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Chapter Eighteen: The meeting and Announcement.

Chapter 18 – The Meeting and Announcement

Elena – First Person POV

That night, after the chaos of the airport, everything felt too quiet.

Jace sat next to me in my living room, his hand wrapped tightly around mine, like he was afraid I’d vanish if he let go.

My mom sat across from us—her face tired, her eyes still puffy from crying—but she wasn’t angry anymore.

She looked at us differently now.

Like she saw two kids who had just been thrown into the deep end and had no choice but to learn how to swim.

“I still don’t know how we got here,” she said softly, breaking the heavy silence. “But we can’t change what’s done.”

Jace’s grip tightened, and I could feel the nervous energy radiating from him.

“I’ll take care of her,” he said quietly, but firmly. “Of both her and the baby.”

My mom studied him for a long moment, her expression unreadable.

Then, she sighed and looked at me. “And you? Are you ready for this?”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding—but there wasn’t even a sliver of doubt in me now.

“I love him,” I said honestly, my voice steady. “And I’m ready to face this.”

That was the truth.

Maybe I wasn’t ready for everything life would throw at me… but I was ready to fight for us.

Before my mom could answer, Jace’s phone buzzed loudly against the coffee table.

He glanced at the screen—and his face paled.

“My parents,” he muttered.

My heart skipped.

Of course. We hadn’t even thought about them.

With a hesitant breath, Jace answered the call.

“Mom? Dad?”

I could hear their voices from where I sat—sharp, frantic, but not yelling.

They’d clearly seen the airport videos.

“Yeah… it’s true,” Jace said quietly after a moment. “All of it.”

He listened for a while, his face tense, and then his expression shifted with something heavier.

“They want to meet,” he said, looking at me and then at my mom.

His voice grew tighter.

“They said… they’ll be here in the morning. And they want both of you there.”

The weight of that hit me like a tidal wave.

Tomorrow.

Everything was going to change again tomorrow.

The next morning came much too quickly.

Jace and I didn’t sleep much. We spent the night talking softly, trying to convince ourselves that everything would work out. But the truth hung in the air like a thick fog—our lives were about to change in ways we couldn’t even begin to understand.

Around noon, there was a sharp knock on the door. My heart raced as I glanced at Jace, his nervous smile offering little comfort. We both knew what this was. It was time.

My mom stood up first, brushing off her robe. “I’ll open it,” she said. She was calm, too calm, but I could tell the nerves were simmering beneath her cool exterior. She walked to the door with steady steps and opened it.

There they were—Jace’s parents.

Mrs. Anderson, his mom, looked like she was trying to keep her emotions in check, but her eyes were red, and her lips pressed tight as if she had been holding back tears for hours. Mr. Anderson, on the other hand, was stoic—his face expressionless, but the tightness in his posture showed he was far from at ease.

“Jace,” his mom said, her voice shaky. “We need to talk.”

Jace stood up slowly, his face pale but determined. He moved to greet them, and for a moment, it felt like the world was holding its breath. His parents walked into the room, and it was as if the air itself grew heavier, thick with the weight of everything unsaid.

“Elena,” Mrs. Anderson greeted me with a nod, but it was strained. Her gaze flickered toward my mom, who had remained standing by the door. My mom was already giving her a polite smile, but I could sense the unease between them.

We all sat down—Jace next to me, his hand slipping into mine as if drawing strength from my touch.

“So,” Mr. Anderson began, his voice sharp but calm. “We know what happened last night. We’ve seen the videos. The world knows now.”

Jace winced at the mention of the videos. He never wanted this to be public, but everything was moving so fast. Too fast.

“I’m sorry,” Jace said softly. “I didn’t expect it to happen like this.”

“You didn’t plan any of this,” Mrs. Anderson replied, her voice softening just a touch. She reached for Jace’s hand, her gaze full of concern. “But that doesn’t change the fact that you’re both in this now.”

Jace nodded, squeezing my hand tighter.

“I don’t regret it,” he said firmly, looking at his parents. “I want to be with Elena. I want to be there for her—for everything. And I want to marry her.”

The words felt so simple coming from him, but I could feel the weight of them pressing down on my chest. He had just confirmed what I’d been afraid of—he was serious. We were both serious.

There was a long silence as his parents exchanged looks. His mother sighed and turned to my mom, her voice strained but sincere. “We know this isn’t easy. For either of you. We were both young once, too. But we want to help. We want to make sure you have support in this.”

Mr. Anderson’s gaze shifted to me. “But we need to know you’re both prepared for what’s ahead. It’s not just about getting married—it’s about what comes after.”

A few tense moments passed, and then Jace stood up, stepping toward his parents. He took a deep breath, and for the first time, I saw the full weight of the situation on him. He was scared. He was nervous. But he was willing to face everything, no matter how difficult it would be.

“We’re getting married soon,” he said quietly. “I want to marry her before the school year ends.”

I felt a surge of warmth in my chest as I heard those words, but at the same time, everything felt real in a way it hadn’t before. This wasn’t a dream, or some crazy fantasy. This was our life.

“Jace,” Mrs. Anderson whispered, her hand resting on her chest. “You’re sure about this?”

Jace nodded. “I’m sure. We’ve both made up our minds.”

His mother blinked away a tear and turned to Mr. Anderson. There was an unspoken conversation between them, and then his father spoke, his voice low and measured.

“We’ll support you,” Mr. Anderson said. “But you two need to realize this is just the beginning. Getting married at your age... it’s going to be hard. But if this is what you both want, we’ll help however we can. But first...”

He paused, and there was a moment of quiet tension. Then, looking at both of us, he said, “We need to meet Elena’s mom. This isn’t just about the two of you.”

I was surprised at the mention of my mom.

“I think it’s time for her to be involved,” Mrs. Anderson added softly, her eyes glistening with emotion. “We’re not going to move forward with this without the two of you working together. Families need to support each other.”

I glanced over at my mom, who had been quiet for most of the conversation. She was still standing by the door, but I could see her tense shoulders, her nervous posture. This was everything she feared, coming to life.

“We’ll talk to her,” Jace said, looking at me with that same determined expression. “Together.”

It was a few hours later when we all gathered in the living room. Jace’s parents had made their way to the kitchen, giving us time to prepare.

I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know what my mom would say, but one thing was clear—Jace and I were in this together, no matter what.

My mom entered the living room after a long while. She’d changed into something a bit more formal, and her face was carefully neutral. She sat down, but I could tell she was still processing everything that had happened. This was real now.

“Mom,” I began, trying to keep my voice steady. “We have decided. He’s… he’s going to marry me.”

My mom didn’t flinch. She didn’t cry. But I saw the sadness in her eyes as she looked between the two of us. It was the sadness of someone who had seen this story before, someone who had lived it herself.

“I’m not happy about this, Elena,” she said softly, but her voice wasn’t angry. “I didn’t expect this from you. From either of you. But I know you can’t turn back now.”

“I don’t want to turn back,” I said, my voice firm. “I’m ready for this. And I love Jace.”

Her gaze softened. “You were always so strong. I just… want the best for you.”

The conversation continued, slowly, but it wasn’t the fierce battle I’d feared. The more we spoke, the more I realized something: despite all the uncertainty, despite all the fear and the shock, we had all made it to this point together.

And then came the moment that changed everything.

Jace stood up, his eyes meeting mine with that familiar confidence.

“Mom,” he said to Mrs. Howard. “We’ve decided. Elena and I are getting married in a few weeks. School is ending soon, and we want to do this now. We want to be together.”

His words hung in the air for a moment, heavy with meaning.

There was no turning back from this.

The School Announcement

By the time school started the next day, everything had escalated.

Jace and I stood side by side as we entered the school gates, holding hands tightly. We could feel eyes on us—the whispering, the stares. But this time, it wasn’t out of curiosity. It wasn’t mocking or judgmental.

They all knew from the Airport video.

The whispers had turned to silence as we walked through the halls, everyone watching us as we made our way to the front of the school auditorium.

Today was the day.

As the school assembly began, Jace and I stood at the podium, and the entire student body was staring at us.

Jace cleared his throat, looking down at me for a moment, then out at the sea of faces.

“I know everyone’s heard the rumors by now,” he started, his voice calm but carrying through the auditorium. “Elena and I… we’re getting married. In a few weeks. We wanted to make this public. This isn’t just some fling, or some crazy teen thing. We love each other, and we’re ready to face everything together.”

The silence in the room stretched for a moment before the whispers began. But it wasn’t harsh or cruel. This time, the crowd seemed... supportive.

And then Jace took my hand and looked at me, his smile warm.

“And, after school ends, we’ll be starting a new chapter of our lives,” he said, his voice confident. “Together.”

The moment felt like it lasted forever. And when he kissed me in front of everyone, no one seemed surprised anymore. But there was something incredible about it—the acceptance in the air, the understanding.

For once, there was no doubt about us.

And so, just as my mom had said, the hardest part of all this was facing it with the people we loved.

And now, we were ready to face whatever came next. Together.