All Or Nothing || Preston & Jessica (Chatzy)
Jessica carried in a medium sized brown box labeled "kitchen" on the side. The small brunette let the bottom of the box rest on the top of her small bump, careful not to move in a way as to jostle its weight and cause any harm. "Are you coming," she called to Preston, wondering where he was exactly. The thought of actually moving in together terrified her. The white ceramic plates were no longer hers, they were theirs. His comfortable bed was no longer his, they were theirs. Not to mention she hadn't lived anywhere besides her parents' house and her scummy little apartment before this. Moving into a bigger apartment would certainly be an adventure, but she wasn't entirely sure if she was looking forward to it. "Jesus Christ," she groaned, finally setting the box of plates onto the grey faux-marble counter, "I didn't think they'd be that heavy."
Preston was, honestly, struggling a bit with the box. He'd decided it'd be a good idea to get one of the heavier ones, another destine for the kitchen, out of the way, and it was clear that he was wrong. Hearing Jessica call his name, he replied, "Yeah, these boxes are kind of heavy." But her words made him move just a little bit faster. Every time she spoke, it reinforced the idea that they were truly moving in together. Half of Preston was excited, and the other half was a little afraid. This was a big change for them, and while he knew that could handle it, the fears that Jessica had voiced were constantly playing themselves back in his head. What if they couldn't afford it, or they couldn't handle living together? He was sure they could, but there was still that little nagging voice that continuously asked what if. He huffed slightly as he placed the box down on the floor. "Well, why didn't you just set it down in the first place? You shouldn't be lifting too much," Preston said, giving her a pointed look.
Jessica "Don't tell me how much I should and shouldn't be lifting," Jessica said, snapping a bit as the words left her lips. "It's not exactly like the community lined up to help us move in together. It's just you and me." The words weighed heavily on her mind. It really was just her and Preston, if she didn't count the fetus, anyway. Placing one hand on her hip, the other found its resting place on her stomach. "Babe?" Jessica glanced down at the box he had just set on the floor, her eyebrows knitting together as she began to think outloud. "What's in that one? Plates, silverware, pots and pans?" Her breathing was a little labored as it was obvious that she was tired from the heavy lifting, but she couldn't let him do it by himself. "Not that it matters. Push it over into the corner while I go get another box, yeah?"
Preston "I'm just saying, aren't pregnant ladies supposed to avoid heavy lifting?" Preston sighed. "And we can handle it." That had been his mantra the past few days. He said it so many times that even if it weren't true, he would believe it. He had to believe it, what would happen if they couldn't handle it? Preston didn't want to even entertain the idea of failure, not when it came to Jessica and their child. He had to believe with everything in him that they could do it. "Yeah?" he responded, when Jessica snapped him out of his reverie. "I think so? I don't know, but it says kitchen." He began making his way back down to the car to grab another box, after moving the box to the corner. "No, I got 'em. Don't worry about it."
Jessica shook her head, trying her hardest to hide her smile. She had become so impressed with Preston in the past few months. He seemed so very dedicated to making his family work, to make sure the three of them would have the best of everything. "We are, no more than ten pounds, I think." Absentmindedly, she began to follow him outside of the apartment, careful not to trip down the steps. If there was anything people couldn't tell Jessica, it was the word 'no'. It only made her want to do things even more. Following Preston as quickly as she could, the brunette came up behind him. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him and joined her delicate finger tips together. He wasn't too much taller than she was, only a three inch difference, but he was tall enough for her to appreciate his great build. Playfully, she rubbed her linked hands over the top of his shirt and pressed her lips to his back as she began to speak. "Let me do something, please," she whined.
Preston shrugged. He knew he was probably being overprotective, but it was hard not to when he cared so much about the girl that was standing in front of him, when he loved her. They may not officially be together, but at this point, Jessica was his girlfriend in his mind, maybe even his fianceé. After all, everyone seemed to be convinced that they were going to get married, and he had told his family that it was probably happening. "Better safe than sorry though, right?" he said, giving her what could only be described as a childish smile. He heard her following him and let out a small laugh. He should have figured she'd follow. She was, after all, the most stubborn person he knew. As he reached for another box, he felt Jessica's arms wrap around him. Smirking, he turned around and wrapped his arms around her before placing a kiss on the crown of her head. "Maybe if you stop whining," he joked. "But seriously, I just don't want something to happen to you, and it makes me nervous when you carry anything, whether it be ten pounds or ten ounces."
Jessica 's heart stopped when she felt Preston turn around in her grip. It had been four years and the boy still had the ability to make her heart stop and the butterflies in her stomach go wild. There hadn't been very many moments like this, at least not since she had gotten pregnant, but this was one of the small, magical ones. This was one of the moments where Jessica knew without a reasonable doubt that she was completely in love with Preston and was determined to marry him. Whether that marriage happened before or after the baby was born was nothing more than a detail. A soft sigh escaped her soft lips at the feeling of his upon her head. A wave of comfort washed over her small body and she all but melted into him. "I can't stop whining, though. I thought you knew that by now," she teased, glancing up at him to stick her tongue out playfully. "I don't see why it makes you nervous. I mean, I know that I'm not supposed to be carrying a lot of weight, but I do at the diner everyday. Those trays aren't light once they're fully. I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? Besides, I have to be fine. If I ever plan on getting married to you, I need to live a long life in order to make you regret that decision. Y'know, like most reasonable middle-aged men."
Preston had to admit he was sort of in awe with Jessica, and everything she did. Even with her wild hormones and the terrible parenting she'd been subjected to, she was still so incredibly independent and strong. It amazed him, and made him love her even more, if that was even possible. He rolled his eyes before releasing her to grab another box. He decided it wasn't too heavy at all, and handed it to Jessica. "Well, fine, take this one," he said, knowing that it was probably the only way to appease her. "If it's too heavy though, just leave here, and I'll come back for it." He grabbed another one and began to walk back into the apartment. "Because I love you, maybe? And like I said, I don't want anything to happen to you, or that baby. You two have become some of the most important people to me." Turning around to smile at her, he added, "I don't know if I'll ever regret marrying you, darling, but you can try."
Jessica furrowed her brow as Preston pulled away from her to grab a box. It was as if she was losing part of herself as he did so, even if it was only temporary. She felt cold and a little empty, as if she was only complete when he was holding her. With a slight sigh, she grabbed the box he handed to her and rolled her eyes. "Are you serious? The little on could probably carry this one it's so light, and he or she isn't even out of the womb yet." Carefully, Jessica bent over and placed the box on the ground, not caring that the sidewalk dusted in snow would make the cardboard damp. She propped herself up against the car and glanced at him as he started to walk away, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She tried so hard to ignore him call her 'darling' again, but it was difficult. "Can we stop unpacking for a bit? We could go up to the apartment, lay on the floor and just talk. Kind of like what they did in The Notebook only not as dangerous. Y'know, 'cause it's not in the middle of the freaking road."
Preston just sort of looked at Jessica before saying, "Attitude isn't necessary, Miss M— Miss Dixon." Jessica may have made it clear that she wanted to get married just as much as Preston did, but he still didn't want to move to fast with anything, for fear of pushing her away like he almost had just a few weeks ago. He watched her set it down in front of her, and he stopped moving. His protective instinct kicked in, afraid that it had actually been too heavy, but his paranoia was calmed when he saw the smile on her face."First, you want to move at two in the morning, then you want to stop in the middle of it. You're giving me whiplash," he teased. "But of course, just let me bring this one up, and that one, if you're not gonna grab it."
Jessica chuckled to herself when she heard Preston's slip up. "Unfortunately, it is still Miss Dixon. Unless, of course, you have an engagement ring stashed in one of these boxes because I am quite impatiently awaiting being called Mrs. Montgomery." Groaning slightly, she bent back over and picked up the light box, doing her best to make it seem like it was much heavier than it was. "Ugh, I guess I have to carry it inside. I mean, I'm still technically a single woman," she continued to tease, following Preston into the apartment. "This guy I love, he knocked me up, won't ask me to be his girlfriend, won't even ask me to marry him yet. I'm all by my lonesome. Just my tiny box and me."
Preston gave Jessica a look, a rather smug one, in fact, when she mentioned a ring. "For all you know, I do," he said, though he didn't. It was tucked away in his coat pocket, where Jessica was very unlikely to find it. But he wouldn't say so, not until the perfect moment. Whether that moment was planned, or spontaneous, it had to be absolutely perfect, something they'd both remember for the rest of their lives, something they'd be proud to tell their child, and any children that may come after about. Though he laughed at her response, the words hit him a little harder than they should have. He'd wanted to make them official once more, but for some reason, he wasn't sure she wanted that. He felt like an idiot, considering she wanted to get married, why wouldn't she want to be dating once again? Then again, Preston had long since stopped trying to even pretend to understand Jessica and the way her mind worked. But as he turned to smile at her, he froze for an instant and realized that there wasn't really such thing as a perfect moment. He placed the box inside the apartment, and took the one from Jessica's hands to place it on top of the other. "Well, if it's bothering you so much, we might as well fix that," he said, before getting down on one knee in front of her and pulling out the ring. "I know it's not much, but it was the best I could do. I've been saving up for it since I found out you were pregnant. Jessica Lynn Dixon, you are the girl I've loved since we were in high school, since I was eighteen. There is no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with, no one I'd rather have a child with," he said, laughing slightly. "I know you're worried that things won't turn out well, but I promise with everything I have, I'll make sure this works for us, that we have a good life, that our child has a good life. I promise that I'll be here every step of the way, that everything I do, I'll do it for you and that child." He took a deep breath before asking the question that would change their lives even more than they'd already been changed. "Will you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Jessica Montgomery?"
Jessica slowly followed him into the apartment, trying her hardest to not let his words get into her head too much. He wasn't exactly the sneakiest person in the world, so she knew that something was up his sleeve. She just wasn't sure exactly what it was. Carefully, she set the small box down on the floor right next to where he had set his down. Slightly alarmed, Jessica looked at Preston carefully, trying her very hardest to study his every motion and every movement. She had simply been teasing when she was speaking outside, she had never even imagined that this could be happening so suddenly. Knots began to form in her stomach, almost as if the baby had been kicking her from within, boiling over with excitement. She knew what he was doing the minute he took her hand but it wasn't real until he started speaking. The apartment around them went completely silent, a bit of white noise in the background was all she heard as joyous tears began to form in her hazel eyes. They began to spill over as she watched him kneel in front of her, her heart now racing out of her chest. Mrs. Jessica Montgomery. It was almost too much for her to think about. Inhaling sharply, the small brunette nodded, trying her hardest to answer, knowing she wouldn't be able to properly speak. "Y-yes," she cried out, a smile appearing on her tear streaked face.
Preston let out a sigh of relief when she nodded, a grin so wide he felt like his face would split in half. He couldn't tell you why, but he had honestly felt nervous. It was clear that she'd say yes from the beginning, yet his heart was pounding. It didn't stop once she had officially said yes, either. If anything, it started pounding harder. He was thrilled that this was actually happening, that much was clear by his grin. Standing up, he took Jessica's hand and slid the ring on her ring finger. He gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her a bit closer, as he leaned down to kiss her softly. "We're gonna be the talk of the town once again," he laughed before kissing her again. "Not that they really stopped talking about us."
Jessica continued to cry even as Preston stood up and slid the ring on her delicate finger. It was a little tight given the bloat she had taken on from pregnancy. There was no doubt in her mind that she'd have to wear it on a chain sometime in the next few months, but it didn't matter. It didn't matter if Preston had proposed to her with a ring from Chapman's, a ring pop, or a diamond like the one that now decorated her digit. She simply wanted Preston to be hers, no one coming in between that. Like usual, when he pulled her into a hug, she gripped onto his shirt with her hands. It was almost afraid that she was going to lose him and she didn't understand why until this very moment. It was because she knew she wasn't going to lose him. He was the only constant she had in her life and she wasn't going to let that go. She was more than happy to reciprocate the kiss that he placed on her lips, a small chuckle escaping them when he spoke. "I don't care anymore. Let them say whatever they want to say," she mumbled before kissing him again. "I love you, Preston Alexander Montgomery. No one else but you and this baby matters anymore. At least, not as much."
Preston barely held back a laugh when he noticed Jessica was still crying. "Are you crying because of the hormones, or you genuinely that happy?" he asked quietly, continuing to hold her close. Now that she was, and would be officially his forever, he didn't feel the need to let her go. Not just yet, at least, and it didn't seem she wanted him to, not with the way she was clinging to his shirt. When she spoke, he placed a kiss on her forehead. "As I love you," he said, kissing the tip of her nose. Those three words had never been more true, and he realized that the instant they left his mouth. "Always have, always will," he added, before kissing her once more.
Jessica "You can laugh at me," Jessica slightly giggled through the tears. Letting go of his shirt, she brought one of her delicate hands up to her face to wipe it clean. "Both, I think?" Almost shyly, she glanced up at him and tried to find the right words to say as she stared into his bright blue eyes. "I'm genuinely happy. For so long I thought I needed an escape in order to feel okay here and I didn't realize that my escape was already in town. You. I didn't realize until right now that I don't need to be in New York, in Los Angeles, or in the next town over to feel like I belong. I just need to be here with you, sitting at home." At the feeling of his gentle kiss to her nose, she closed her eyes and felt them flutter in time with the butterflies in her stomach. "All or nothing," she whispered.
Preston shook his head, saying, "No, I can't. Only 'cause you're too damn cute." As she spoke, his grin was replaced by a smaller, more knowing smile. He pressed his forehead lightly against hers. "Well, I'm glad to hear you won't be running away from me anytime soon, especially after this," he said to her, nodding. "All or nothing." He took a step back and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. "Now, come on, let's go lay on the living room floor and be like Noah and Allie."
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