The pregnancy was hard on me. I was sick quite a lot, but Cassie was always either outside the door or with me rubbing my back. I didn’t believe I was pregnant until I started showing. I felt like I could cry for days. I was supposed to be trying to get promoted in my job. I’d just started! Would they fire me? I rang and they assured me that while they weren’t happy with the situation, and they would be looking for other people to take my place, that I could come back to work when the baby was old enough.

But that wasn’t enough. I told them I could do office work at home for them. I needed the money. Cassie was doing really well with her writing, but I didn’t want her to be the only earner in the house. This wasn’t her fault. Daydreamer had done very well, and she was writing books about sports now. Her dad was a manager so she knew the business well.

I knew that I had the option to end the pregnancy, but I couldn’t do it. This was my responsibility. With or without the father by my side.

But life surprised me again. I got a phone call one evening while I was watching television.

“Hello?” I said.

“Uh, Jenna?”

I sat up straight on the couch.

“Bernie?”

I couldn’t believe it.

“Yeah, it’s me.” I heard him chuckle over the phone, and felt it vibrate through me. The warm tingly feelings I felt that first night didn’t seem to be a one time deal.

“Bernie, what happened? Where are you?” I asked.

“Hidden Springs.” He said. He didn’t seem to happy about it. “I had to go back home. I’m not from Lucky Palms. My name is Lord Bernardo Roby. I went to Lucky Palms for a weekend away with my friends five years ago. I was followed by a witch who wanted to hold me for ransom against my parents. She changed me into a frog, but she lost me. I fell into the wishing well, and then the next thing i remember, you were kissing me. You saved me Jenna.”

“I don’t…I don’t understand” I told him.

“There are some things in life that we cannot always understand.”

I felt like crying.

“Jenna? Are you still there?” He asked.

“Bernie, I’m pregnant.” I blurted out.

There was silence down the line. I was silent too. We both had a lot to think about.

“I’ll be over tomorrow, honey.” He told me, quietly.

He hung up the phone.

I had troubles sleeping that night. In the morning, I woke up and came downstairs to find Bernie already there, sitting with Cassie. He got up when he saw me, came over, and kissed me, hard.

I melted in his arms.

We went outside to talk. He looked nervous. He took my hands in his.

“Jenna, I can’t stay here.” He said.

“W-what?” I stammered.

He rubbed a hand down his face. I only noticed now how tired he looked. He had day old stubble and dark circles under his eyes.

“There must always be a Roby in Hidden Springs.” He said. “It’s a curse. As first born, I have to marry someone in my town and carry on the family name.”

“But…I’m pregnant. Why can’t you-“

“Jenna, it has to be someone from my town. I hate this. I hate it, I really do, but if I don’t do this, horrible things could happen to my family. I have a sister, but this isn’t her problem. It’s mine.”

I felt like my heart could break. I barely knew him, but my heart was breaking.

“You saved me from being a frog.” He said, tilting my chin up. “And if I could do anything to be here with you then i would. But I love my sister, and I can’t be selfish. Not with this. I’m so sorry.”

He kissed me deeply, and I fell against him.

“I love you.” I whispered to him.

“I love you, too.” He told me.

He kissed me one last time, and then walked away.

Back to his life in Hidden Springs.

The days merged into one, and before I knew it, my babies were here.

Bree and Darcy McKay. Twins. Red hair and green eyes. All me. But they had Bernie’s lips.

Bernie called every night. We didn’t say anything about his life. It was just us. Just us. We laughed and cried. We whispered words of love and longing to each other and tried to block out the feelings of hopelessness that we were both feeling. I kissed the girls goodnight from him, and cried every time I hung up the phone and retreated back to my empty bed.

They grew into beautiful toddlers.

I tried to date.

I couldn’t forget about him.

I was hopelessly, desperately in love with him.

And there was nothing I could do.