Jesse Carbone stared down at the pregnancy stick in her hand. She had finally bought one after being late for two weeks. Now, as two pink lines stared back up at her, she knew for sure.

She was pregnant.

A flood of different emotions swept over her: elation, shock, uncertainty. She had always wanted to be a mother, and there was no one she'd rather share this journey with than her wonderful husband Charlie. But at the same time, the fact that she was really, truly pregnant was also a bit scary. Still, she couldn't wait to tell Charlie.

She was going to have to, though. He was out with Luis. He's always out with Luis, she thought a little bitterly. She understood the need for the two business partners to collaborate. And she was happy to tend to her population of bilbies—which had started to really thrive once she had the funds to support it. Hey, owning a multi-million dollar shampoo business definitely had its perks.

She glanced at the clock. 6:30. The two of them should have been home by now, but she knew how they could get sidetracked. Luis didn't live with them (thank heavens!) but he would be dropping Charlie off, screaming up the road in his tricked-out Jeep that he was ridiculously proud of. He'd altered the engine so that it could be heard from miles away, and the strobe lights on the roof were blinding. It fit Luis' personality, that's for sure.

Sure enough, she soon heard the familiar roar of Luis' Jeep. Minutes later, Charlie and Luis spilled through the door, sounding more like high school sophomores than slick business owners.

"Hi, honey," Charlie chirped, giving Jesse a quick peck on the lips.

"You're a bit late," she said, trying not to sound annoyed.

"That was my fault, Jesse," Luis spoke up quickly. It always is. "I was working on my latest and greatest—and just wait 'til you see it!" He dug into his backpack hurriedly, dropping bits of food and trash everywhere, before he triumphantly pulled out a bottle of orange gel. He snapped it open and waved it under Jesse's nose. "What do you think?"

She reflexively gave it a sniff. "It smells like… pizza?"

"That's right, baby!" Luis crowed, dancing around the room. "It's gonna be huge with teenagers!"

"Really, Luis?" Jesse asked, unconvinced. She'd certainly never put that pizza-smelling gunk in her hair. Who'd want to smell like cheese and garlic?

"Hey now, y'all mocked my waterproof mousse, too, and that's one of our best sellers now," Luis replied archly.

The oven dinged and Jesse went to pull her pork roast out. The mouth-watering scent wafted through the kitchen, and Luis groaned appreciatively.

"Hot mama, that smells delicious," he said. "I don't suppose…"

"I already set a place for you," Jesse replied with a good-natured shake of her head. If there was free food, Luis was there.

"Jesse, you are the best," he said with his signature grin. He snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering. "Hey! Charlie! I didn't show you my newest modification!"

"Another one?" Charlie groaned. "Luis, you've updated that Jeep more than a Bond car."

"And it's a sweeter ride, too," Luis replied proudly. "Come on, you've got to see this! It'll only take a minute. It's so cool!"

Charlie rolled his eyes and followed his friend out the door. Jesse didn't bother. She didn't really care if Luis' Jeep could pop a wheelie or squirt water out its front (two features Luis had already installed). Honestly, as much as she enjoyed Luis' company, she would be glad when he was gone for the night. She didn't really want to break the baby news to Charlie when Luis was there… it was special, for just the two of them.

She started pulling glasses out of the cupboard to fill with milk. Suddenly there was a tremendous CRASH, followed by a howl of despair from Luis.

She dropped the milk carton with a thud and rushed outside—only to find Luis' Jeep backed through the fence enclosing her bilby collection. It had also nicked the main bibly structure, which had crashed onto the ground. Hundreds of bilbies were scattered everywhere, dashing about in a panic.

"Luis!" Jesse cried in frustration, running to her precious bilbies. "What did you do?"

"I didn't mean to, Jesse!" Luis moaned contritely. "It was an accident! I'm sorry!'

It took them nearly four hours to catch all the frightened creatures and secure them in a makeshift enclosure. By the time they were done, they were exhausted. After Luis left, Jesse helped Charlie finish packing for his hair care convention he and Luis were going to the next morning. It was a three-day event in Sydney, and they'd need to leave early to make the first session.

Finally, everything was ready and the two of them could crawl into bed.

"Charlie?" Jesse started, some of her old excitement returning. "I have something to tell you."

But Charlie was fast asleep already.

Jesse sighed, laying back onto her pillow. She'd just have to tell him when he got back. It wasn't a big deal, really it wasn't…

But she couldn't shake the hurt that welled up in her heart. And it was a long time before she was finally able to drift asleep.