The End Of The Road | HEROPHINE

Chapter 1

Hero's Pov:
It's been long enough. I can't just sit around and wait for things to be okay. This is my mess and I need to put this right. I can't bear another minute of being apart from Jo. After all, she is everything to me and we'll have to talk sooner or later. Before I can talk myself out of it, I grab my keys off the table and pocket my phone before leaving the house.

The car journey is slow, and painful. I try not to think about the argument we had as it only makes me ache more. Instead, I direct my thoughts towards what I'm going to say to her. I just hope she's willing to listen this time. The last thing I want is to have a huge fight again in her family home.

When I pull up outside the house, I take a deep breath and compose myself before getting out and following the pathway up to the front door.

I must be stood there for a minute or two before I pluck up the courage to ring the doorbell. I'm slightly disheartened when Elizabeth answers the door instead of Jo, but I don't let this stop me. I have to talk to my wife.
'Uh, hi Mrs Langford.' I stutter, scratching the back of my neck.
'She doesn't want to see you right now, Hero. And please, call me Elizabeth.'
The two halves of her response seem wildly different which confuses my already scrambled mind.
'Elizabeth, please. I have to see her. I can't just sit and wait for her to come home.' I plead with her but she's insistent.
'No, Hero! You've hurt her and she needs some time.'
'I'm begging you. All I need is 5 minutes and I—'
'It's okay Mum, I can handle this.' Jo's familiar soft voice interrupts my conversation with her Mother, and I feel some tension dissolve inside me. Elizabeth gives me a rather cruel look, before disappearing into the kitchen and closing the door.
'Well, are you coming in?' She asks, making eye contact with me for what feels like the first time since she arrived back home.
I only nod in response and step inside before removing my trainers.
Jo doesn't say another word, just takes my hand and leads me upstairs. When we reach her room, she closes the door and sits down on the bed, waiting for me to do the same. I join her on the bed, but keep my distance for now. I know we need to ease into this conversation.
'Jo, please hear me out.'
'Hero, stop, before you say anything..'
'No, please. I have to get this out.' I say, taking one of her hands in mine.
She pulls her hand away from my touch and sighs.
'Hero, there's something more.. more serious that I need to tell you before we have this conversation. The argument can wait. Trust me, this is more important.'
'Okay.' I gulp, suddenly some nerves hitting me. The worse scenarios run through my mind, but I try to focus on her and hope she's willing to forgive me.
Jo doesn't actually say anything. Instead, she reaches into her bedside drawer and pulls something out. I'm not really paying attention until she presents it to me. My cloudy vision corrects itself, and there I see the '+' sign, clear as day. Josephine is pregnant. Pregnant. Jesus Christ.
I can't find the words to express how I'm feeling so I just throw my arms around her, and to my relief, she accepts my embrace.
'You're really pregnant? I'm going to be a Dad?' I ask, tears gathering in the corners of my eyes.
She untangles herself from my arms. 'Yes Hero, we're having a baby.' She hugs me again, tighter this time and I can't help but cry. This is the last thing I expected her to tell me, but somehow I feel overjoyed, despite the whole drama between us.

She rubs my back, and tells me everything will be okay. 'Jo I'm so sorry,' I almost whisper, 'that video is not what it looks like, you have to believe me.'
'No, don't be sorry. I should be apologising.' She replies, pulling us apart so she can look into my eyes.
'I should have listened to you in the first place. This is on me.'
'I promise you, I'd never do anything to hurt you, especially not with anyone else.' I tell her, noticing the tears brimming in her eyes too.
'I believe you Hero. But we have to try and move past this for the sake of us. And for the sake of this.' She says, placing my hand and hers on her stomach.
'I can't believe this.' I say, wiping my eyes.
'Me neither.' She smiles, god I've missed her smile.
I hesitantly lean forward and am relieved when she kisses me before I can initiate it.
'I love you, Jo.'
'And I love you' she returns the statement I really needed to hear.
'And, I love you.' I say, bending down to kiss her stomach.
She giggles and whispers, 'the baby loves you too.'
Wow. We're going to be parents. We're having a baby..