Rose didn't answer. Greg cleared his throat. "I know, it's not really the best situation, but we need to work through this before…"
The Gem wiped her eyes and nodded. They had come further down the beach to get away from the boardwalk, hoping perhaps it would be easier to talk about this. Greg found that he was starting to choke up as well. No amount of internal composure could prepare him for this.
"It's the truth," Rose said. She stared out at the ocean. "They need to know the truth, whenever it happens."
She felt the bulge of her stomach. Greg rested a hand below hers, and his stomach jumped as he felt the movement underneath. Steven or Nora, or whoever they were, was squirming. However long they had left, it wasn't much time. The closer the deadline drew, the less prepared Greg felt.
But they had agreed on this. Greg pushed himself into a crouching position on the rock, watching his lover as she sighed into the wind.
"I don't want our child to be… I don't want them to wonder if I'm alive. Can you imagine? Having that question, not knowing if your parent is alive or dead. I don't want them to wait for me."
"They won't," Greg said. "I promise, I'll tell them. As soon as they ask, I'll tell them. And - "
"And tell them that I love them."
Greg couldn't help but smile. "That's just what I was gonna say."
"I love them so much…"
Rose covered her face with one hand as she broke silently. Greg put one hand as far as he could reach around her, the other on her belly. It was decided, and it was the right thing to do. They held each other until the sun began to dip on the horizon, warming the summer sky.