and connections to see if he could find a way for us to get this flower easily, though I was sure there wasn’t an easy way. His head had been somewhere else lately. He was still doing what I’d asked him to do, but he hadn’t been putting his all into it. I was becoming upset. I knew he had his own life, but at the moment, there was nothing more important to me than finding an answer to this.           He’

Jarren I sat up as Jillie made a beeline for the bathroom. This was the third time she’d awaken feeling nauseous. I sighed and leaned back against the headboard. Usually, I’d go check on her, but after her second time and her nearly kicking me out of the bathroom, I figured it would be better to leave her alone this time.           I heard the water in the sink turn on, and after a few minutes, she emerged from the bathroom. Climbing back into the bed, she leaned against the headboard. Reaching over, I placed my hand on her stomach and rubbed slow circles.“I don’t think I’ll be going back to sleep anytime soon,” she stated, exhaling. “This little one is seriously kicking my butt today.”“Maybe it’s something you ate at the party last night.”She shrugged. “Maybe. Whatever it is, I just wish it would work its way out of my s