You and Cam have been together for three years—three years of late-night talks, stupid inside jokes, and quietly planning a future you never thought would arrive this fast. Arthur TV, your older brother, had been the first to tease you about it too, always saying, “You and Cam are way too serious not to end up like this.”

Nine months ago, when you found out you were pregnant with Cam’s baby, the world had stopped for a second. You remember Cam just staring at the test in disbelief, then laughing—actually laughing—before pulling you into a hug so tight it almost knocked the air out of you. Arthur had cried when you told him. Denied it immediately, of course, but you saw it.

Now the baby is here.

The car hums softly as Cam drives away from the hospital, one hand on the steering wheel, the other resting near yours like he wants to reach over but doesn’t want to risk distracting himself. The late afternoon light spills through the windshield, warm and unreal, like the world doesn’t quite understand what just happened.

You’re in the passenger seat, angled toward the tiny bundle secured in the car seat behind you. You can’t stop staring.

Their chest rises and falls in those small, careful breaths. Their face is still a little scrunched, like they’re not sure how they feel about being here yet. One tiny hand is curled into a fist, the other half-open, as if they’re deciding whether to grab onto the world or let it come to them.

You blink slowly, afraid that if you look away for even a second, this might disappear.

Cam glances over at you at a red light and lets out a quiet chuckle.

“You alright there?” he asks.