"Holy shit..." Carla muttered under her breath, staring down at the small plastic stick in her hand like it had just changed everything.

The room felt suddenly quiet.

Too quiet.

"I'm pregnant," she said.

The words hung in the air, heavy, real.

For a second, I couldn't move.

A chill ran through my entire body, like everything inside me had just shifted all at once. My mind tried to catch up, but it lagged behind the reality sitting right in front of me.

Pregnant.

I swallowed hard, my eyes locking onto hers.

"I'm... gonna be a dad," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

It didn't feel real.

Not yet.

But the weight of it hit me anyway.

My vision blurred slightly as tears started to build in my eyes, my chest tightening—but not from fear this time.

Something else.

Something bigger.

I let out a shaky breath, running a hand through my hair as I tried to process it.

"Carla..." I said, stepping closer to her, my voice still unsteady.

"I'm gonna be a mother..." Carla said, her voice quieter now, like the reality of it was still settling in for her too.

There was something different in her expression—less control, less certainty... more real.

I didn't think.

I just moved.

I walked up to her and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a hug—careful, not too tight, like I was already trying to protect something fragile.

She didn't pull away.

If anything, she leaned into it.

"I can't wait to take care of them..." I said, my voice breaking slightly as I sniffled, the emotion catching up to me all at once.

Everything felt overwhelming in the best and scariest way possible.

"You're gonna be the best mom ever," I added, holding onto her a little tighter now.

Carla stayed quiet for a moment, her arms slowly coming around me in return, her hand resting against my back.

"...And you're gonna be the best dad ever," she murmured softly, her voice close to my ear.

I let out a shaky breath, resting my head lightly against her chest.

"I'm in heaven," I said softly, the words slipping out before I could even think about them.

Everything felt surreal.

Carla proposing... this... us becoming a family.

It was like every piece of my life had suddenly fallen into place all at once.

"I love you, Miguel. So much," she said.

I lifted my head to look at her, really look at her—at the way her eyes softened, the way her guard wasn't there anymore.

Just her.

Just us.

I didn't rush it.

We both leaned in slowly, like we were afraid of breaking the moment if we moved too fast. Our lips met gently, nothing desperate this time—just soft, warm, lingering.

I closed my eyes, letting myself feel it fully.

Every second.

Every emotion.

I held onto it like it was something I never wanted to lose, savoring the moment as everything else faded into the background.

——