Home is where the heart is [M], >>wifey<<

April 30th 2012
Indianapolis, Indiana
Doyle Residence


It wasn’t a far drive to Indianapolis, and Sebastian didn’t mind driving it, he did so on a daily basis to and from work. It was like being on auto pilot he didn’t have to think about where to go and which was to turn. He just drove it absent mindedly. What he was concerned about was spending a whole weekend at his childhood home with his mother, who was still sour about this whole marriage thing and how he’d gone about it. Aisling Doyle didn’t like anything out of the norm. And this was far beyond her mind set. How her son could marry a complete stranger and be happy about it, she had no clue. It was so unlike him. He’d gone from her favored child to the black sheep in the snap of a finger. He was sure the only reason she was speaking to him again was because he had a close brush with death. And it made her realize that life was short and she had to at least try and appease him. That didn’t mean she had to be happy about it though.

Sebastian pulled his car to a stop in front of the four story, rambling Victorian that looked slightly out of place surrounded by more modern homes in the neighborhood. His eyes widened slightly when he recognized several of the cars parked along the street. He’d been expecting a somewhat quiet weekend with only his mother and Juliette now occupying the house on a regular basis he hadn’t figured anyone else would be around. But it appeared that all of his siblings were here. Juliette had a big mouth and he would strangle her, slowly and painfully. He wasn’t sure Jessalyn was ready for the whole Doyle brood. They were a lot to take in all at once, and nothing like Sebastian and his calm ordered demeanor. And he was obsessing now, about every little thing, every little twinge or grimace she gave. Anything that might cause her stress. You’d swear that she was the first woman to get pregnant. But it was his nature, Sebastian was constantly obsessing, planning, thinking.

It hadn’t been planned, but there was nothing that could have made him happier than the thought of a child. Their child. He was going to be a father, and it thrilled him through and through. Surprise or not, this child would be loved.

He turned in his seat, facing his wife “I’m just going to make a blanket apology now for anything that happens when we get out of the car.”

Sebastian couldn’t help but feel like he was leading his wife into a lion’s den. A weekend spent in Indianapolis at his childhood home, with family was hardly what he’d call a good time. He could handle his family, he maneuvered through them his whole life, but he had the distinct feeling that they would tear Jessalyn apart. There was way too much estrogen floating around in that house, it was out of control and it was dangerous. While no one else had stopped speaking to him, a line had been drawn and sides had been taken. No one stood against Aisling Doyle, not even her children, she was a formidable enemy to make.

Seb grabbed their bags from the trunk, it was only two days, but Sebastian was ever prepared for whatever could or would pop up. Mostly anyway. He could hear the loud din of people trying to talk over each other, everyone fighting for a word, the smell of various things cooking wafting through the house as he tried to close the door quietly behind him. It was the sound of his past and the very thing he’d spent his whole life trying to get away from. There was no quiet spot in the entire home, all he’d ever wanted was quiet, enough to hear himself think. He’d never gotten it. There was always someone there, lurking around, butting into your business and not giving you a moment of peace. Two small children shot like bullets out of the room to the left shouting for his attention.

“Someone call an exterminator we’ve got a pest problem.” Sebastian chuckled dropping their bags beside the door, scooping his two year old niece up, planting a slopping kiss on her cheek and picked up her four year old brother underneath one arm and went spinning down the hallway, sending both children into a fit of giggles.

“You’re here!” Juliette shouted excitedly when she heard the door open and went running through the hall past her brother. Wrapping her arms around her sister in law, and grinning through the hug. “Come on everyone’s in the kitchen.” She said looping her arm through Jessalyn’s leading her through the house after her brother.

All conversation died down instantly and every female eye in the house narrowed slightly in judgment of the woman that was about to walk through the door with Sebastian.

There were people everywhere, taking up every seat, women standing at the stove stirring pots and checking something in the oven. Sebastian set the two children down who went running off in another direction in an instant.

Sebastian gave a small, self conscious wave. “Hey everybody, this is Jess.” He gestured to his wife, who Juliette had already staked a claim on. “Jess this is my mother” he started gesturing to each person as he said their names “Claire, her husband Mark, those two brats are their kids Alice and Chase. My brother Boyd, Cadence, her fiancée Luke, Olevia and you know Julie of course. All of whom I wasn’t aware were going to be here. And I do so love surprises.” He finished a little dryly.

He turned to her, took a few steps back an laid an arm around her shoulder, Juliette bit her lip and stepped away. I’m sorry, he mouthed to his wife, he wasn’t sure how she’d take this whole surprise family reunion, like him she’d been expecting his mother and one sister. This was going to be anything but a relaxing weekend.

“Hello,” Claire said, stepping forward immediately, arms outstretched to take Jess up into a hug. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, which had a hard glint to them, and she held the hug just a little too long. “It’s so good to finally meet you.” She looked at her brother, affection apparent in her eyes “Hey drama queen, how’s your swollen brain?” she asked brushing a kiss across his cheek.

“Big and full of knowledge, nothing you’d know about” he said with a smile and a shrug.

“Well I’m glad your better.” She said ruffling his hair. “Did dad call you? He said he would.”

“No, but I did get an email from him. Dear Sebastian, I’m glad your not dead. Love dad.”

“Awe, that’s a little sentimental for him.”

Sebastian nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. Not sure if Jess would be mad that this was sprung on her or if she’d just roll with it. Especially with his mother and the rest of his siblings staring them down from across the kitchen. No one else willing to make the first move.

Jessalyn was surprisingly calm and collected. As her husband turned to her, she shook her head and laid her hand over his. "I'm not worried. Future apology accepted." She had been about to say something more, when a brief wave of nausea came over her. Jess leaned her head back, sure that the first image the Doyle's were going to get of Sebastian's new wife, was her throwing up all over the driveway. In a few minutes, the nausea had passed and while she felt shaky and weaker, she was still resolved to face his mother with an iron will. Pregnant or not, she had to meet her mother in law at some point. It was best to get this over and done with. "I'm ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this." she said, trying to swallow down another wave of nausea. Up until now, she hadn't really had any experience with morning sickness. Jessalyn had no idea why today, of all days it seemed appropriate that she begin to pay the price. Couldn't it have at least waited until they'd returned? She would of much rather gotten sick in the privacy of her own home. Not surrounded by her husband's family, every action scrutinized and calculated.

The house was breath taking, standing almost like a sentinel for the rest of the neighborhood. Just before they entered the house, she grasped Sebastian's hand. Now her nerves had decided to show up, just as she set foot into the Doyle household. "Can we, uh... let's not tell anyone, about the baby, yet." Jess had barely finished the sentence when two children, a girl and boy darted out into the hallway. If she had had any doubts about Sebastian being a good father, they were erased the moment she saw his face explode with expression. Sebastian was born to be a father, she just prayed that motherhood would come just as naturally. Was she maternal enough to raise a child? Jess brushed her hand, gently over her stomach. Whatever happened, she would embrace this new chapter in her life. At least Sebastian would be there, holding her hand every step of the way.

Jessalyn laughed, already feeling her confidence boost. So far, so good. Now, she just had to face the matron of the house. Mothers, women in general usually didn't take to her. Most of the time for reasons that were very valid and based on strong evidence. She was always the 'other' woman, seducing husbands without even batting an eyelash. If she was anyone else, she would take one look at herself and decide on looks alone , to condemn her. Jessalyn straightened her posture and took a deep breath. The tension in the air was thick, as if everyone would be on pins and needles until the judgement had been handed down. Here goes nothing. She was almost thrown off balance by Juliette, wrapping her arms around her in a hug that already spoke of their closeness. Jess laughed and hugged back. At least she had Juliette on her side, that alone was reassuring. She was grateful when Julie linked her arm with her own. The woman felt as if she could use her sister in law for an anchor, should she be cast out to sea among the Doyle clan.

Every eye was immediately upon her. Jessalyn didn't have to look up in order to see it, she could feel them staring her down. The way the kitchen had gone quiet, when she entered, it was obvious that her marriage to Sebastian hadn't been received with much happiness. They would probably shit if they found out she was pregnant, she wondered who would cast the first stone once their secret was out. Her stomach wasn't helping, already she felt another wave of nausea begin to build. Jessalyn wasn't going to wave her white flag so soon, to hell with morning sickness. She had been through worse situations than this. It took everything she had to fight the weakness in her knees and swallow the bile that was threatening to overcome her. In that moment, Julie was her rock. She gripped her sister in law's arm tighter. As she was introduced to everyone and in turn everyone to her, she met each gaze dead on. She didn't flinch in the slightest, she wasn't going to show her weakness in that way. "Hello." It wasn't the wittiest reply, but what else was she suppose to say? The tension in the kitchen could be cut with a knife. She shrugged at Sebastian's mouthed, 'I'm Sorry.' They had been ambushed, there wasn't much he could of done.

Jessalyn embraced Claire, not quite sure how to take the gesture. There was something in her eyes that didn't quite translate into her words. Claire would be hard to crack, that much she already knew. "So am I. It's nice to finally meet Seb's family." Claire launched into full on sister mode and she allowed Sebastian to break the ice with his sister. She was very aware that the next few moments were crucial. She would either have gotten her foot, successfully in the front door, or she would remain on the outside, always the one looking in. "Is there anything I can help with?" Offering her services would alleviate her standing there, looking out of place. That and allow her to focus on not throwing up all over Mrs. Doyle's nice, clean kitchen floor.

"I made a nice batch of pecan pralines." Her accent a little thicker as she mentioned the cookies. " I didn't know what to bring and I would have felt horrible if I had come empty handed." Jessalyn had almost forgotten she had been holding them. She walked them over to the counter and set them down, not really waiting for an invitation. She suspected that if she was to get ahead with this family, she would have to be bold and make the first move. "I'm just thankful that Sebastian made a full recovery. I was beside myself the whole time, I've never been that scared in all my life. It makes you realize how important someone is to you. How much you'd give up, just to be with them."

She knew she was speaking only to her husband at that moment. Jess felt her gaze, seek that of her husband's. She was laying her claim on him, right there (for all to see). In that moment, in as many words she was promising that come hell or high water, she was in this, with him. The Doyle's could either take it or shove it where the sun didn't shine.

Sebastian thought that it was adorable that she thought that was an option at this point, even if it was one she wanted to avoid. He agreed whole heartedly and had no intention of telling his family about the pregnancy until the time was right. One drama at a time, that was his philosophy. One that he lived strictly by in a house full of sisters. You didn’t stir the pot when you didn’t have too. With his family you had to have excellent timing, if they told them now his mother would probably burn her at the stake like a witch. Simply allowing them here, talking to him again was a step that he’d been surprised she’d taken. He’d never been on the wrong side of her wrath before, but he’d watched his siblings suffer it, and it wasn’t pretty. “Absolutly.” He nodded his agreement.

He hoped that she wasn’t overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people that occupied the decently sized kitchen. It was a lot to take in at one time if you weren’t used to it. But he was glad that Claire had stepped forward, the first to welcome Jess to the Doyle home. He didn’t know there were ulterior motive there. Besides Juliette he hadn’t thought they’d have any allies here. No one quite understood why Sebastian would do something so weird and un-Sebastian like. There had to be something wrong with her right? If there weren’t, why would she need a match making service to find a husband? Despite being the oldest of the Doyle brood, his sisters were very overprotective of him. He was always different, awkward and odd, and people could take advantage of him, he’d have no clue, he’d just go bopping along unaware. They protected him. And even Juliette’s defense of Sebastian’s wife made no difference to them. Juliette was squishy and romantic; she got caught up in any type of love story, her opinion had little bearing on the situation where everyone else was concerned.

As her children spoke around her, Aisling Doyle was far to busy sizing up the new woman in her oldest son’s life. She eyed Jessalyn’s offering with a discerning eyes, and gave a severe look when Juliette took one, bit it purposefully. She hated pecans, loathed them, but she ate it with a smile to prove a point. And it was read loud and clear through the room. Juliette had picked her side. Not that she’d ever say anything to anyone but her brother and his wife, but she was seriously considering Jessalyn’s suggestion that she come to stay with them when she started at Butler. She was nearly eighteen, on a few more days and she would be legally an adult and free to make her own decisions despite what her family had to say about it. “Their great.” She said with a large grin.

“Well aren’t you just a pretty polite little thing.” Aisling noted, as Jessalyn set the cookies on the counter and offered her assistance wherever it was needed. “I think we’ve got everything well handled here, your our guest after all.” Aisling said with a sugary sweet tone.

“You can help me.” Juliette piped up immediately in contradiction of her mother. The last thing that she wanted was for Jess to feel unwelcome in her home. She’d done nothing but make Juliette feel welcome, even under the stressful circumstances of her brother’s illness. And really if her only offense was loving her brother, she was being treated rather harshly in Julie’s gentle opinion. “I’m making blueberry pie.” She said proudly, gesturing to a lumpy, floured up mess at the far end of the island that stood in the middle of the kitchen.

With Jess in Juliette’s capable hands, leading her away as if they were long friends, Sebastian wandered over to the stove. “Is that chicken and dumplings?” he asked, already feeling his mouth as he lifted the lid and inhaled deeply before returning the lid.

“It is your favorite.” His mother nodded, not taking her eyes off Juliette and that woman. “You look skinnier,” she said to her son, slightly disapproving. “Are you feeding him?” she questioned Jessalyn, her eyes boring into her, judging.

“Mom.” Sebastian said in a warning tone. “I eat just fine.”

Light chatter had picked up in the kitchen, talking amongst themselves as Boyd and Olevia peeled potatoes at the kitchen table, Cadence and Luke pretending at cutting the potatoes as they were peeled, but it was obvious that the two were too busy making googley eyes at each other to get much accomplished. Their wedding was coming up soon in just a few short months, and while most couples found themselves buried in bickering during the planning months those two were breezing through it with a sickeningly lovey dovey attitude that made most everyone in the room want to vomit.

Only Claire stayed where she was as her husband chased after the kids who were running around like wild animals. Everything about Claire Mckenzie was severe from the dark angular bob that she kept her hair in, the way she dressed to her attitude. Everything about the woman screamed that she had her shit together and she knew yours too. She successfully juggled, her family, her husband, her children and her career as a medical malpractice lawyer, and she did it all with a smile and ease. She made everything look so easy, even when it wasn’t. She was also a bitch, which made it all the more easy for her to ferrate out her own kind. She felt like there was more to Jessalyn than the sweet devoted wife that Juliette had painted. Her brother looked happy, but he was social retarted, he didn’t know any better. She was suspicious to say the least. She didn’t have Jess’s number yet, but she was studying the woman with an intensity that only her mother could rival. Hardly at all moved by the declaration of devotion to her brother.

Olevia was the first to let her hard shell of indifference crack, she melted slightly as Jess’s words about her brother. She seemed rather genuine, and she was starting to question the vow of solidarity that they’d taken against Sebastian’s new wife. She stopped making eyes at Luke long enough to look over at Jessalyn. “Well we're grateful you took such good care of him." She offered. "I'll take one of those." she said gesturing to Jess's cookies, Juliette tossed one her way.

“Julie told us all about it.” Aisling said, “I have to say such devotion after, what, a little over a month is admirable. I can’t claim such a quick heart.” Her tone was more questioning than admiring.

Sebastian’s eyes met Jess’s and a small lopsided smile took over his face for a moment before he closed the distance between them with a few steps and placed a soft kiss on her lips, and dropped himself in the chair next to Boyd. Juliettes eyes went gooey for a moment and exchanged a look with Jessalyn.

“She’s hot.” Boyd said leaning in towards his brother. The relationship he had with his sisters was much different than with his brother. The two men couldn’t have been more different in every aspect and more at odds with each other. While Sebastian was quite and mild mannered mostly. Where he preferred quiet with his books and his job, Boyd was loud and rather obnoxious, he enjoyed competitive sports and any type of competition really. He’d always tried to best Bastian in every manner not quite living up the bar that their father set, while Seb had always towed the line, always did what he supposed to, he was the good son. And it caused a bit of tension between the two. “What does she see in you? But if that’s what Evergreen has to offer, I might pop down there myself, see what I can scrape up.”

“God help the woman that you end up marrying.” Sebastian said dryly.

"Where are you from Jess?" Claire asked leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes still assessing. "I detect a little southern in there right?"

"Do you wanna let her get settled a little before you start the interrogation Claire?" Sebastian asked leaning back in his chair. He really thought that Jess should sit down and relax, but he'd already been told that he was hovering a little too closley since he'd told her she was pregnant. She was knocked up not crippled.

Aisling Doyle wasn't fooling anyone, let alone her new daughter in law. It took everything she had not to gloat when Sebastian kissed her. She wanted to cross her arms and smirk at the woman, daring her to say a word about it. For a moment, she locked eyes with her mother in law. There was a finality in them that made her feel like no matter what, she would never be good enough for her son. Jessalyn wasn't going to be intimidated by Aisling Doyle, she wasn't going to tremble and cower in the corner. She would fight tooth and nail for her acceptance, even if she had to fight dirty in order to do it. "The heart knows what it wants. I'm just one of the lucky ones to have realized it sooner than most" She could play this game, she had been doing so up until the moment she had said her 'I Do'. Aisling was about to meet her match. Jessalyn turned to catch the look Juliette gave her way. She winked at her sister in law, so thankful she had an ally in the young woman.

The smell of the food and the buzz of the voices should have been overloading her system. Instead, she felt calmed and invigorated with the unspoken challenge of her devotion to Sebastian. His mother hadn't called her out in so many words, but the message had been between the lines. The nausea from a few moments before had passed, she could feel herself relax a little more. She listened to the talk, surrounding her as she added in the sugar and flour. Baking wasn't her strong suit, but she did know a thing or two. Jessalyn shook her head softly, when Julie almost cracked the eggs into the flour. "Here. Mix the eggs separately. All the dry ingredients need mixed together before the wet ingredients." A small laugh followed as she nudged her sister in law, playfully. It was nice, for the time being. Even as her every move was being weighed, she was happy to be apart of all the activity.

Her own childhood had been loving, she had wanted for nothing. But, there had also been an emptiness about it as well. Her parents loved her, she knew that. Hadn't they always bought her everything she'd asked for? They had signed her up for ballet and cheer camp. Her father, Jimmy had never missed a recital or competition. She was the apple of her parents eye (not that she had had any one to compete with). Now, seeing her husband surrounded by his siblings, she felt consumed with loneliness. The suddenness of the emotion made her forehead wrinkle with confusion. Here she was, in a kitchen full of people and she felt alone, utterly alone. Moments before she had been playful, ignoring the matriarch's condemning perusal of her persona. Now, she bit her bottom lip to keep it from quivering, fighting the tears that threatened to build up. She all but jumped when Claire spoke. "Sebastian, its fine. I don't mind it. How else are they going to get to know me, unless I'm interrogated?" She said, alternating smiles between her husband and Claire. "Mississippi. I was born in Jackson, lived there all my life, until I moved to Evergreen."

Jessalyn intentionally left the door open for more questioning. If Claire was trying to figure her out, she would have to do better. She wasn't going to openly admit why, after living in a place all her life, she would suddenly move to a strange new town. There was a likeness in Claire that she recognized. Jess didn't know who was her biggest critic, Aisling or Claire? The two women would be the tipping point, the sway towards her final judgement. "I graduated in 2010, from Ole Miss." She wasn't entirely sure why she offered up that last bit of information, but she had. As if where she had gone to college would add a point in her favor. But, if Claire wanted to go searching Ole Miss alumni, she would find Jessalyn Temple scattered across its pages. Jess had been active in almost every aspect of college life.

She handed Julie the pie pan, which she had been greasing with butter. Julie molded the pie crust to the pan, intent as she did so. Jess laughed and asked if she wanted her to hold the bowl of filling, while she evened out the crust. Once the filling had been added, the women bent their heads together to make sure the top covered the blueberries. "I lay claim on the first piece of blueberry pie!" She called, as the pie was placed on the oven to bake. Satisfied that the pie was complete, she washed her hands and went to take an empty seat. Jessalyn still felt slightly awkward, but she was doing this for Sebastian. He hadn't said so, but she suspected that this visit meant a lot. She wanted him to be proud of her, even if she wasn't fully accepted by his family. It felt good to sit down, she hadn't realized how tense she had been until then. Jessalyn propped her elbow on the table and leaned her chin in her hand. "So, Claire, what do you do for a living?" Besides sticking your nose into your brother's business she thought, fluttering her eyelashes as she looked towards the woman.

The look that passed between his mother and his wife was lost on Sebastian. For a man that grew up in a house full of women he wasn’t very well versed in the undercurrent of tones and double meanings. Sebastian said what he meant and assumed that everyone else did as well. Why go reading into things that weren’t there. That was the problem with people, they looked for trouble.

“Well then,” Aisling said brushing her hands across her apron. “Isn’t that lucky for all of us. All we want if for Sebastian to be happy. Whatever the means, I suppose.” She sighed, turning back to the stove. She wished her husband were here. When Callum was home, however brief, these things didn’t happen. Her children didn’t marry strangers, she’d been devastated when she’d heard second hand for that matter that Sebastian had married this woman the same day he’d met her. Of course she was a pretty face, she’d expected that, it was what did him in she figured. He was a man after all. The only thing that could take someone as methodical and over thinking as her son and turn him on his head.

After all the business that had gone down two years with that student of his, Aisling would gut any woman that dared to hurt her son again. Sebastian had never had good taste in women, he’d never picked well. He picked users, deceivers, woman that didn’t have his best inentions at heart. It wasn’t completely that he was her first baby, her oldest son that kept her so protective of him. It was just that for someone so smart, he could be so damn stupid sometimes. There was something behind her eyes, and when whatever it was came to light, like she was convinced it would, she would be there to say I told you so.

The truth was this was important to Sebastian, even if he hadn’t been elated with the idea of being here in the first place. They may not have always got along, they may not have agreed on everything, they may have drove his absolutely bat shit crazy but he loved his family, every last crazy one of them. They were stressful and difficult, but there were always there to rally around you when you really needed them. It was one of the good things about having such a large family. He wanted Jess to feel a part of that. So far, from his view, their marriage had a perfect start, all he needed from his family was a little bit of understanding.

He wanted them to like her, scratch that he wanted them to love her, he wanted them to accept her into their family, just like anyone else who come in had been before her. He felt like there was something more to it than his mother didn’t approve of his ways of going about getting a wife. Was it really that big of a deal?

"Jackson huh?" Claire asked. "How did you find yourself in nowhere Indiana?"

When Jessalyn dropped into the seat adjacent to him, he relaxed slightly, tangled his fingers through her free hand laying on the table, leaning on her elbow, still talking to Claire.

“I’m a lawyer, medical malpractice.” She said “And what is it you do Jessalyn? Nothing to important I hope. We all know how Sebastian is.”

“She coaches cheerleading.” Sebastian interjected, possessiveness or overprotectiveness, whatever it was, welling up, he wasn’t sure which. But he felt the slight bit of attack in his sister’s voice that he hadn’t quite picked up on before. A snark that wasn’t saved for family.

“No really.” Claire snorted, “What your serious?” she asked looking up at her brothers warning look. “What happened to cheerleading should stop parading itself around as a sport, instead of an excuse to ogle girls in short skirts shaking their asses?”

“I don’t believe those were my exact words.” Sebastian said raising a brow, running his hand over the back of his neck, uncomfortable.

“Well I think it’s adorable,” Claire continued “I always say the world could use a little more pep in it.”

“When have you ever said that?” Sebastian questioned but Claire continued talking over him.

“And it wont be that hard to drop once you and Bastian start popping out kids. It’s not like your saving lives or anything.”

“I think that it’s a little early to start talking about children don’t you.” Aisling jumped in, waving the wooden spoon in her hand as she spoke.

The conversation was starting to spiral out of control and out of Sebastian’s grasp. This was how it always was. Perhaps that’s why he was so obsessed with order, with being in control of every aspect of his life, because around his family, he had none. He never had. It was just a circus of people talking over and around each other, moving in whatever direction they pleased, doing whatever they wanted despite the repercussions that fell on those around them.

“What exactly is your issue here Claire?” Sebastian asked tensley.

“Well I’m starving!” Juliette interjected loudly, stepping between the eye sight of her siblings. Ever the saving grace of impending explosions. "Whats up with dinner?"

"Just another minute." Her mother answered shaking her head at no one in particular.

Sebastian jumped to her rescue. He had spoken up before she could even get the words out of her mouth. A small thrill shivered across her body. The way he had piped up, in her defense made her incredibly happy. There were very few men who would have tried to soften the blows of interrogation, especially for a woman like her. Claire was creeping ever closer to her number. The woman was shrewd and it was only a matter of time before she put two and two together. Jessalyn had planned on coming clean with her husband weeks ago. Then the whole Bat Flu Epidemic had arrived, Sebastian falling victim. In sight of his illness, she had pushed it aside.

Those two days, she had spent by his bedside had been some of the worst and loneliest of her life. Jessalyn had technically already come clean to him. As he had been lost in a sea of haze, she had broken down and told him everything. But, that didn't count. In order to ease her guilty conscience, Seb would have to be awake and functioning in order for her confession to hold any weight. The ride back to Evergreen was an opportunity, that was when she had planned to come clean (a second time). It wasn't ideal, but it just couldn't wait any longer. Especially not now, not with her being pregnant and not with his sister dangerously close to calling her out.

It wasn't suppose to be like this. Jess wasn't suppose to feel this guilty, having it eat away at her everyday. She hadn't ever dreamed that she'd grow to care about this man. This adorable, handsome man who had done nothing but place his fate in the hands of a matchmaking service. They had done this, they had set up the scene that would only end in her destroying the man she had married. The trust that they were building, it was about to withstand its first test. Jess was terrified that the moment she told Sebastian, he would divorce her and run into Harlow's open arms. The thought made her sick to her stomach, she gripped Sebastian's hand so tight, her knuckles turned white. She couldn't lose him. Not when for the first time in her life, she desperately wanted to be a woman worthy of someone's love. No, not someone, his.

The old Jessalyn, the one who had dreamed big and loved to paint, she had started stirring the moment Sebastian Doyle entered her life. If she had just been honest from the start, she could have let him go without anyone getting hurt. Now, well now she was emotionally invested and the thought of life without Sebastian? It was something she didn't ever want to experience.

Jess felt slightly panicked, at the mention of children. If her hand hadn't been linked with Seb's, she might of unconsciously passed a hand over her stomach. She was just barely pregnant, only enough to detect the hormones in her blood. It would be weeks before she began to show. The first trimester was always crucial, so many things could go wrong. Jess had been versed by her doctor that this time was critical, not only in development but in that miscarriage was at its highest probability. Her throat had gone dry and she wished that she had poured herself a glass of water. Anything, to make herself look busy so that she didn't give away their secret. It was absurd that their baby should even be a secret, in the first place. But, she had sensed that dropping a bombshell like that to a congregation of Doyle's, wasn't a smart move. Claire was out for her blood. Jessalyn steeled herself for the battle of wills that was undoubtedly about to go down.

"Cheerleading is a sport. I am all too familiar with having to defend the activity as athletic. It's nothing that I can't handle. As for the short skirts," Glancing over at Sebastian, she continued "I haven't heard any complaints from my husband." She was stirring the pot, most likely she shouldn't have said it. But, Jessalyn was asserting herself and trying to get under Claire's skin in the process. With Juliette trying to stop the impending train wreck, she was acting in vain.

She didn't know how much longer she could pretend to be polite, to put up with Claire's blatant interrogation. There was an urge to just throw up her hands and say, 'Yes, you got me. You have me all figured out. I'm just some stranger who married your brother in order to get back at her ex-boyfriend. I was paid five hundred thousand dollars to do so. I'm a liar and a whore. I have no redeeming qualities about me. I should just stop existing, stop wasting everyone's time.

The melodrama that was playing out in her head caused her a headache. She felt her pulse beating erratically and her face begin to pale. Jessalyn felt dizzy, the mounting tension was causing her stress level to accelerate. Gingerly, she rubbed at her forehead, shaking her head when her husband asked if she was okay. Jess whispered that she was fine. She wanted to hear Claire answer Sebastian's question. She wanted to hear the woman say out loud that she didn't trust her brother's wife. But Claire was smart, she was calculated, she and her sister in law had so very much in common. Claire wouldn't give up her hand that easily. Jessalyn knew that she would be watching her every move. Much like Aisling would also be doing. The moment she slipped up, the women would undoubtedly be there to comfort Sebastian, all the while offering up their 'I told you so's'.

God, she just wanted this to be over. Jessalyn wanted to be back in Evergreen, moving on with her life and Sebastian. Juliette was convinced that he would forgive her. She looked over at the youngest Doyle sibling. Juliette was so young, she had these images of how love was suppose to be. What no one ever told you was that love was a dangerous path. It was dirty and jagged, you had to endure moments of doubt and tears and question your entire belief system. But no matter what happened, Jess would fight for Sebastian. She had to believe that they had something worth investing in. What Sebastian didn't know what that he also had her, hook, line and sinker. She was completely ruined for anyone else.

The actual meal was extremely tense. They’d moved from the kitchen to the dining room, everyone settling themselves around the large rectangular table his father had made of reclaimed aspen. The set was bulky and sturdy, it had lived through countless dinners with the rough and tumble abuse that a large family could dole out on it. It had survived extended family and holidays, homework and school projects. It had even gotten through Boyd rollerblading across the surface trying to jump over a stack of chairs the time he’d broken his arm when he was eight.

Sebastian sat himself with Jess in between himself and Juliette, Alice on his lap, as he ate, the two year old picked at his plate, mostly she dropped food all over his lap and squealed with delight while she smashed her spoon on the hard wood. Despite the fact that his mother had gone out of her way to cook some of his favorite things, chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and for desert among other things she’d made a pineapple upside down cake. Sebastian did little more than pick at his food through out the course of the meal.

Juliette babbled the whole time, incessantly, about everything and nothing, trying to ease the awkwardness that hung over them like a thick fog. But even her bubbly attempts couldn’t alleviate the situation. Claire and Aisling sat next to each other, staring them down, occasionally exchanging quiet words that couldn’t be heard beyond the huddled pair of them. And it boiled Sebastian’s blood. He always considered his family a little eccentric, absolutely crazy, but never outright rude. The fact that they thought that was okay was what really got him. That he’d let them get away with it.

When dinner had been eaten, desert and coffee served, and the light chatter that Juliette had drummed up died down. Sebastian excused himself and Jess from the table claiming they needed to settle in and that he was going to show Jess around the house. But he just wanted to get his wife away from the heaviness that Claire and Aisling were throwing over the dinner table.

Sebastian didn’t know that they saw a glimmer of what Jess had been. Saw what he couldn’t see when he looked at her. But they had already decided to hate her before they’d even laid eyes on her. Sebastian didn’t known Jessalyn Temple and the woman that she’d been, he knew Jessalyn Doyle, his wife. He knew the woman that was fighting her way through the wall that she’d built around herself. Perhaps things would have been different if she’d been upfront with him. Even if she hadn’t come clean before they’d married, he might have even forgiven her for what she’d done if she’d laid it all out on the line before now. Before he’d found himself invested in her and their relationship more and more as each day passed. She was slowly turning into the woman that she’d been pretending to be, and whomever that was, he was falling in love with her. And he was happy in his bubble of blissful ignorance.

His old room was on the third floor, and they walked it in silence. Sebastian a few steps ahead of Jess, their bags clutched tightly in his hands. He wasn’t sure what too say. Whatever he had imagined would happen, would be said between his family, he hadn’t figured it would be as bad as it had been, and this weekend was only just starting. It made him slightly nauseous to think about it. He stopped in front of the door, a wooden plaque he’d made in some shop class mounted on the door with his name carved neatly and precisely into it. Declaring that this was his space on the other side. He nudged the door open with his side and set their bags down next to the desk near the door. He pulled Jessalyn inside, gently by the hand and shut the door firmly behind them. He let out a heavy breath now that they were safely alone.

“Listen.” Sebastian said, his hand cupping her cheek lightly “I’d like their blessing but I don’t need their permission for anything. This is me and you and that’s it. That’s all that matters here. I just want to be very clear that none of this is of any consequence to me. Just you. The two of you.” He finished resting his forehead against hers. He was a grown man, nearly thirty years old, and the fact that they were making him feel like he was a child again. That he needed their okay on his choices was absolutely ridiculous. Whatever they did, he was already married to the woman standing in front of him and there was nothing they could do about that.

He couldn’t even imagine what she was thinking right now. She hadn’t stood much of a chance against his mother and his sister. They were out for blood and he wasn’t sure exactly why. She’d done little more besides walk through the door before they’d pounced on her like feral animals.

The walls of his room were covered with posters that looked like they’d been hung with a ruler, precisely and very Sebastian like. A twin bed was pushed up against the far wall, random possessions from childhood that he’d left behind when he’d moved out on his own were arranged neatly , a large bookcase sat next to a bare desk, filled with books that he’d often read by flashlight into the far hours of the night during his childhood.

"I'm sorry," he said, flopping himself on the bed, pulling her down on his lap with a gentleness that he'd adopted the moment she'd told him of her condition. He leaned forward, pressed his lips to hers and reveled in a moment of awe that despite all of the bullshit and muck they were currently shlepping through because of it, this woman was his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, left them settled on her hips. "I don't know what's going on, their not usually like this. At least not this intense."

“And yes those are Spiderman sheets, I know what your thinking, sexy right? Try and contain yourself though.” He said trying to lighten her mood a little bit. Wipe away a bit of the bitterness and melodrama that left a sour taste in his mouth.

She had fallen silent, all through dinner. What had been the point? Claire and Aisling hated her. Her shoulders were almost slumped in defeat. The constant see saw of trying to uphold her dignity, it had literally worn her out. All too eagerly, she stood from the table, allowing her husband to lead her away from the tension filled kitchen. Jess had barely even touched her food. The few bites she did take, they had tasted bland and she had to fight to swallow every bite. It wasn't that the food hadn't been amazing, she had to give it to Aisling, she was an excellent cook. Jessalyn had just lost her appetite, the nausea had flared once more. She remembered that she had packed some saltines in her overnight bag. When they were safely away from everyone, she would think about eating a few. Just enough to settle her otherwise unsettled stomach.

The tour through the house had been nice. Sebastian had hurried through it a bit. He seemed just as eager as she was to have some alone time. It was a lot to take in and not at all how she had envisioned meeting his family would go. Over and over, she kept repeating every little word spoken. Wondering if she could of somehow phrased something differently. Jess had always thrived on attention, she craved it most of the time. However, the minute she had stepped into that kitchen, all she'd wanted was to remain unnoticed. It was a feeling, much alike to her being stripped naked and told to stand in the center of the room. Each one, in turn poking and prodding her like she was livestock. Jessalyn wasn't so sure she liked having the tables turned on her. Maybe it was penance for all the things she had done in her past. For her, as uncomfortable and unwanted as it had been, a part of her felt that it was deserving. She had gotten by, far too long without reaping any of the consequences.

As she was pulled into Sebastian's room, she let herself relax completely, when the sound of the door shutting, met her ears. Jessalyn covered his hand with her own, the touch calming her down. "That was intense. I, I wasn't prepared for that. They hate me Bastian." As her husband started to speak, she listened. Allowing him to rest his forehead against her own. With him so close, like this, it felt so right. Even with Wesley, she had felt something similar, but never to this depth. It was as if this time, all her feelings had matured, deepened. Or was it that she was allowing someone in, without clinging to the wall she had carefully built around herself? Whatever it was, it made her heart skip a beat. Sebastian's influence on her was slowly melting her ice queen exterior.

A smile lifted the corners of her mouth. "Yes. You and me and baby, makes three. As long as I have you, I can get through anything." Jess hoped that once she had told Sebastian everything, he would still feel the same. A part of her was already beginning to prepare herself for the worst case scenario. The tenderness was something new. She'd always found herself in relationships fueled by lust, greed and less than honorable intentions. What she had told him, when they'd first met had been true. She had always been used for her looks and body. But, it hadn't mattered much to her then. She'd willingly given herself to the highest bidder, she'd had little self worth. At times, it caught her completely off guard. She was always at war with the thoughts in her head. That voice that kept saying she wasn't worthy of this man, his affection or his trust. Jessalyn was her own worst enemy.

"Nothing says sexy like Spider Man sheets!" She leaned in to his kiss, reveling in the feel of his hands on her hips. God, she wanted him. It was like a switch, that Sebastian had just unknowingly flipped. Where moments before, she had been content with just being close to him, now she wanted to be even closer. Her hands went around his neck and she deepened the kiss. It was like she was buzzing with urgency, even more than she had ever felt with him before. Jessalyn wanted to melt into his arms, to make mad passionate love. But, they were in his mother's house, his childhood home. Jessalyn had to come up for air, she was breathless from the kiss. "You have no idea what you do to me." She took his hand and placed it over the erratic beating of her heart. Jessalyn bit her lip, she felt so vulnerable, so unlike the woman she had spent years pretending to be. Tears glistened in her eyes, she wanted this moment to last. It might be the very last moment of happiness she spent with Sebastian. It broke her heart, knowing that soon she may be spending endless nights alone, crying herself to sleep. If he divorced her, went running into Harlow's arms, she would have no one to blame but herself.

Jealousy flared, bright and hot. Her blood practically boiled at the thought. Please, please love me enough to give us a second chance, she silently thought. Jessalyn already hated herself for not telling him the truth. It was like walking on glass, day in and day out. She looked into her husband's eyes, lost beyond reason and logic. Jess ran a hand across his cheek, gently brushing her fingers over his lips. "How did I get so lucky? I will never regret marrying you, ever." Jess paused, gathering up the nerve to say what she was about to next, "I know this is all happening so fast. We got married on a whim. I have never met anyone like you Sebastian. You are the most neurotic, obsessive, detailed person I've ever met. And I am crazy about you."

It wasn't the first time she had said as much. For her, she felt as if this happiness would be short lived. Jess didn't see how Sebastian would be able to look at her, come tomorrow. But she wasn't going to manipulate him, to try and gain favor. Whatever his reaction would be, would be his entirely. Jess had to believe enough in them, to hope that they would survive their first test as a married couple. Jessalyn Temple was officially dead, Jessalyn Doyle was here to stay.

“Claire hates everyone,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even like her own husband. We mostly met with indifference and in this family that’s pretty much like them throwing you a welcome party. And my mom…” he paused for a moment, his mother was unpredictable. She was a loose cannon and he was sure it had more to do with him being her first child than anything to do with Jess. If it did, he didn’t see whatever flaw she saw. His wife was absolutely perfect as far as he could tell. “You’ll wear her down with your natural charm, and she’ll love you. She’s got a soft chewy center. I promise.”

When she took his hand and placed it over her heart, he could feel it jack hammering in her chest in a quick staccato that made his own pulse jump. He could feel the urgency, the need buzzing through her, she practically vibrated with it and it fed into his own desire, like a candle feeding a flame.

Sebastian caught the hand that ran over his lips in his own, she was right, he really did have no idea. The thought that this beautiful, smart, strong willed woman wanted him, wanted to be married to him was so far out of his scope of understanding. She listened to his tangents, patiently, even if she had no idea what he was going on about; she laughed at his jokes which he’d been informed more than one occasion were not at all funny, she had no qualms about dragging him out of the depths of his own mind that he had a habit of getting lost in when she wanted his attention and she thought Spiderman sheets were sexy. It was almost all too perfect. As if it would slip away from his grasp at any second. Like a dream that you couldn’t quite hold onto once you woke.

Sebastian shifted, leaned back on the bed and pulled her gently with him. Sending them both tumbling back with a soft thump. Her body fit perfectly against his, like the last piece to a complicated and fascinating puzzle. His hands skimmed over her, stopping at her hips, his fingers dipping just under the hem of her shirt, finding soft, warm skin to caress. Thinking briefly, with a soft inward chuckle that she was the first girl that wasn't directly related to him to set foot in this room.

“You’re beautiful, and perfect and you’ll never know how glad I am that your here with me.” He said gazing up at her for a few silent moments, tucking a loose blonde lock behind her ear. “Well not specifically here,” he said hitting the bed lightly with his hand “well yes I am but…what I mean is-“ Sebastian cut himself off shaking his head, as his words tumbled over one another. “I love you.” He said the words falling off his tongue with easiness that he wasn’t used too, his eyes rounding in slight surprise as he realized that he meant it. His heart did a slow sort of waltz and then dropped in his chest. Somewhere between the hospital and here in his childhood bedroom he’d fallen in love with his wife.

Though he was slightly worried when she spoke again, not with her words but with how sad she looked, how she sounded when she said them. Like he was going somewhere she couldn't follow. As if he would now. Sebastian didn't do whirlwind, he didn't do quick or easy, but Jess had come into his life like a tornado and shook things up to the point of no return.

"You know." Sebastian said, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I don't think I've ever heard those particular set of traits listed in my favor." He said nuzzling the side of her neck, nipping lightly at the delicate skin "Your something else. But that makes two of us, Mrs. Doyle. I'm absolutely crazy for you too."

This moment, it was everything she'd never dreamed of. Never, ever had she pictured a man like her husband. A man who managed to make her feel as if she was worth something. A man who managed to believe all the best in her, to lift her up and make her dazzle in the brilliance of his love. In his eyes, she was his everything and that in itself gave her something to fight for. No matter what happened, it would be this moment that truly defined their relationship. Jessalyn felt all the air in her lungs still, as if she had forgotten how to breathe. He loved her, those three words surrounded her, wrapped her up in something that no one could ever take from her. Sebastian's hands on her skin, it made her come alive with desire. She couldn't ignore how her pulse raced, as he slipped them beneath her shirt. Jess shivered in delight, reveling in all that this moment was. Pure, sweet ecstasy and it was only just beginning.

Jess felt like this was where she was meant to be. In his arms, cradled by his embrace. All the bad that she had endured, it was all worth it. She felt sentimental and mushy, but she couldn't help but think that every mistake, every wrong choice had lead her to him. "Who knew, those exact traits are my ultimate turn on's!" The moan that followed was preceded by Sebastian's lips on her neck. Her eyes fluttered closed and she bit her bottom lip in order to keep from crying out. Her toes curled with delight. All thought vanished, as if his kisses had claimed her ability of speech. Jess tangled her hand with his, loving how she felt laying against him, all masculine and all Sebastian. Her eyes were alive with her desire, she felt the need to be with him take her over completely.

"It's only fair, since we are crazy about each other..." Jess's voice was low and filled with the need for Sebastian. Right now, she didn't care that they were upstairs, in his childhood home. That his whole family was downstairs, that every sound made over their heads would be looked at with disdain. Jess rose up, positioning herself on her knees and grinned wickedly. Raising her arms, she removed her shirt tossing it into a corner. There was no shyness between them, they had been intimate before. Only this time, it seemed heightened by something else entirely. Perhaps it was that her body was raging with hormones, making her appetite insatiable for sex. Or, it could have simply been that she was just a woman, desperate to make love to the man who laid claim on her heart. Either way, it didn't really matter. It was only them, this moment and all that it was about to offer. Reality could come calling later.

The bed sheets, splayed with images of Spider Man, oddly did increase his level of sexy. Jess was turned on by it and she wasn't about to try and pick apart the reasons why. It was working and there was no reason to change anything at all. Leaning over him, she settled herself over his lap. Jess reached back to unpin her hair and let it shake loose, the air that met her skin adding a wickedness that only fueled her fire. "So, Mr. Doyle? Here I am for the taking." Jess pierced him with a look, as she unhooked her bra and swung it around once in the air. Letting the piece of underwear drop, she laughed moving in to claim his lips with her own. Her hands cupped his face and she took in every inch of him. Quickly, she grabbed the ends of his shirt and hoisted them over his head. Eager to get him undressed and into her arms once more. She kissed his neck and collarbone, roaming her hands lower as her kisses went lower. Jess trailed them down his stomach, loving the sight of him.

She pressed herself into him, straining her chest into his. Jess let herself be guided by her emotions. Thought was all but non existent. Thought only brought her pain and sadness, she didn't want to think, she only wanted to feel. "I love you" It was a whisper, born from a place deep down inside she had believed no longer existed. When they were both completely undressed, she paused taking in the sight of him again. Everything about him she loved. Even his constant attention, her endless assurance that she was fine, that the baby was fine. It was more endearing than annoying, she just reveled in the fact that it meant he cared. This baby would be an experience the two of them could share, call their own. Up until now, it hadn't truly sunk in. But, as she looked into those eyes, saw herself reflected back, she knew that all of this would be okay. She was carrying his child, a part of him was growing inside of her. The thought brought tears to her eyes and she let them come. Unashamed to be crying at the height of passion.

"Tears of happiness, not tears of sadness." Her voice broke with the emotion. Jess began to move in rhythm with her husband, riding out every wave of passion. She leaned her head back, taking him all in. Her face was flushed and she had to constantly bite her lip to keep from calling out in ecstasy. She kissed him, over and over. Never wanting to spend a moment when she wasn't touching him or sharing in his kisses. It was one hell of a way to christen his childhood bedroom, segue into Sebastian's burgeoning adulthood. She always did have a way with making an entrance, even one a subtle as this.

His mouth went dry and he swallowed hard as clothes started hitting the floor with an increased sense of urgency between the two of them. It wasn’t as if he’d never seen her before. He and Jessalyn had shared intimate moments over the course of their one-month marriage. And he had nothing to complain about. His wife was skilled, and she knew exactly how to make every logical and rational thought evaporate from his mind. It was just that every time he found it hard to believe that this was real. That it wasn’t some dream that he couldn’t wake up from at any moment. And when he did, he’d be ruined for anyone else entirely. But it wasn’t a dream, he reminded himself, she was real and she was his.

The world disappeared, when she swung her bra in the air and floated to the floor. All that existed at this moment was her, and her alone. The drama, the snarky and mean spirited welcome they’d received, his family only two floors down probably discussing in great detail him and his wife and what they thought of it. The fact that there was no lock on his bedroom door and that anyone could come barreling in at any moment. None of it mattered, none of it even existed as Jess pulled his shirt over his head and it joined the ranks of their slowly disappearing clothes.

Sebastian struggled only slightly as he fumbled with the button of his shorts, and he caught his foot in the leg of the garment for a moment, but he recovered quickly and kicked the shorts away and found her immediately back into his arms. Right where she belonged, where he knew she’d always belong. Her lips left a line of fire over his exposed skin. “I love you too.” he said breathlessly, teeth grazing her exposed flesh gently teasingly, nipping in clash of teeth and tongue. “You have no idea. he murmured against the crook of her neck. His feelings, the emotions swarming his body, enveloping him, taking over to place that he’d never quite experienced before.

For a moment, it was broken as terror skidded through his body when he saw tears glisten in her eyes, fall slowly over her cheeks and he froze. He’d been slightly more neurotic than usually when it came to times of intimacy. He didn’t want to hurt her, he didn’t want to hurt the baby. He didn’t know how it all worked and he obsessed over thoughts of was he being too rough? Was he hurting her? Would she tell him if he was? And though she’d constantly assured him that she and the baby were fine, that he’d never hurt her, it still spiked his anxiety a little. Tears of happiness, she assured him. Not ones of pain or sadness.

Air escaped his lung in a whoosh of relief, as he leaned it, kissed the tears away from her cheeks, cupped his hand against the side of her face, starting in a slow, gentle, loving rhythm of their bodies. His hands roaming softly, exploring every curve and dip of her body, taking time and care. Worshiping her slowly and agonizingly, as her lips found his fervently. She shared the sentiment with him, he didn't want to spend one more moment without her touching, tasting, feeling. He did however smile against her lips, swallowing a moan that biting her own couldn't quite hold in anymore. A rush of adrenaline shooting through him, never happier than when he was pleasing her.

Sebastian collapsed onto his side, pulling his wife close, wrapped his arms around her, letting his hands rest on her still flat belly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and nuzzling into the crook of her neck. His breath slightly labored, and he let out a contented sigh. He was floating in a haze of absolute bliss. Content in his pretty bubble of love and satisfaction, not all aware that, that bubble was about to be popped, shattering what he thought was now his life. It was looming over them, when Jess would have to tell him, but unaware and ridiculously happy. He didn’t know, so he could lay there, the woman he loved wrapped in his embrace, wondering how he’d gotten so damn lucky in life. An amazing wife who was going to be giving him a child. It had been a whoops on their part but absolutely something that he didn’t regret at all. The fact that she had some kind of secret hidden away from him not even something he’d ever considered. Making love to her was the only thing that was exploding through his brain, sending small shocks of pleasure through him. Nothing else could pierce through his thoughts right now, if ever again.

He’d always been that guy. That person who scoffed when people talked about how there was a distinct difference between sex and making love. He’d always figured that sex was sex and people made too big of a deal out of it. But this…this had been different. Feelings that were starting to grow intensely between them he realized, had made all the difference. He was a goner. Jessalyn Doyle, his beautiful wife had him wrapped around her finger so tightly he wasn’t sure if he’d even get himself untwined, not that he wanted to, ever.

"Can we just stay up here, in our bubble of bliss?" Jess brushed her fingers over his bare chest. She was trying to still the beating of her heart, to calm her breathing. It was the feeling of complete satisfaction. She could still feel the way his mouth had felt, on her body. The way he had loved her, no one had ever loved her like that. Before Sebastian, she had used every trick in the book. Seduced her fair share of men, not once ever really caring that she was playing with fire. Those men, some had been husbands and fathers. Men, who had made a mistake and given in to the temptation of flesh. Their only crime was being human, of getting swept up in all the charm that was Jessalyn Temple. The thought of Sebastian ever being with another woman, it made her crazy with jealousy. But what if they had met under different circumstances, what if his heart had already belonged to another? Hadn't that been the road that she had set out upon? Acutely aware of her own feelings when she had signed up with The Vow, Inc? Yes. Jessalyn had been blinded by her greed, by her own agenda.

Jess buried her face into her husband's neck. A smile appearing when he tenderly pulled her to him. His hand, laying across her stomach. She couldn't help but wonder how she'd look, once she began to show. The thought also brought to mind that the pregnancy couldn't be kept hidden for long. Sooner or later, they would have to tell his family. Juliette would probably be the only one, besides herself and Sebastian, who would be genuinely happy about it. Jess fell silent, getting lost once more in her thoughts. It was as if, little bits of Sebastian's personality, were slowly gravitating towards her own. Her husband was still, very Sebastian like. To outsiders, that phrase might cause them to scratch their head, ponder the fullness of it. But, to those inside his circle, it summed up every aspect about him. Jess felt her eyes flutter close. She could be content, forever to just lay here. "Home is where the heart is. Never really understood that until now."

It had been something, a phrase she had seen plastered on plaques and welcome mats. Never had she really spent much time, pondering the meaning of those words. The literal part of her began to think back, to her own childhood home. Jackson was filled with memories, some good and some bad. Most, she was now just trying to forget. But, right now that wasn't the meaning she meant. Jess saw it in another light, one that went deeper than she had previously thought. Home, it was a place you could go to, where you felt the safest. The one place that you sought, above all others. Sebastian was her home, it was in his arms that she was complete. Her heart was filled with emotions, the rawness of it was overwhelming. All at once she was filled with extreme happiness, beyond anything she'd ever felt. On the heels of that was a crippling sadness, that once she allowed it in, it would take her over and leave nothing in its wake. Jess had known that the latter had shown on her face, several times over the course of today. Sebastian had noticed, she had seen the flicker of concern and confusion in his eyes. But, she wasn't going to ruin his happiness just yet. That burden she would carry a little longer.

There she stayed, locked in his embrace for awhile. They talked, about whether they were having a boy or girl, scheduling appointments and so on. She asked if he wanted to go to her next appointment, she was scheduled for a sonogram in a few weeks. Jess wanted Sebastian to be a part of every aspect of this pregnancy. She knew it wasn't something she had to ask, even if she didn't he would be there. For the millionth time, she thanked her lucky stars that at least she wasn't in a horrible marriage, the she wouldn't have to raise this child alone. Jess knew she was strong in almost every way, but being a single mother wasn't something she believed she was strong enough for. Luckily, she would never find out.

She rose up, slightly and propped her head on her arm, letting her elbow rest on the bed. She beat a small staccato with her fingers, still reveling in the fact that she was married to this beautiful man. Beautiful in the sense that he was kind, made her laugh and completely caught her by surprise. Jess wasn't the least bit ashamed that she hadn't even gone to retrieve any of the clothes, they had tossed aside in the heat of the moment. "I have something for you." Jess grinned, eyes wide and alive with excitement. "But, I'm not sure if you have shown me just how much you love me..." She let her words trail, throwing her lower lip into a pout. Jess had felt the gnawing ache begin to wake once more. The urge to do beautiful and dirty things with her husband. She was more than ready for round two.

Sebastian knew that they couldn’t stay up here and hide forever, but they could for right now at least. They might even be able to stretch it out until morning if no one came knocking. But that was laughable because when were any of his sisters polite enough to knock? They would just come barreling through the door with no concern for his privacy as they always did, if they decided to do so. “For as long as you want.” he said pressing his lips firmly against her forehead. He wasn’t about to be the one to pop that bubble willingly.

He hoped that all of them took his silence at dinner as a hint, that he didn’t want to be bothered with anyone right now, but Jess. Family or not, they’d been rude and unwelcoming, it had taken a little bit for him to catch on but he had and he wasn’t all that thrilled about it. And he just couldn’t understand it. Looking down at her, he couldn’t imagine why anyone could look at the same face he was looking at and see anything unlikeable or offensive. A private conversation would follow this visit, and he’d get down to the bottom of it. And give them a piece of his mind. He was however thankful that Julie was there, at least they had someone in their corner, someone to at least make Jess feel a little bit welcomed.

They were each other's home now, as sappy as that sounded. Whether it was here in his mother's house, in their own house in evergreen, or halfway across the country. Wherever his wife was, that was where he wanted to be. "That baby is turning you into a sap face." he said on a chuckle, but still he pressed his lips against her, softly.

He was excited for that first doctor’s appointment. And even if she hadn’t asked he would have been there with bells on. This was his first child, and he wanted to be a part of every single part of it. Of him or her. They talked for a while about, appointments and sonograms, baby doctor things. Sebastian said he didn’t care what the baby was as long as it was healthy, but really he might have been secretly hoping for a boy. He had no intention of surrounding himself again solely by women. But if the baby was a girl he would be fine with that too. They’d just have to work on a little brother somewhere in the future.

Seb let his gaze settle on his wife when she said that she had something for him. He worried for only a second that he had forgotten some important date that meant the exchanging gifts. He hadn’t gotten her anything and he couldn’t pin point what occasion she had to get him a present. But worries slipped away and a grin enveloped his features at her the words that followed. “That sounds a little like a challenge Jessalyn.” Sebastian said in a serious tone. She had the sexiest pout, he’d even seen. He just want to bite that heavy bottom lip of hers.

She lit a fire in him that he’d never felt with anyone previous to her. A kind of passion that enveloped him, burned from deep within him, unsettled him, was unfamiliar and wonderful. Sebastian tended to reject the unfamiliar, but this was beyond him. With her everything was easy, smooth. He had no complaints in life so far. They’d fallen into married life so seamlessly, so easily it hardly seemed like it could be real. He’d come into this thinking that he’d had to work to make his wife into someone that he could love. Someone who he could talk to and want to spend his time with. And it hadn’t been like that at all. He’d slowly drifted into, he almost hadn’t realized it as it was happening. By the time he did he was so far gone, lost in his wife and the realization that he couldn’t possibly want anything else, that he didn’t have the time or the inclination to balk at the fact that this hadn’t been the plan at all.

He’d had pictured in his mind the type of woman that would be a perfect fit for him. What the perfect wife and subsequent life would entail. If he went over it in his head, he would find that she didn’t fit that bill. She wasn’t the woman he’d imagined or planned on, she was more. She was everything in a woman that he hadn’t known at the time that he wanted or needed in his life.

There was no part of her body that Sebastian left untouched, uncaressed or unloved. He wanted her weak and liquid, pliant underneath his hands. He wanted her begging him for mercy and release. He didn't think, he felt and let himself become consumed. He could never seem to get quite enough of her. Sebastian tasted, teased, claimed her. All thoughts of everyone two floors below them, probably scrutinizing and judging every sound or noise that was going on above their heads. And the women in his family would jump on anything to hold against the couple locked away in the bedroom.

If he died right now, right at this moment, he could do so a happy man and with a smile on his face. He was so in love with this remarkable woman that he was sure he would burst from it. He laid across the rumpled and tangled Spiderman sheets, his eyes half lidded, one arm laid across her, the other playing with the ends of her hair, letting out an unintelligible but contended noise. Everything that wasn't in this room forgotten.

Jess let her words fail, to die before they passed her lips. She allowed her husband to love and caress her. Every touch sent her to a higher place, a place she hadn't dreamed of ever reaching. Sebastian had taken up her challenge, he had far surpassed any and all expectation. The meeting of their bodies, it was euphoria. The closest thing to heaven on earth, of that she was sure. Right now, this moment was all that mattered. Jessalyn didn't know what the morning would bring. Each second was precious. It was as if she was preparing herself for the long, cold and lonely road she was about to set out upon. As the rush of the moment cooled, her pulse returned to normal. Sebastian wrapped her in his embrace, she laid her head against his chest. It still amazed her how secure his arms made her feel. A shelter made to weather the storm. Even if that storm was her own doing. Her heart raced at the thought of what was to come. Jessalyn had to face the music, sooner or later. It was time that she owned her actions. Even if it meant that all she held in her hands, crumbled and turned to dust.

It was never easy admitting a lie. Jessalyn hadn't ever willingly done so. The last time she had been in this position, her hand had been forced. Jess would never forget the look on Wesley's face, the moment he learned about her betrayal.

Betrayal.

The word was way too pretty, to elegant for such an ugly thing. Jessalyn didn't know if this was something she could rise above. If they could rise above this landslide, this mountain of deceit that was about to come rushing down. The silence that filled the room wasn't born of hurt, not yet. Jessalyn was still the apple of his eye. She would soak in every second of it. "Okay, okay. I'm convinced. You sorta love me." She gave him a lazy smile, rolling her eyes as she said it. As she made to stretch, her movements were lazy. Every part of her being was content, she had never felt more relaxed. Jessalyn had always been that person, the one to roll her eyes when women talked about 'the aftermath' of love making. She had been convinced that no one could ever feel the sense of security or self worth that she felt at this moment. It had made her a cynic long before she'd met Sebastian. Jessalyn was all to eager to admit that on this, she had been one hundred percent wrong.

"I really do have something for you." She said, moving from the bed and standing. There was no shame in her nakedness, she didn't feel the need to cover herself. If any of his siblings or mother (for that matter), chose this moment to walk in, they could eat their hearts out. Jessalyn had purchased a brand new wedding band from Jensen's Jeweler, yesterday. The ring with which she had married Sebastian had been borrowed, already belonging to a distant lover from her past. "And no, it wasn't sex. Even though I highly enjoyed round two!" The desire for him to have something of his own, that she choose had grown day by day. Jess had been bothered by it, so she had decided to do something about it. She had managed to sneak it into the bag, after Seb had finished packing. The small velvet, in which is rested had been hidden among the clothes for this weekend away. Jess knelt and retrieved the pouch, scrambling back into the bed. Laughing, she held it out to him with a sparkle in her eye. It was like she was a kid again, on Christmas morning. She was buzzing with excitement. "Open it!" Jess begged him, placing it into his hand.

"I know that our wedding wasn't ideal. It happened really fast and on short notice. I didn't really have a chance to pick out a wedding band. I just sorta found one by sheer dumb luck. But, I never liked the idea that the ring on your finger wasn't one I had picked out. It bugged me. So, this is yours, with love from me. I had it engraved. See!" Jess couldn't help herself, she was too excited. She bit her lip, watching his expression. The inside was engraved, 'I'm all yours, if you're all mine'. It wasn't the most romantic inscription but, she figured they had a lifetime to be head over heels in love. Or so she hoped. Jess had to believe in them, she had to. There just wasn't any other option.

Sebastian stared openly when she untangled herself from his grasp and fished around for something in their bag. Which was allowed, he told himself as he briefly stretched across the bed, she was his wife. He could oogle if he wanted too. He grew a little curious as he watched her, because he’d packed that bag himself and he knew everything that was in there. What she could be looking for he had no idea.

He was a little confused when what she produced from their bag was a small velvet ring box. His eyes moved from her body to the tiny box placed in his hands. But she looked so excited when she bounded back onto the bed and dove into her spiel about wanting him to have something that she picked out. Sebastian shifted on the bed and opened the box, after a curious sidelong look was sent in her direction.

He flipped the top of the box open and stared for a moment before he plucked the ring up and looked inside when she said she had it in scripted. He wasn’t quite sure what finding his ring by sheer dumb luck meant exactly. But he liked his wedding ring, it was the one she put on his finger at their wedding and he’d never had any problem with it, but he loved the new one, something she’d picked out specifically for him now that they’d been married for a little while, knew each other a little better. And that meant something too.

“I love it.” He said with a wide smile, and slipped the simple gold band off his finger with just a twinge of sadness. “This is one of those Irish deals right?” he asked, but couldn’t quite remember what it was called. You’d think with a name like Doyle he’ would be the one to know. “You wear it turned a certain way and it means your heart belongs to someone.”

After he slipped his ring on the rightful finger, he hugged her close to his side for a moment, pressed a kiss against her hair and then one on her lips. “ I love you.”

They went largely undisturbed for the rest of the evening and into the morning. When they both woke, they’d gone to breakfast with Juliette at his and his sisters favorite dinky hole in the wall diner, down the street. Then they’d just wandered for a little while when Juliette had split off from them, claiming preexisting plans. Which sat just fine with Sebastian, his favored sister was best in small doses if he wanted any attention from his wife, so he’d waved her off and spent a relaxing morning away from his mother and other siblings.

They were meant to stay until later on that night but Sebastian was eager to get back home and return to the normal routine. And get away from his family for awhile. At least until he could figure out what exactly was going on, and they could talk alone. And he was sure that Jessalyn was just as eager to get the hell out of dodge. ”Lunch and then we can get going, head back into some normalcy huh.” Sebastian his hand on the door knob.

He leaned down, pressed a soft kiss against her lips and swung the door open, heading back into chaos, where lunch and his family were waiting for them.