Beyond The Pale

new life

Raina's POV

I had officially been out of my old house for a month. Alex, Jess, Clay and Justin were living in the loft apartment, Jeff had decided to transfer schools so he could stay closer. He'd be attending the same school as Jess and Tyler. We'd all been practically inseperable for the last month, and it was so reassuring. Jess or Jeff went to all of my baby doctor appointments with me, we would all have dinner together every night. Jeff and Tyler had been staying in one of the spare rooms, Zach would stay over when he wasn't busy. It was like having one huge family. I would be sad to see Zach go off to college and only visit on the weekends, but I was so proud of them for going off and doing their own thing.

I'd be lying if I said there wasn't an obvious attraction between Jeff and I. He spent an insane amount of time helping me out, doing little things for me like cleaning while I was gone, or going grocery shopping for me. He was extremely helpful, not to mention he was gorgeous, but that was just a bonus perk. We hadn't officially talked about anything blossoming, or came clean about our feelings for one another, but I knew he felt the same way I did. Why else would he transfer schools to stay closer, right?

I was in the process of cooking dinner for everyone when Jeff wandered in from outside, Ashe in tow. They'd been 'exploring' the property everyday, seeing what kind of plants or flowers they could find. Ashe would draw everything they'd discovered in a little notebook, and Jeff would help him write the names down, and the dates they found them. Ashe hurried upstairs to grab his journal, and Jeff came up behind me, sniffing at dinner from over my shoulder.

"Smells delicious," He mused as I methodically flipped the chicken. I was frying a ridiculous amount of chicken considering Jess, Clay, Justin and Alex were at Zach's and wouldn't be home til later, and Tyler was visiting his parents. It was just Ashe, Jeff and I for the time being, and part of me was enjoying it a lot. "I hope it tastes as good as it smells," I joked, and he scoffed. "You're the best cook I know, Raina. I've yet to eat any of your food that wasn't good."

Ashe trampled in the kitchen, his hands in his pockets. "Can I watch Mickey?" He asked innocently, and I said yes, it would still be a while before dinner was completely done. He ran back off upstairs, leaving Jeff and I alone to talk. "Monty called me today." He said quietly, and I went stiff. I had blocked him on all forms of social media, and blocked his number, so he couldn't get ahold of me. "He have anything good to say?" I said sarcastically, removing the chicken from the pan and placing more in the grease.

"Just the usual. He misses you, ready to be a dad, same bullshit every time, Raina." He said flatly, and I nodded. "I am so glad to be away from that shit," I ranted, subconsciously using my free hand to touch my belly. As much as I hated him now, I would always have a little piece of him around at all times. Jeff was leaned against the counter next to me, grinning from ear to ear. I knew what he was up to. "Can I feel her?" He asked shyly, and I nodded, turning my belly in the direction of his body and letting him caress it. He would talk to her like Monty did, and she'd kick every time Jeff said her name.

"I can't wait to meet her. Honestly. I'm so excited. Isn't your next appointment this week?" He questioned, and I nodded. He had a sly grin plastered to his face, and I answered him before he could ask. "Yes, you can go with me." I mumbled in mock sarcasm, and he hugged me from behind. "I love going to appointments with you. It's always so much fun to see how she's doing, and how big she's getting." He admitted, his arms lingering around me after the hug. "I like it when you go too," I agreed, allowing him to hold on to me. I secretly enjoyed the human contact, especially from Jeff.

After I fried the last of the chicken, I set to work on the collared greens, fried potatoes and corn on the cob. Jeff helped me with every bit of it, and by the time he, Ashe and I sat down to have dinner, we were starving. Still no sign of the rest of our group though. We'd put up the leftovers, cleaned up the kitchen, and Ashe returned to his room to watch Mickey. "Want to watch a movie?" Jeff asked, and I quickly agreed, ready to chill for the evening.