J2 - An Unexpected Love - chapter 3/16 MPREG
Title : An Unexpected Love 3/16
Rating : R
Word Count : 7350/16832
Disclaimer : Really if they belonged to me do you think I'd have time to be posting.
Warnings : Talk of past abuse, Mpreg
Author : angels3 aka Angela
Beta : munibunny
Art and Soundtrack : ldyghst
Additional Art : wincest_drarry
Characters : Jensen/Jared, Steve/Chris, there may be more pairings along the way I'm not sure at the moment.Mike, Tom, Chad, Sandy, Sophia and Joshua Jackson will all be in this fic. There may be others as I find myself needing more characters.
Summary : Grief stricken over the death of his brother, cynical movie maverick Jared Padalecki did the unthinkable - he sought comfort in the arms of his brother's fiancee. The morning after, they both realized their mistake and left for their separate lives. Only Jared can't forget Jensen's soft lips and beautiful eyes. Even as Jared was beginning to think he had to see him again, Jensen came to him.
Jensen was pregnant with his child. His - not his brother's. Jared knew he wanted Jensen more than he'd ever wanted any other woman or man.
First he had to marry him.
Then he had to make Jensen love him.
Author Notes : I am basing this story off a book I read fourteen years ago. I do actually have the book but I will not be using it to write this story. I will be going from my memory of what happened in it, there will be some things that run the way the book did and lots that will not as this is a J2 and mpreg on top of that. The only thing that will be word for word, and then not really, will be the summary since I couldn't do it justice any other way.
Based on the book Scandals by JoAnn Ross
Harlequin Temptation Sept.1994 #506
Chapters 1 2 3 4A 4B 5A 5B 5C 6A 6B 7A 7B 8A 8B 9A 9B 10 11A 11B 12A 12B 13A 13B 14 15A 15B 16
Art and Soundtrack
Additonal Art
Jared had spent the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening reading everything he could about pregnancy, more specifically male pregnancy. The longer he read the more terrified he became, not just for the baby but for Jensen as well. He'd never realized that giving birth was the closest a human being could come to dying without actually heading into the white light. The stress pregnancy and birth put on the bearers’ heart and organs were immense, not to mention the emotional upheaval all the hormones caused. Jared knew women did it every day, and according to the statistics men at least once a month, but still, this was Jensen and his baby not some number on a computer screen.
It occurred to him several hours into his research he hadn't even asked Jensen if he had a doctor. He was sure he did, Jensen didn't seem the sort to put something that important off, but he really wished he'd thought to ask who his doctor was. Jared had every intention of making sure both Jensen and the baby had the best care they could possibly have. He wanted to call and ask but he said he'd wait a week and that's what he was going to do, even if it drove him nuts. He didn't want Jensen to feel like he was being pressured.
By the time Jared had narrowed his search down to the best doctors in the area, he had two names and his head was starting to pound. Dr. Michaels and Dr. Agnit both had excellent records in male obstetrics. Dr. Michaels had only been practicing ten years whereas Dr. Agnit had been in practice for over eighteen. Other than that and the fact that Dr. Michaels was female, they both had the credentials Jared was looking for. He wanted to call and set up appointments with each one, needing to feel like he was accomplishing something, but the thought of Jensen's ire made him rethink the decision. Jared leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. Jensen was in control of this situation. It was his body, and they would see whoever made him comfortable as long as the doctor was competent.
Jared couldn't help the thrill of excitement that shot through his body every time he thought about being a father, and all the things that came with it. All the trips to the doctors, the birth and all the milestones that parents looked forward to, and if he were really lucky, then he'd be doing it with Jensen. He sighed deeply, finally admitting it was time to go home. Jared locked everything up, climbing into his car for the forty five minute commute, but it was worth it when he thought about how much he loved his house. When he bought it, he looked for a place where he could relax and not worry about unwanted visitors popping up and interrupting the few spare moments of down time he had. He never thought it would become a home for his family.
His house was large, but in every other aspect was different from what people expected when they thought of homes for well to do movie producers. It wasn't the modern showplace full of glass and sharp pointy things. Jared had gone from real estate agency to real estate agency, all of them trying to foist huge pieces of steel and angles off on him, until he'd finally hooked up with a young woman starting her own agency. Alona Tal had just gotten her license and invested everything her grandparents had left her to live a dream she'd had since she was little. Jared had told her exactly what he wanted. She listened to all the specific details and then asked questions to better understand why he wanted things a certain way.
Alona had called him once a week for a solid month, never offering to show him any properties until a month into her search when she called to set up a date. When they drove onto the street, Jared wasn't too sure about the likelihood of him liking the property, since most gated communities tended to be pretentious. Alona continued to drive them to the very back of the area. She turned down a long drive bordered by flowering trees and perfectly tended flower beds in every shade of color. The minute the house came into view, Jared knew this was what he'd been looking for. He knew without even seeing the inside it was what he'd been searching for.
The house was a complimenting stone and wood mix, everything done so that it blended naturally with its surroundings, even the enclosed pool had been built so that it looked like it belonged. There were six bedrooms, an office, a gym, and a solarium that was temperature controlled so that it could be used for anything. The floors were hardwood throughout the entire house, with the cabinets done in a lighter shade of mesquite than the floors. The kitchen was huge, not that he was all that proficient in the kitchen, but it was nice to have room to move if he decided to try, with the counters done in a complementing shade of marble. Jared had made an offer on the spot. Two weeks later, Alona had handed him the keys to his home, and he'd invited her out to dinner to celebrate her first sale and his first house. They'd been close friends ever since.
Jared pulled into the garage, plans already dancing in his head about which room to turn into a nursery. He knew that even if he got Jensen to accept his proposal that it didn't mean they'd be sharing the same bed, at least not right away. There were two bedrooms on the first floor with the kitchen, dinning room, living room, gym and solarium, the remaining four bedrooms were upstairs with the office. Jared figured if they put the nursery beside the master bedroom and Jensen on the other side, if he were ever able to win Jensen's affection, it'd be easy just to relocate him. He turned off the alarm and left his briefcase on the hall table, then he dropped onto the couch, letting his head fall back, and closed his eyes.
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Jensen had spent the following two days after the visit from Joshua locked in his studio, trying to finish up the three canvases he was working on for the opening. He refused to contemplate what he'd do if Jared decided his proposal was a mistake. He'd just have to cross that bridge when he came to it. If worse came to worse, he'd hire a bodyguard, or maybe change his name and move across the country. It wasn’t like he had any family to keep in contact with any more. Of course, he'd hate losing his friends, but his baby was more important.
Jensen shook the glum thoughts off and tried to go back to his painting, but unfortunately, his mood seemed to be bleeding over into his work. He loved doing landscapes, didn't matter if they were mountains, beaches, fields, deserts or lush meadows. He tried to capture the ever changing nuances in the way the light would fall across a flower or a sand dune and translate it into the picture. Lately everything kept coming up rainy and dreary with clouds hanging overhead, not that he never painted those scenes but that's not what he was aiming for in these three. He shook his head and concentrated on the blending of colors, still getting used to the differences in the paints that he'd switched to.
As soon as Jensen found out he was pregnant, he changed from his typical oil paints to water based oils and had actually started dabbling in watercolors, something he'd avoided in the past. Cleaning his brushes had taken a little more experimentation when he'd dropped the turpentine, but he'd found that Dawn cleaned most everything and when it didn't baby oil usually did the trick. He'd gotten so used to the changes, he wasn't sure he would go back once the baby was born, he sure had less headaches from fumes. Now if his stomach would just cooperate.
Finally admitting temporary defeat Jensen cleaned his brushes, grabbed his keys and quickly locked himself in his car. Sophia had left him another message, this time threatening to come to his house and beat down his door if he didn't tell her what was wrong. He had been dodging the inevitable pregnancy confession, not wanting to tell anyone else until he'd made the decision about telling Jared and then, of course, it hadn't seemed right not to tell Jared first, so he'd waited.
Twenty minutes later, armed with a large hot chocolate, without the whipped cream because the baby apparently didn't like it. At least that's what Jensen had decided the one and only time, he'd had it that way and promptly deposited it in the shop’s toilets. He had also decided to try a cinnamon bun and prayed the little twit that was causing so many dietary restrictions would approve of the choice since he was about to starve to death, and they smelled so good.
It took another ten minutes for Sophia to get the afternoon rush cleared away so she could talk.
"So why have you been avoiding me?" she asked, flopping down in the seat across from him.
"I'm not avoiding you," Jensen mumbled around his cinnamon bun.
Sophia arched her brow and stared at him.
"I'm not! I came by here the other day, and you weren't here," Jensen declared.
"Oh, that must have been the day I was being told by the bank that I couldn't possibly know how to run a business," Sophia snarled.
"I'm sure that's not what they said."
"Not in so many words, no," Sophia replied, rolling her eyes.
"Well, what did they say exactly?"
"That the expected growth in the area wouldn't be enough to support a new loan I'd require to buy the establishment and make the requested upgrades, blah, blah, blah."
"So you try another bank," Jensen suggested, sipping his drink.
"I may, but how about we get to the real question at hand."
"I thought we were talking about it," Jensen stalled.
"Jensen, it can't be that bad. I swear, I'll help you no matter what." Sophia reached across the table, grabbing hold of his free hand.
She knew there were things that Jensen kept to himself, things that she could only guess at. She had a pretty good idea what some of it was. There was a girl in her class at college that had been in an abusive relationship, and Jensen showed all the signs of being a survivor. Sophia wished he felt like he could tell her, but she understood the fear, and she wouldn't push him, she'd wait and be there when he was ready.
Sophia had met Jensen six months ago when he first started coming into the shop, sucking down coffee like he was a crack addict looking for his daily fix. That's why when Jensen had switched to hot chocolate a few weeks ago it had been her first sign of a problem. The second had been the constant trips to the bathroom to throw up. She had even gone so far as to research eating disorders, but Jensen hadn't been eating so that didn't pan out.
She thought maybe it was stress and depression from Jeff’s death, losing a loved one is hard, losing a fiancé on the eve of a wedding would turn anyone into a basket case She'd met Jeff, of course, even hung out with them on occasion, and she knew just how badly Jensen had taken it. For some reason, however, the way Jensen acted it didn't seem like he was sad. Now, though he was sitting in front of her looking like he was preparing to step in front of a firing squad.
"Um, I'm not really sure how to say this," Jensen said quietly.
"Honey, just say it. It's easier that way."
Jensen took a deep breath, and blew it out. "I'm pregnant," he blurted.
Sophia just looked at him. She was pretty sure Jensen had just said he was pregnant but her brain had chosen that exact moment to short circuit, how embarrassing.
" Soph! Are you okay?" Jensen asked, waving his hand in front of her face.
Sophia blinked and focused on the man in front of her. There had been something different about him that she hadn't been able to put her finger on in the past few weeks and now she had it. Yes, he was pale, and his freckles were even more apparent than before, but there was a peaceful quality that had settled around him. Most people called it the pregnancy glow, and maybe when he could actually keep something down he'd have it, but right now it was just this calm that seemed to wrap around him, even though he looked ready to jump out of his skin.
"Could you say that again?" Sophia requested.
"You know you heard me. I'm pregnant," Jensen said with a put upon sigh.
"Oh yeah, I heard you all right. I just had to verify my facts."
"What facts are those?" Jensen asked, eyeing Sophia's look of unholy glee warily.
"That not only are you pretty, but you're pregnant," she crowed.
"Why are we friends again?" Jensen scowled.
"Cause you love me." Sophia sing songed.
"No, I think it was the coffee, but since I can't drink that anymore I bet I can find hot chocolate someplace else," Jensen said, making to stand up.
"Oh, don't be that way baby. You know if it were me you'd do the same thing," she said, giggling.
"Shut up," Jensen grumbled, trying to hold back a grin.
"So when are you due? How far along are you? Do you know what it is yet? Wait a minute! Whose is it?"
Sophia's rapid fire questions were not entirely unexpected, but the last one made him flinch just a little. He really wished he could say it was Jeff's, he would do anything to be able to hold onto just one little piece of the man he loved. However, everyone deserved the truth no matter how it made him look.
"It's Jared's," Jensen answered quietly.
"Jared? Jared who?" Sophia asked puzzled.
"Jeff's brother," Jensen winced at Sophia's confused look.
"Okay, I'm lost. Explanation please."
"The day of the funeral, I was outside. I needed a break from..... Well, from everything. Jared did too apparently, except he'd been drinking. I mean it was his brother, and they were really close, Sophia," Jensen rushed to explain at her frown of disapproval.
"Anyway, he was going to leave, not get on the main road or anything just go up to their cabin using the back roads. I didn't want him to wrap his truck around a tree and his parents lose both of them so I drove him up there. I fell in the snow, had to wait for my clothes to dry. Then, I might have gotten a little loaded and one thing led to another. I swear neither one of us planned it, it just happened. I don't even know why, just that I needed something, and he was there. I guess he needed the same thing." Jensen finished, refusing to look up and see the disgust in Sophia's face.
"Jensen, I understand, and I'm certainly not going to judge you. You both needed someone, and if you were there for each other, that's all that matters," Sophia reassured.
She'd known Jensen long enough to know he'd never do anything to hurt anybody or take advantage of them, but Jared, she had no such knowledge of. Right now all that mattered was being there for Jensen but you better bet your sweet ass she was going to find out about Jeff's brother.
"Thanks," Jensen said, relief bleeding through.
"So, you didn't know you could get pregnant?"
"No. I mean as far as I know I've never been tested. Stupid I know, especially since I'm gay, but hell, I don't know, it just never crossed my mind."
"Are you going to tell him?"
"Already taken care of, that's why I've been avoiding you. I had to decide if I was going to, and then I wanted to let him know before I told anyone else."
"How did that go?"
"Weird."
"Weird?"
"Yeah, weird. I figured, I'd tell him, he'd try to throw money at me, I'd tell him no thanks and that'd be the end of it."
"Didn't go that way?"
"This is me, we're talking about, of course not," Jensen complained.
"So, what did he say?"
"He asked me to marry him."
"He did what?"
"Sophia, am I stuttering or do you need a hearing aid?"
"I don't know, maybe both. Did you say he asked you to marry him?"
"Yes," Jensen sighed.
"What did you say?"
"I told him no, but he didn't seem to want to accept that answer," Jensen said.
"Why not?"
"I'm not really sure. He said he didn't want to be the every other weekend kind of dad. I told him he was just in shock and he hadn't had time to think about his decision, and that we could work something out so he'd have plenty of time with the baby. He wanted to know how long I thought it'd be before the shock wore off."
"How long did you tell him? Better yet why was he asking you how long you thought it would take him?"
"I told him to take a week and think about it, but I wasn't going to change my mind, " Jensen trailed off.
"Why do I sense something has changed on your end?"
Jensen hated lying to his friend, but he didn't want her involved in anything that could get her hurt, and Joshua could definitely get her hurt.
"I just keep thinking that it's not very fair of me to expect Jared to settle for part time father status, which would be what he would have if we did it my way," he shrugged.
"Well, yeah maybe, but it doesn't mean you have to get married."
"Maybe he has some weird thing about living together?" Jensen reasoned, hoping she'd buy it.
"You and Jeff pretty much lived together didn't you? He didn't seem to have a problem with it then did he?" Sophia asked.
"Well no, but Jeff was a big boy and Jared certainly wasn't going to disown his brother just because they didn't agree on something. I'm not even saying that's what it is. I'm not sure really what the deal is, but I mean I have to look at all my options, right?"
"I guess it does make sense when you put it that way, but don't just jump into it okay. Really think about it."
Jensen nodded his head, he couldn't really tell her that's all he'd been doing for the last two days.
"So, how far along are you?"
"Almost five weeks, which means I'm due at the end of September. September 27th to be exact."
"You've been to the doctor right? When do you get to find out what it is?"
"Yes, and not until I'm four or five months, depends on the progression and how the baby's turned. Oh, and don't call the baby 'it'."
"Why not? You don't know if it's a girl or a boy yet," Sophia reasoned.
"Yeah, but for some reason, it drives Jared nuts."
"Oh really," Sophia grinned wolfishly.
"Do not even start," Jensen warned.
"Start what?" she asked innocently.
"Finding ways to antagonize. I know it's how you get your kicks, but for the sake of my blood pressure, give me a break okay."
"Fine. Jeez, ruin all my fun," Sophia complained
The doorbell jingled, signaling the end of her break. Jensen cleared away his trash, kissed her on the forehead and headed for the door. He wanted to swing by the gallery and check on the supplies he'd ordered before heading home, and he had to go shopping for something to wear to a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Jensen had met Chris and Steve during one of the worst times of his life, and he'd never forget all the help and support they had offered him. A new suit and a couple hours of schmoozing was just one of the many things Jensen planned to do to show his appreciation. He was well aware that neither of the men he now called friends expected anything in return, but Jensen would always feel he could never do enough to repay what they had done for him.
Chris and Steve worked out of a small shelter when Jensen first met them, but they both had big dreams of helping people beyond what they were doing at the time. Jeff had introduced them, having met the guys several times at the hospital, and had helped them get backing from several doctors and different medical companies to start the kind of shelter they thought every city needed. They wanted it to be a place anyone could come to, whether you were male, female or anywhere in between, rich or poor, young or old.
The shelter didn't ask for payment but if anyone wanted to offer their time or when a client was back on their feet and wanted to make a donation it was gladly accepted. It had taken two years to get the right place and all the permits they needed, not to mention the counselors and all the help to run such a large undertaking. Jensen was in awe of what they had accomplished every time he thought about it. He was almost giddy that he was a part of it, having volunteered to teach an art class three times a week. Steve had thought it would be a great self-esteem builder, not to mention the possibility of finding some actual talent hidden away in some of their clients.
The shelter had a fifty bed capacity in each wing and there were four wings. East was male, west was female, south was families, and north was for those that couldn't take being in close proximity to people after having endured some horrific trauma. Jensen had met several members of the staff already, having helped Chris and Steve set things up and move them around on endless weekends. Ellen was one of the most memorable ones, she would be running the kitchen, and something told Jensen he had better not fuck with her either. When he said something to that effect, Steve had busted out laughing and Chris had told him to shut up. Jensen still had no idea what that was about, but he'd never seen Chris scared of anyone before. It was pretty damn funny.
He finally made it home three hours later, a bag of paints and brushes in one hand, mail under his arm, suit bag draped over the other, and keys dangling off the ends of his fingers. There was a package sitting in front of his door with a bright yellow ribbon around it. Jensen didn't even need to read the card to know who it was from. Joshua always had his gifts wrapped with a yellow ribbon. He nudged the package to the side with his foot, giving himself enough space to get inside his door and slammed it shut, heart hammering against his chest, breath coming in short, hard bursts. Jensen slumped onto one of his kitchen chairs trying to slow his racing pulse.
It was just a package. Joshua couldn't afford to be outright threatening at the moment, not with the restraining order and his probation resting on his following the conditions set out in his plea bargain. Jensen took several more deep, steadying breaths and set everything down on the kitchen table. He crossed to the door, opening it and kicked the box inside, slamming the door again, locking all three locks, and setting the code on the alarm for good measure. He grabbed a knife off the kitchen block, picked up the box and set it on the counter, studying it like he could see inside without ever opening it. Jensen finally heaved a sigh and sliced the ribbon and the paper all in one go and opened the box, a sob catching in his throat.
Inside was a small white teddy bear decked out in a ski suit complete with skis and sun glasses. The note attached read 'Better Luck Next Time'. Joshua hadn't lost his touch that was for sure. Jensen felt like someone had cut his heart out of his chest, and then ground salt in the wound. It took him several minutes to breathe again, he placed the teddy bear back in the box, gathered up every last scrap of paper, tape and ribbon and went into the back yard. Grabbing the lighter fluid, he yanked the lid off of his grill, threw everything on top of it and set it on fire. When there was nothing left but ash, Jensen went inside, triple checked all the locks and windows, set the alarms, took a shower and crawled under the covers.
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Exactly one week to the day and almost to the hour, Jared picked up his phone and dialed the number he'd committed to memory minutes after Jensen had walked out of his office. He had alternated between barely restrained giddiness, a word he never thought he's associate with himself, and bouts of anxiety over what he would do if Jensen refused his proposal. He'd waited as long as he could, risking bodily harm from Chad, who over the last several days had grown even more frustrated with not only his mood swings but his secrecy as well.
It wasn't that Jared wanted to keep Jensen a secret, in actuality he wanted to yell it from the rooftops, again very uncharacteristic of him, but he had this deep paranoid belief that if he told anyone, he'd loose the very slim chance he had of getting Jensen to agree to marry him. So he had kept his mouth shut and suffered through the nights of sleepless wonder at all the things he would be able to teach their child and the fear of not knowing anything about kids, in silence, the doubts sending him on even more forays into the world of internet parenting and book buying until he thought he had every possible book on the subject known to man.
Jared held his breath as the phone started to ring, his pulse speeding up with each subsequent second. His stomach starting to tie itself in knots the longer the ringing went unanswered and he thought he'd have to leave a message.
"Hello," Jensen answered breathlessly.
"Jensen, are you okay?" Jared asked, already reaching for his other phone.
"Oh, yeah. I'm fine I just had to run to get the phone. I forgot I left it in the kitchen, and I was my workshop."
"Okay," Jared said, relaxing. "How have you been feeling?"
"A little better, the nausea seems to be letting up a little, though the smell of coffee still makes me want to cry and smoke makes me hurl. It's down to just mornings now, not all day long, so that's good." Jensen answered, finally clamping his mouth shut to stem the flow of words that seemed to be unwilling to stop.
"Well, I'm glad. So have you had time to think about what we discussed?" Jared asked, not really sure how to bring it up, other than to just jump right in.
"Um, yeah. Have you?" Jensen asked tentatively.
"Yes, and I really don't want to have this talk over the phone. Can we maybe have dinner or something?" Jared enquired.
"Sure, but do you really want to have this discussion in public?" Jensen asked, not looking forward to having it in private either if Jared had changed his mind.
"I know a place we can go and it still be private," Jared insisted.
"That's fine, where's it at?"
Jared gave him the address, praying he'd made the right choice.
"How about seven thirty? That will give me time to finish, get cleaned up and still get there in time." Jensen explained.
"That's fine, I'll see you at seven thirty," Jared agreed, breathing a sigh of relief that Jensen seemed to approve.
Jared called the restaurant as soon as he hung up. He knew he wouldn't have a problem getting in because he was, after all, part owner, albeit the silent kind. He'd met Jeffrey during a party put on for one of the movies that he'd been producing years ago. Jared had been a little bit more interested in dodging the blond bimbo that had been trying to attach herself to his side all evening and had ducked into the back, hoping to find a way to the other side of the room. When he turned around, he was staring into hazel eyes dancing with mirth. The guy was in his mid thirties, leaning back against one of the many serving tables, arms crossed over his chest.
They wound up talking for several hours, Jared about the harrowing experiences of diva actors and Jeffrey about the unrealistic expectations of celebrities and their food consumption versus taste. When all was said in done, Jared had decided he was going to help back Jeffrey's dream restaurant, a concept that had never been tried before.
It was called the restaurant of the world, having seven separate floors, one for each continent, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Australia. Each floor had separate rooms decorated as authentically as possible to make guests feel as if they were in one of the cities on those continents. The wait staff and hostess were uniformed as if they were native to the region as well. All dishes were researched meticulously, and each and everyone had a list of ingredients available upon request for allergy sufferers.
Jared had absolutely no compunction about sinking as much money as he had into the endeavor. He knew it would be a success but he hadn't foreseen just how big. When Morgan's opened, it had a waiting list of six months.
There were always five tables set aside on each floor for special guests to be utilized when they were in town, and Jared was considered one such guest. When he called, Sandy's chirpy voice answered the phone. Jared found himself smiling just listening to her run through her welcoming spiel, waiting for her to finally run down so he could get a word in. He had actually found her at a casting call for a small part, and after listening to her talk about all the things she wanted to do, gave her Jeff's number and told her to call him. Now, two years later, Sandy was the manager for Morgan's and happier than she'd ever been acting.
"Hey Sandy."
"Oh, hey Jared. Why'd you let me keep going?"
"You know I love to hear you talk."
"Sure you do. That's why you get that glazed over look five minutes after I sit down," Sandy teased.
"That's because you're just so pretty and too much exposure is like the sun. If you look directly at it, you go blind."
"Oh please, you are so full of it. So what can I do for you? Do you need a table, or you want to talk to Jeff?"
"I need a table for tonight at seven thirty. Can you give me the one up on the terrace, away from everybody?" Jared asked.
"Oh, it's one of those nights is it?"
"Yeah, but if everything goes like it should, there won't be anymore of those nights." Jared confessed, needing to tell somebody something before his head blew off.
"Really? Then I can't wait to meet this mystery person," Sandy said.
"Yea, just don't say anything to anybody okay? It's just really important," Jared pleaded.
"You know I won't."
"I know," Jared sighed.
"Do you know which floor you're going to want to order from?"
"Honestly, not a clue. Is that going to be a problem?"
"No, I was just going to save you some time. I'll see you when you get here Jared, and don't worry, everything's going to be okay," Sandy reassured.
"God I hope so," Jared said, telling her goodbye.
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Seven thirty came and went and the sick feeling was back in the pit of his stomach. When seven forty rolled around, he was about to ready to call Jensen when he saw Sandy through the glass doors headed his way. Her eyebrow was arched in what appeared to be total surprise but complete approval. Following close behind her was Jensen who seemed to be totally flustered. Jared stood and met them at the door, opening it and ushering them through. Sandy placed the wine list on the table, leaving them to decide and promising to be back in a few minutes.
"God, I'm sorry I'm late. Traffic was horrendous, I left my phone at home, so I couldn't call, and then I got here, and I thought was in the wrong place, but this was the address you gave me. I couldn't find a parking space when I finally decided to see if you had a reservation and if not try to use the phone." Jensen looked up, "I'm doing it again, aren't I?"
"Doing what?" Jared asked, grinning.
"Rambling."
"Maybe a little, but I'll tell you a secret. I'm a lot nervous too." Jared grinned at Jensen's look of total disbelief.
"Now, first tell me what you want to drink, and then decide what kind of food you want so we can at least get the right menu when Sandy gets back," Jared requested, figuring that would get Jensen moving.
"Oh, um, just water with some lemon is fine. What do you mean the right menu?"
"You've never heard of this place?"
"No. I don't come into the city often unless it's to the galleries, and I don't usually eat in this section of town."
"Well then let me educate you on Morgan's. It has seven different restaurants, each specializing in a different continent. Decide which one suits your fancy tonight so we can get the right menu and then we have the monumental task of choosing something to eat," Jared explained, smiling at Jensen's groan.
Jensen finally settled on Europe, since he'd been there and hoped he knew what his stomach could and couldn't handle. Jared decided he'd do the same, and they were ready when Sandy came back. It took them fifteen minutes to decide what they were going to eat, with Jared finally letting Jensen order for him after listening to him ooh and ah over the choices. Jensen's eyes lit up and a smile stretched across his face, making Jared's heart speed up and his stomach do a series of jumps and spins.
They made small talk about their week, discovered they both liked sports, and although they liked opposing basketball teams, they both like the same football team. Jensen liked lacrosse which made Jared break out laughing and Jensen returned the favor when Jared confessed to liking water polo. Sandy brought their food, and neither spoke, making the occasional sighs of pleasure and moans of delight over the rich sauce covered foods and decadent deserts.
Jensen leaned back in his chair and groaned. He really wanted to pop the top button on his slacks but there was no way he was going to in a place like this and certainly not in present company. Things had gone surprisingly well, but then again, they hadn't talked about what they'd come here to talk about.
"I've been wondering something," Jared started.
"Yeah?"
"Have you decided on a doctor yet?" Jared asked.
"Oh!" Jensen never thought that would be Jared's first question.
"Well, yeah. When I went to my regular doctor, and he told me I was pregnant, he referred me to one."
"Do you mind me asking who it is?"
"No, if you don't mind me asking why?"
"I just want to make sure you and the baby are getting the best care. I know it's your choice, and I want you to be comfortable, but I want you to have that option."
Jensen was touched by not only the thought Jared had put into his and the baby's welfare, but that he wasn't pushing anything onto him either.
"Well, my doctor is Dr. Agnit and from what I understand, he's the best and I really like him," Jensen assured.
Jared sat back, shoulders relaxing. It was one less thing he had to worry about. Now, he had to address the even bigger issue at hand.
"Have you thought anymore about my proposal?"
"Yes," Jensen swallowed. "Did you think about what it would mean to your lifestyle?"
"Yes, but just so we're clear, how about we verbalize exactly what we expect from this relationship, so there are no misunderstandings," Jared suggested. He was used to having things spelled out to the ninth degree and he thought having it voiced would probably not only help him process the information but Jensen as well.
"Okay, if you decide you still would like to marry me, I would like to accept the proposal, provided we can come to an agreement on what we both expect." Jensen said.
"Fair enough," Jared sat back and waited.
Jensen took a breath. He'd hoped Jared would start, but he should have known he'd have to go first.
"I'm not going to stop working, or volunteering, I have friends that I'll continue to see and I will take our vows seriously, even though I won't be expecting any of the marital extras," Jensen stuttered at Jared's raised eyebrow. "I know you've been fairly active in the um.... dating scene and as long as you keep them discreet, and not flaunt them in public, I won't have a problem with it."
"Really," Jared asked, intrigued.
"I can't exactly ask you to give up sex just because ours won't be the traditional marriage," Jensen explained.
"Okay, fair enough. I want our marriage to be a traditional marriage." Jared held up his hand to halt Jensen's refusal. "However, I'm willing to wait until you're ready for the same thing. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do because I know you loved Jeff, and I know you're not ready for anything else right now. So until then, this is what I would like in our relationship, I'd like to go to your doctor's appointments, share anything that's important to you, and I'd like you to do the same for me."
"Jared, I can't promise you that I'd ever want the same thing you do," Jensen asked, confused as to why Jared even did.
"I know that, but I'd like you to give us the chance. I'd also like it if you'd move in with me, I live in a gated community which helps cut down on uninvited visitors, and in my business unfortunately it's needed. I mean, if you want to keep your place for your painting or whatever, that wouldn't be a problem." Jared finished, trying to remember if there was anything else he'd forgotten.
"No, that's fine. Um, do you live right on the beach?" Jensen already knew it was gated, but he didn't know how far back Jared lived.
"I have an access, but it's a good little walk. I'm sorry it's not like Jeff's place."
"Oh, thank God," Jensen sighed.
"I thought you loved Jeff's place?"
"I loved the beach house, I hated the sand. It gets everywhere. I couldn't get it out of my brushes or my paints, drove me nuts," Jensen moaned.
"Oh, well that would be a bitch. If you decide you want to go down though, remind me to give you the code. It's gated as well. Doesn't do much good to have the front blocked off and the back wide open," Jared reasoned.
"Was there anything else that you think we should discuss?" Jensen asked stifling a yawn, the day starting to catch up with him.
"Not that I can think of. How about you? Anything you want to add?"
"No, I think we've covered everything that was important. If you still want to go forward with the marriage, then I would like to accept," Jensen said quietly.
"I think you know I still want to marry you Jensen."
"Okay, so what do we do now that, that's decided?"
"We don't do anything. You go home and get some rest. I'll get the ball rolling tomorrow and give you a call, all right?"
"I can help."
"I know you can, but you've already been pulling extra duty. Let me pull some for a little while."
Jensen sighed, nodding his head. He stood up, stretching his back muscles. They seemed to get knotted up faster nowadays, which made no sense at all, since he hadn't put on all that much weight. Jared walked him to his car and watched him pull out into traffic before making his way back inside to see Jeffrey. He finally found him calming the chef in the Asian restaurant, since someone had borrowed his favorite salt shaker and the world had come to an end.
Once everything was back in order, they made their way to Jeffrey's office. He grabbed two beers from the small fridge, handing one to Jared before he sat down.
"So I hear you had company on the terrace tonight."
"Yeah, who told you that?"
"Sandy said you wanted a table."
"She say anything else?"
"Nope, but I'm not blind Jared. I do take peeks at who you bring around."
"You do, do you?"
"Yep, and until tonight, none of them have been worth the time or the effort to get an introduction," Jeffrey informed him.
"Oh, and what was so special about tonight?" Jared asked.
"Other than the person you were with was male?" Jeffrey asked.
"Is that a problem?" Jared queried, eyebrow arched.
"You know it's not, you ass."
"Then what was so different?"
"The way you looked at him. You never stared off into space. You didn't pay the waitress the least bit of attention other than polite thank yous, and you weren't people watching which you have a tendency to do when your bimbos bore you. All the times you've come here with your dates, I've never seen you truly relax, and I saw that tonight. So how about you tell me who he is?"
"You want the long version or the short version?"
"Start with the short and if I need the long I'll ask for it." Jeffrey said, taking a swig of his beer.
"He was my brother's fiancé, but he will be my husband in less than 72 hours, and in seven and a half months give or take a week he'll be giving birth to my child."
Jeffrey sat staring at Jared, gauging the validity of what had just come spilling out of his mouth. When Jared continued to look at him, his gaze never wavering, Jeffrey took another long swallow of beer.
"Okay, I need the long version now."
Jared went on to explain about the day of the funeral, Jensen getting pregnant and Jared proposing marriage.
"So he made you wait a week, just to make sure you knew what you were doing?"
"Yes."
"Hmm, pretty and smart. Looks like you've finally met your match," Jeffrey said.
"Which is why I'm not letting him get away. Now I just have to figure out how to tell my parents."
"Oh man. Jared, how the hell are you going to do that?"
"I don't know. I'm just praying the idea of a grandbaby softens the blow."
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