After: a Maxerica Story

Part 3

My mom and I stare at each other for a while. Neither of us talk, neither of us move. Finally, she looks at Maxon, and then back at me. "Are you serious?" she says, her voice hushed.

"Yes," Maxon and I say together. I hold his hand tighter, wondering what my mom will say.

She looks uncomfortable. "Already?"

I blush and nod, feeling close to tears. So, she agrees that we should've waited.

She says, "I'm sure that's how most royal families do it. Have a baby right away." There's doubt in her eyes. "Right?"

I nod, just to give her some relief. "Right."

She smiles and hugs me, and then hugs Maxon, which he didn't expect. I giggle at the shock on his face. 

"Well, then. I'm happy for you both!" she says.        

"Thanks, Mom," I say, smiling.

"How long have you known? When are you going to tell the rest of the family?" she asks.

"I just found out this morning, but it's been a few weeks now, I believe," I reply to her first question. But the second one, I don't know how to answer. I suppose I'll tell May sooner than the rest of them, because she won't leave me alone until I tell her. I'm nervous to tell Kenna, as she might ridicule me or say I'm not ready to be a mother. And Gerad... Well, Gerad wouldn't care.

"I'll tell them soon," I say. I look at Maxon. "Is that okay?"

He nods. "Of course." His voice is quiet and shaky. I lean against him, resting my head on his shoulder. With a smile, my mom walks back into her room.

"It'll be okay. I promise," I say reassuringly. I ache for him. I know it has to be hard for him to talk to my mother about this. My mind wanders, leaving me wondering about what my father would say if he could see us now.

"Okay." He kisses me, and I kiss him back. Then the door opens. I don't notice until May starts laughing. I pull away from Maxon and spin around. 

"May!" I exclaim. "I'm sorry... we didn't see you there." She just laughs.

"Mom said you have something to tell me," she states.

I raise my eyebrows. Well, it didn't take long for her to spoil the surprise.

With a sigh, I say, "Yes, I do. Promise you won't freak out?"

"Promise!" she exclaims.

"Well... I am going to have a baby," I breathe. 

As soon as the words leave my mouth, May's eyes widen. She stands up on her tip-toes and squeals. She looks at Maxon and he nods. She jumps into my arms. I hold her there, laughing. Then she hugs Maxon. Again, he isn't expecting it.

"Hey," I tell him. "You're going to have to get used to it. You're part of my family now." I meant no harm, but I can tell it brings up the memory of his parents, wishing he could tell them this news. He bites his lip, evidently trying to push the memories away. But before long, tears start to form in his eyes.

"May," I whisper with a soft smile. "I think you should go back now. I'll see you later."

She obeys and runs into the room.        

Maxon grabs my hands and leads me back to our room. Once the door is fully shut, he starts to cry, a sight that I've never seen. He says people crying makes him uncomfortable, and now I finally understand why.

Should I use humor? No, this is too serious. Maybe I should just talk to him like a human being. No - like his wife.

I sit next to him on the bed. His face is covered by his hands, almost like he's embarrassed that I'm seeing him cry.

"Hey, it's all right," I say, moving his hands away from his face. " You don't need to hide." I lay with him in our big bed. "I understand," I whisper, taking his hand and holding it to my chest. "It's horrible. Just remember, they're watching over you, proud of who you've become."

"They aren't proud of me now!" he exclaims, his voice rough.

"Why wouldn't they be? You're king. And you're living up to their expectations."

"I got you pregnant on the first night we were married. Why in the world would they be proud of that?" He's almost yelling now.

"Oh, Maxon," I say, my voice quiet. "I think they'd see it as a good thing. That we won't go through what they did."

He starts to calm down a bit  and whispers, "You're right. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm sorry too. But there's nothing to be sorry for." I pause. "We're going to be parents."

He just smiles, so I keep talking.

"Other than the whole stomach pains thing, I'm kind of excited. I've always wanted to have kids. And I know you're worried about not having an heir." I smile. "I think we're off to a good start."

Now he laughs. "I'd say you're right. We are. And I've never exactly wanted to have kids... it's always been forced on me. I need to have heirs. But I never got a chance to really think about it."

"Think about it now," I say.

We sit in deep silence for a while. Then he says, "I've made up my mind."

"And?"

"We shouldn't be scared that we're too young, or that it's too soon. There's no need to see you being pregnant as a bad thing. I'm happy for you, I'm happy for us, and I'm happy for the little prince or princess that is going to be born. I'm just...." He sighs. "Just happy."

"I am so glad you decided that," I said. "Because you deserve to be happy."

I roll over on top of him and kiss him passionately. I love him. And he loves me. And I'm married to him. And I'm pregnant with his baby. Now that I think about it, it's not that bad. And now that he's happy, I'm happy. 

And then my thoughts spiral into something less happy.

What is Aspen going to think?