Hopeless Devotion ~ A Jasper Hale Story

Chapter Seven - Pregnant

Thursday, August 31st

It was Thursday afternoon when my phone rang.

I answered it quickly, heart already tripping over itself, because something in my chest knew.

"Bella?"

"Tiffany."

That alone was enough. She never said my name like that unless something was wrong.

"What's wrong?" I asked, already sitting up straighter.

There was a pause—short, but heavy.

"I'm pregnant," she said. Then, softer but firmer, like she was bracing herself against the world, "and I want to keep it."

The words landed all at once. Not like a shock. Like a weight settling into place.

"Okay," I said immediately. No hesitation. No questions. "I'll help you."

I meant it in every possible way.

"I—I can't do this without you," she rushed, voice trembling now.

"You won't," I said. "You don't have to."

Another pause. I heard movement on her end—footsteps, maybe.

"Edward's coming," she said quickly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

The line clicked dead.

I stared at my phone for a moment longer than necessary before lowering it into my lap. My hands were steady. That surprised me. Everything inside me felt oddly... aligned.

I looked up.

Jasper was already watching me, expression careful, open, like he was giving me space to decide how much of myself I wanted to share.

"We have to tell them now," I said quietly, eyes dropping to the floor.

He didn't rush me. He never did.

"Okay," he said. Just that. Then, after a beat, "Take your time."

I changed slowly, deliberately. Chose a soft, flowy dress—nothing obvious, nothing tight—but it skimmed my stomach in a way that felt honest. I paused in front of the mirror, hands resting there without thinking.

This is real, a small voice whispered.

I ignored it.

Jasper carried me up to the house, careful and reverent like the moment mattered. He set me down gently on my feet, his hand lingering at my waist as if grounding both of us.

Inside, the house was chaos—voices overlapping, movement everywhere, Alice darting between rooms, Esme calling instructions, Emmett laughing too loudly about something unrelated.

Normal.

Jasper's arm slipped around me, warm and steady. My breathing evened out immediately.

We moved through the house together, up the stairs toward the living room. I hadn't announced myself, but I didn't need to.

Emmett was the first one to really look at me.

Not just glance. Look.

His eyes tracked from my face to my middle and back again, his expression slowly shifting into something dangerously thoughtful.

"Oh," he said.

That single syllable carried far too much weight.

Rosalie turned to him sharply. "Emmett."