I Choose You : A New Chapter

The Jeffery Dean Morgan Charm

Cassie woke up with a sickening feeling in her stomach. It wasn't morning sickness, but a jumble of nerves making her feel like she was going to throw up. Today was the day that she was going to tell Jeffery she was going to try and find another publishing firm, preferably one that will publish her.

With the baby coming along, she couldn't afford to wait a year. She had to have money and she had to have it now. Ben has been a rock by taking on extra shifts at work, sometimes working a double once he gets out of school.

He hardly has time to do his homework by the time he gets home. Cassie has to keep him awake enough to at least finish half of it. Luckily, his teachers really like him and understand his situation once he explained he had a child coming in just a few months.

He was being pressured to join the plays at school, even some local ones around the city, but he kept pushing the offers away in order to focus on bringing in money. Cassie hated seeing him turn down these offers. She wants him to do everything he wants, but it's hard right now.

That's why she was going to march into Jeffery's office and tell him she's done waiting. He doesn't know she's pregnant, as she doesn't want anyone to really know, but it's getting tougher and tougher to hide it.

She's six months along now, but always wore baggy shirts or Ben's oversized sweatshirts to work. Sometimes she just stays home and works from there. Right now, oversized shirts are starting to fit like regular clothing.

With a loud sigh, she sat up in bed and hobbled her pregnant self into the bathroom. She took a hot steamy shower, then hopped out as Ben was getting up. "Shame, I wanted to join you," he said in his husky morning voice.

She smiled at him, then put on her bra and panties. Ben then gently pulled her to him and rested his forehead on her stomach. "My baby boy," he said. "I can't wait to meet him." He placed a kiss on her stomach, then suddenly felt a hard kick on his lips.

He looked up at her with wide eyes. "Did you feel that?" He asked. She nodded with eyes just as wide as his. "That was amazing!" She said. "Talk to him again." He put his lips to her stomach and said, "Do you like daddy's voice?"

He got another kick in response. He smiled against her stomach, then pressed several kisses to it. "Don't cause mummy too much trouble today," he said, before standing up, then placing a kiss on Cassie's lips. "I'm going to hop in the shower," he told her. "If I'm not out before you leave, good luck and I love you. Hopefully this will get Jeffery to realize you're not messing around anymore."

She sighed and told him, "We can only hope."

About half an hour later, she was inside her work building, tapping the floor anxiously with her foot as the elevator rode up. When she stepped out, she went straight to Jeffery's office. "There's my favorite aspiring writer," he said. "What can I do for you?"

Cassie took a deep breath and said, "Well, Mr. Morgan, I just wanted to tell you that...I'm thinking of taking my book to...another publishing firm." She took a deep breath and made sure she was standing up straight to look confident in her decision.

Jeffery stared at her for a few moments, then said, "No." She gave him a double take. "Excuse me?" She said. Sighing he stood from his desk and walked around to her. "Cassie, I would be deemed the biggest idiot if I told you to walk out that door. You are the next big thing and I will be damned if anyone else takes credit for discovering you. I understand you're frustrated because I am, too."

Cassie loved how dedicated he was to her, but it still wasn't cutting it. "Jeffery," she said, "I really need this. Like, now. Maybe I should have told you this earlier...actually, I'm surprised you haven't noticed yet, but..."

She lifted up Ben's oversized sweatshirt and revealed her shirt going tight across her stomach. "Holy shit," he said. "You're pregnant. Very pregnant. Goddammit, Cassie, why didn't you say anything?" She put the sweatshirt down and said, "I don't know. I wanted it under wraps. Anyways, now you can understand why I'm hellbent on getting published."

Jeffery stared at her stomach, then looked up at her. "I'll go up there right now, see what I can do," he told her. He went and opened his desk drawer, then pulled out her manuscript. "Just remember, I don't turn on the Jeffery Dean Morgan charm for anybody."

Cassie chuckled, then said, "I appreciate it." He pressed a kiss to her cheek, then walked out of his office and to the elevator. Cassie, in the meantime, went to her desk. She got a text from Ben saying he picked up a double shift after school and wouldn't be home until late.

She didn't like him working double shifts after school because then he never has a chance to finish up his homework and he goes to school exhausted the next day. She loves how dedicated he is, but she worries sometimes.

It seems like she was waiting for Jeffery for hours. She didn't have anything to, anything to write, so she just swiveled in her desk chair while keeping an eye on Jeffery's office. She took waiting this long as a good sign.

"How long have you been waiting for?" Ben asked over the phone. He was on his break and decided to give her a call. "Four hours," she sighed. "I mean, I suppose that might be a good thing. We might be getting home at the same time."

He hummed, then said, "Don't strain yourself too much, love. We're getting close here, we don't need any complications with the birth." She rolled her eyes and said, "I know."

He's been on "protective daddy mode" for a few weeks now and it was sweet...but also gets on her nerves sometimes. "Alright, I've got to go, but I'll see you later. I love you." She said her goodbye, then hung up and continued to wait.

It must have been five o'clock when the elevator adjacent to her opened to Jeffery. She sprung up from her seat and he gestured for her to follow him. She quickly did and ended up in his office.

"So?" She anxiously asked. Jeffery set the manuscript on his desk, then pulled out the second one she had written. He looked up at her and said, "They were so damn impressed by the first one, they're demanding the second. Congratulations, kid...you're getting published.