Jess walked down the stairs. At nearly six months pregnant her perfectly round bump was looking more and more like it may pull her over. Yet despite how big her bump became, from the back she was still the same slim Jess.
"Morning sweetheart." Karen pushed a warm cup of coffee and a letter towards her youngest daughter.
"You know me far too well." Jess sat down and took a deep mouthful from the coffee cup before flicking her eyes towards the felt. She felt them froze as she looked at it and automatically recognised the handwriting. She was careful not to let anyone realise that she knew who it was from.
"Anything you've been expecting?" Karen nodded towards the still unopened letter.
"No." Jess shrugged. "I'm sure whatever it is can wait until later." She picked up the coffee and the letter before kissing her Mum on the cheek.
"I'm off in ten minutes if you want a lift?" Karen looked round at all of the kids. Rob had left early to get something sorted for a teaching assessment.
"Actually I think I fancy a walk. I'll see you later though." Jess made sure to smile at her Mum before she went to get her bag.
...
"Hey Jess." Aiden ran out of the front door before jumping over the gate and catching her up. "Do you mind having some company?" He had watched her through breakfast and he was quite sure that she knew exactly who had written her the letter.
Jess looked at him, part of her was screaming at him to go away, but the other half wanted him to stay even more. "I'm sure I could manage." She smiled at him, there was no denying that she felt safe with Aiden. She knew that he was different to some of the guys she knew.
He walked up next to her and protectively slipped an arm around her shoulder. He looked down at the growing bump. "If that gets much bigger we're going to need to find you a permanent back pack to balance you out." He smiled at her. "We can't have either of you getting hurt."
Listening to Aiden made Jess want to burst into tears. She couldn't understand why he cared so much about a child that wasn't his. Or how he made her feel so special. She was pretty sure that she would have given almost anything for her babies father to have been Aiden, but how could she ever tell him that? He sill had his life stretched out in from of him, while in just over three months she was going to become a Mum and everything that she thought she knew about her life was going to completely change. She could never tell Aiden that she was falling in love with him. "Jess." Aiden's voice broke through her thoughts. He turned towards her. He wasn't convinced that it was the right time, of the right question, but he did know that he needed to ask her.
Jess nodded towards him, she had seen Aiden watching her at breakfast and she was pretty sure he was about to ask her about the letter.
"You know who wrote you that letter..." It was more of a statement that a question.
Jess looked at him and gently nodded. "I can't open it yet." She was hoping that he would understand.
"Chris?" Aiden knew that there were three possibilities of people that could send Jess a letter that would frighten her, but he had guessed that she would have talked about one from Charlie or Maria. Yet they all knew how much she hated talking about Chris.
"I couldn't..." She looked towards him. "Everything seems pretty good right now, the last thing I want to do is screw that up again." She turned her face away again hoping that he wouldn't see the tear rolling down her face.
"You can always talk Jess. You should have to worry about things on your own." Without thinking he reached out a hand and gently took hers. "I'm not going anywhere Jess." As she looked at him he couldn't help but mentally kick himself. How could he have been so stupid? The auburn hair, the glint in her eyes and the blush of her cheek. They all added to the ache he felt. The stronger the pain got the harder it was becoming to deny that he was falling in love with her.
Jess smiled at him. "Thank you, but you don't have to...I just wish." She looked at him, she wanted to tell him, she wanted to tell everyone that her greatest wish was that Aiden had been the father of her baby. "I just wish it was different." She felt him squeeze her hand. It sent shockwaves through her body. Even the simplest of touches was enough to give him goosebumps.
"You never know what's around the corner Jess." Aiden looked at her wishing that she could be him, he gave her hand one final squeeze before finally letting it gently go.
...
Aiden sat outside the head teachers office. For the first time since being at the school he wasn't there for being in trouble.
Karen walked into the office from her lunch break. She saw Aiden waiting in the outer part of her office. "You waiting for me Aiden?"
He looked up at her and nodded. For most of the day he had sat in his classes with his mind flicking backwards and forwards trying to decide what he should do. After leaving Jess he had found himself angry and wanting to help her. "If you're free." He looked up at the woman who would become her step mother and knew his decision was right.
She nodded. "I am indeed, why don't you come through?" She pushed opened the inner door to her office and opened it as she walked through, holding it open so Aiden was able to follow her. When he was sat down she gently shut the door and walked over to sit on a chair close to his.
