Grayson paced restlessly outside the bathroom, glancing repeatedly at the Rolex on his wrist, each tick amplifying his anxiety. It had been half an hour, and though he tried to stay calm, a knot tightened in his stomach. They were already late for the meeting with Avery and the rest of the Hawthornes about the greatest game, and he couldn't shake the worry that something was wrong.

He rapped his knuckles against the polished wood of the door, attempting to keep his voice steady. “Love, are you okay in there? You've been in there for a while.” Silence met his question, intensifying his concern.

Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m coming in,” he announced, pushing the door open without waiting for a reply.

What he found inside stopped him cold. There she stood, looking both shocked and vulnerable, holding a pregnancy test aloft. The unmistakable bright pink plus sign was like a jolt to his system, sending his mind racing. Grayson’s heart pounded in his chest, caught between disbelief and an overwhelming sense of protectiveness.The weight of the moment crashed over him, the world outside fading as he processed the significance of what lay before him.