“Turns out you were right. Isn’t that exciting news! You’re going to be a mother!”
Jennifer gaped at the doctor, a surge of excitement and fear electrifying her. She was pregnant. She was going to bring life into the world and it was a life she had created with Dax during the best sex she had ever had in her life. She had to tell him.
“I’m pregnant,” she whispered to herself.
“Big news, huh?” the doctor said, winking at Jennifer.
“Very,” she said quietly.
“I know these things can come as quite a surprise, but don’t worry. Everything’s going to be fine. You’re healthy and there shouldn’t be any complications that I could foresee, just make sure you’re taking your prenatal vitamins and come in for your check-ups. Is there anything we should know about the father? Species, perhaps…?”
“Bear-shifter,” she said numbly. “Is that bad?”
She looked up at the doctor pleadingly, the panic welling in her chest.
“No, it’s not bad. It will just change which vitamins we send you home with, that’s all. I’m sure everything’s going to go fine. Shifter babies have the highest rate of success when it comes to pregnancies and birth. You’re a lucky woman.”
The doctor winked at her and Jennifer felt a numb sense of joy try to flicker through her. The baby was going to grow strong. She would have a healthy baby… but what the hell was she supposed to do about the baby’s father? They hardly knew each other and now they were tied together for the rest of their lives.
“Well, I’ll leave you alone to process. This kind of news can take a bit of mulling over. The nurse will be in in a few minutes with your paperwork and she’ll give you all the details about your medications, all right?”
Jessica nodded dumbly.
“Great!” The doctor said, beaming at Jessica. “Congratulations!”
The doctor disappeared from the room and Jessica suddenly felt a heavy pressure in her chest as the panic within her welled up to a breaking point. What was going to happen now? How was she going to tell Dax he was going to be a father? Again! Would he even be able to love this baby? He didn’t seem to be very fond of humans so was he going to feel knowing he was going to be stuck dealing with Jennifer, if he was going to want any kind of relationship with their child?
They were going out the next day. Somehow, she knew she would need to come up with something to tell him before then. “Hey, nice to see you again. Sooo, you knocked me up! Isn’t that a hoot?” How the hell was she supposed to break this kind of news to somebody? It wasn’t casual dinner conversation, that was for sure. She would have to tell him about it when they were alone somewhere.
But what if that didn’t happen? She hardly wanted to tell him he was going to be the father of her child while they were driving. Talk about dangerous. What if he got mad at her? Bear-shifters could have terrifying tempers and some of them were ready to fight in an instant. Most of them were respectful to women in general, but that didn’t mean that under duress, they would act that way.
When the nurse came in, Jennifer could hardly pay attention to anything the poor girl was saying and nodded absently as she gave her the detailed instructions. How hard was it to swallow a pill? If she needed the details she would read the sheet later.
By the time she left the hospital Jennifer was shaking. She was overjoyed about the prospect of being a parent. She felt a tremendous sense of love for the little life within her already, and they hadn’t even met yet. Still, there was the matter of the child’s father to worry about and until they spoke, she was going to feel this trepidation whether she liked it or not.
***
Friday night rolled around a lot more quickly than she’d thought it would. It went by in a flurry of worrying and fear until finally her shift was over and Dax was standing outside, holding out a huge bouquet of flowers. She took it and laughed despite herself. He was sweet. Maybe he did like her a little bit, after all.
“How was work?” he asked, leading her to his car. It was nice, she had to admit; dark and sleek and kind of massive. It looked like it would hold up for years. He’d probably been thinking of his daughter when he had bought it.
“The same as it always is,” she said, her stomach fluttering nervously. What wasn’t the same was that she’d spent the day in a bar knowing she was pregnant, and now she was walking and talking with the child’s father like it was the most natural and casual thing in the world for her to be doing. It was bizarre, really.
“I guess that’s good. No news is good news, I think they say.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Jen agreed, smiling privately over the unsure look in Dax’s eyes when he tried to reference anything to do with human culture. He was very sheltered here on Oak Mountain and honestly it was nice that he wasn’t completely immersed in human society. Humans were exhausting, and they overcomplicated everything. At least the bear-shifters were simple and direct compared to the humans she’d always known.
Once they were settled in the car, Dax turned to her, his lips spread in a charming, handsome smile. Her heart fluttered. This man was too impossibly perfect. And now she was probably going to scare him away for the rest of their lives by telling her the big news. Maybe it could wait until they had gotten dinner first; it might soften the blow a little bit. That was, if they even ended up having dinner this time. Who knew with a bear-shifter what his idea of courtship might consist of?
“There’s a place up here I’ve never gone to but heard good things about,” Dax said mysteriously, turning on the engine and starting forward. “I hope you like it.”
Jennifer’s heart was doing somersaults in her chest. This man was so damn close to perfect that it was scary. But who was to say how long that would last once he knew that he was going to be a father, a father to a child with a woman he barely knew and probably didn’t even like all that much.
The rest of the car ride was silent despite Dax’s best efforts at conversation starters. She was just too nauseated about the upcoming conversation they were going to have that she couldn’t bring herself to fully enjoy his company. Finally, they just settled in the quiet until they made it to the restaurant. Jennifer smiled despite herself. It was a steakhouse, and it was big.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Dax said, his chiseled face breaking out into a broad smile that nearly stopped her heart. It would be a sin for this man to get any better-looking. She couldn’t help but feel guilty at what seemed like his innocent ignorance. Soon, she would give him news that would make him second guess whether he should ever look at her with a smile like that again. The thought made her insides shrivel, and Dax’s smile faltered.
“What’s the matter?”
“Nothing!” Jen said quickly. “I just think I forgot something at the bar. And yes, I’m definitely hungry. I’ve been ravenous the past few days.”
The first part was a lie, but the second was very true. She hadn’t had an appetite like this in years and she attributed it all to the little baby bear-shifter growing within her. The bear-shifters were full of muscles and tended to have voracious appetites. The bar had a full menu, rather than just appetizers and greasy bar food. Even drunk the bear-shifters had to eat frequently to keep their tempers under control.
When they walked into the steakhouse, Jen gaped at it in awe. It was almost like walking into some kind of amusement park. There were things to look at on every wall and a room full of games and rides for the little bear-shifters who were zipping back and forth, just as energetic as the wolf-shifter pups she’d babysat in Stonybrooke. It was a ridiculously impressive place.
“So, you haven’t ever been here before?” Jennifer asked in awe. If she had known this place existed sooner she probably would have come at least once a week, if for nothing else but the live music playing on stage in the back of the restaurant near the bar.
Dax shook his head. “Never in my life. I stick around town with Marnie most of the time, but I did hear that the food is good, so…”
“Well I guess we’re going to have to find out for ourselves,” Jennifer said, smiling at Dax. He was really trying with her. it was clear he wasn’t comfortable with the place. There were big television sets playing muted sports games and all kinds of activity. He kept glancing around at everything, as if the noise and activity made him jumpy. He was probably used to quiet nights at home with his little girl, and the thought made Jennifer’s heart melt.
“How many?”
A woman, clearly a shifter, approached Dax and he grinned at her. Jennifer noticed with a pang of jealousy at just how captivated the server was with him and nearly stood between them to get her attention away from him. That was weird. Normally, she’d never been the jealous or possessive type, especially not with men she was doomed to have a complicated relationship with for the rest of their lives.
“I have a reservation, actually.”
“Of course! You must be Dax.”
Jennifer’s eyes narrowed as the giggle escaped the woman’s lips. Dax may or may not have been interested in her, but it was clear the woman was definitely interested in him. Jen couldn’t wait to get the hell away from her.
After what seemed like an eternity of her giggling and hem-hawing, the server eventually led them to a staircase that took them to a higher level of the restaurant to a quiet secluded loft that was lit with cozy golden bulbs. The ambiance was most definitely a romantic one and Jennifer fixed a triumphant smile on the server, who seemed a little bit disappointed when one of the waiters came to the table and sat down a candle, lighting it unceremoniously before moving along on his way.
Once they were finally alone again, Jen scoffed.
“What?” Dax asked, quirking a brow at her from behind his large menu.
“Nothing,” Jen mumbled, realizing just how ridiculous she was being. Was this some kind of hormone thing? Was it because she was pregnant with a bear-shifter child? And how the hell was she going to work that into their casual conversation? Could she just say: “Well actually Dax, it’s hormones because I’m pregnant with your child.”
Maybe she could have, but even if she wanted to, they were interrupted again by a different waiter who beamed down at them.
“Welcome to Sawder’s! Can I start you off with some drinks tonight?”
“A bottle of wine might be a good start,” Dax said thoughtfully.
“No!” Jen said quickly.
Both Dax and the waiter fixed an odd look on Jennifer and she laughed nervously. She couldn’t tell them the real reason she couldn’t drink. Not like this.
“I just got off work from the bar and I honestly don’t think I could stomach the smell of alcohol right now… it’s a long story.”
It was a half-truth. Somebody had gotten sick on the floor that afternoon and the smell of the alcohol mixed in his vomit nearly made her lose her own lunch too. But they didn’t need to know the details. Dax just smiled at her.
“You order whatever you like then. Don’t be shy.”
His lips were tight when he looked back at his menu and Jennifer felt a wave of guilt crash over her. She was ruining all of his little romantic plans. He was going to be sick of her by the time the night was over and then he would get a real surprise and probably be furious he was stuck with her for the rest of his life.
“Water sounds really good,” she said. She wanted to make sure that she was treating her body the best she possibly could. She wasn’t just surviving for herself anymore. She had her baby to think about.
They finished ordering their drinks, Dax getting a water and a shot of whisky for himself and were finally left at their table in silence.
“So, what do you think of this place so far?” she asked, glancing up from her menu.
He pursed his lips tighter and smiled. “It’s a little human, but it’s actually a really nice blend. Not too human.”
She laughed. “You’re not a fan of humans, are you?”
“Oh, it’s not the humans I don’t like. It’s just the culture. It’s kind of wasteful sometimes, you know, and not always great for the planet. I like humans just fine or I wouldn’t be here with you, now would I?”
He had her there. Jennifer blushed, feeling a surge of warmth course through her. She wanted them to be able to enjoy the rest of their night together without having to worry about the heavy news weighing on her mind. It felt urgent, like she should tell him right away, and yet it was one of those things she just couldn’t seem to articulate no matter how hard she tried. Maybe some small talk would help her get around to it.
“Are you ready to order?”
Jennifer sighed deeply and slumped back against her booth. Would they ever be left alone?
“Yes,” Dax said, his eyes twinkling at her. “I think we will.”