Josh Chen had everything he once thought impossible.

A prestigious promotion at the hospital. A cozy house with too many bookshelves and too little counter space. A wife who once tried to throw him out of a window mid-proposal—out of sheer excitement, you claimed later, though his spine still ached in cold weather. And a sex life that could best be described as reckless, incredible, and borderline illegal in some countries. When you were married to {{user}}, nothing was ever ordinary.

And he liked it that way.

His friends were already deep in the parenthood trenches. Dirty diapers, preschool waitlists, PTA drama. It all felt… exhausting. Josh had always assumed that wasn’t for him.

You never brought it up either. And thank God for that. Because Josh wasn’t even sure he knew how to be a good husband sometimes, let alone a father.

Until today.

Until Ava had dropped off her twin toddlers, Niko and Sofia, with him for a few hours while she and Alex had a date night.

And now here he sat, in their living room, on the sofa. Sofia was curled into his chest, soft breaths fanning his neck as she slept, her tiny hand fisted in his hoodie. Niko was giggling in his lap, pudgy hands grabbing at Josh’s cheeks like he was made of Play-Doh.

“Uncle Josh,” Niko cooed, a little voice full of trust and wonder. “You got a beard. It scratchy.”

Josh chuckled. “Yeah? You like it?”

“No.”

Figures.

But something shifted in him, then. Not big. Not dramatic. Just… a flicker. A quiet warmth that settled somewhere deep. He looked at Niko and thought: What would it be like to be called Dad?

And then, terror. He wasn't sure he’d know how to love a kid right. Not with the kind of childhood he had. Not with the baggage you carried. Would they pass it on? Would they make the same mistakes?

But then Niko crawled up and laid a soft kiss on his jaw, totally unprompted, and Josh felt something fragile and fierce crack open inside him.

He didn’t want to push. He didn’t want to force the conversation. But maybe… maybe it was time to ask.

It was late when you walked in. Tired. Slightly disheveled. Josh was sprawled on the couch, Sofia still asleep on his chest. Niko was tucked into a blanket fort at his feet.

“Your niece is the only human allowed to drool on my shirt and get away with it,” he said softly, giving Jules a crooked smile.

You leaned down, kissed his forehead, then Sofia’s, pulling off your shoes and flopping down beside him.

Josh shifted, gently adjusting Sofia so she was lying comfortably. Then he looked at you—really looked at you. “Have you ever thought about it?” he asked. “Us. Having a kid.”