New to the Family

Baby Ready

 The day was spent talking about mundane things. Lindsay and Emme talked about recipes and Lindsay asked me a few questions about my old life. Emme did not say anything to me, and she even avoided looking in my direction.

Lindsay got up from the table to prepare dinner. Emme excused herself to go to the bathroom. I told Lindsay that I was cold and going to get a sweater. I followed behind Emme up the stairs. I ran into our room and grabbed one of Jared's sweaters. I slipped it on and then waited outside of the bathroom door. When she was done, Emme jumped when she saw me leaning against the wall.

"Please, help me," I said in a hushed whisper. "I know you don't want to be here."

Emme bit down on her lip and shook her head.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she said.

"No, you do," I said. "I can see that you are not brainwashed like Lindsay. I need to get out of here before that happens to me."

"It'll happen and you won't notice." Emme let out a deep breath. "I can't talk about this. Taylor will punish me if he knows we're talking about this."

"I would never tell him," I said.

"I don't know that. I can't risk it."

"I stabbed Jared. I am not on their side."

"There's no way out of this. Trust me, I've tried."

"Theo wants out too. He can help us."

Emme chuckled before taking a step past me. She stopped and turned to look at me.

"Be careful," she said. "You can't trust anyone. Theo will probably tell everything to Jared."

Emme turned back around and walked down the stairs.

--

Theo was coughing for most of dinner. He only ate a small portion of his food. Jared had put a piece of meat on my plate. I cut it into small pieces and forced myself to swallow. Jared would definitely throw me into the basement if I embarrassed him in front of his family.

"How do you like it here, Leah?" Taylor asked.

"I love it," I lied.

"She was a bit of a troublemaker," Gabe said. "Jared straightened her out pretty fast."

"She understands this is where she belongs." Jared put his hand on my knee. "Soon, we'll start having sons."

My stomach twisted into a knot when I heard him say that. I forced myself to swallow my mouthful of mashed potatoes. I looked up to see Lindsay having a smile plastered on her face. Emme leaned back in her chair and put her hands on her flat stomach.

"I can't wait until there is a baby in this house again," Lindsay said.

"I heard Annabelle is about to have her baby," Taylor said.

"If they have a boy we could always go visit them," Gabe said.

Lindsay's smile grew even wider. She picked up the fork and started feeding Jenny. Jared squeezed my knee before letting go.

I paid no attention to what was going on for the rest of dinner. My mind was focused on what Jared said. A wife and a mother was all that I was good for. When Jared forces himself on me, he is probably focused on impregnating me. I couldn't grow something inside of me that is half evil.

I got up from my chair before Lindsay, and I collected the empty dishes. I had to keep my hands busy and my mind off of the thought of pregnancy. Lindsay raised an eyebrow, and got up too. I carried the dishes over to the sink and rinsed them. Lindsay set the dishes on the counter and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright, honey?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

I kept my gaze down at the sink as I washed the food off of a plate. Lindsay slid her hand off of my shoulder and rubbed my back.

"Have you thought about having children?" Lindsay asked.

Children was something that I never put too much thought into. I had dreams of getting married and having children. I expected that to be happening in five to ten years. I imagined it happening with Owen. I was forced to marry Jared, and now they were going to force me to have a child.

"No, I haven't," I said.

"It's okay," Lindsay said. "When I first married Gabe kids were the last thing on my mind. I was pregnant with Jared about four months after getting married. I was so scared at first, but Gabe reassured me that it was alright. And now I have two beautiful boys."

"I just think that it is way too early," I said.

"Put the dishes down and talk to Jared."

I shook my head. Lindsay let out a deep breath before going into the dining room. I looked over my shoulder to see Lindsay whispering something in Jared's ear. I turned around and continued to scrub the food off of the plate. I listened as Jared's head footsteps approached me.

"Leah," he said. I did not turn around. He placed his one hand on the small of my back. His other hand pulled the plate away from me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said. "I am just cleaning."

"Let Mom do that. I want to talk to you."

I shook my head. I stumbled as Jared pulled me away from the sink. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist. I wiggled in his grip and tried to pull myself away. Jared rolled his eyes and threw me over his shoulder.

"Jared, put me down," I yelled as I pounded my fist into his back.

The floor beneath me swayed as he walked over to the stairs. His shoulder dug into my stomach as he ascended up the stairs. He nudged the bedroom door open with his foot. He tossed me down onto the bed. Jared sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned over and placed his hand on the other side of my body.

"Sweetheart, I understand that this is scary for you," he said. "I know that we haven't talked about this before."

"I don't want to have a baby," I said.

"But I do."

I sat up, but Jared did not move his hand. He leaned forward, so our noses were only inches apart. His warm breath tickled my skin.

"You're my wife," Jared said. "This is the next step. We're going to have a baby boy."

"Can we wait?"

"You know that you are not supposed to be asking questions, Leah. This is what I want and it is going to happen soon."

I took in a shaky breath. Jared smiled before leaning in for a kiss. I squeezed my eyes closed, and a stray tear rolled down my cheek. Jared broke the kiss. He wiped the tear away with the back of his finger.

"There's no reason to cry," he said. "I love you."

"I'm not ready for a baby," I said.

"Yes, you are," he said. "I am going to take care of both of you. You have nothing to worry about."

Coughing came from the hallway. Jared rolled his eyes and looked behind him. Theo walked past the open door covering his mouth with his hand. He did not notice that the door was open and went to his room.

I pushed myself up higher on the bed and brought my knees up to my chest. I swung my legs off of the bed, but Jared snatched my ankle.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I was going to check on Theo," I said.

"Theo is not your worry," he said. "I am your husband."

"I know, but he sounds sick."

"Well, if he is sick I don't want him around you. Especially, if you're going to be carrying my child."

I nodded my head. Jared kissed my cheek before getting off of the bed. He poked his head out into the hallway before closing the door. Theo's coughing echoed through the house. Jared was staring at me as I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around myself.

"Let's get to bed," Jared said. "I am sure we'll have a baby soon."