cont. from chapter 25
Fred
I couldn't take my eyes off of Alexis. I wasn't even sure that my body was working at all, really.
"You're what?"
She bit down on her lip. "I'm pregnant."
I chewed on my bottom lip, raking my fingers through my hair. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "I-I went to the doctor today."
"How long have you known?" I asked, subtly opening my arms to accept her hug.
"I just found out today," she said, "it was just a normal checkup."
I hesitantly wrapped my arms around her neck, pressing my lips against her forehead.
"Are you mad?" She asked, pulling away from me.
"No, baby," I whispered, pulling her back into me, "no, I'm not mad. I'm shocked."
She nodded. "Me, too."
"When did it happen?" I asked, resting my chin on top of her head.
"I have no clue," she said, shaking her head.
I rubbed her hair, a smile tugging at my lips after the fact actually hit me. Alexis was pregnant.
"I'm scared," she whispered, pressing her face against my chest.
I cupped her face with my hands, shaking my head. "Why?"
She shook her head, twiddling her thumbs. "Fred, I can't go through that again. I won't make it out."
I flexed my jaw, pulling her into me. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, my lips against the top of her head. I had no idea how to console her, because I hadn't felt what she'd felt. Of course, I'd been hurt in a way I'd never been hurt before. Her pain was on a completely different scale from mine, though.
She sobbed, pulling away from me. "I'm pregnant."
She laughed and I chuckled, rubbing her cheek. "Yeah, you are."
She bit down on her lip, looking down at her stomach. "I'm pregnant."
I knelt down, pressing a kiss to her stomach. I wrapped my arms around her hips and held her close to me, closing my eyes. "You're pregnant."
She raked her fingers through my hair, clearing her throat. "God, you're supposed to be in a meeting right now."
I shook my head. "No, Jo can handle it."
I stood up, smiling down at her stomach as I brushed my fingertips against the silky material of her tank top.
"No, you need to go back," she sniffled, clearing her throat as she flattened out my shirt, "I don't even know why I didn't just wait-"
I grabbed her face, looking down at her. "I'm so glad you didn't."
She smiled, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth. "We're gonna do this."
"We're gonna do it," I said, smiling down at her.
She brushed her fingertips against my cheek. "Remember how everyone thought Jo was going to be the first to have a family?"
I laughed, nodding. "We made a bet. In junior year."
She laughed, biting down on her lip. "Yeah."
I wrapped my arms around her neck. "I'll stay, Lex."
"No," she said, "seriously. Go back to work."
She backed away from me, smiling a soft smile.
I bit down on my lip and watched her turn her back to me, but she stopped in her tracks.
"What if it's a boy?" She asked, "you know, that you get to play ball with after work?"
I smiled, shrugging into my coat. "And if it's a girl?"
She smiled, running over to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck once again, seemingly melting into me.
"What if we have twins?" She asked, pulling away from me with a smile.
"Well, we can totally forget about sleep," I said, smiling down at her.
She shook her head, gently stroking my cheek. "I think I'm up for the sacrifice."
~*~
Jo
I opened the door to my penthouse, chewing on my bottom lip. I closed it behind me, shrugging out of my coat after I dropped my briefcase.
I saw Lena sitting at the kitchen island, her chin resting in her hand as she worked on something on her laptop.
I cautiously walked into the kitchen, rolling my sleeves up. I opened the fridge, quickly glancing over my shoulder at her. She wasn't even looking at me.
I turned around, biting down on my bottom lip as I leaned on the counter. "What'd you write about the honeymoon?"
She shook her head. "I'm not posting it."
I was sure my change in attitude was obvious. I bit back a frown, nodding. "Oh."
She stood up, closing her laptop. She began to brush past me, but I stopped her by grabbing her wrist.
"Don't, Lena," I said, looking down at her.
"Don't what?" She asked, looking up at me.
"Don't act like that," I said, shaking my head as I rubbed her hand.
She shook her head, pulling her wrist away from me. "I'm not acting any way."
"You're being cold," I said, shaking my head, "I can't take it, you icing me out."
"Me icing you out?" She laughed, "you should've felt the way I felt earlier."
I stayed silent and allowed her to go into her spill, because I knew she was going to.
"I've never felt that stupid, Jo," she whispered, her eyes locked on mine.
"It wasn't my intention to make you feel stupid." I gripped my hips, shaking my head.
She shrugged, folding her arms over her chest.
"I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings," I said, "really."
"You didn't hurt my feelings-"
"No, I did," I said, my voice raising, "because this is how you react when your feelings get hurt."
"I react like a normal fucking human?" She questionably stated, shaking her head.
"Woah, big word," I said, "you're moving on up, King. I'll give it to you."
She let out an angry sigh, closing her eyes. "Today went so beyond hurting my feelings."
"Well, explain it to me, then," I said.
"Josiah, you made me feel stupid," she said, through gritted teeth, "for wanting a family with you. For seeing a future beyond this."
"Is this not good enough?" I chuckled, opening my arms.
"It's not about that!" She yelled.
"Then what is it about, Lena?" I yelled, louder than her voice could've possibly reached.
We both stood in silence. Her eyes were lowered to the ground, my hands resting on my hips as I calmed myself down.
"I didn't mean to yell," I muttered, clenching my jaw.
She subtly wiped her cheek, clearing her throat. "I'm going upstairs."
"Lena, don't," I said, "okay, I'm sorry."
"I don't want to talk about it anymore," she said, shaking her head.
I wrapped my hand around the post at the bottom of the staircase. "One of the problems today was that we don't talk. I'm trying to talk."
"You're not talking, Jo," she said, spinning around to face me. I saw tears staining her cheeks, and the little bit of mascara she had on was now beneath her eyes.
She shook her head, looking down at her hands. "That's not talking."
"Then what is it?" I asked, shrugging.
"It's yelling," she said, "and trust me when I say, that does a lot more harm than good in a marriage."
She wiped her cheek, making me tilt my head over. "Lena, I can't watch you cry."
She bit down on her bottom lip, shrugging. "Then don't make me, Jo."
~*~
Fred
Jo walked into my office, letting out a sigh. "Hey."
He looked drained, but as if he was attempting to hide it. He wasn't successful, if that was his goal.
"Hey," I greeted, looking up at him as he leaned against my desk.
"How's Lex?" He asked, rubbing his eyes, "how'd last night go?"
I nodded, biting back a smile. "She's good. Everything's good."
He nodded, clenching his jaw. "He was really interested. Really interested."
I stood up, holding out my hand with a smile. "Thank you for holding it down. Old time's sake?"
He smiled, and we proceeded to do our handshake that we'd had as teenagers. "Still got it."
He chuckled, nodding. I could tell he was just not doing okay.
"Was she hurt?" He asked, chewing on his lip.
"No," I said, shaking my head, "I-uh, no, she just needed me."
He nodded. "Okay, then."
"Hey, are you okay?" I asked, before he could walk out of my office.
"No," he bluntly stated, shaking his head, "no, I'm not."
"I know this isn't your forté, but wanna talk about it?"
He leaned his head back against the wall, his jaw obviously taut. "I've managed to screw my entire marriage up."
"I'm sure that's not at all true," I said, shaking my head.
"No, it is," he said, nodding, "I really fucked things up."
I bit down on my bottom lip, unsure of how exactly to respond.
"She didn't even kiss me goodbye this morning," he said, twiddling his thumbs, "and I never thought I'd be the man to get upset about that."
I smiled. "The right women are scary, man."
"What if I can't fix it?" He asked.
Josiah had always been cool- not much bothered him, or stressed him out. He was calm and chose to stay calm until he couldn't. This was unlike him.
"And I completely lost it on her," he said, shaking his head.
"How?" I asked.
He rubbed the back of his neck. "I yelled. Just like Dad, when he gets angry. I yelled at her. And I watched her cry. And I didn't even try to fix it."
I bit down on my bottom lip, folding my arms across my chest. "Jo, I wish I knew how to help you."
"Yeah," he said, nodding.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, looking over at him.
He shook his head. "Sorry about problem vomiting."
"Do you mind me asking what happened?" I asked, before he could walk out of my office and go on about his day as if he was fine.
He hesitated. "She brought in a folder of houses. And it went from there."
I understood the place Josiah was in. He'd made himself clear, even to me, about the fact that he wasn't interested in giving up his penthouse.
Or that he was afraid of too much commitment.
"Have a good day," he said, and before I could stop him, he walked out of my office.
~*~
Lena
I smiled, waving at Alexis as I stepped out of my car. "Hey."
"Hi," she greeted, pulling her sunglasses off of her face, "sun for a full day in Chicago. I'm impressed."
"Right?" I muttered, embracing her in a hug.
She pulled away from me, a soft smile on her face. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, obviously lying. "Yeah, what about you?"
She smiled, tucking a chunk of hair behind her ear. "I'm good."
I sighed, folding my arms over my chest. "So, who is this guy?"
"Only the best stylist and designer in the city," she confidently said, "I promise you, we will be the absolute best dressed at this gala."
I chewed on my lip. I wasn't exactly sure how putting on a show with Jo would blow over, because that's exactly what it'd be. A show.
"David?" Alexis sang, as soon as we opened the door.
"Where are you, my love?" His Australian accent rang through the empty, open space.
"David!" She screeched, running into his arms, "hi, love!"
"And this is Lena," he said, twirling me around with his free hand.
"That I am," I said, grinning, "you're the man I've heard so many great things about."
"That I am," he repeated, gripping his hips.
I smiled, folding my arms over my chest.
"Oh, no, honey," he said, shaking his head, "show off that décolletage."
I looked down at my exposed cleavage after he uncrossed my arms for me, holding them to my side. "Definitely going to accentuate that."
I looked over at Alexis and she giggled, falling down on the couch. "So, how's the love life?"
"Dating in Chicago is not easy," he said, shaking his head, "it's absolutely horrendous, if I'm being honest."
Alexis frowned. "What? You're a catch."
"Well, the males here are," he began, shaking his head, "bleh."
I tuned the two out as I walked past the array of dresses, brushing my fingertips against them. "David, these are all stunning."
He spun around, dropping his jaw. "I know, right?"
"How are the husbands, may I ask?" He asked.
"Great," Alexis said, obviously beaming.
The pair focused on me, making me nod with wide eyes. "Y-yeah, he's good."
"Those two are gods, I'll tell you," he said, "I mean, I'm sure they know that-"
"Oh, they do," I said, nodding, "they have egos bigger than the city."
Alexis bit back a laugh, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Woah, that's why you're off."
I closed my eyes, biting down on my lip. "I'm sorry."
"Trouble in paradise?" David asked, picking through the rack of dresses.
"No," I said, "no, everything's fine."
I dropped my Louis Vuitton bag, letting out a sigh. "Let's try on some tight dresses."
"I'll grab the champagne!" Alexis said, standing up from the couch.
She stopped in her tracks, and I could notice the change in her face. "Water for me, though. I'm watching my weight."
She looked down with a smile, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Be right back."
~*~
hiii babies
how are you? i hope everyone's doing well and feeling well!! 💕
so, this chapter was cute (other than jo and lena)
you guys will probably be surprised to see how jo and lena's fight pans out.. trust me, it's not how the king men normally settle fights 🧐
BUT ALEXIS IS PREGGERS 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 I AM SOO EXCITED! what do you guys think she's gonna have? comment a blue heart for boy, pink heart for girl, or if you think twins, comment a white heart :) (and fuck it... black heart for triplets!!)
PLEASE DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT! just because it's not "trending" on social media anymore, does not mean it's over. protests are still happening, the media just is not broadcasting it. this is not over. so, to help, here's a website full of ways to help! it has everything you can find to help! and Twitter is AMAZING for finding petitions to sign!
blacklivesmatters.caard.co
i love you guys so much, have a wonderful day! all my love,
jay
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