Bryce lets out an incredulous scoff, breaking the silence that hung between us and having my heart sink to the depths of my stomach in despair. I knew this would not be easy, and I tried to gather as much mental fortitude for it as I possibly could, but I do not know if there would ever be a time for it.

How do you tell your boyfriend that you are pregnant?

"You're joking, right?" He asks, taking a puff of the cigarette between his fingertips.

He throws his legs over the side of the bed, turning to throw me a sideways glance over his shoulder. My heart pounds painfully as I clutch the sheets to my chest, biting at my lip and sending him a small shake of my head. I would not kid with something like that, he knows it, but I think he is just in denial.

Oh, well, it is not like I can fault him for that. I am still a little unsure about the whole thing, in spite of the tests I took.

He looks down and I panic, wondering that this will be it, the end of our relationship and the end of our friendship. It is not like we both did not realize this could have happened, as he is very neglectful in the realm of protection, but, then again, so am I.

We never really worried because we never really did much thinking when it came to sex. After Trish, after my stalker, after my scholarship, after college, after his family, we tended to live in the moment, wary of the next challenge that comes out to break us apart. It served us to keep us grounded, keep us happy, to remind us for what we struggled so much to achieve.

Funny how our laissez-faire attitude to the whole thing is really what may break us apart in the end. The irony is certainly not lost on me.

We may be happy today, but we have struggled a lot to get to this point. The Montgomery family did not take too kindly to me dating their son, and nor did my father and Rosalie, for that matter. Besides, it is unavoidable to state that I met Bryce as a taken man.

First and foremost, Trish was his friend, and when I came to that realization, I understood that I could not take that away from them, even if they were hurting each other on the daily. It had been a process for them to slowly understand that they did not work as a couple, and that there were other, healthier ways for them to nurture the love they held, something that brought me closer to both.

His lips part as if he is going to say something but he just takes another drag, holding the smoke in his lungs before forcing it out. His brows furrow gently, his eyes portraying all of the emotion that he is not communicating: fear, disappointment, but also a sense of gentleness.

He is not angry, and maybe he is not even shocked. My stomach unknots slowly, as some relief runs through me. I can work with fear and disappointment.

"What are we going to do?" He asks, softly and uncharacteristically serious.

There is something about him using the pronoun 'we' instead of 'you', and the look in his eyes tells me all I need to know. We are going to be alright.

"I have a good job. I have my own apartment, in a good neighbourhood. Sure, it's a little small, but..." I trail off, as I gauge his reaction.

His gaze shifts a bit to something soft and eager rather than anything resembling disappointment, and then he laughs. "I'll be a shit dad."

My eyes roll almost instinctively to his self-depreciation. I know that he has never had a good father figure and there is no reason for me to think that he would be a good father, but maybe he will be simply out of spite for Clay. Perchance, he learnt from the mistakes of his own experience as a child, and that can lead him into being at least better at it.

Sticking around, trying our best, it is all any of us can ever expect, after all, and just that would be a great improvement over any alternative.

"Debatable." I snort, pulling the sheets off of me and crawling closer to him.

He watches me with curious eyes as I settle my head in his lap, his eyes wandering lower than they should. I reach up, placing my hand on his cheek as I guide his gaze back to mine.

"You're already a good daddy as it is. We're just adding a new title to it, yeah?" I smirk at him.

"Daph, shut the fuck up." He chuckles sheepishly, cheeks blushing vividly.

His hand settles on my lower stomach, his thumb rubbing small circles below my belly button as I smile softly up at him. All of my anxiety quickly dissipates at his tranquillity, and I am suddenly taken by the realization that I am not alone, that I will not be alone anymore. It is something so beautiful and so strong to me that I feel the urge to cry, but I hold the tears in.

"You're not mad?" I double check.

He is quick and emphatic into shaking his head in negative.

"No. It's not like we were exactly careful." He laughs, as he shoots me a toothy grin that spreads across his cheeks. "Plus, I think Trish will be happy, since she gets to keep you in Sugardale for good."

He never lets an opportunity to bring that up in jest, knowing how often Trish brings it up her desire for him to 'knock me up already' so she can finally be an aunt. This time, at least, I get to laugh at him too, as we are in this together.

Together.

"Do you want to keep me?" I ask, gazing up at him through my lashes.

"Debatable." He mocks, pinching my hip.

I squeal, inching away from him, but he does not let me leave, holding me tightly to him as he glances down at the burning cigarette that is still lit between his fingers.

"Should probably put this out then, yeah?" He mutters sheepishly, leaning over me to dab the lit end against the ashtray beside his bed.

There is a sense of pride that swims in my chest, my heart aching but in a different way, happy tears flooding my eyes at his approval. He shifts suddenly, standing up beside the bed as he grabs me by the ankles, pulling me to the edge of the bed before sliding down on top of me, cupping my cheeks sweetly as my head spins.

He smirks, with that stupid frat boy charm of his. "Alright, mommy-to-be, we should probably enjoy our alone time while we've got it."

Bryce dives into my neck with energy, sucking and licking it. I moan and grab his shoulder blades.

We enjoy our afternoon together with no care in the world. It is not like I can get pregnant again, after all.