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31: In a Heartbeat
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Jarren
I woke in time to see Jillie bolt off the bed and into the bathroom. Getting up, I followed her, pulling her natural curls out of her face and rubbing her back. When she finished, she walked over to the sink to rinse her mouth before brushing her teeth.
I walked out of the room and down the hall into the kitchen. Getting another glass, I poured her some ginger ale and grabbed a few of the ginger candies. I was walking back towards the room when I heard Jillie talking. I stopped slightly out of view, watching her. She was rubbing her stomach. “You’re kicking Mommy’s butt. Calm down, little one, just for a little bit. You’re worrying, Daddy. He’s not showing it, but I know you are.” She continued to rub her stomach. “Just long enough for me to sleep. Does that sound reasonable to you, baby girl?” I smiled to myself before walking into the room. I haRelated chapters
Protected 32: Your Move
Jarren It was after eight o’clock when Jillie woke up. Currently, she was lying in the middle of the bed reading through the pregnancy book she had been looking at earlier. I was on the phone with Garret, seeing what progress was being made on my surprise for Jillie.“Babe, I’m worried.”“About what?” I asked, turning my attention to Jillie as Garret filled me in.“Well, according to this book, I should have already started taking prenatal vitamins.”“Yes, but given that this isn’t a typical pregnancy, I think we should wait until we talk to Hollie.”“But what if I was supposed to take them, and something is wrong with the baby?” she questioned, almost panicked.“Nothing is wrong with the baby,” I told her as Garret finished his rundown. “Everything is fine.” I then stated, speaking to both of them.&nbs
Protected 33: Hide and Seek
Jillie I had taken so many pictures that I was sure the camera begged for a break. My morning sickness hadn’t been that bad today. That was probably due to the amount of ginger I put into my system. Because of it, we were able to go back into town today. I’d seen everything I wanted to earlier in the day: all of the tourist attractions. Jarren was now leading us past the many shops that littered the streets. I was enjoying looking at some of the items in the windows. Everything seemed so different, so unique. A specific store caught my attention, and I stopped, pulling Jarren to a stop with me. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t understand the store’s name. I could tell what it was from looking through the window at all
Protected 34: Alone in a Storm
JillieI sat up and rubbed my eyes as I heard pots and pans in the kitchen. Getting to my feet, I headed in that direction. Jarren was stirring something in a pot at the stove—so much for us cooking together tonight.“I didn’t want to wake you,” Jarren stated, placing the lid back on the pot before turning to me.“That’s okay. It smells delicious,” I responded, leaning against the counter.“It’s almost ready. Why don’t you return to the living room?” he suggested. I nodded, walking out. I slid down onto the couch and turned on the TV. For what, I had no idea. It wasn’t like I’d understand what they were saying, but I guess that’s why people have imaginations. I was watching a show resembling Fear Factor when Jarren walked in and sat a plate filled with delicious foo
Protected 35: Been Here Before
Jarren I listened to her easy breathing as she slept. She was sleeping so peacefully. Closing my eyes, I listened to the sounds of the house. Nothing. Everything seemed to be deafly quiet. Inhaling, I didn’t smell anything either. I settled back in the bed and pulled her closer to me. I didn’t plan on sleeping tonight. I was bothered, and I had a right to be. I had left Jillie alone, and there was no telling what could have happened. The lights had gone out, but I knew they should have come back on. The cottage had a backup generator. It should have kicked in if the storm had knocked the lights out. I also wanted to believe that the generator was affected by the storm, but I knew that wasn’t the case. At the moment, it didn’t matter. I would figure it out in the morning. Right now, I didn’t plan on leaving Jillie alone again. I
Protected 36: Dreading Conversations
JarrenI walked back inside and went straight into the kitchen, deciding what to fix tonight. I didn’t know what Jillie had a taste for, but I decided that ravioli would be safe. As I went about fixing it, I thought about our honeymoon ending. If I was being honest, I didn’t want it to end. Going home meant starting to work, continuing my training, having lessons, and attending meetings with my Dad—a bunch of things I didn’t want to do. Though I had made the stupid mistake of telling my family, I would take the throne in a year or so. Things were, however, different now, especially with Jillie being pregnant. Again, I would have to talk to my parents. More specifically, it was my mom since it was she who wanted me to take the throne so quickly in the first place. Once I was finished cooking, I headed into t
Protected 37: Welcome Home
Jillie Our honeymoon had been fantastic. The last few days were spent doing different things. Boat riding, hiking, and more shopping, to Jarren’s dismay. Unfortunately, it was also filled with more sickness. I stared out the plane window as Jarren looked over some papers he received yesterday. To say he wasn’t happy about it was an understatement. He was more than upset that people were interrupting our honeymoon even though it was the last day. Jarren groaned, and I turned to see him run his hand through his hair. Standing from my seat, I took the folder from his hand and placed it in the chair across from him. I sat in his lap and kissed him softly.“Whatever it is, you’ll figure it out.”“Why do we have to go back?”I laughed. “Because they’ll all get w
Protected 38: Moving
Jillie“Jillie!” My Mom greeted as she opened the door and pulled me into a bone-breaking, breathtaking hug.“Hi, Mom,” I stated, but it was muffled against her shoulder. I turned around and waved to Jarren before he drove away.“And where does he think he’s going?” Mom asked with her hands on her hips.I refrained from rolling my eyes. “He has parents that missed him too.” She stepped aside, and I walked into the house. I could smell cookies baking in the oven. I entered the kitchen to find my Dad sitting at the table with the newspaper. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms ar
Protected 39: Time to Meet a Baby
JarrenI leaned against the counter, sipping a glass of blood and waiting for Jillie downstairs. We had about an hour left before meeting Hollie at the palace. I would have preferred for her to come to us, but I knew all her equipment was set up in the medical room. Honestly, I was trying to avoid my mother. I didn’t understand why she was pushing this so hard. Yes, I had agreed to take the throne a year after getting married. I’d promised I’d be ready, and I was. Now, things have changed. It was no longer just Jillie and I. We had a child on the way, and what type of parent and husband would I be if I just up and took over right after the baby was born? Not to say that my parents weren’t great, because they were. But I could remember most of my time spent with Nannies when I was younger. Especially with both of them traveling for
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Protected Epilogue
JillieI reached over beside me, but Jarren wasn’t there. Opening my eyes, I found his side of the bed empty. Figuring that he must already be with one of the kids, I swing my legs out of the bed and make my way to Avarie’s room. She’s sleeping peacefully, so it must have been Alec crying. I make my way into his room and he’s sleeping as well. Puzzled, I drift back out into the hallway. I could have sworn crying woke me up. I noticed that there was a light on downstairs. Making my way down, I follow the soft light into the living room. Figuring out what Jarren is doing up at this time is a little beyond my tired brain’s capability. Vampire or not, he was about to get in the bed with me so I could go back to sleep. Stepping into the living room, however, I didn’t see Jarren. Instead, Kaileeh was curled up in the corner of the sofa. She was rocking back and forth slightly as she gazed at her hands, frightened. I took a cautious step towards her. I’d never seen he
Protected 92: Changed by Love
JillieThe words that came out of Hollie’s mouth felt foreign to me, even though I’d heard them less than about forty-five minutes ago. I couldn’t be crowning again. That would insinuate that I was having twins, which I was not. Hollie had shown me the sonograms, and there was only one baby in them. Yet here I was, pushing as if my life depended on it. I looked at Jarren again, who looked a little paler than usual.“Hollie,” I started through breaths. “Can vampires faint?”“Not that I know of, but you never know. Why?” She questioned, glancing up.“Because I think my husband is about to pass out.” She didn’t respond and instead told me to push. Just like the first time, we worked as a team, and this birth was much quicker, with only the use of one syringe. That was a small victory that was quickly forgotten when I
Protected 91: Doubly Shocked
JarrenPacing. That’s what I’ve been doing for the last thirty minutes. I was pacing and trying to soothe Jillie. I was worried, and the more I worried, the faster I paced. I’d freaked poor Ean out. He was the kind that liked to live in denial and pretend that certain things didn’t exist. I wondered how much of this he would actually be able to ignore. I glanced over at the bed to find Hollie staring intently at the monitors and Teya dabbing Jillie’s forehead with a cool cloth. I felt so helpless because I couldn’t do anything other than be here for her. I couldn’t take her pain away, and I desperately wanted to. I sighed and resumed my pacing. I knew I should have gone with them. The suspense of not knowing what was going on or where they were was killing me, but I realized this is how Jillie would have f
Protected 90: They Need to Hurry
JillieMy baby girl was kicking my butt like she was mad at the world. It had almost been nonstop for the past few hours. To top that off, those stupid cramps just wouldn’t let up. As luck would have it, Jarren was out doing who knows what at the moment. So I was on my own, dealing with my high-maintenance daughter, who was a complete daddy’s girl. I’d tried everything. I’d placed headphones on my stomach and played calm, soothing music. I’d rub my stomach until both of my hands and arms felt like they were limp noodles and about to fall off at any minute. I’d tried talking to her, then begging. I’d even resorted to bribery. None of that worked. &n
Protected 89: Hold Them Delicately
JarrenWhen Jillie got up, I waited a few minutes before following her. I stopped just on the other side of the patio door and listened to the silence. I knew she’d gone out there. I could hear her heart beating, but she wasn’t saying anything. When she finally spoke, I realized that she’d noticed that something was wrong with Nunny as well. As I sat and listened to them talk, my heart broke. Nunny was right; I wouldn’t be able to handle it if something happened to Jillie and our child. My world would literally come crashing down, and I wouldn’t know what to do with myself. They were my life, and just thinking about this scared me, and I was never scared. Life was cruel sometimes. It seemed like we couldn’t win for losing. When we caught a break, something else came along and ruined it. Not this time. I was dete
Protected 88: Chaos for the Fly
Jillie When I opened the gifts, I was overwhelmed by the amount of clothes, shoes, toys, diapers, and wipes. It looked like we’d have enough to last for the next few years, though I knew that was unlikely. I knew that babies went through a ton of diapers in a year. I had four gifts left to open. Three were wrapped in pink paper with little baby rattles on them, and the other was in a gift bag with clouds and the words “It’s a girl” written on it. My Dad brought the rather large boxes over to me one by one, and I ripped the paper from them. There was a highchair, a walker, and a baby swing. Upon seeing what they were, I turned to my mother, w
Protected 87: Baby Shower
Jillie New Year was full of friends, family, and food. We’d rung in the year at my parent’s house and spent the day at the boys and girls center with most of the kids from town. I couldn’t play with them like I once had, but the Fang gang, Wolf Pack, and Kaileeh were making up for that. While they ran around playing dodgeball, I had to remind Xander not to throw too hard; I got to watch Sara and Kinley draw. They were both very talented little girls. We’d had lunch with all of them, and Xander got hit on quite a bit, along with Carson and Garret, by the teenage girls. Kaileeh hadn’t been too happy about the last one, but she was trying not to show it. Overall, it was a good day. I was currently sitting in the living room watching TV. I hadn&rs
Protected 86: Playing Santa
JillieI didn’t know what to say. It was absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t have imagined anything more perfect than what I was looking at as a room for our little girl. It was done in sky blue and pale yellow. He’d painted the ceiling, and there were clouds all over it. The floor had been done in the same blue, but it was more textured. The crib was sand brown with a blue and yellow color scheme for bedding. There was an armchair and ottoman of the same color as well. The room had so much beauty that I couldn’t describe it all. It looked like a small castle for a princess. He’d even taken all of her clothes and put them away in the closet and the bureau he’d gotten to match the rest of the room. There were toys on a shelf, a changing table, and plush animals hang
Protected 85: Speechless
Jarren Rian had lost his damn mind talking to the women in the house that way, and if he thought that I wasn’t going to say something about it, then he had thought wrong. When Mason shut the door behind him, I pushed Rian into the side of the house. My anger was at an all-time high.“Have you lost your mind?” I questioned, fuming. Mason stepped between us.“Look, I know what you’re going to ask me, and it’s none of your business. What happens between Sage and I is just that, between Sage and I.”“Wrong!”I snapped. “When it’s affecting the two of yo
