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It happened on a Wednesday.
At least that’s when Jensen took notice of it.
He was in the pool with Arianna, watching the one and a half year old splash around in the warm water. She had a ridiculous bikini on, one his mother insisted on buying for the twins, and Jensen wasn’t even sure why she was wearing it in the first place. He had to admit that it was pretty cute, but he was making a new bikini cut off age; Arianna and Brooke are forbidden from wearing bikinis after the age of ten
Arianna was giggling and smacking at the water, amused by the droplets that landed on her face.
“Dada! Look!” Arianna splashed quicker, giving Jensen a dimpled grin.
“Yes, I see baby girl.” Jensen yanked her out of the water and dropped her back down, catching her just in time for her to make a bigger splash and land chest deep in the water. Arianna squealed, prompting Jensen to do it again.
Jared drew both of their attention, slowly wading into the pool with an identically bikini-clad Brooke on his right hip.
It’s the moment Jensen forgot fine motor skills.
Jared was wearing a smile to rival Brooke’s, making them look so similar at that moment that Jensen almost focused on that fact more than his new observation.
Brooke, always the clingier twin, was attached to Jared at the hip but Arianna was reaching out towards her sibling and other father, prompting Jensen to wade through the water towards his boyfriend.
Regardless of Arianna’s reaching, it was where he wanted to go anyway.
He was staring at Jared with a weird glint of excitement in his eyes and he was sure it was confusing the hell out of Jared.
“What?” Jared looked down and scanned his body, searching for whatever was causing Jensen’s stare.
Jensen licked his suddenly dry lips and shifted Arianna to his left side, letting the twins splash each other. He gave Jared a quirky smile and pressed closer.
“What, Jen? What?” Jared smiled back, still not sure what his boyfriend was thinking but unable to resist Jensen’s infectious smile.
“You’ve got a belly.” Jensen raked his teeth over his lower lip and bit at it momentarily before smiling. He gazed at Jared, the corners of his eyes crinkling up in happiness when he noted the barely there roundness to Jared’s middle
Jared put one hand on his hip and cocked his head at Jensen. He stood there, straightening out in a way that only drew more attention to his form.
Jensen let out a laugh at Jared’s slight scowl. He thought his boyfriend looked adorable, partly confused and part defensive. He also looked delicious, swim trunks riding low, letting his hipbones show in an oddly sexy way. Jared’s tanned belly was puffed out right above the waistband, curving out slightly, giving Jensen the first visible proof that Jared really was pregnant with their new baby. He was sure he would have noticed it sooner but most of the times he saw Jared, his boyfriend was in work clothing and when he wasn’t, he was writhing under him in their darkened bedroom. Out in the late afternoon sun, there was no way he could miss the new detail.
“I don’t have a belly,” Jared huffed, pressing his lips together.
Ghosting his palm over Jared’s middle, Jensen smiled. “You do though, babe.” He could feel the swell fitting perfectly into the shallow curve of his hand and it made him wish he could do very dirty, dirty, things to Jared. Of course, he loved spending time with the twins and he delighted in their reactions to being in the pool, but he loved the nighttime fun he and Jared have had in the pool as well. And at that moment, he really wanted to get Jared pinned against the pool’s wall so he could show him just how happy his new ‘belly’ made him.
Jared didn’t protest anymore, but he frowned.
“Aww, Jare, don’t pout like that.” Jensen kept his hand pressed to Jared’s belly but closed the gap between them. Arianna and Brooke squealed as they splashed more water, oblivious to their parents’ interactions.
Shifting against Jensen’s palm, Jared sucked in his stomach. Only, his swell didn’t disappear, it just tugged back towards his spine. Sighing, he let go of his frown and blew a piece of hair out of his face. “Oh god, I do have a belly, don’t I?”
“Yeah, you do,” Jensen winked, giving Jared’s lips a quick kiss. “And it’s adorable.”
“I didn’t show this early when I carried the twins.” Jared poked at his middle with one finger, giving his stomach a thoughtful stare.
“Well, this is your second pregnancy; it’s bound to be different. Besides, no one other than me would even notice. It is such a tiny little swell.” Jensen molded his body to Jared’s, their hips connecting. “Plus, I like it. You can’t imagine what seeing proof that you’re having my baby is doing to me.”
“I don’t really need much of an imagination to figure that out.” Jared laughed, rolling his hips so he could nudge his groin against Jensen’s semi-hard length. It was a teasing movement, happening for a split second before Jared pulled away, shifting Brooke higher and ducking down so that the water reached his chest.
Jensen mourned the loss of contact but would have been the one to pull away had Jared not made the first move. They were with the girls and there was no way he would have taken things further with them around. He gave Jared a smirk and shook his head. “Just you wait, Jare, just you wait. When they’re down for their nap, you’re all mine.”
Sighing, Jared shrugged his shoulders and frowned. Brooke was whining, trying to get closer to Jensen, so he gave in and returned to his position beside his boyfriend. “It’s not that I don’t like where your thought process is going. It just isn’t going to happen. It’s lunch time and I’m starving and you know what happens after lunch time.”
Jensen pouted and wrinkled his nose up in disappointment. “You have a date with your other boyfriend of the porcelain variety?” He watched Jared nod. “I know you say that’s normal and everything, but…I worry.”
Jared gave a soft smile. “I know. I know you worry.” He smiled, snaking a hand up Jensen’s body, warm, wet fingertips trailing up the man’s neck to cup a hand to Jensen’s cheek. “But it happened all the time with the twins. I just hid it better and I wasn’t around you as much. Seriously Jensen, I remember vomiting in the small waste basket by my desk when you were in with a client because I didn’t have enough time to get to the bathroom. I had it cleaned up before you were finished with your meeting.”
“You didn’t have to hide it from me Jared, I would have understood.” Jensen frowned, pressing a hand to Jared’s, keeping the connection between Jared’s hand and his cheek. He hated thinking that Jared went through so much trouble to keep his pregnancy sicknesses a secret.
Fidgeting, Jared quirked his lips. “Yeah, I know. I just…well, I didn’t want you to think I couldn’t do my job, and I didn’t want your pity. I was still able to handle things on my own.” In a flash, Jared’s old habit of throwing up a defensive wall came back full force. Jensen must have made a hurt face because without saying a word, he watched Jared deconstruct the wall just as quickly.
Jared huffed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to come out that way.” Aided by the water, Jared made a fluid movement, nestling against Jensen’s chest. Arianna grabbed onto him, laughing at the splashing her father’s movement had caused. Essentially, both girls were safely cradled against their bodies, half in the water and entertained by their ability to splash water at their parents. “Back then…it was nothing personal. I didn’t let anyone know how sick I was feeling. It was almost like I had something to prove. Now, I guess I just trust you enough to be who I am, to feel how I feel, around you.”
Jensen knew all of this already. Being with Jared for over a year had supplied him with a “how-to” book on dealing with Jared’s insecurities. The addition of a pregnancy, however, was throwing some new issues into the mix. “So you throw up around me because you trust me?”
Giving Jensen an innocent smile, Jared blushed faintly. “Yeah, I guess so.”
The laugh that came out of Jensen’s mouth was automatic. Only Jared could find a way to make throwing up an obstacle needing to be overcome in their relationship. He laughed because, though the subject matter might be gross, the sentiment was there. Jared was right. “That’s actually romantic, Jared.”
“Oh, shut up.” Jared squirmed, twisting out of Jensen’s hold, his retreat made difficult by the fact that Arianna was still in Jensen’s arms yet had a firm grip on Jared’s bicep. In the end, he wound up only a few inches away from his boyfriend.
“No, I mean it. That’s kind of romantic. Want me to light candles for some ambiance while I hold your hair back?” Jensen laughed again and tugged Jared closer.
Jared scowled but went along willingly with Jensen’s tugging. “S’not funny, Jensen.”
“Jensen!” Brooke giggled and laughed at her parent’s weird tug-of-war movements.
Both men looked at the little girl in surprise at her utterance.
Brooke reached both arms out to Jensen with grabby motions and whined. “Jensen!”
“Daddy,” Jared corrected.
“Jensen!” Brooke looked at Jared, pouted and went serious.
“Daddy.”
Brooke replied with a whine, abandoned scowling at Jared and latched onto Jensen.
Jensen had to let go of his hold on Jared to ensure that he has both twins safely in his arms. His daughter’s actions were funny because everything in Brooke’s world was “mine” or “Elmo” or “papa” or “dada.” “Jensen” was a new phrase. But she was good at parroting words back at people, her voice instantly making everything sound sweet and innocent. He shifted her higher so that she was propped on his hip, and shook his head at her. “I’m ‘Daddy.’&rdquo
This time, it’s Arianna who caught Jensen off guard. She slapped two hands against his chest and blinked big green eyes up at him, toothy grin causing instant heart melting. “Jensen!” She wasn’t one to let Brooke upstage her. They were a year and a half old but somehow Arianna always had a way of making it obvious to people that she is the older sister, even if it is only by fifteen minutes.
The girls erupted in a chorus of ‘Jensen,’ giggling at their ability to get so much attention from saying one word
Jared gave up trying to correct them, having learned that his attention only fueled them more. Instead, he started laughing, smiling as he floated back into the water so he could take in the whole picture of Jensen with Ari and Brooke.
“Angel face, I’m ‘daddy.’” Jensen touched his forehead to hers.
“Jensen!” Arianna giggled and placed a hand on each side of his face.
Both girls were clinging to Jensen with all their might; they always held onto Jared or Jensen like that when they were in the pool. Neither man has ever admitted it, but they loved how they were the center of the girls’ world at times like this. Jensen had his arms wrapped tightly around each of them, knowing they were secure before he bounced out of the water and sunk back in until the water reached the girls’ shoulders. His fingers tickled at their bellies and the twins let out peels of giggles.
Though he saw the humor in the girls calling him by his first name, he preferred their giggling. Jensen liked hearing their uncontrollable laughter; it bathed them in a type of incorruptibility befitting of their age. Besides, he liked being ‘daddy’ or ‘dada,’ and he’s only just gained that title six months ago. He needed to make up for lost time. Both his bikini-babes were laughing at his antics as he taxied them around the pool.
“I like seeing you with them.” Jared watched the trio thoughtfully, wading his way towards where his words stopped Jensen. “They adore you.”
“They love you too,” Jensen smiled, stretching his head to the left to evade a splash of water.
“Yeah, I know that. It’s just….it’s nice to see them with you.” Jared’s smile faltered around the edges, giving way to a nagging uncertainty.
Immediately, Jensen caught it. Changes in Jared, even the smallest ones, have become as blatantly obvious as a neon sign. “Jay?” Jensen frowned, eyes filled with concern. “Jay, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” Jared shook his head and tried to smile but it was too much, making the gesture look out of place on his face.
“Jay…” Jensen’s voice held a tone of warning and he wasn’t going to let Jared get away from him that quickly.
“It’s nothing. Really. I promise.” Jared waded backwards but Jensen crowded in on him, trapping him against the pool’s wall. “It’s just…seeing you with them…it reminded me…” He pressed his lips together and twisted them to the side in thought. “It reminded me that we’re going to see our new baby tomorrow.”
Jensen knew. He didn’t need to be reminded. He’d been waiting for tomorrow’s ultrasound appointment for weeks. But Jared looked worried, anxious even, and he couldn’t pinpoint why. “And…that’s bad?”
“It’s…” Jared tried to wiggle to the side and escape out from under Jensen. “It’s a lot of things. It’s not bad though…well, I hope it’s not bad.”
The thought of their appointment being bad never entered Jensen’s mind. He’d been too caught up in the novelty of it all, hooked on the excitement of actually seeing something that looks like a baby. He knew there were actual medical reasons for their appointment but they were all background noise to the warm and fluffy feelings of adding to their family. “It’s not going to be bad, Jare.” Jensen watched Jared’s eyes dart nervously around their yard. “Hey, Jared? Why do you think it could be bad?”
“I’m sorry. I’m just being crazy or hormonal or both. It’s just that these,” he tapped both of his giggling daughters on the nose, “are my babies. Thinking about a new baby is doing crazy things to my head.”
Jensen pursed his lips together but Jared cut him off.
“Don’t give me that look. This isn’t me worrying about either of us loving Ari and Brooke as much as the new baby. You made it very clear how much that isn’t a concern.” Jared leaned forward and kissed Jensen softly on the lips, lingering so that he could feel Jensen’s smile develop under his kiss. “I just don’t want any surprises. That’s all. I want a healthy baby and I guess I’m just a little nervous about hitting the twelve week milestone.”
“I’m nervous too. Well, more excited than nervous but nervous none the less,” Jensen sighed at the thought. “But it’s going to be good, Jared. It is going to be perfect because you’re incapable of doing anything otherwise.”
“You make it so easy to love you.&rdquo
Arianna reached out towards Jared. “Papa! Apple!”
Jared grabbed Arianna and swung her into his arms, twirling her in a circle before coming to a stop. “Are you hungry, angel?”
Arianna nodded her head while giving her father a big smile.
Jared’s stomach growled almost on cue, and he matched his daughter’s smile. “I guess I’m hungry too. How about we go in and get lunch?” He settled Arianna on his hip and gave Jensen a smile. “Ready for lunch?”
“Should I go light some candles?” Jensen shifted Brooke to his other hip and kissed her on her crown while he walked to follow Jared’s path to the pool’s stairs. He smirked when Jared rolled his eyes before continuing his exit and paused to watch Jared slowly step out of the pool, noting the way the water clung to his tiny swell of a stomach. The proof that their new baby was growing left no doubt in his mind that their appointment tomorrow would go off without a hitch. Jared deserved things to work in his favor and Jensen was going to do everything in his power to make that happen, even if it meant holding his hair back in about 45 minutes.
*********
“Jensen, stop fidgeting.” Jared folded his hands on his lap and shook his head at Jensen’s actions, letting a small laugh escape.
“Sorry.” Jensen quickly put a stop to his tapping foot and stopped picking at his nail beds. “You’re not nervous? Because I’m nervous. But if you’re not nervous then I’m good because…”
“Jensen?”
Jensen raised both eyebrows at his boyfriend and made a startled noise when he was cut off. “Yeah?”
“I’m nervous, just not that nervous.” Jared’s fingers found the curve of his belly and splayed across it.
“It’s just…it’s the first time we get to see our baby, to make sure he or she is doing okay. I’ve never…”
“You’ve never done this before.” There was a tinge of sadness to Jared’s words. He snorted softly out his nose and brushed his hair back. “I wish you did…you know…before, with the girls and everything. I was happy, but it kinda sucked doing this alone.”
Jensen frowned, the lines at the corners of his mouth deepening. In a fluid movement, he raised a hand to stroke against Jared’s cheek. He watched Jared’s eyes dance between emotions, a lingering sadness overtaking their excited nervousness of the day. They didn’t know who they were fooling when they thought they could work a normally scheduled workday, using their lunch break for their first trimester ultrasound. Both men were completely useless, heads up in the sky anticipating the soon-to-come moment. “Hey, Jay, I’m sorry it ‘sucked’ before. But it’s going to be different now. You’ve got me and all my incessant worrying and doting.” He cupped Jared’s chin and ran his thumb along the man’s jaw, pausing near Jared’s lips when his boyfriend pressed a kiss to the center of his finger. “And, for what it’s worth, I sorta dreamt about being there with you, during the twins’ pregnancy. Ever since you showed me that first ultrasound, I started wishing they were mine. Granted, I didn’t know you weren’t with anyone at the time and I assumed you weren’t going to appointments alone. I selfishly wished it was me going with you.”
“I should find that creepy.” Jared’s warm laugh cut through the impersonal sterility of the room.
“But you don’t. You find it a charming reveal of my love and devotion.” Jensen’s laugh mixed with Jared’s, happy that their nerves were quelled for now.
They were drawn out of their moment by a rapid knock at the door followed by Dr. Austin pushing into the room without waiting for a reply. “You two ready to get this show on the road?” The doctor smiled, reaching out a hand to shake first Jared than Jensen’s offered one.
Taking a deep breath, Jared nodded his head. “Yeah. We’re more than ready.”
“Ok. Jared, you remember the drill, yes?” He waited for Jared’s silent reply before patting the reclined exam table. “We can get to all the fun stuff first, since I’m sure that’s what you’re waiting for.” Dr. Austin raised a knowing eye at Jensen while Jared lay back in the table. “How are you feeling, Jared?”
“Good. I feel good. I have more energy than last time, which is surprising since Ari and Brooke are a handful.”
“He’s throwing up a lot.” Jensen’s words blurted out in one rushed statement, making Jared glare at him. “What? I’m sorry Jared, but you are.”
“It’s probably nothing to be worried about, perfectly normal.” Dr. Austin laughed as Jared rolled his eyes at Jensen. “Are you keeping down more than you’re not?”
“Yeah. I just get sick around…now…around noon.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. You were the same way with the twins.” Dr. Austin flipped through Jared’s chart with the new information a nurse had added. “You’re gaining weight. If that stops happening, then I’ll worry. But for now, my advice is to keep an eye on it and hopefully we can just wait out this delightful perk of pregnancy.&rdquo
“Yeah…some perk.” Jared arched his back and stretched out across the table.
The doctor smiled and moved Jared’s paper gown out of the way. He grabbed a tape measure from the counter and made quick work of taking and recording several measurements.
Jensen fell silent. Irrationally, he didn’t love the doctor’s hands roaming and searching across Jared’s middle. He felt a pang of helplessness rise in his gut and he didn’t know what to do with himself. Jared saved him from thinking about it too hard by grabbing his hand and squeezing it like a lifeline.
“Okay, so fun part now, blood tests and all those other ‘un-fun’ questions later?” Dr. Austin flipped on the ultrasound machine and tossed a bottle of transducer gel from palm to palm. When both men nodded, just a fraction too fast, he squirted a figure eight pattern of gel across Jared’s stomach. “It’s cold.”
Jared inhaled sharply. “They always say that and I always flinch.”
It took several moments of searching with the transducer but Dr. Austin’s movements came to a halt when he zeroed in on the tiny fetus. The grainy image on the screen showed off a perfect profile of the very human looking being. “There’s your baby.” He focused on the fetus as he moved the wand around in exploration.
“Ohmygod,” Jensen exhaled. They’d been to appointments before, but never like this. This was something he only thought he could grasp in his dreams. Only, this was real, Jared made it real. “Oh, my god…” Transfixed on the screen’s image, Jensen leaned closer. Their baby didn’t look like much, only it had that familiar curve of a human skull and it moved, wiggling and twisting as if it knew it was on display. “It has a head…”
“Yeah…” Jared is far away, staring at the screen, and his voice is almost dream like
“Did you expect it not to?” Dr. Austin laughed and zoomed in on a profile shot of the baby’s head.
It was weird to see the baby on the screen. Technically, Jensen knew that there was a baby somewhere inside Jared; however, it was another thing entirely to see the undisputable proof. He never had this type of first meeting with the girls and it was weird to love something he couldn’t touch yet. Jensen’s untrained eyes were still able to pick out the slope and curve of a nose. “And it has a nose…”
The doctor looked at Jared but pointed with his thumb to Jensen. “This is his first time, huh?” He smiled fondly when Jared took a pause from staring at the screen to nod a ‘yes.’ “What you’re seeing is the nasal bone. It’s a good thing that it’s there; it means there’s a reduced chance that your baby will have Down’s Syndrome.”
“Down’s Syndrome?” Jensen startled, bolting upright in his chair beside an equally on edge Jared. Being brought out of their happy moment by such a weighty concern sent a chill over their bodies.
“Relax. I wouldn’t worry about it. The baby is measuring perfectly, right on track. Although I think we may have shot for the wrong date of conception last time we met. It looks like you’re closer to thirteen weeks, Jared.”
Jared settled back down but didn’t release his grip on Jensen’s hand. “Ooh – so the baby’s okay?”
“Yes, the baby is perfect. Everything looks great. It’s a little wiggly right now, which is making my job more difficult, but activity is a good thing.”
“Jay,” Jensen wiped at his eyes and a huge smile spread across his face, “our baby’s okay.”
“Mmm, hmm.” Jared pressed his lips together and nodded. Watching the fetus squirm and flip over, he laughed, his belly laugh making the transducer bounce and the images on the screen warm momentarily. Smiling at the screen, Jared’s voice was heavy with emotion. “Hi, baby. You’re the little thing that’s making me sick all the time, huh? Just like Arianna and Brooke did when…” Jared’s words faded out and he snapped his head towards his doctor. “There is only one baby, right?”
Snickering, Dr. Austin rolled the wand across Jared’s abdomen, studying the ultrasound feed. “Yep. Just one.” He flicked a switch and let the sound of a fetal heartbeat fill the room. “One heartbeat, too.”
“Thank god.” Jared sighed, a little too relieved, as the steady sound of one heartbeat filled his ears.
“Thank god?” Jensen screwed his nose up and stared at Jared. “Like having two of my babies would be so terrible?” He didn’t mean to come off as hurt as he sounded, but he didn’t think the idea of another set of twins was so offensive.
“Oh, no, Jensen, baby, I didn’t mean it to sound like that.” Jared rubbed his thumb over Jensen’s knuckles. “Of course it wouldn’t be terrible. I would love those babies. This has nothing to do with you. It’s just…being pregnant with twins once was more than enough. It was…a lot. It was exhausting. And I was all big and miserable and…yeah, one baby at a time sounds pretty good right now.” He pleaded with Jensen with sincere eyes
The word ‘sound” refocused Jensen enough to take in the sound of his child’s heartbeat. It was fast and loud and real. He couldn’t help but return to a state of awe and happiness. Despite not being alone in the room, he pressed an intense kiss to Jared’s lips, surprising the man and causing him to let out an “oomph” of surprise. Pulling away so their lips were practically grazing, he smiled against them. “We’re having a baby.” All his prior blissfully happy thoughts hit him full force, and it was the only sentence he could get out. He hoped Jared understood the deep meaning that fact held for him.
“Yeah, we are.” Jared tilted his chin up and caught Jensen’s lips again.
“Thank you for getting us here. For trusting in us enough to be ready for this.” Jensen felt himself on the edge of tears. As of late, it had been Jared who was doing the crying but he felt like the tables were about to turn or, at least, they would both find themselves in a bit of a teary mess. “I love you so much.” He dropped another loving kiss to Jared’s lips, needing the connection more than oxygen at the current moment.
“Ahem.” Dr. Austin cleared his throat while his eyes stays fixed on the screen. He busied himself while printing up scan images and gave the two men some privacy to come out of their moment. “I hate to get in the middle of something, but we still have the ‘not so fun stuff’ to get to.”
Jared blushed, a devious smirk on his face. “Oh yeah, sorry…blood tests and all.” He extended his arm, palm up, towards the doctor in an invitation to draw blood. The doctor got to work but Jared kept his eyes locked with Jensen’s, barely feeling the needle break his skin. “I love you too.”
*********
Jensen was back to being nervous again. They somehow ended up at his parent’s house for lunch – of all things – and Jared was looking a little green around the gills.
This wasn’t how they planned on sharing their good news with his mother and father. They’d planned to invite his parents over for dinner; they’d had a whole elaborate plan, complete with digital photo frame and scripted chain of events. Jared thought it was a little over the top but he humored Jensen and let the man enjoy going through this process for the first time. Jensen’s excitement was contagious and Jared found himself feeling like a first time parent all over again, getting caught up in every moment.
They hadn’t planned on showing up for lunch at Jensen’s parents’ place, yet there they were. They somehow got wrangled into dropping off newborn clothing for Mackenzie at Donna and Alan’s. Turned out, Mackenzie was more than nesting, and with only a couple of weeks to go before her due date, she had wrangled her mother into helping make sure her daughter would be clothed for the rest of her life. Since Mackenzie was on orders not to drive, Jared and Jensen were in charge of taking her to the Ackles family’s house along with promised clothing. Apparently, Donna didn’t need any more of a reason to whip up a lunch spread. She insisted the kids – and grandkids – stayed for lunch before going their separate ways.
Though Jared gave him a pleading ‘this is a bad idea’ look, Jensen couldn’t say no, not to his mother or his sister
When Mackenzie begged as well, Jared was a goner. Haven gotten increasingly close to the woman after her miscarriage, Jared knew what it was like to deny an extremely pregnant person anything.
This is why the five adults and two children found themselves in the dining room amongst enough food to feed a small army.
ensen was helping feed a high-chaired Arianna, whose own use of her fork was landing more food outside her mouth than in, while Brooke ran from one grandparent to the next
Jared was taking calculated breaths, his face losing some of its exuberance as he tried not to throw up.
Reaching out, Jensen ran a concerned hand over Jared’s thigh. He whispered, “Jay?”
“I’m okay.” But the words came out like he wasn’t sure who he was trying to reassure.
Thankfully, the other adults were too distracted by the children and eating that they didn’t notice Jared’s change in attitude.
Brooke crashed into Jared’s legs, raising her arms and pouting to be picked up. Jared swung her up onto his lap with his eyes closed. She had a soggy piece of bread she had been gnawing on in one hand, and mashed it near Jared’s mouth. “Papa, bread!”
Jared groaned and swallowed with some difficulty.
“Papa!” Brooke giggled and bounced on her father’s lap, her toothy grin and shiny brown pigtails on full display. “Want bread?” She pushed her bread in her father’s face again.
Jared’s hand flew to his mouth and he choked on a gag. “I’m gonna be sick.” He pushed back in his chair, almost tipping the high back over, and dropped Brooke into Jensen’s lap. With his hands now free, he was able to cup both of them to his mouth before high-tailing it to the bathroom and slamming the door.
Everyone at the table followed his exit with wide-eyed shock - all but Jensen who had been waiting for the ticking time bomb to go off. “Excuse me.” He rose from his set and passed a confused Brooke off to Donna’s waiting arms and followed his boyfriend’s path through the house.
In the end, it was one of Jared’s minor bouts of mid-day sickness. It was more of a series of gags and coughs than anything else. Though, Jensen wasn’t happy that Jared wound up throwing up the small portion of lunch he’d managed to find enough desire to eat.
When they returned, it was as if Jensen’s family hadn’t taken their gaze from the hallway leading to the bathroom. Brooke managed to make her way to Alan’s lap, but everything else was a standstill.
“I’m sorry.” Jared bowed his head briefly before retaking his seat.
“Jared, sweetie, are you okay?” Donna frowned and reached forward from her spot beside Jared to rub a hand over man’s back.
“I’m much better now, thank you.” Taking a sip of water, Jared tried to smile but it came off as forced and shaky
Mackenzie narrowed her eyes at Jared and smirked. “You sure you’re okay, Jay?”
“It wasn’t the food, was it? Did something you ate bother you?” At the thought, Donna picked at the food on her own plate as if her inspection held the answer to her question. “Oh, my gosh, I would feel terrible if it was something I cooked.”
“No, I...uhh…” Jared looked to Jensen and shrugged.
Nodding, Jensen smiled. He knew what Jared was thinking and he was more than ready to have their happy news out in the open. Quite frankly, it was exhausting keeping it all in. Currently, Jared’s immediate family were the only other ones to know and Jensen was sure his ears were still ringing from the squeal of happiness Sherri let out over the phone last night. Jared had gotten to spring their surprise on his parents through sending Sherri and Paul their weekly e-mail of grandbaby photos. Only, this time he included their thirteen-week ultrasound scan amongst new shot of the twins
Sure, they wouldn’t get to tell his parents in the way they planned, but things with Jared always had a way of happening on their own.
“No, it wasn’t the food.” Jared cleared his throat and nervously toyed with his napkin. “It’s because…well…we’re pregnant.” He gave a sheepish grin and raised both shoulders in expectation for their response.
Mackenzie squeaked; there wasn’t any other word for it. “Oh, Jared!” Her smile took over her face and she beamed at Jensen.
Before she could say any more, Donna was out of her seat and pressing a huge kiss to Jared’s cheek. “Oh, you precious thing, you!” She hugged him tight and then kissed his cheek again in a way only a mother could. “You sweet, sweet, wonderful thing!” She pulled back enough to rub her hand in a circle over the swell in Jared’s middle. “A baby! How wonderful!”
Jared looked a little stunned as Donna continued her doting, but he eventually had to laugh at how over the top she was taking things.
“How far along are you?” Donna pulled Jared to her once again.
“Umm, thirteen weeks.” Jared let out a string of nervous laughter, Donna's tight embrace made it difficult to talk..
“Thirteen weeks! Oh, you perfect angel, you!” Donna cupped Jared’s face in her hands and patted his cheeks affectionately.
Jensen watched their interactions with confusion. “You know, I had something to do with this whole event as well.”
Donna waved his words off. “Phh! You’re not doing anything. Jared’s doing everything, giving us this sure-to-be-perfect new grandbaby.”
Alan slapped a palm to Jensen’s back. “Don’t worry son, I also did ‘nothing’ when you and your siblings were born. Congratulations. That’s wonderful news. I couldn’t be happier for you two.” His eyes crinkled up in a genuine smile. “But you’d better get used to doing a whole bunch more of ‘nothing’ if you want to survive this whole process.” He bounced Brooke on his lap and smiled down at her. “You’re going to be a big sister, aren’t you, sweetheart?” Brooke stared up at him in confusion before deciding to parrot back the word ‘sweetheart’.
Jensen gulped but was saved from having a panic attack by Mackenzie pulling him into a tight hug. She angled her belly so that Jensen could fit up against her side.
“My big brother is having a baby.” Mackenzie squeaked with happiness again and gave one last squeeze before pulling out of the hug. “I’m so, so happy for you guys!”
As if Mackenzie’s words awoke something in her, Donna released Jared from her excited hug and stared at Jensen. Her eyes were wet with happiness and she found a way to situate herself between Jared and Jensen, loop an arm over each seated man’s neck, and hug both of them at the same time. “My baby boy is having another baby!”
Jensen picked up on his mother’s wording and from the grin on his face, so did Jared. In the Ackles’ minds, they already had three grandchildren. Arianna and Brooke were theirs before the legal documents said so.
It was a touching moment until Arianna, displeased with the lack of attention on her, flung a forkful of saucy bowtie pasta at Donna, landing it on her cheek.
Once over the shock, Donna laughed and abandoned hugging the two men to pinch Arianna’s baby fat cheek. “You boys are going to have your hands full.”
From under the table, Jensen felt Jared grab onto his hand and squeeze reassuringly. Jared had his other hand on his baby bump, a gesture he’d tried so hard to stall prior to sharing his news. A smile plastered on his face and liveliness back in his eyes, Jared responded honestly. “I can’t wait.” Within seconds, he had his arms full of Mackenzie and was in the middle of a repeat performance of Donna’s prior actions.
“We’re going to have babies together!” Mackenzie looped both arms around Jared’s neck, giving an excited giggle while hugging him.
Jensen smiled at his family’s reactions. There would be bumps in the road – hell, they already overcame so many – but no matter what, he was going to enjoy and appreciate every moment of it. He fished an ultrasound scan out of his pocket and set his mother off on another kissing-hugging-fest. The girls looked confused but they were looking at him and Jared like they had all the answers
They didn’t, but it was nice to think that maybe they did. They would explain the pregnancy to them eventually, in their own home and in their own time
Jared was looking at him with the same expression, like Jensen was the answer to all his questions. And it was nice to feel like Jensen held that much pull in Jared’s life. It made him promise to do ‘nothing’ and as much ‘nothing’ as Jared needed.
He was okay with people fawning over Jared.
How could he not be? He’s Jared’s number one fan.