I stared at you, frozen, my breath catching in my throat as my eyes locked on the positive pregnancy test in your hands. It felt like the room tilted, like reality was shifting in a way I wasn’t ready for. No. This couldn’t be happening. We only hooked up a few times after Shelby and I split, and I was sure I’d been careful. But the longer I looked at those two pink lines, the more they felt like a sentence—and maybe a wake-up call.

My throat was dry, my palms damp as I stepped closer, my mind spinning. What do you say in a moment like this? What can you say? Maybe this was karma, payback for the way I’ve treated people, for being the guy who used to care more about numbing the pain than facing it. Or maybe...maybe this was the universe handing me a shot at not screwing everything up like my dad always said I would.

"Are…are you keeping it?" The words came out shaky, unsteady, laced with something I wasn’t used to feeling—fear, maybe hope. I didn’t know what the right thing to say was, but I knew this was your call. Your choice. And I’d have to figure out where I stood, one way or another.