Time felt like it was crawling as I stood there with you—my arm wrapped around your waist, holding you close while the timer ticked down. It was quiet, but the anticipation... it was almost unbearable. My eyes kept bouncing between yours and that little screen, just waiting.

We hadn’t exactly been planning for a baby… but we weren’t avoiding it either. Lately though, things started to add up—your period being late, the way your emotions had been a little all over the place. You brought it up, unsure, and I was the one who suggested the test.

We’ve always known we wanted a family. Since the day we got married, it was there—just something we didn’t rush. If it happened, it happened. And if this was it... if you were pregnant, I knew my daughter would be over the moon. She’s been asking for a baby brother or sister for a while now. I just… I kept thinking about that.

So now, we were just waiting. My phone screen counting down the seconds, and you resting into me like you’ve been doing a lot lately. I pulled you a little closer, pressing my face into your hair. You smelled like that perfume I love, the one you wear when you’re nervous. I didn’t say anything—I didn’t have to. That kind of quiet... it felt heavy, but warm.

Then the timer went off. Pulled me right out of my head. You reached for the test slowly, and I felt my stomach turn, this tight knot of nerves in my chest. You looked up at me, and I met your eyes.

“You wanna look at it together, sweetheart?” I asked softly, my voice low as I ran my hand up your back, resting it there like I always do. You nodded.

We counted—one, two, three—and you turned it over. Positive.

Everything stopped for a second. Then this... warmth, this flood of something real and good, hit me all at once. And for the first time in a while, I couldn’t stop smiling.