Knocked Up

“I am so so so sorry I am late, traffic was a nightmare and your parents totally think I am a rude selfish bitch now for missing dinner…” Kimmy sighed letting her head fall forward onto his chest as he let her in, reaching behind her he pushed the door shut before wrapping his arms around her. He knew how important tonight had been to her how she so desperately wanted to make a good impression on his parents and turning up three hours late was defiantly not how she’d have wanted it to go.

“Its fine my Dad saw there had been an accident near Scranton and another near Philly they understand and I got all of Lianna’s texts. My parents think nothing more or less of you than they did yesterday - don’t panic.”

“Are they here?” Kimmy leant back in his arms not breaking out of them but enough that she could look up at his face, removing one of his arms he reached up and pushed a fallen strand of hair from her face.

“Yeah, do you want to pop in say hello then get some stuff and head back to G’s to turn in for the night?”

“That sounds good I am really tired.” He could tell not least by just how much she was sagging against him.

“Will you please start considering getting the train at least I know you like driving but I worry about you.”

“Can we talk about it tomorrow please?”

“Okay.”

Leading her into the lounge where his parents were sat waiting for him the film they’d been watching paused he suddenly panicked what did he introduce Kimmy as, she wasn’t his girlfriend but somehow introducing her as his baby momma seemed wildly in appropriate. Both his parents instantly looked up the moment he walked in and instantly he saw shock on his Dad’s face. He couldn’t blame the old guy Kimmy looked amazing she’d been in a meeting at work that morning and come straight from that so was still in her grey suit pants and green blazer, she looked professional and important and way way out of his league.

“maminka… táta… this is Kimberly. Kimmy this is my Mum, Hanna and my Dad, Miloslav.” He’d stuck to English he thought that was the safest option he knew that Kimmy’s Czech wasn’t at its best when she was tired she stumble over words and struggle if he spoke to quickly so decided whilst she was tired it was best to try and keep the conversation in English.

“It’s nice to meet you, Pan Voracek… Paní Voracek” Okay Jake thought as Kimmy lead with switching the conversation to Czech obviously she felt comfortable enough with it and he knew she knew this would hopeful settle his parents slightly, one of their main issues with her was she wasn’t Czech but he hoped this weekend they would see how accepting she is of their culture.

“Kimberly right?” His Dad asked getting up and offering her his hand, despite Kimmy starting the conversation in Czech his Dad replied in broken in English.

“Please Pan Voracek call me Kim.” Jake couldn’t help but smile as she responded in Czech again and he saw his Dad give her a small smile.

“Then you must call me Milo. We saw you had quite the journey.” His Dad replied in Czech slightly slower than normal but still pretty quick his Dad’s accent was also thicker than his and Jake found himself holding his breath praying that Kimmy had kept up with his Dad despite been tired.

“I am sorry I didn’t make diner…”

“It’s no problem did you eat.”

“Lianna was going to make me something to eat when I get to Claude’s.” He let out the breath he’d been holding as she directly answered his Dad’s question and he knew that she’d kept up with the conversation. Sure she’d spent the last three weeks only talking Czech to him to practice but he’d still worried and he’d worried even more since she was so tired but she was doing great.

“You aren’t staying here?”

“I don’t want to take time away from you and Kuba I know he misses having you guys around so I am going to stay out of the way on evenings spend some time with Claude I haven’t done much of that since I met Kuba.”

“You and Giroux are close?” Jake internally snorted at the question he wasn’t going to lie it often bugged him just how close G was too Kimmy the way he would sometimes catch Claude looking at Kimmy if it wasn’t for Lianna Jake would have sworn blind that his captain was in love with Kimmy.

“He is my best friend; I couldn’t imagine my life if I’d not met him.”

“Jakub mentioned you are an Engineer?” He had no idea what was with the full naming all the sudden his parents rarely called him Jakub unless he was in trouble, he wondered if this was his Dad trying to keep things more formal between them.

“Yes a Data Analysis Engineer.”

“You recently graduated I believe.”

“I did a first with honours Masters of Engineering in Automotive Engineering with Motorsport.”

“That’s very impressive.” His Dad did genuinely sound very impressed but then who wouldn’t be she was not only a female engineer but clearly a highly successful female engineer.

“Thank you, Milo.”

“We should let you go and get some rest. Jakub you should drive her she looks exhausted… we’ll get to know each other more tomorrow.” His Dad smiled at her clasping her hand once again before Kimmy gave them a small wave and walked out of the room she in the very least seemed to have got his Dad to warm up to her but his mom’s silence concerned him.

“I’ll be about half an hour.” He told his parents before heading down the hall to the front door a grabbing his keys from the hook and shoving his running shoes as he waited for Kimmy to grab what she wanted from the draws in the guest room that had pretty much become her room.

“Kuba I can drive ten minutes down the road.” He looked up from the pile of post he’d been sorting through as she walked down the hall carrying a small bag.

He shook his head and opened the front door letting her step out past him before he followed
“Kimmy you’re exhausted please just get in the car and let me drive.”

“My car or your’s?” She asked him and he nodded toward her Green Fiesta parked at the end of his drive way.

“Your car, I’ll leave it at Claude’s and run back.”

“Jake…” oh she wasn’t happy with him, Jake only came out when she wasn’t happy with him and he knew if they ever got to Jakub she was damn right pissed and he should just run.

“You look beautiful when you get all grumpy and tired.” She really did the way she was pouting at him the way her eyes where so big but droopy as she practically fell asleep on her feet but still tried to look angry with him.

“Jake…”

“Just get in the car Kimberly.” He rarely used her full name but when he did he usually got his way and today was no different she threw he bag in the back before flopping into the passenger seat as he climbed behind the steering wheel and moved the seat back to fit his legs in.

Pressing the start button the car was filled with some weird pop music not Kimmy’s normal taste at all instantly she was diving for the volume control and turning it down before reaching into the centre console and pulling out Lianna’s iPod and throwing it in her handbag.

“I made the mistake of letting Lianna DJ the way home; thankfully she stuck mainly to camp songs.” Instantly the car switched back to Kimmy’s phone and the usual metal and old school rock filled the car.

“So my Dad seems to like you.”

“But your mum doesn’t.” That was true his mom hadn’t seemed impressed her silence had slightly worried him, his mom wasn’t normally the silent one that was normally his Dad’s job the strong silent intimidating one.

“Give her time once she gets to know you she’ll adore you. Speaking Czech will have gone a long way with her,” he hoped it would at least, it clearly had impressed his Dad her fluency was excellent and she’d been on top form tonight.

“I just wanted to show them that I won’t stop you sharing your culture and heritage with bean.”

“Claude mentioned something the other day… that in Judaism it’s the mother who passes along the religion… I mean it’s not hugely important to me that Bean is Catholic but I just… do you want Bean to be raised Jewish?”

“I would like to share some of the qualities of my religion with bean yes do I expect to raise them a full on orthodox Jew to lead a kosher life no but the family values are something I’d like to share with Bean.”

“Okay, I am good with that… did you have fun in Ottawa?”

“Yes thank you it was so good to go back, I always manage to forget how much like home it feels it was great to see everyone again as well. Especially all of the kids it is going to be strange not going back this summer to see them all.”

“Maybe we can take Bean for the day at some point.”

“I guess we need to start talking about the future after Bean is born.” Jake pulled in a deep breath glancing over at Kimmy before he made the right turn onto the main road out of the estate he and Wayne lived in. She was looking out of the window rather than at him but she seemed to catch his reflection and turned to give him a smile. “I don’t want to cut you out of Bean’s life I want you to be in there life as much as possible but at the same time it doesn’t seem feasible to fly down every time I can get time off work and you’ve got a string of home games or time off and then there’s summers maybe when Bean is older you can take them off home for a few weeks or where ever you train over the summer…”

“I train in Montreal.” He told her as he turned down Claude’s street.

“Really?” She sounded so surprised by it as though she’d expected him to spend every minute of his summer back home in the Czech Republic but fact was he barely managed to spend a month there.

“Really.”

“I just I really don’t want to have to do this alone and I don’t ever want you to think I am keeping Bean away from you. I see how much you already love Bean and …”

“Hey I knew this was going to be hard and that time with Bean would be limited but you will never be alone ever we will work this out okay?”

“I am sorry I am just tired.”

“Come on we’ll get you tucked up in bed.”

“Hey how is grilled cheese for dinner?” Claude shouted through the house from the kitchen Jake guessed he must have heard the front door as they followed his voice through the house.

“You making it?” Kimmy asked as they walked into the kitchen to see Claude standing at the cooker an incredibly rare sight.

“Always Ma Cherie.”

“M’Kay.”

“How was meeting the parents?” Claude asked as Kimmy just walked over to the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water handing one straight to him. From what Jake knew Kimmy had never been here before but she was that comfortable around Claude she had no problem raiding his fridge without asking first.

“Brief we were so late and I am so tired.” She told him as she sat down at the breakfast bar and Jake took the stool next to her, instantly Kimmy just let her head drop to his shoulder as she took his hand and starting tracing the lines on his palms.

“Well eat this and then Lianna has made the bed in the guest room cause apparently Matt and I did it wrong.” Claude smiled placing a grilled cheese down in front of Kimmy.

“That’s because you are useless at housework.”

“Not true!” Jake chuckled as Kimmy merely took a bite out her grilled cheese before looking at Claude in shock and the peeling back the top layer of bread.

“You used Mozzarella and put tomato in it?”

“Yes ma cherie for you I desecrated the great grilled Cheese.”

“Love you too G.” Jake didn’t say anything he had no right to but he could feel it that jealous feeling dwelling in the pit of his stomach the feeling there was more than just friendship between Kimmy and Claude. “Which room is mine?”

“Turn left first door on the left, Jake knows where you are going.”

“Merci Mon Ami.” Jake stood and walked over to the door picking up Kimmy’s bags as she got up and hugged Claude good night he forced himself not to react as Claude wrapped his arms around her giving her a tight squeeze and a kiss on the top of her head.

“Bonne princesse de nuit.” As Claude spoke Jake found himself supressing a growl as well. Claude had no right or reason to call her a Princess yes she had her total princess moments or as she called them JP moments Jewish Princess and he knew it was what her family called her but Claude wasn’t family he was a friend a friend that used to spend 9 out 12 months of the year in a different country.

“Come on sleepy head let’s get you two to bed.” Jake smiled at her holding out his hand as Kimmy let out a yawn whilst pulling out of Claude’s arms instantly reaching to take his arm and walking straight into his side and he silently led Kimmy out of the kitchen and up to G and Read’s guest room.

“Well this isn’t as bad as I was expecting.” Kimmy laughed as he led her into the guest room letting her glance around at the pretty much generic guest room cream walls cream carpet cream bedding combo.

“As far as guest rooms in the guys houses go this is one of the better.” Jake agreed placing her bags down on top of the bed before Lianna poked her head around the door already in her pj’s her make-up gone and hair pulled back.

“Hey I thought I heard you too, is everything okay for you Kimmy?”

“Yeah its great thanks, do you mind if I grab a shower though I feel yacky from the drive?”

“Sure I’ll go grab you some towels and shit, I’ll leave them in the bathroom.” And with that Lianna was gone leaving them.

“I should head back then.”

“Wait I want to show you something first.” Kimmy smiled walking over and closing the door before walking back to where he stood buttoning her blazer placing it on the bed before pulling her shirt over her head and letting him see the tiny swell in her abdomen. She had finally popped and was showing that little bump was his baby, their baby.

He could feel something warm and fuzzy welling inside of him as he cautiously reached out a hand which Kimmy instantly took pressing it to her growing belly letting him feel it knowing that under his hand was their baby safely growing. The doctors had already guessed that the baby was going to be tall like him from their first scan which meant tiny Kimmy was likely to get huge but for now this was perfect.

“Thank you.” He eventually managed to get out, not the words he wanted to say but the only ones that would do right now, before pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he could.

“Why?” She laughed leaning back in his arms to look up at him.

“For letting me be part of this of beans life I know this isn’t easy on you and it properly would be easier for you to just do this alone sometimes, so thank you.” Kimmy gave him a big smile and he couldn’t help think how beautiful she looked her she’d recently cut her hair again back to shoulder length it was in loose waves again and even though she looked a little high with her huge pupils almost covering all the colour of her eyes she still looked perfect. “You need to get some sleep miss, go shower and I’ll see you in the morning.”

“What time do you want me there?”

“I just want you to get the sleep you need so no alarm just come round when you’ve got up and had breakfast, my parents will understand.”

“Jake…”

“No arguing just accept it and get some sleep.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before letting her go and heading for the door. “Sleep well krásný.”

“Dobrou noc, Scorcek.”

“I’ll see you in the morning.” Jake laughed lightly before leaving the room and heading back downstairs where G was still in the kitchen.