No Means No

“What the hell are you doing here?”

I couldn't even attempt to mask the disgust in my voice. Rebecca's eyes gleamed with fear as Jonah took a protective step in front of me.

“I...I...” She stammered as she took a step back. The confidence that had struck her moments before she called out my name was suddenly gone.

“I...I...” I mimicked her. Jonah looked over his shoulder and without saying a word gestured for me to stop. “Did Kadie not make it clear? You're not welcome here.”

“Look Rebecca...” Jonah said in a calm voice. “I don't know how you got here, but take your drama and go home.”

“How'd you know we were gonna be here?” I blurted out loud as the thought crossed my mind. “Oh my God, have you been stalking us? That's low Rebecca, even for you.”

Frustrated, Rebecca threw up her hands and shouted, “Can you just let me talk, for like, one minute please?”

I turned to Jonah as I whispered. “Wow, and then she's gonna be a bitch about it.”

“You know we really don't owe her much.” Jonah whispered back. “After everything we did for her? We shouldn't even acknowledge her.”

“I can hear you two.” Rebecca huffed as she folded her arms across her chest.

I snapped my head towards her and shouted back,“Good!”

“Look, I just wanted to apologize, okay?” She sighed as she lifted her hand up to rub her forehead.

I stared at her with an open mouth. “You tried to seduce my fiance and then lied about it.” The words rolled off my tongue slowly with irritation. “Sorry doesn't cut it.”

“Seriously, Rebecca. I vouched for you time and time again. I was the only one on your side and you used me for God knows what reason.” I never heard Jonah sound so disappointed.

“I know” Rebecca shook her head. “I know, okay!” A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Jonah and I looked at each other. As much as we hated her we weren't horrible people. Seeing her get emotional during an apology shut us up. We stood quietly and listened to what she had to say.

“I was going through a tough time back home before I came here. Turns out the guy I was seeing was cheating on me. Not with just one other woman, but multiple. God, it was so embarrassing!” She held her hands over her face. “So embarrassing that I couldn't even tell anyone. I just packed up my shit and moved here. When Jonah was being nice to me I wanted to prove to myself that I was still worth it.”

I cut her off, “by having him do to me what another man did to you? That makes a lot of sense, Rebecca.”

“I'm not saying it was logical, okay? It was that nasty inner voice that possessed me into doing it. You know me Lynn, that's not something I would ever do.”

“The sad part is I thought I did.” I shook my head. I wasn't quiet buying what Rebecca was trying to sell.

“Regardless, I feel horrible about the whole thing. When I found out you were pregnant, I cried for a week thinking about how I could have potentially broken a family apart. So, I promised myself that I would try to make amends when I came back here.” Rebecca noticed the questioning looks on our faces. “Don't worry, I didn't move back. After our little debacle I left to Memphis to live with my cousin. She has a gig in town so we're just here for the night.”

“You spoke your peace, but I'm not sure that we're ready to forgive you yet...”

I cut Jonah off, “we're definitely not ready to forgive you.”

“Either way, you need to leave before Kadie finds out your here. She has some questionable activities planned for the next time she sees you.”

Rebecca's eyebrows quivered as she turned around and walked away into the darkness. Jonah wrapped his arm around my shoulder as the two of us watched her disappear.

“I'm so irritated right now.” I huffed as we finally turned around and made our way back to our apartment.

“I know you are, babe, it's okay.” Jonah tried to calm me down.

“It's just, I had so much to say, you know?” I shook my head.

“Even if you didn't get to say what you wanted she still got to see one of her oldest friends disappointed in her. Trust me, she'll have to live with that guilt forever.” Jonah kissed the top of my head as we walked up to our apartment door.

“I guess” I shrugged. “Can we please just leave to Italy already?”

Jonah laughed. “Patience is key, Lynn.” He shouted as he walked into his office.

It was mid-week when Jeremy finally called Jonah to let him know Rachel, Jeremy's international wedding planner cousin, was up for our challenge.

That meant we only had four proper weeks to plan everything out. If we were really going to do this, we'd be pulling off the impossible.

That night Jonah and I compiled our guest list for the wedding. Since it was so last minute Jonah and I were planning on covering the travel expenses for those who couldn't afford it, so we really wanted to limit our guest list to just our closest friends and family.

That weekend we invited everyone over to our apartment for a dinner party. It was a small gathering with a little less than half the guests being in Texas.

After dinner Jonah and I sat everyone down for the surprise. Casey and Jeremy were able to swing by, but we had to FaceTime Mandy, Anna, and my parents since they couldn't be here.

“Can I get everyone's attention please?” Jonah tapped his glass and waited for the room to quiet down. “I know most of you are wondering why there's a random mix of people here..”

“Seriously” Kadie whispered loudly causing a couple of our guests to laugh.

“The reason we wanted you all here” I was so excited about telling everyone I cut Jonah off. “...is because we'd like for you all to join us on our wedding day...next month...”

Everyone's face lit up as they quietly waited for us to finish.

Jonah looked at me and smiled. The anticipation on everyone's face grew as he waited to make the big reveal. “...in Italy!”

“Oh my God!” Kadie shouted in excitement.

There were cheers and applaud and laughter filling the room. Everyone was ecstatic to join us on this journey. Everyone except our parents.

“No, no, no, no!” We fell silent when we heard my parents and Anna.

“Mom, Dad...” I pulled my iPad off it's stand to reason with them.

“Absolutely not. You're my only daughter, Lynn. You're going to have a big wedding with ALL of our family and friends.”

“Mom, are you seri-” before I could finish my rebuttal, Anna cut me off.

“I agree, Jonah. Your family would be devastated not to share the day with you.”

Jonah and I looked at one another disappointed at yet another obstacle that stood between us and the alter.

Sick Day

I'm so sorry to do this, but unfortunately there won't be a post this week. I've been stricken with the worst case of bronchitis that's had me weeping in bed all week. (insert all the crying face emojis)

Normal posting will resume next week and I might even throw in a bonus post to make up for today.

xx,
Zara

You Me And A Rabbi

My hands trembled and my eyes filled up with tears. I tried to hold them back to avoid ruining my makeup again.

All I wanted to do was admire the scenery. I stopped abruptly before turning the corner of the corridor. My dad hadn't noticed that I was standing still until my arm, that was looped around his, pulled him back.

I peeked around the corner following the cobbled pathway past a large fountain and into a garden filled with peonies, my favorite flowers. They vibrantly bloomed in every shade. I held my fingers over my lips as I admired them. As beautiful as they were,they weren't what caught my eye. My attention was diverted beyond the cliff that over looked an old Italian village. The houses were staggered along the mountain side just above the crashing waves of the emerald colored sea.

My hands fell down to my waist in awe. That's when I felt the beaded material of my dress. I looked down and it was like I was seeing it for the first time. I was wearing a white dress that was perfectly fitted to my body. It was covered in white-ish silver beads that glimmered in the sunlight around me. It was more stunning than anything I'd ever seen. The weirdest part was the tiny bit of my pregnant belly was no longer showing. Instead, I had perfect curves that I'm sure was due to a tight corset. Now that I was thinking about it, I couldn't feel anything that could have been so restricting underneath my dress. I furrowed my brows as I patted myself, trying to figure it out.

That's when I heard Jonah calling my name. He was standing with the Rabbi under the huppah gesturing for me to hurry up. “Lynn! Come on! We're gonna be late!”

I looked at him in disgust. How rude! This is was my wedding and I could walk down the aisle at my own pace.

“Lynn! They're waiting for us!”

I looked around confused. Was there another wedding going on that I wasn't aware of?

“Who?” I shouted back.

Jonah's voice grew louder, as if he were next to me, and that's when I'd woken up from my dream. “Did you fall sleep?” Jonah was dressed up in a button up shirt tucked into slacks. His hair was neatly made and he was in the process of putting on his watch as he stood over me. I looked around as I slowly brought myself back to reality. “Jesus, Lynn, I left you alone for a minute. You must be tired.”

I held my hands up to my eyes, ready to rub them, but then stopped myself when I realized I'd just gotten ready. I went into such a deep sleep so quickly I couldn't remember what was going on, but it was slowly starting to come back.

“Casey said they're already on their way.”

Jonah and I had a double date with Casey and Jeremy. They'd just came back from their honey moon and wanted to go out to the west village for steaks.

On our way over I told Jonah about my dream. “It was so perfect Jon. A beautiful garden on a hill top that looked over a small town in Italy.” I sighed as my head landed on his shoulder.

“Italy, huh?” We were sitting in a dark cab that was only lit by the street lights, but I could tell by Jonah's voice he was smiling. “You really took what I said lightly, didn't you?” Jonah sarcastically teased.

Casey and Jeremy were already inside waiting for us. Once we settled down they told us all about their honeymoon in Maui.

“How's wedding planning going for you two?” Casey finally asked.

Jonah and I both looked at one another. “We kinda want to shot gun it.” I said without taking my eyes off of him.

Casey cleared her throat. “What do you mean?”

“You know, things are gonna get stressful soon with both of us working and the baby, so...” Jonah shrugged.

“How soon?” Casey's fists were resting on the table with a fork and knife in each one.

“In a month?” Jonah and I looked at each other again, this time questioningly. “That's plenty of time right? We just need, you, me, and a Rabbi.”

Jonah laughed. “You, me and a Rabbi. That's funny.” I joined him in laughter realizing how funny it sounded. “That should be a movie title about a nice, handsome boy, his beautiful non-Jewish fiance and the fiasco that's caused by his insane Jewish family.”

Jeremy had joined in as we kept throwing around crazy scenerios that would take place in the movie. Our laughter only grew with each new plot twist. Casey was still in shock about our news and quietly watched us with folded arms.

“I'll have to pitch the idea to Apatow next time he's at the office.” Jonah and Jeremy finally caught their breath as I dabbed the corners of my eyes with my napkin.

Jonah pretended to be startled when he looked over at Casey and her puckered face. “Come on, Case. It's just a joke.”

“I don't care about that.” She leaned back onto the table. “I care that mom is going to be totally upset. How are you going to put everything together in a month.”

Jonah leaned in to the table, mimicking Casey's posture. “That's the point. We don't want all the extra stuff.”

“Really, Casey.” I agreed. “I could do without all the extra invites and the extended events and gatherings.” I grabbed Jonah's shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. “I'm just ready to get married to my sweet man.”

“It's not like we're excluding mom.” Jonah continued. “She'll be there...with a small group of our friends.”

“I say go for it.” Jeremy leaned back in his chair exhausted from all the food he'd just eaten. Casey looked at him confused as to why he wasn't on her side. “You even said that you hated how long it took us to get married. Granted it was a snowstorm that delayed us.”

It was like Jeremy had spoken some secret language to Casey and she suddenly understood us. “Fine” She sat back. “Do you have a place in mind? I hope you know a month isn't enough time to book a venue.”

“We were thinking somewhere...maybe...outside of the states.” Jonah's voice slowly dragged along. Even he knew it might as well be impossible.

“Jonah” Casey tilted her head in hopes to make him realize how crazy we were sounding.

“Oh” Jeremy perked up. “My cousin specializes in international wedding planning. She could help you with the whole thing. Besides she owes me a huge favor any way. I don't know if you two were interested in Italy, but that's where she's based out of.”

“Italy?” I practically jumped out of my seat with wide eyes.

Jonah laughed at my animated expression. He told Jeremy and Casey about my dream that I had earlier that evening. I couldn't believe this was actually going to happen.

We spent the rest of the evening figuring out who would be invited and the general logistics of how everything would work. Casey was slowly starting to come around the more details we started to conquer.

The time had slipped by so quickly we hadn't even realized that we were the only ones left in the restaurant. We said our goodbyes and headed on our way home.

We stopped by a coffee shop a few blocks away from our apartment so Jonah could get a drink. He had to stay up late to finish some writing and needed the energy boost.

We were practically prancing through the streets shouting in joy wondering how we'd gotten so lucky. We were bursting at the seams with happiness hoping our dreams were really about to become a reality.

As we turned the corner of our block I heard someone call out my name. It was a familiar voice. I continued to smile from ear to ear as I turned around. That's when every last bit of my happiness was destroyed.

“Lynn” Rebecca called out again as she crossed the street towards me.

Was this bitch serious?

Anywhere You Go, I'll Follow

“It's a big step, for sure.”

Kadie crossed her arms as she paced back and forth in her office. Her black skirt was so fitted it was restricting her stride.

I was sitting behind Kadie's desk on her MacBook. I was only half listening to her as she rambled on. My attention was more focused on the Google search I'd just pulled up on converting.

“Adam wants to raise our kids Jewish. He pretty much said the same thing Jonah told you. Traditions...blah, blah, blah...But, his family hasn't expressed any interest in converting.”

I looked up at her for a brief second as she stopped in her tracks. She held one hand up to her chin as she went into a deeper train of thought.

“Wait, why don't they want me to convert?” We locked eyes as she looked over at me. That was my cue to look away and back at the screen. “Do they not think I'm good enough?”

“I dunno” I just barely mumbled with a slight shrug.

I let out a deep sigh as I exited out of the websites and shut the laptop. I spun around in the swivel chair until I was looking out the window onto Columbus Circle.

Just as I was about to tell Kadie how I was feeling her cell phone began ringing. I heard the clatter of her heels race across the room to answer it. By the tone of her voice I could tell it was a business call. So, I slipped out of the room whispering my good bye.

As I was walking down the street I noticed a small bridal boutique. I've walked past it plenty of times, but today it was really just screaming at me to come over. So I did.

I walked into the shop where I was greeted by a sales associate. “Hi!” She cheerfully sang from across the store. “Welcome to Breanna's Bridal!”

I gave a quick smile and wave before I started shifting through the racks of dresses.

I would be lying if I said I never dreamed of my wedding. As cliché as it sounds I always imagined myself in a big, poofy, princess dress. Kinda like the one Kate Hudson wore in Bride Wars. But, as of lately I felt like I'd lost motivation. All of my attention was going towards my pregnancy. The fact that Jonah and I were both avoiding the whole wedding talk was just icing on the cake.

I pulled out a dress that caught my eye to take a closer look.

“Isn't it gorgeous?” I practically jumped when I heard the sales associate's voice over my shoulder. She walked around until we were face to face. “I'm Taylor, by the way.” She held out her hand for me to shake. I hesitantly reached forward. I was getting a really over-bearing vibe from her. Her energy was at least 50 levels higher than mine. Maybe she was just excited she had a costumer? The place looked pretty dead.

“Lynn” I said as she was waiting for me to say my name. I turned away from her and hung the dress back onto the rack.

“You don't want to try it on?” I clenched my chest in shock when Taylor suddenly appeared at my other shoulder.

“No, no.” I shook my head. “I'm just browsing.”

“When are you planning on getting married?” She wasn't getting the hint that I really didn't want to be bothered.

I continued shifting through the rack. “I'm not sure”

“Why not?” I felt my jaw clench. Why was this girl all up in my business?

I looked over my shoulder and gave her a fake smile. “We just got engaged. Haven't really had time to plan out the details yet.” I lied.

She reached forward to grab my hand. “With a rock like that I would've had the wedding right then and there!” She laughed at her own joke and I continued to fake smile. “Why don't you tell me what you like and I'll pick some dresses out for you. Maybe seeing yourself in the dress will even speed up the planning process.”

“No, it's fi-” I wasn't even able to finish my sentence before she grabbed some dresses and pulled at my arm to follow after her.

I gave into her demands and decided it wouldn't hurt if I tried on at least one. So, I slipped out of my clothes and into the dress. It was a mermaid style with a sweetheart neckline. It was gorgeous. I couldn't stop staring at myself.

Taylor knocked on the fitting room door. “Are you ready to come out?”

I opened the door and to Taylor's predictable expression. “Wow! This dress was made just for you! We could even tighten it a bit more...” She pulled the dress from the back to accentuate my figure as I stood on a platform in front of a wall of mirrors.

“No...” I said without taking my eyes off the mirror. I never thought I'd like a dress like this, but I was already imagining walking down the aisle in it. “I'm sure I'll be bigger by the time the wedding comes around.”

For the first time I saw Taylor's smile disappear. “I don't think I've ever heard a bride plan on getting bigger before her wedding.”

I continued day dreaming as I spoke. “Yeah, well, I'm pregnant, so it's inevitable.”

“Oh, wow.” Her eyes were wide. “Fittings take six to eight months. Maybe it's better if you hold off until after the baby.”

My daydreaming bubbled popped as I heard her say the words out loud. She was right. I kept picturing myself walking towards Jonah in my current figure, but who knew how big I really would be by the time we decided to get married?

I changed back into my clothes and headed home.

The cab ride home was a quiet one. Usually the drivers in the city would make some effort to start a conversation, but I didn't really respond when my cab driver tried to ask me how I was doing. I just gave him a one word answer and continued staring out the window.

We were almost to my apartment when a tear rolled down my cheek. Then two....then three..then the flood gates opened. Being considerate to my driver, I cried in silence. I'm sure I looked like someone from a silent film who looks like they're crying hysterically, but at the same time you can't hear anything so you don't really know.

The cab driver didn't really notice until he pulled up to the curb of my apartment. “Are you okay, miss?” He asked in a thick Jamaican accent.

“I'm fine! I'm fine!” I sniffled as I reached into my purse and handed over some cash. I've never seen a driver so disappointed to take money.

Once I got upstairs to our apartment I'd already forgotten why I was even crying in the first place. In fact I was feeling way better than I was ten minutes ago. The strange emotional roller coaster of pregnancy is something I'll never understand.

I went from happy to missing Jonah just in the time it took me to walk into our bedroom. I walked over to his side of the bed and picked up the framed picture he kept on his night table. It was from a double date we'd went on with Kadie and Adam. The picture was a candid shot that Kadie managed to capture of Jonah and I laughing as we stared at one another. It was one of my favorite pictures.

I sighed as I put it back. I looked down at my ring and began fantasizing again. It was so easy to forget how lucky I really was to have Jonah. How he was single-handedly the one to get us through every up and down.

I jumped into the shower to clean up before dinner. We'd been eating out lately, so I knew Jonah would appreciate if I made a home cooked meal.

“Is that food I smell?” I heard Jonah's voice as he walked into the apartment. “There's actual food being cooked in the kitchen?” he teased.

“Ha-Ha” I pushed his shoulder back. "Very funny"

Jonah laughed as he wrapped his arms around me in a hug. “Well, hey miss sexy legs.” He kissed my neck as his hands traced down to my thighs. I think he was just excited to see I was actually wearing a dress, even though it was just a casual cotton dress, and not my normal t-shirt and pajamas.

“I made you dinner” I smiled as I gave him a kiss.

“I see that” He looked over my shoulder towards the stove top. “What's gotten into you?” He teased again.

“Don't even, Jonah. I cook for you all the time.” He grinned knowing it was true. “I just...kinda, sorta, maybe missed you a little bit today.”

“Wow, that much?”

I nodded my head. “I may be over-exaggerating.”

I held his face between my hands and kissed him again.

After dinner Jonah and I decided to sit out on our balcony. The weather was nice and it'd been a while since the two of us had spent time together without distractions.

“I went to a bridal store today.” I said without looking over at Jonah. I saw him flinch and look towards me. “It was on my way home from Kadie's office, so I thought I'd stop by.”

There was a second of silence before he asked, “How was it?”

I went on to tell him about the dress I tried on. How, it wasn't something I really wanted, but more of just the thought of walking down the aisle to marry him.

“I feel like getting married to you is going to be the calm before the storm. We're gonna have a kid and I'm going to be working crazy hours at the hospital. I just want a moment with you before the chaos...and also for my dress to fit.”

Jonah put his drink down and pulled at my arm to come towards him. I walked over and sat in his lap with my arm around his shoulder. “What are you saying?”

“I'm saying I want to have our wedding before summer's over.”

“You know August is literally the worst month in New York, right?” Jonah looked at me questioningly.

“What are you saying.”

“I'm saying we should go away somewhere.” He brushed my hair away from my face and kissed me.

I smiled at the idea. “Where would we go?”

“Anywhere.” He kissed me again. “Anywhere in the world that my baby wants to go.”

Jonah's hands grazed my legs as we made out. I kissed his neck as his hands slowly crept up under my dress. He got a hold of my panty and didn't let go until he was able to slip them off. I straddled myself over him.

There was some people watching from the apartment balcony across the street. We heard them cheer as Jonah picked me up and carried inside.

Sleep On It

“Jonah, we need to talk.”

Jonah just barely finished saying hello before I cut him off. He was still in the doorway entering our apartment when he paused to scrunch his lips at my request. It was later than usual, but I could tell he was coming straight from work because he was still wearing his Ray-Ban eye glasses, which he only did when he spent hours in front of a screen writing.

“Okay...” His voice drifted as he shut the door behind him. I waited for him to walk over to the empty dinner table. He pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit and then did the same. Jonah's elbows perched up on the table as he folded his arm, one over the other. “...Shoot.”

I inhaled a long breath and slowly blinked my eyes for emphasis. “You're mom called...”

I wasn't even finished with my sentence before his ears perked up and he immediately jumped to conclusions. “Is she okay? What happened?”

I held up my hand and smirked. “She's fine” He sunk back into his chair waiting for me to continue. “She...I don't know how to say this.” I bit my lip as I tried to figure out the right words to say. Jonah's chin jolted forward in anticipation. I sighed and just blurted it out any which way it came. “She wants me to convert, like, before the baby and the wedding.”

“She said that?” Jonah looked at me confused.

“She suggested I take a more serious,” I air quoted the word “look into considering it because I'm not the only one it'll be affecting.”

Jonah sighed and rubbed his forehead before he took off his glasses and began rubbing his eyes. The mumbles under his breath were barely audible.

I waited a few seconds for him to wrap his head around it, but he still hadn't said anything.

“So...” I tapped my fingers on the table. “Crazy right?”

“I don't know” He declared. “I don't know” he repeated. And then again a couple more times. The palm of his hands laid on the table has he pushed himself up off the chair.

“Where are you going?” I asked, confused. “We're not done talking.”

Jonah was already half way to our bedroom. He turned around. “Anything other than conversion talk?”

I thought about it for a second, “no”

“Okay” He took his shirt off as he continued on his way to the bedroom. “I have to take a shower. We'll talk about this later.”

All I wanted was a little bit of thought from Jonah's end to help me figure out where I should even start with my decision. Looks like I wasn't going to get what I was searching for. I dropped my head onto my folded arms as I groaned.

The next morning I tried to get a hold of Jaime. He didn't answer my call and I knew he wasn't working. I hadn't seen him since the incident at his parents place the week before. I wanted to make sure everything was okay and maybe, if the moment was right, tell him about my run in with Henry.

I grabbed a box of doughnuts and a couple of coffees before I headed up to his apartment where I waited for him to answer his door.

I knocked again. Silence.

I was starting to get worried when I remembered Jaime kept a spare key hidden on top of his door frame. I put my things down and jumped up to grab it. Although my pregnancy weight still wasn't visible, it was the first time I definitely felt it.

I unlocked the door and opened it slowly hoping to see Jaime, but he wasn't there. The place looked like someone was living there, so it's not like he ran off without me knowing. I sighed as I left the box of doughnuts and his coffee on his kitchen counter and walked away.

That's when I heard a noise. I turned towards Jaime's bedroom and began walking in its direction. “Jaime?” I called out and I heard a noise again. I felt like I was maybe two and a half seconds away from panicking. For all I knew someone could have beaten Jaime up and left him tied up in his bedroom. “Jaime!” I called out louder this time.

His bedroom door was slightly open, so I very cautiously pushed the door and stood back in anticipation of fighting off some sick freaky serial rapist who was torturing my best friend.

“Oh my God!” I yelled as I covered my face with my hands. The last thing I was expecting, and yet the most logical, was seeing Jaime in bed with Henry. Thankfully nothing was going on, but just the thought that I invaded their privacy took me back.

“Lynn?” Jaime called out as he jumped out of bed and threw a t-shirt on.

“Oh my God” I repeated. “This is deja vu! I'm so sorry, J! I'm leaving, I'm leaving!” My face was still covered as I backed away to the front door.

I heard Jaime's voice laugh as his hand grabbed my arm and pulled it away from my face. “It's okay.” He reassured me. “We were just sleeping...see.” I looked over his shoulder to see Henry still in bed, silent, as his chest rose and fell with each breath. He was sound asleep.

“Oh”

“What's going on?” He asked when he finally realized I was in his apartment.

“I tried calling you” He obviously hadn't seen his phone yet by the way he furrowed his brow. “I knocked too and I got worried when you didn't answer. I thought maybe someone hurt you, or I don't know, maybe you hurt yourself.”

Jaime smiled again. “Why would I hurt myself?”

I widened my eyes and looked around. Did he really already forget? “Uh, Jaime, your dad wasn't exactly welcoming you with open arms.”

“Oh” he rubbed the back of his head and sighed. “That”

Jaime went back over to close his bedroom door so Henry wouldn't wake up and the two of us sat in his living room talking about what had happened.

Jaime went on to tell me how he and his mom went back inside to try opening up a little more to his dad, which he did eventually come around, but he still wasn't as accepting of his son as he needed to be.

“I'm sorry” I shrugged my shoulders not knowing what else to say to make him feel better. “So, what's happening here?” I pointed towards his bedroom where Henry was still sleeping.

Jaime rolled his eyes. “Don't ask”

“You know I saw him the other day. He's still with Jebrone.”

“I know...”

“Wasn't the whole point of this...”

Jaime cut me off, “It's complicated. Let's just leave it at that. Speaking of complicated how are things with Mr. Show Biz?”

It was my turn to roll my eyes. “We told his family about the baby this weekend. His mom ended up calling me yesterday and told me I should start thinking more seriously about converting.”

“Wow” Jaime lifted his brows. “That's heavy stuff...I mean, if it even matters to you.” I gave him a look and he went on to explain. “If you're not a religious person than why not? Maybe it'll open your eyes to something new. Or at least you can be supportive of your kid. I mean she'd kinda right, it's gonna have an affect. The moment you become pregnant it's no longer about you.”

We sat and talked through all the possibilities and different scenarios of things that could turn from either decision I made.

Before I left Jaime's place that morning I'd gotten a text from Jonah asking if I wanted to go to dinner. So, that night I met him at our favorite Italian restaurant in the Meat Packing District.

We had already placed out orders when Jonah suddenly cleared his throat and leaned forward.

“I'm sorry we couldn't talk about this last night..” He reached over and grabbed my hand. He looked down at it as he played with my fingers. “I just really needed to sleep on it and figure out how I really felt.”

“I'm not asking you to make the decision for me, Jonah.” I placed my hand over his. “I just want to know how you feel.”

He sighed. “I feel like it's asking a lot.”

“But?” I knew by the expression on his face that there was so much more he wanted to say.

“I'd like if you considered it. I thought about it a lot and I want my son, or daughter, to grow up with the same culture, traditions, experiences as I did, you know what I mean?”

I couldn't blame Jonah, his life involved way more religious events than mine ever could. It just wasn't something my parents where big about. There was the occasional church visit, but that's as far as it went.

Jonah looked up at me with longing eyes. “It would mean the world to me if we were all able to share them together.”

Leap of Faith

“So, what happened?”

It was Monday morning and I decided to spend the day at Kadie's office. I lounged on the couch across from her desk as she went over some paper work.

She was only half listening to me, so I decided to pull her chain.

“Jonah proposed, again.” I said casually as I flipped through a magazine.

“Oh yeah? Did he give you another ring? Because if he did, I call dibs on the sapphire one.” Kadie joked.

I tossed the magazine back onto the side table. “No, still the same.” I held my hand up and wiggled the ring around. “But, we got to talking and we decided we wanted a wedding with no hassle...” I looked over at Kadie who was still busy going over her work.

She eventually noticed the silence and gently put the papers in her hands down. “Lynn...” She slowly spoke. “Please don't tell me you did what I think you did...”

“One thing led to the next and we ended up going to Atlantic City.”

Kadie jumped out of her chair. “Lynn Lee Barnes...Please tell me you're fuc-”

I erupted into laughter.

“Did you or didn't you?!” Kadie asked as she walked over and stood in front of me.

“We didn't!” I finally confessed between laughs.

Kadie grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at me. “Why the hell would you scare me like that!”

“We were debating on it. But, it was late at night on a Sunday and Jonah had to be back in the City bright and early today. Besides it didn't feel right without you there.”

Kadie released a tense breath. “Thank God!” She stood up and went back to her desk to work. “While we're talking about it, what's going on? Should I go ahead with the engagement party? Skip to the bridal shower? I mean at this rate it seems like your gonna have your baby shower before any of the wedding events.”

“Stop it” I rolled my eyes. “We'll figure everything out eventually.”

Kadie's phone vibrated causing both of us to lose our concentration. She picked it up and read the text out loud. “It's Sarah. She said, “What are your plans for lunch? Henry and I are starving! We're at Central Park West, want to meet?”

Kadie and I never turn down an invitation to eat.

We met up Henry and Sarah at a small little bistro just off of the Park.

It was my first time seeing Henry since I learned about his history with Jaime. Which reminded me, I needed to catch up with him to make sure everything with his parents turned out okay. But, in the mean time, I had to let Henry know what a big deal this whole thing was.

I patiently waited for a moment where I could steal him away, but at the rate Kadie and Sarah were talking it almost seemed impossible.

It wasn't until we were done with lunch and walking out of the bistro when I was finally about to pull him aside.

“Henry” I whispered, making sure Sarah and Kadie couldn't hear us.

He didn't get the clue. Instead, Henry responded back in his normal volume. “What is it? Why are you being so weird?”

I shushed him and held onto his arm, letting Sarah and Kadie walk a few paces further in front of us.

“Jaime told me what's been going on between you two.”

Henry had a brief expression of shock before he wiped his hand over his face. “Oh, God.”

“What do you mean, “oh God”? He had to face the scrutiny of his parents just to prove to you that he's serious.”

“I know, I know, okay?” He aggressively whispered back. “I didn't think he would suddenly become so serious about it.”

“You're the one that gave him an ultimatum!” I reciprocated his energy.

Henry shook his head as he shut his eyes. “I just have to end things officially with Jebrone before anything else can happen.”

I placed my hand on his shoulder and shook him. “Henry, he took a huge leap for you. You can't leave him hanging like that.”

“What am I suppose to do about Jebrone? Tell him he was just my sideline choice and that I've been secretly having an affair with Jaime? You know he already hates him as it is.”

“You know, I'm not really sure why Jaime likes you this much, but I'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt and assume there's something good about you. And if you do anything to hurt my friend I swear on all that is holy you'll have me to deal with and it's not going to be pretty.”

Henry and I locked eyes for a minute before I huffed and walked away.

“Are you okay?” Kadie asked as we climbed into the cab she hailed for us.

“Henry's just being annoying.”

"What's new?" She joked along.

As we were walking back into Kadie's office my phone began to ring.

I furrowed my brows in surprise when I saw that it was Anna.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Hey honey, how's it going?” She spoke in a sweet serene tone.

“It's great. What's going on?” I was eager to figure out why she called me a day after we'd just seen her.

“We...” She paused for a brief second. “We need to talk...”

Shot Gun

Jonah and I laid on the bed in his childhood bedroom as we stared up at the ceiling.

It was Sunday morning, and after a long weekend of wedding events for Casey, we were exhausted. We still had one last family brunch to attend before it was all officially over, but just the thought of it was making us weak.

“I love Casey, but is it really necessary for me to be at this brunch?” Jonah groaned as his hands smothered his face.

I yawned.

“I can't, I can't do another one of Aunt Marsha's stories.” His voice mumbled through his fingers as he shook his head. “We're gonna have to do this all over again when we get married.”

I furrowed my brows and turned my head towards Jonah. “What do you mean when we get married?”

Jonah's eyes peeked out from between his fingers as he looked over at me. He finally uncovered his face with an uneasy laugh. “You're kidding, right?”

I pursed my lips and looked at my empty hand. “I don't see a ring on my finger.” Of course, I only gave him back the engagement ring in the heat of an argument, but I couldn't help and tease him about a do-over.

“And why is that?” Jonah leaned over on his elbow. “Because I remember giving it to you.”

I sat up and mimicked his tone, “Well, I gave it back, now you need to give it to me again.”

“Oh God” He sighed as he dropped his hand back onto his pillow and once again covered his face. “Eight more months of this...”

“What was that?” I pulled his hands away from his face and he smiled with a tight lip refusing to respond.

I took my pillow and tossed it at him before I left to get ready for brunch.

Once we got to the restaurant, I spotted Casey from a distance and went over to say hello. She wore a simple dress, with minimal makeup, but it didn't even matter because the glow radiating on her face was so pure it was hard to notice anything else.

We leaned in for a hug and kiss on the cheek when she stopped me from pulling away. “I heard the news, congratulations!” She whispered in my ear.

I felt my cheeks burn as I blushed. “Oh” I stuttered. Even though I knew it was hard for Anna, Mandy and Casey to keep secrets between each other I was still taken back when I realized one of them had slipped. “Thank you!” I smiled. “I didn't want to spoil your weekend.”

Casey pulled away and looked at me as if I were crazy. “Are you kidding?” She laughed. “Even if you told me before I said, 'I do,' I would've still been excited that my baby brother is having a baby!”

I froze as Casey's jaw dropped. We were both in shock when she said the words out loud...for everyone to hear.

“What?” Jonah's Aunt's voice carried from across the table. “Jonah's having a baby?”

Everyone became quiet as they stared at me and Casey. Our hands were still on each others shoulders. Casey's eyes were wide and without moving her lips she whispered, “I'm so sorry!”

Jonah walked towards the table unaware of what had just happened. “Hey, Lynn, you'll never believe what the valet guy-” He stopped talking when he noticed Casey and I standing like statues in front of a table filled with stone faces.

“What's going...” His voice grew quieter, “Should I even ask?”

Mandy jumped to her feet and raised up her glass of water. “Here's to my beautiful sister and her sweet new husband on their marriage and to Lynn and my annoying brother, who I adore, on the news of their little love bug!”

Everyone became distracted as they clinked their glasses and celebrated the news.

Jonah smiled at everyone and leaned into my ear. “They know?”

Casey shook her head. “Jonah I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to say it out loud!”

“It's okay!” I reassured her as I hugged her again. “You seriously just saved me from some major nerves.”

“They know!” Jonah embraced me into a tight hug as we celebrated along with everyone. “We can finally be open about it!”

Casey reached over and punched Jonah's arm. “I can't believe you didn't tell me first! I thought I was your favorite?”

“Ow!” Jonah rubbed his arm. “You are!”

“Hey!” Mandy shouted from across the table.

After everyone settled down we were finally able to start our meal. Casey shared some funny stories of things that had gone wrong before the wedding, while Mandy told us all about how crazy Casey was going, and everyone else talked about how beautiful the event was.

For the most part everyone was excited about the baby news. Jonah's aunts and uncles came up to us separately to give us some tips and tricks for when we welcomed the “Cohen baby”(as everyone nicknamed it) They even started taking bets on whether it would be a boy or girl. I couldn't believe I was freaking out this whole time and yet everyone had taken the news with light hearts.

Jonah had work the next morning after a week long vacation, so that night we headed back to the city from Long Island. Only as we were driving the scenery looked a little different. We always took the same route to and fro and this time nothing was really looking familiar.

“Are you sure we're going the right way?” I asked as I stared out the window.

“Hm?” Jonah mumbled. “Yeah”

I grew more concerned. “Jonah, where are we going?”

“It's a surprise” He smiled as he stayed focus on the road.

As he turned the corner we were parked in front of an amusement park. I was confused as to what was going on, but I slowly started piecing the puzzle together. “Is this the park you took me to on our first date?”

Jonah's smile grew as I finally caught on. “This is it.”

“What are we doing here?” I asked as he parked the car in an empty parking lot.

“I don't know” He shrugged. “I thought we could take a little walk.”

“It's ten o'clock at night, Jonah, you have to be up early tomorrow.”

“So?” He smiled as he stepped out of the car. Jonah walked over to my side and opened my door. He took my hand and we walked down to the beach.

I laughed as we sat in the sand.

“What's so funny?” Jonah asked.

“Just a couple of years ago we were two strangers sitting on this same beach around the same time of day.” I laughed again.

“And now we're in love with a baby on the way.” Jonah finished my thought.

We sat quietly and listened to the waves crash against the shore. Maybe we were just tired, or maybe it was because of how hectic our lives had become, but the sound of the water was so peacefully soothing.

I was drifting into my thoughts when suddenly Jonah's voice brought me back.

“The reason I brought you here on our first date was because I wanted to make you a part of my life.” Jonah's hand slipped around my shoulders as he pulled me in closer to his body. “No matter how much distance was put between us, no matter how many disagreements we got into, I've only grown to love you more everyday since then.”

I crinkled my nose as I smiled.

“You mean the world to me, and if I have to re-propose every time to prove it, then I'm up for the challenge.” Jonah laughed as he spoke. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring.

Even though I was laughing along with Jonah I felt a tear roll down my cheek. “God, I love you so much.”

“You know what would be great?” He asked. “If we could just get married without all the hassle.”

“That would be nice.” I smiled as I stared at the ring on my finger. I missed it being on my hand. “We should just go and do it right now.” I joked.

Jonah laughed along. “Right now?”

Our smiles slowly faded as we gave the thought consideration.

I nodded my head.“....Right now.”