Someone In The Crowd [Paul Wesley]

135. IRL

"I love coming here," Cece said. "It's so... homey."

"Homey?" Paul asked. "You've lived in Australia and LA but Jersey feels like home?"

"Jersey has family," she clarified. "It'll always feel like home."

They walked out of the airport, Cece holding tightly onto Loki's lead.

"Is it weird that we're only in town for a weekend?" she asked. "We're gonna drop this huge bombshell on them and then leave." They were in town to tell Paul's parents their pregnancy news.

"Well it's not like we could have come another time. You're gonna be showing soon!" Paul said as he hailed a taxi and then got in.

"How do you think they're gonna react?" Cece asked.

"They're gonna be thrilled," he said. "They've wanted another grandchild for ages." Paul's older sister Monika already had three children.

"Even if it's a bit quick?" she asked.

"Trust me, they don't care," he reassured her. "And we're married, what more could they ask for?"

Cece stroked Loki as they pulled up outside the familiar house. Immediately Leah and Julia ran outside and hugged them both, before taking Loki into the house.

"Here we go," Paul said, squeezing his wife's hand. "You ready?"

"Ready," Cece said.

**

"We have some news," Paul said, smiling at Cece in a reassuring way.

"Oh really?" Paul's mom, Agnieszka asked, glancing at them suspiciously as Leah and Julia stopped what they were doing and everyone listened intently.

"Yeah, um, I'm pregnant."

There was a split-second of stunned silence before the excitement kicked in.

"We're gonna be aunties again!" Julia said, jumping up and down with excitement.

"I'm gonna be the best aunt in the world," Leah said.

Agnieszka wrapped her daughter-in-law in a hug.

"You're going to be an amazing mother," she said in her ear.

"And you're gonna be an amazing grandmother," Cece replied, happiness and excitement flowing through her. Now everyone important knew their news, it was starting to feel real. They were going to be parents.