The Unexpected Romance

Chapter 19

Two days later, Jessica called Aubrey to see how Finn was doing.

"Hey, Jessica," Aubrey said, answering her phone.

"Hey, Aubrey. How's Finn doing? I've been worried about him ever since I saw him and Chad at the park two days ago," Jessica said, concerned.

"He's feeling much better. Thank you for asking," Aubrey said.

"Well, that's good. I would hate to think of what might happen if he were in the hospital," Jessica added.

"Thankfully, it didn't come to that. Though the doctor would like to see him for a checkup before he starts preschool," Aubrey said.

"I think that's a good idea," Jessica agreed.

"So, how's everything with you and Ashley? Isn't your new baby due any day now?" Aubrey asked.

"We're hoping for it to be soon. Ashley and I are starting to get nervous about the whole thing," Jessica replied.

"Why?" Aubrey asked.

"I told Ashley about what happened at the park, and she wants to be prepared if anything similar was to happen to our son," Jessica said.

"Just don't get too stressed about it, okay? I'm confident that you two can handle a crisis together," Aubrey said.

"Thanks, Aubrey. When our son is born, we'll both let you and the other Bellas know," Jessica promised.

"We're all really excited about it. Anyway, I should probably get going, or I'll be late for work. Later," Aubrey said before hanging up.

"Well, Ashley, looks like Finn is doing just fine," Jessica said.

"Oh, thank goodness," Ashley said.

"As it turned out, Finn didn't have to go to the hospital," Jessica said.

"Well, that's a relief," Ashley told her wife.

"I know we've had two reasons to feel nervous about our new baby being born.

But Aubrey believes that we are confident enough to handle a crisis together," Jessica said.

"Of course we are. All I know is that if our son was to ever get sick or if anything else should happen to him, we will be there for him," Ashley said.

"Of course we will," Jessica agreed.

"Well, I'm off to work. How about we watch a movie when I get back?" Ashley suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Don't be home too late," Jessica requested as the two shared a kiss; then Ashley grabbed her purse and left for work.

That night, Jessica and Ashley were cuddling on the couch watching The Greatest Showman.

"This is such a great movie," Jessica said.

"I love musicals," Ashley agreed.

"You know, this movie makes me wonder why I never went to the circus," Jessica said.

"That's because you never showed interest in going to one," Ashley said.

"My parents never took me when I was a kid; I wonder why I never got around to going after I grew up?" Jessica thought.

"I wish I had known you were interested in going; we could have gotten tickets the last time," Ashley said.

"Well, look at the bright side; once our little boy is born, we'll have a chance to take him to the circus," Jessica said.

"We can definitely make that happen," Ashley said as Jessica felt contractions.

Ashley stopped the movie, grabbed her car keys, and then helped Jessica out the door and into the car.

As Ashley was driving,

"Why couldn't we just take a cab? You could've held my hand the entire ride," Jessica asked.

"Trust me, hon; this is an urgent matter, and the hospital has ample parking in their garage," Ashley clarified.

"True. I'm just very eager for this baby to come out," Jessica pointed out, trying to take deep breaths, cringing and squeezing Ashley's hand when each contraction hit.

"Hang in there; we'll be there soon," Ashley assured her wife.

"I hope so," Jessica said.

"So, you excited to meet our new son?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah. It'll be exciting," Jessica said.

Ashley held Jessica's hand whenever she could throughout the ride. They arrived at the hospital by about 8 p.m. When they arrived, Ashley made a call to her parents and Jessica's parents that their son was about to be born.

By 12:30 a.m., Jessica had been pushing for nearly an hour. She concentrated hard, and with Ashley's help, she visualized the baby moving down the birth canal and crowning, then being delivered. And before long, it happened. At 12:33, the baby was finally born.

"Aww, I can't take my eyes off of him. He's so adorable," Jessica said.

"Yeah, he is," Ashley agreed as the two welcomed their new son to the world.

"Here, Jessica. How about you hold him while I take a pic," Ashley said as Jessica agreed.

After Ashley took a pic of Jessica holding their new son, she texted her friends and family about their son's birth.

The text read, "A healthy baby boy named Daniel Andrew Smith-Jones was born on the blessed day of August 31st, 2023."

Before the couple fell asleep, they received numerous replies from the Bellas congratulating them.

Ashley received a reply from her mom stating, "Congratulations! Your father and I are so happy for you two. We can't wait to meet him!"

Ashley replied, "We would love that."

Meanwhile, Jessica got a text from her mom congratulating the couple as well.

"Looks like our parents are very happy for us," Jessica said.

"I wouldn't have had it any other way," Ashley said.

"Remember when we finally got our nerve up to tell our parents we love each other?" Jessica asked as Ashley nodded. "If we never did that, we wouldn't be where we are today."

"I was skeptical about what would happen that day, but I'm glad everything worked out in the end," Ashley said.

"And now we get to spend the next 18 years watching Daniel grow up to live a happy, healthy life," Jessica added.

"Which means we have a bookful of memories to make for the next few years," Ashley replied before the couple eventually fell asleep.

THE END!