Matrimonial Surprises (7b/?)
X-X-X-X-X
The group had agreed to meet at Pierce’s mansion the night of December 31st to ring in the New Year. Annie and Jeff and decided that tonight was the night they were going to announce that they were going to be parents. She wasn’t quite three months along yet but they wanted their friends to know no matter the outcome.
Annie turned this way and that in front of the full length mirror in their bedroom as she examined her outfit of the occasion. “Honey, does this make me look pregnant?”
“No, because you don’t look pregnant yet,” He answered without looking up from threading his belt through the loops of his dark jeans.
“Jeff! You didn’t even look at me!” She whined.
He sighed as he buckled the belt, “Babe, you don’t even look pregnant when you’re naked. The only difference is now your boobs are a little bit bigger and no one will notice that.”
Annie stood head on in the mirror and squeezed at her waist, “Pierce might.”
He frowned at the idea of the older man paying enough attention to her breasts to notice something like that.
“And my waist is a little thicker than normal, I’ve noticed a few pieces of clothing getting tighter in that area.”
Jeff sat on the bed to tug his boots on, “If it is it doesn’t look it. Besides, aren’t we telling them tonight anyway? What’s the big deal?”
“Yeah, I just want us to be able to announce it before anyone guesses and blurts it out. Our friends aren’t exactly known for tact.” She smoothed her hands down the front of her emerald green dress and fixed the quarter length sleeves. “I guess this is okay,” She decided finally and turned away from the mirror towards Jeff.
He glanced up at her as he tied the laces, “It looks good. Abed has probably already figured it out somehow. Like he was able to sniff out a change in your hormones when we had dinner with them a few weeks ago or something weird like that.”
Annie laughed, “You do know he doesn’t actually have super human powers right?”
Jeff stood up and pointed his finger in her face, “Never underestimate the ability of Abed to figure stuff out.”
She gave him a playful shove towards the door, “Yeah, yeah. Lets go. We’re supposed to be there by 8:30.”
“You know, I used to be fashionably late to parties.”
“Yes, I know. And then you started going with me.”
They got to Pierce’s house at 8:30 on the dot despite Jeff dragging his feet. They rang the doorbell and a moment later the door swung open. Annie took a step back in surprise and grabbed Jeff’s arm, the last thing she was expecting was to have someone in a full suit of armor open the door. The metal of the suit squeaked as whoever was inside brought his arm up and lifted the visor. Troy’s face became visible and he waved excitedly, “Hey guys!”
“Uh, hey Troy,” Annie said warily, “what’s with the suit?”
“Pierce just got it and is letting me wear it. Isn’t it awesome? He was just using it for some stupid decoration.”
Jeff rapped on the chest plate with his knuckles, “Huh, it’s real. Does it have a sword?”
“Abed has it.”
“Cool.”
Annie stepped inside and took her coat off. She spotted Abed in the next room waving the sword around like he was dueling someone. “Oh, that’s safe.”
“Fortunately it’s not as sharp as it looks,” Britta said from behind her.
Annie spun around and hugged her, “Hey, Britta! I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
“Ugh I know. Greendale didn’t exactly prepare me for how hard and time consuming getting a master’s degree is.”
Jeff sauntered up to the two women with a smirk, “Had to slip in one last contender for the understatement of the year, huh?”
Britta matched his smirk with one of her own and gave his arm a playful punch. “If I was going for that I’d just say your forehead is kind of big.”
“Oh, ouch. I haven’t heard that one before.”
“Shut it, Winger. I’m rusty.”
He laughed and pulled her into his chest for a hug, “I have to admit part of me misses this.”
Pierce came around the corner from a hallway and noticed the new arrivals for the first time. “Ah, wonderful, more of my friends have arrived.”
Annie hugged him excitedly, “Hi, Pierce! Thanks for having us over.”
“My pleasure, Annie.”
Jeff shook the older man’s hand, “How’s it going, Pierce?”
“Pretty good. I made sure the bar is well stocked with 32 year old scotch for the evening. Something like that should be enjoyed with friends and I know you appreciate good liquor.”
Jeff looked genuinely impressed, “Wow. That sounds great.”
“Are Shirley and Andre here yet?” Annie asked as she craned her neck and looked around.
“Not yet,” Abed answered, now pretending to stab Troy to death in the living room.
Once Shirley and Andre had arrived soon after the group settled into the large living room to chat and catch up. Jeff was sitting in a corner of the wrap around couch and Annie was snuggled on his lap. When everyone was distracted by Troy and Abed performing their latest rap Annie leaned next to Jeff’s ear.
“When the concert is over we tell them?” She whispered.
He nodded and kissed her cheek.
Once the impromptu show was over and Troy and Abed had taken their seats, albeit Troy a little awkwardly since he was still wearing the suit of armor, Annie looked at Jeff who just nodded again. “So Jeff and I have something to tell you guys that we’re pretty excited about,” Annie began.
Shirley raised an eyebrow. “Last time you two had something to tell us you got married in a Las Vegas shot-gun wedding,” She said skeptically.
“I know, I know, but this is different.” She looped her arms around Jeff’s neck and smiled at him before turning back towards the group. “We’re having a baby!” She squeaked. “I’m pregnant!”
Jeff instinctively tightened his arms around Annie and looked around at their stunned friends with his eyebrows raised expectantly and a nervous smile.
Troy was the first to break the silence. “Does this mean I get to be an uncle?” He asked excitedly.
Annie smiled at him, “Of course, Troy. We’d love it if you were all honorary aunts and uncles.”
“Awesome!” He cheered. “Man, I’m gonna be the coolest uncle ever.”
Abed did the finger gun pew at Jeff with a wink thrown in. “Cool. Cool, cool, cool. Congratulations, guys.”
“Thanks, Abed.”
Pierce reached over and clapped Jeff on the back, “Way to go, Jeff. Glad to see you took my advice.”
Jeff furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, “Huh?”
“You know, how I told you that if you ever might want to have a family you can’t wait too long because it’s something you can’t just knock out at the end.”
He decided to let Pierce go on thinking he had something to do with it, although if he were to be completely honest the words had floated through his head every so often. “Right, that’s what it was.”
Andre looked around at everyone else from his spot beside Shirley and cleared his throat. “That’s great. Congratulations you two. Having kids is a hell of a rollercoaster but it’s worth it. Right Shirley?”
Shirley was twisting her cross necklace between her fingers and obviously trying to hold her tongue. “Oh, yes,” She cooed, “definitely worth it.”
Annie’s smile faltered. “Look, we know we’re in kind of an unusual situation and this certainly wasn’t planned but we’re both happy and excited about it. We really want this baby.”
Jeff enthusiastically nodded his agreement. “We talked about it and 100% agree that no matter what happens between us the baby comes first. We both know what it’s like to be caught between warring parents and are determined not to let that happen.”
Shirley pursed her lips as she considered her friends words and the situation they found themselves in. “Well, I suppose you technically are married, even if it didn’t happen in a proper way in the eyes of the Lord. If you’re both happy and committed to being parents then that’s what matters.”
“We are,” Annie assured.
“Absolutely.”
“Alright then. You know you can always come to Andre and I for advice, sometimes you just need someone with some experience when you’re a new mother.”
Annie smiled gratefully at the older woman, “Thank you so much, Shirley.”
“Yeah, thanks. I’m sure we’ll be taking you up on that,” Jeff added.
Britta, who had remained eerily silent the entire time, finally spoke up. “If the kid gets your brains and motivation and his charm and silver tongue please make sure it uses its powers for good instead of evil.”
Annie laughed, partially in relief that the group hadn’t descended into chaos at their news, “We’ll do our best, I promise.”
Later in the night everyone had wandered off to various activities. Troy had finally ditched the suit after he realized he was nearly sweating through his clothes and was playing a video game with Abed and Andre. Pierce was sitting on the couch making “suggestions” on how to win. Jeff was walking down a dark hallway on the way back from the bathroom when Shirley materialized in front of him. “Hello, Jeffrey.”
He jumped back and let out a breath, “Jeez, you scared me. Don’t do that.”
She reached out and patted his arm. “Sorry, I just wanted to catch you alone. So, you’re really going to be a daddy.”
Jeff leaned his shoulder against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, “Yup, looks that way doesn’t it?”
“And this is what you want?”
“Surprisingly enough yeah, it is. When Annie first told me I definitely had that ‘oh shit’ moment but it didn’t last long at all. I’d probably feel differently if it was with someone other than Annie, but I feel like if I can raise a kid with anyone it’d be her. When I saw the ultrasound for the first time…I can’t even explain it, I mean it was just this black and white blob and I can barely tell what’s what but something changed.”
Shirley’s features noticeably softened in the dim light and she squeezed his forearm. “Oh Jeffrey, I’m so proud of you,” She cooed. “A few years ago I would have never imagined you saying something like that.”
Jeff huffed out a laugh, “Neither did I. I would have laughed in the face of anyone who suggested it. Honestly, I’m scared though. I really want to be a good dad but you know, I didn’t exactly have an example of how to do that. A small part of me thinks that as soon as the kid is born I’ll morph into my father.”
“Oh pumpkin, I promise you that isn’t going to happen.” She looked up at Jeff’s unconvinced face and sighed, grabbing his jaw in her hand and tugging his head so he had to look at her. “You listen to me. You are a good, kind man. I’m not fooled by that cold exterior anymore, I haven’t been for a long time. You love Annie, right? You want to be a good husband?”
“Of course I do.”
“And you already told me you want to be a good father. Do you think your father worried about either of those things?”
“Probably not too much,” Jeff said softly.
“Well there you go. You’ll be better than him because you care enough to be better than him. You’ll still mess up and freak out but every single parent has those moments. I have faith in you, Jeffrey. You can do it.” She patted his cheek reassuringly before she dropped her voice down to the scary tone, “Not to mention I’ll be watching to make sure you keep your ass in line.”
Jeff smiled down at her, the kind he was using more and more that was free from any sarcasm or manipulative charm. “Thanks, Shirley. It means a lot that you think I can do it. And that you’ll be watching to make sure I don’t mess up too badly.”
Shirley pulled him down to her for a hug and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “You have it in you to be a great daddy to that little baby.”
He only hugged her tighter, “Thank you.”
Meanwhile Annie had been wandering around looking for Britta. She had been kind of off since the announcement and she wanted to get it smoothed over as soon as possible. She finally spotted Britta outside standing on the deck by herself with a drink in her hand and leaning against the railing. She quietly slid open the glass door and slipped outside. “Britta?”
She spun around to face her, “Oh, hey.”
Annie moved to stand next to her, “So you’ve been pretty quiet since we told everyone. Go on, say it and get it out of your system.”
Britta narrowed her eyes, “Say what?”
“What I’m sure you’ve been holding back. About how I’m throwing away my life by having a baby and succumbing to the expectations society thrusts on me by being a wife and mother.”
She put her glass on the railing and folded her arms, “Am I that predictable?”
“Sometimes. Do you really believe all that or are you just against it for the sake of being against something?”
Britta sighed and squeezed her eyes shut before looking at Annie again. “It’s just…you’re young, Annie. And you have so much potential. I just don’t want to see you give up on it because you’ve got a baby glued to your leg and Jeff whining about dinner not being on the table.”
“Okay, first of all Jeff cooks more than I do and he’s better at it, and second I don’t have to give up on anything because of this. There’s no law that says I can’t keep my job or go to grad school just because I’ll have a baby.”
“No, but it’ll be a lot harder.”
“Britta, when have I ever backed away from something just because it was hard?”
“Never since I’ve known you,” Britta conceded. “I have to ask though, are you sure this is really what you want? I mean you’re barely 23, there’s so much you haven’t done yet.”
“Yes, it’s really what I want. I didn’t plan on having a baby right now but nothing in my life has gone according to plan and I’m fine with that. Some women have always known they want to have a family and I’m one of them. That doesn’t mean I can’t have the career I want, too. I don’t see this as having to give anything up, it just means maybe I’ll have a different path to getting there.”
Britta’s shoulders slumped as she crossed her legs and leaned against the railing with her hip. “Promise you won’t give up on your goals just because you’re a mom?”
Annie smiled at her, “I promise. I don’t think Jeff would ever let me do that anyway.”
She scrunched up her nose as one corner of her lips quirked up. “He does have a soft spot for you the size of the Grand Canyon in that cold, dark heart of his that’s for sure.”
“He has a soft spot for all of you, believe me. Even Pierce. You guys used to make fun of him for the way he looks at me but you should have seen him when he saw the ultrasound for the first time. He was actually speechless. It was so unbelievably sweet.”
Britta smiled almost sadly back at her. “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me,” She said quietly.
Annie sensed there was another reason for Britta’s reaction beyond the expected one. “Britta? Is something wrong?”
She shook her head and Annie could have sworn she heard a tiny sniffle. “No, it’s just…I don’t know. It’s stupid.”
Annie took a step closer to her friend. “Hey, you can tell me, I’m sure it’s not stupid.”
Britta nodded quickly and raised her eyes to meet Annie’s. “I’m 33 and have no idea if I want a baby or not. I’m just barely getting my life on track and it’s not like it’s something I can just get around to at some point if I feel like it. I used to be so sure that I never wanted kids but now I’m not anymore. You being pregnant and so sure about it at 23 just kind of threw that in my face. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah, it does.”
“And you and Jeff are all committed and happy and yeah I have Troy and things are going great but he’s also only 24,” She continued. “If I do decide I want a kid at some point I can’t expect him to feel the same you know? Its not like eggs are viable forever. This biological clock thing is freaking me out!”
Annie reached out and grabbed her flailing arms to calm her, “Okay, Britta calm down. I get how weird even the possibility of wanting a baby is for someone like you, but I bet a lot of women who thought they never wanted kids when they were younger start to question their decision. But you still have time to figure it out. Finish your master’s degree, see where things head with Troy, and reevaluate things in a year and a half once you’ve graduated. In the mean time you can spend time with mine once it’s born to see how you feel about it.”
Britta took a deep breath in through her nose and nodded again, this time a bit less franticly. “You’re right. Tons of women have babies who are older than me, right?”
“Right.”
“I don’t have forever but I don’t have to decide tomorrow, either. And until then I can just be Aunt Britta. Thanks, Annie. I haven’t talked to anyone about this, it kind of helps to get it out.”
Annie smiled and pulled her in for a hug, “Anytime.”
“You’ll be a kickass mom.”
She huffed out a laugh against Britta’s blond curls, “Thanks.”
Britta pulled back from the hug and rubbed Annie’s arms. “Come on, lets go back inside. It’s cold out here and you don’t have a coat on. I don’t want Jeff getting mad at me if you get sick because you were out here talking to me. I’m sure he’s even more protective of you now.”
“He kind of is,” Annie giggled. “It’s sweet now but I have a feeling it’ll get kind of old after awhile.”
Britta threw her arm around her shoulders and led her back to the sliding glass door, “If it really starts to annoy you just let me know and I’ll whip out a sanctimonious speech about women not needing a man for protection to annoy the shit out of him right back.”
Annie threw her head back and laughed. “I just may take you up on that at some point.”
Just a few minutes before midnight everyone gathered around Pierce’s massive TV to watch the rerun of the ball drop for the Mountain Time Zone. When the clock hit 12:00 cheers and noise makers filled the room while Pierce popped the champagne. He poured seven glasses and some seltzer water for Annie while Jeff pulled her in for a kiss and a whispered ‘happy New Year, baby.”
Part 7c