Summary: Max and Helen's first date since getting back together; Max flies to London to help Helen prepare for the move; Helen meets with her mother to tell her the news.

Notes: In this chapter, I skim through Helen's first ultrasound. If you want something more detailed, you can check out chapter 44 of Ease Away My Doubts.

July 15th, 6 p.m., Geneva

"This feels like a dream." Max is still naked, laying against Helen's bare chest, dragging his fingers along her stomach. "I haven't been able to get you out of my head for so long." If Max is honest with himself, his decision to accept the job in Switzerland was influenced by the knowledge he'd at least be on the same continent as Helen.

"Nor have I." Helen absentmindedly scratches Max's scalp, cherishing just being with him like this again. They never even made it to the "basking in the afterglow" stage last time.

All month long, the memory of their most recent roll in the sheets played on a constant loop in Max's mind. Now, he'll never forget it, knowing that's when they conceived their little bundle of joy! Max gets on all fours, hovering over Helen. "I've missed you…" He brushes his lips across her breast, gently tugging on the sensitive nipple, enjoying Helen's squirms and whimpers, "so much!" Max continues by kissing down Helen's torso.

Despite being a bit ticklish, Helen fully surrenders to the feeling of Max's lips and tongue all over her body. Heat pools in her lower stomach as he reaches just above where their baby resides, several inches below her navel, too close to her nether regions to be unaffected. "Oh, Max!" Helen breathlessly utters, clenching one hand into the blanket, the other in Max's hair.

"Hey, little baby," Max whispers, keeping his lips against Helen's skin. "I'm your dad." He gazes up at Helen in adoration, receiving a similar look from her in reply. "This is really happening!" He would have brought it up sooner in their relationship, had they not been so focused on the London move and then long-distance, but Max has wanted a baby with Helen for longer than he cares to admit. Surely, she felt the same way!

Helen's heart is so full, it feels like it's about to burst! After the year she's had, it's such an unfamiliar sensation.

Max climbs back up the bed and plops down next to Helen. "Okay, I'm starving. Can we go eat now?"

Helen softly chuckles, rolling on her side to face Max. "After all this, and food is the only thing on your mind?"

"You wore me out, woman! I need sustenance! We can make it a date!"

"How much time do you have before you need to go home?" Helen asks nervously, not wanting to let him go just yet.

"The sitter can stay until 10. I, uh… I was hoping tonight would go well."

Sighing in relief, Helen leans over for another open, exploratory kiss. Max sinks into it, roaming his hands down her side, then squeezes her butt, pulling her against his body. God, he missed this!

Before things get out of hand, Helen reluctantly pulls away and pats Max's chest. "Alright, a date it is! I'll go get ready."

Max watches Helen's naked form in awe as she gathers clothes for the bathroom. She's so beautiful, she looks like a goddess! When the baby bump starts growing, she'll probably be even more beautiful! Max zones out on her until his shirt crashes into his face.

"Stop ogling me and get dressed," Helen half-scolds, but she enjoys being looked at by Max like this again.

Max doesn't take long to put his clothes back on, so he sits on the edge of the bed and does some restaurant research while he waits. When Helen finally comes out of the bathroom, she's dressed in a maroon knee-length short-sleeved satin dress that dips down at the bust, revealing a bit of cleavage. Max's jaw literally drops, then he glances in between her outfit and his own. "Damn, Helen! My own girlfriend is outdressing me! You look fantastic!"

"I didn't expect us to end up here, but it never hurts to be prepared." Helen stands between Max's legs, pulling his face up for another kiss as he digs his hands into her hips. "And we can call each other 'partner' again… if you're alright with it?"

The term "partner" has so many different meanings and layers. But they've always been partners, even when they were just friends. "Yeah! I mean, you're having my baby, for god's sake! After all we've been through, it would be weird not to since we're together again."

Helen places one more peck on Max's lips, then ushers him to stand up. "Let's go." After grabbing her bag, Helen leads Max back down to the elevator. When they get on, it's full of hotel guests, so they tuck themselves in the back. Max is so close to Helen, he can smell her jasmine perfume! It's so intoxicating! He wraps his hands around her waist, presses his mouth right behind her ear, and whispers, "This dress looks so sexy on you! But I still prefer you with nothing on!"

Helen shivers, tickled by his breath against her face, but goes weak in the knees. "Keep your inappropriate thoughts to yourself, you dirty man!" she whispers back. Hopefully, the whole elevator didn't just hear their exchange. It takes all of Helen's concentration to ignore the sensation of Max's jeans pressed up against her butt.

Upon exiting the hotel, Max leads Helen in the opposite direction they went earlier, walking arm in arm until arriving at an Mediterranean restaurant with a lakeside view. They sit outside on the patio and place their food order before diving into real conversation. Once the waiter is gone, Max rests his elbows on the table and takes Helen's hands in his. "Here's to rekindling our relationship!"

"Max?" Helen begins, brows furrowed and shifting in her seat. "I love you dearly…"

"Uh-oh. That doesn't sound good." Irrational as Max knows it is, based on Helen's tone, it sounds like what someone says right before a break-up.

"No, nothing's wrong." Helen tries to figure out how to put this as delicately as possible, squeezing Max's hands in reassurance. "I want this to work, Max. Really, I do."

"Me too, more than anything!" Max lost Helen once, he can't lose her again!

"If we're doing this, then I have two conditions."

"Lay 'em on me!"

Helen sits up straight, hoping it'll give her confidence. "Firstly, in order to give our relationship the highest chance of success, I think we need to see a couple's therapist."

"Oh." That's not exactly what Max was expecting.

"Therapy has been so healing for me. And I think it would really help us improve our communication. Not only to resolve any lingering issues but to help us navigate new ones in the future."

Max knows how important therapy is. But he's always had such a difficult time receiving help from others that he's never been, even though he should've in multiple phases of life. Maybe this will be a good thing. "Whatever it takes. I'm all in."

Helen sighs in relief that Max didn't put up a fight to her first requirement. "And second, our romance was such a whirlwind the first time, we never really discussed some important conversations. Obviously, we don't need to completely start over from scratch. But we should take things a bit slower this time round. So no proposals yet," she teases, hoping it'll lighten the mood.

As much as Max hopes marriage is where this thing is headed, he knows Helen is right. He plowed through a lot of things the first time. "Sounds reasonable."

"Therefore, I'm not moving in with you straight away."

"Wait, what?!"

"Max, calm down!"

"But you're moving to a new country! Why waste time looking for a place that'll lock you into a year-long contract?!"

"Just listen for a moment! My current lease is over at the end of August. That gives me a bit of time to get things sorted at work and find a job here while still rebuilding our relationship. Plus I don't want to put too much stress on myself during the first trimester. Moving right now would be a lot of physical labor."

"But… you're gonna come live with me and Luna when you move here, right?"

Helen takes a few seconds too long to answer, scaring Max even further. "Most likely, yes. Theoretically, I could rent an already-furnished place for a month and we'd evaluate where we are. But honestly, it's probably not worth the effort. Only just… I want to handle my reintroduction to Luna with as much care and delicacy as possible."

So that's what this is about. "Helen. You're not gonna make the same mistake again."

Helen gives Max a soft smile, appreciative, but not quite convinced. "Thank you for having faith in my abilities. But I want to make this an easy transition for Luna. I mean, have you even told her about the baby yet?"

"Uh, no. I wanted to wait until we talked. I figured we should reintroduce you first and hold off on the baby news until you're out of the woods."

"Yes, that's probably wise." If Helen thinks too much about the potential of miscarrying, she'll go crazy! But she won't be able to put her fears to rest until she hears that little heartbeat on the ultrasound monitor, maybe not even then.

"Do you want to come over tomorrow morning?"

"Erm, no, I don't think so. My plane back to London leaves at 12:30. It might be hard on Luna if I leave again so soon since I won't be moving here for another seven weeks." Helen can't bear the thought of waiting that long to see Luna again. "But how about I plan to make another visit here for my birthday? All three of us can spend the weekend together. And we can answer any questions Luna may have."

"Yeah, okay." Max understands her reasoning, but that means he won't get to see Helen after going home tonight.

"In the meantime, it might be best if you prepare her for seeing me."

"She asked about you recently."

"She did?" Helen asks in a mixture of hope and disbelief.

"Yeah. I told her you love her. Here, you wanna see something?" Max pulls out his phone and swipes to find the recent video of Luna jumping around on the playground, then shows it to Helen.

"Oh! Luna!" she gasps, clapping a hand to her mouth.

"After I stopped filming, she went to comfort a little boy who was crying because he fell down."

Always a helper, just like her father. Helen touches the screen in awe, longing to hold Luna. "I really miss her!"

"She misses you too."

"She's gotten so big!" As Helen hands the phone back, tears start leaking out of her eyes. "Why did you keep her away from me during my stroke recovery?"

Max's stomach drops, shame and regret filling his whole body. Since he was planning on proposing to Helen, he had sent Luna to stay the weekend with Gwen and Calvin, selfishly wanting as much uninterrupted time with his new fiancée as possible. But then the drinks at the bar were spiked, and all chaos broke loose.

"I was in New York for a whole month and you didn't bring Luna home from Connecticut once! Why, Max? Did you not want her to see me in that state? Did you think I was incapable of caring for her?"

"No! I didn't realize…"

By now, Helen's bittersweet tears have turned to tears of anger. It's somewhat justified, but recent hormonal mood swings have her emotions going to extremes. "I needed to see her! I asked about her so many times."

"To be fair, you asked about her twice. I mean, with your aphasia–"

"No, don't you dare put that on me! Asking to see her once should have been enough, but you weren't listening!"

"I'm sorry, Helen, okay? I thought it would be too much! You were already going through a lot, I didn't want her to be a burden on you."

"Max, she was never a burden! She wasn't something I had to put up with to be with you, she was a gift! I loved her! I still love her!"

At a loss for what else to do that will calm her, Max simply takes Helen's face in his hands and pulls their foreheads together, whispering, "I know, I know, I'm sorry."

Once Helen has regained control of herself, she brushes the tears away in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, my emotions have been all over the place as of late. It's these bloody hormones!"

"Hey, no, don't be! That's completely normal! It means your body's doing what it's supposed to," Max consoles Helen, caressing her arm. "I really am sorry though. I know how much you love Luna. It wasn't fair of me to wait for you to ask about her. I should have brought her home before it came to that. You'll see Luna again soon, I promise."

Helen nods, the only response she can manage right now.

They're interrupted by the waiter, a man in his early twenties with olive skin, brown eyes, and dark, wavy hair. "Here's your appetizer," he says, placing down a plate of samosas. "Did you change your mind about ordering drinks?"

"No, thank you," Max says, nodding him off as Helen looks out at the lake to hide her tear-stained face.

"Very well. The rest of your meal should be out shortly."

The rest of the evening flies by far too quickly. Max and Helen spend dinner catching up. Max talks about his new job, loving life in Geneva, and what Luna has been into these days, while Helen recounts how Mina has been and vents about work and the struggling relationship with her mother. She thinks her side of the conversation is vastly less interesting, given that her life has been so stagnant in London, but Max listens with open ears and a shoulder to lean on. And somehow, they find their same old dynamic as if no time has passed.

Following a lakeside sunset walk to the hotel, Max and Helen fall back into bed again, making love like it's the last time, both of them feeling clingy with their impending, although temporary, separation. By the time Max starts getting dressed, it's time for him to go relieve the babysitter. Helen watches from the bed, covered by only the top sheet, as Max shrugs on his pants. "Do you really have to go?" she asks, feeling childlike with her question.

"Yeah. I hate to 'dine and dash,' but it'll take twenty minutes to get home, and I swore I'd be back by 10." Well, technically, 22:00. He's still getting used to the 24-hour clock. Max puts his shirt on, then sits next to Helen at the top of the bed, caressing the side of her face. "You could come with me."

Helen imagines how the following morning would go if she went home with Max. She's woken up by a startled, confused, then very excited Luna. Once everything has settled down, they've answered some questions, and spent a bit of time together, Luna is inconsolable as Helen leaves for her flight, ripped away from her Mum yet again for several more weeks. The only other way to avoid that is by leaving before Luna wakes up . "No, I… I think we should wait. That would make things more complicated with Luna."

"Yeah, I guess." Max takes Helen's hand and presses it to his cheek, kissing her palm. "But I'll see you in two weeks for your first ultrasound, okay?"

Helen nods, but the hormone-induced emotions take over again, and she's unable to stop her eyes from leaking silent tears. "I love you," she says in earnest.

Max leans down, giving Helen a soft, slow, reassuring kiss. "I love you more." He kneels by the bed, throws back part of the sheet covering Helen, and places his lips and a hand on her lower abdomen. "Bye, baby! Don't give Mum too much trouble!"

As Max reaches the bedroom door, he stops and takes one last look at Helen. It kills him to leave her in the most vulnerable part of pregnancy. "Let me know if you need anything in the meantime." Receiving a hesitant nod in reply, Max finally leaves, already impatiently waiting for the next time he and Helen see each other.

Sunday, July 30th, London

The two weeks of separation trudge by, both Max and Helen counting down the days until it's over. They call each other for a check-in every morning and evening, thankful it's only a one-hour time difference and not five. Even with the temporary distance, Max and Helen are happier than they've been in a long time!

The weekend of Helen's first ultrasound is finally here! Max arrives at the London flat Saturday night, greeted by a queasy Helen, who, immediately after opening the door, vomits into the sink. Nausea has been hitting her hard, particularly in the evenings when she's not distracted from it by work. Helen feels so crappy that all she can do is curl up on the sofa with Max, chatting while watching a nature documentary, a stainless steel bowl on the floor just in case. As they fall asleep in bed, Max just holds Helen, relieved to have her in his arms again.

In the morning, Max makes Helen some ginger tea and peanut butter banana toast, something nutritious, but easy for her stomach to digest. He's excited and eager to help in any way he can.

The ultrasound is everything Max and Helen could've hoped for! At nearly eight weeks along, the baby is the size of a kidney bean, weighs less than an ounce, and flailing arms and legs are already discernible on screen! Helen sheds a few tears as they hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time, a clear, strong rate of 160 beats per minute.

Max and Helen receive some sonogram pictures to take home, then head back to the flat. After lunch, they declutter to prepare for the move. With not enough energy to move around, Helen sits on the living room couch, sorting things into boxes labeled "keep," "donate," and "garbage," while Max goes through the kitchen cabinets making a list of duplicates between his and Helen's inventories they'll have to pare down.

"So I finally told everyone at work I'm resigning."

"Oh yeah?" Max looks up from his clipboard and over at Helen. "How'd that go?"

Helen just shrugs. "It was alright. Bittersweet, to say the least. I said I never really fit in, that I had accepted the job and stayed out of obligation and stubbornness to see it through. The only person I told we're expecting a baby was Elinor. She was happy for us, but obviously, sad to lose me." Out of all the people in the clinic, Elinor was the one she felt closest to. Even as a young budding doctor, Helen saw her as a mentor. So she feels the loss both as a doctor and as a friend. "They'll manage without me though. One of my deputies will take over."

"You trained them well, babe!"

Already tired of sorting things, Helen slumps back on the couch and scans the room. She still has so much stuff! And they don't even have any baby things yet. Helen doubts Max kept any of Luna's old things when he moved to Geneva. "Max, how large is your place?"

"Uh, a little bigger than here, but not by much. But we've done it before. We can do it again, right?"

"Well, yes. But I was thinking more regarding the baby. They'll sleep in our room for the first few months, but we may eventually need a bigger space. That is, unless Luna's room is spacious enough for two."

"Yeah, we might be able to make that work for a while." When he was looking at places, Max didn't think it necessary to have a large, grand place just for himself and Luna. But now, their family of two will soon be a family of four! "Do you have any names in mind?"

After their broken engagement and up until Helen found out she was pregnant, she didn't think having a child was in the cards for her anymore. "Honestly, I haven't thought much about it. There wasn't really a reason to up til three weeks ago."

"Okay, well, if it's a girl, do you still like the name 'Zurrah'?"

Helen pauses, surprised by Max's question. Zurrah. The name she bestowed on the baby born addicted to drugs shortly after meeting Max. "Y— you remember?"

"Yeah, of course I remember." It's almost embarrassing how many details Max remembers about Helen from early on in their friendship. The day she confessed her fondness of the name will remain ingrained in his brain forever. Watching her perform skin-to-skin with the surrendered baby while being open and vulnerable was such an intimate moment. He felt inexplicably drawn to Helen even then, not realizing he was getting a glimpse into their future.

"That's a kind offer, but I chose that name during a time in my life when I'd come to terms with doing motherhood alone. Maybe we should pick something new together."

When Georgia had suggested the name "Luna" after Max's sister, it just fit! But that means he doesn't have a backup list of names. "You got any other suggestions?"

"Erm, not really. But we don't even know whether it's a boy or a girl yet. Maybe we should wait until my second trimester, just in case…"

Just in case…? The sudden silence is concerning. Max looks over from his spot by the cabinets. Helen has stopped putting things in boxes, instead, now somberly staring down at and rubbing her still-flat stomach. Dropping what he's doing, Max crosses the room, kneels in front of Helen, and takes her hands. "Helen? Our baby's strong, just like you! Don't let your mind go there."

"I can't help it, Max! The risk of miscarriage increases with maternal age, and I'm nearly forty-four! There's so many things that could go wrong! You can't promise me everything's going to be okay!"

"You're right. I can't. If we lost the baby, having a name, even a nickname, would help the grieving process by making us feel more connected to it." Max brushes a few stray braids behind Helen's ear. "Let's try to enjoy this, okay? Live in the possibility and instead ask ourselves, 'What if it all goes right?' But I'll be here for you no matter what."

Helen collapses her head into the crook of Max's neck, trying to even out her breathing as he rubs her shoulders. In times like these, Helen is really glad she decided not to embark on motherhood alone, and even more grateful that she and Max found their way back to each other. She shudders a sigh as all the pent-up nervous energy leaves her body, simply comforted by Max's steady presence. "Thank you. For being here."

Max only wishes he could physically be here more often. Soon. "Always. No ifs, ands, or buts."

Sunday, August 13th, 10:30 a.m., London

Helen walks into the outdoor cafe patio and sees her mother already sitting at a small table, experiencing an unpleasant sense of déjà vu from two years ago after sending Mina off to university. She knows this is going to be just as painful of a conversation, maybe even worse. Best to get it over with.

Helen crosses the patio and sits down opposite Serwa. "Hello, Mum."

"Hello, daughter."

"How are you?" Helen asks out of courtesy, but she probably already knows the answer.

"I've been better." Serwa sits up straight all prim and proper as if assuming she's on the moral high ground. "Did you invite me here to apologize for being so rude to me as of late?"

Anger boils in Helen's veins at the comment. "No, Mum. I told you. I've started enforcing boundaries for the sake of my mental and emotional health. I'm not apologizing for that."

"This has to do with your therapy, does it? In my day, we didn't talk to other people about our problems."

Helen scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Yes, and that's exactly what caused most of the issues you and I have today." Even though she's not showing yet, Helen instinctively rubs her stomach to self-soothe, but once she realizes, quickly pulls her hand away in hopes her mother didn't notice.

Conversation is put on hold when a young redhead waitress comes to take their orders. Serwa gets an English Breakfast tea while Helen asks for water and an iced Golden Milk, both to avoid caffeine and to soothe her nausea and heartburn.

Once the waitress is gone, Helen pleads with her mother, "Can't we just have a nice chat without bickering for once?"

Serwa purses her lips and squints her eyes. "Fine," she coldly states.

Accepting that's as good of a response as she's going to get, Helen tries to start some light conversation again, but keeps the topics focused on Serwa. She asks her mother about how her dance circle is, if she's taken any holidays over the summer, and what it's been like reducing hours at work since she's approaching retirement.

A few minutes in, their drinks come out, and Helen immediately takes a few sips, bringing minimal relief from her acidic stomach.

"So," Serwa says, stirring sugar and milk into her tea, "your birthday is coming up next week. Do you have any plans?"

Brilliant! Here it goes! Helen's nerves, plus the sulfuric smell of eggs at the next table, make her stomach churn so much that her heartburn flares up. "Yes. That's what I wanted to speak to you about, actually. I'll be traveling to Switzerland for the weekend." She quietly hums into her glass, trying to keep the nausea at bay.

"Oh. Are you visiting Mina? Is that where she's studying these days?"

"No, she's in Greece at the moment," Helen says, rubbing her chest with her fist as she lets out a tiny burp.

Serwa analyzes Helen, scrutinizing her up and down. "Good lord! You're with child, aren't you?"

Helen swishes and swallows some water, surprised at her mother's perceptiveness. "Is it that obvious?"

"Helen, please. The first trimester? Any woman who's been through the same thing could see." Serwa waits a moment, choosing her words carefully. "So you finally went through with using the eggs you froze, did you?"

"Erm… not exactly." She takes another sip of her Golden Milk, unrealistically hoping to deflect the attention directed at her.

Serwa sits back, shocked. "You mean to tell me, after all the fuss about not being ready to date, that you went and got yourself knocked up during a one-night stand?!"

"What?! No, of course not! Why on earth would you think that?!"

"What else am I supposed to think?!"

"You didn't even give me a chance to explain, nor have you congratulated me or acknowledged the fact I'm carrying your grandchild!"

"Alright. Go on then. Explain," Serwa urges, ignoring the latter half of Helen's comment.

Helen takes a deep, calming breath, trying to remember what her therapist taught her on how to handle these situations. Respond, don't react! Respond, don't react! "Max was here back in June."

At the realization, Serwa expression goes from surprised to disappointed. "Oh, darling! You didn't!"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," Helen states, defensively crossing her arms. "We've both grown during our time apart. It took a long time, but we finally figured things out. Not just for the baby, but because what we have is worth fighting for."

"So that's it, then? You're just going to leave me here and run off to America like you did twelve years ago!"

"Actually, he's living in Geneva now, working at the World Health Organization. That's why I'm going there next weekend, but I'll be moving in with him at the end of the month."

By now, Serwa is furious! "So you're sacrificing your life here for him? I think that's a terrible idea! What makes you so sure you won't abandon him and his daughter again like last time?"

"Mum, I have no life here! I'm not moving for Max, I'm moving for the sake of our child! And I'm not asking for your opinion! I'm simply letting you know as a common courtesy."

"'Common courtesy,'" Serwa scoffs. "Fine, don't listen to me. You may think you've both changed, but here you are, running from your problems again. And I'm sure that man still won't listen to anyone but himself! So don't expect me to be waiting to pick up the pieces again when you come crying back home."

"Why can't you just be happy for me?! You've never respected my personal life choices! To be honest, I'm so tired of trying to gain your approval! I can't do it anymore!" Helen grabs her bag, stands up from her seat, and throws a five pound bill on the table for her drink. "I pity you, Mother. You're only making yourself miserable. I didn't want to do this, but unless you can change your attitude, you're not welcome in our family. Goodbye."

With that, Helen strides off, getting away from her mother as fast as possible. It's not until she arrives back home that the adrenaline wears off, but once it does, the reality of what she did finally hits. Helen collapses on the couch and breaks down in tears. She's tried to fix things with her mother so many times, but it's draining the life out of her! That's not healthy for her or the baby!

Helen pulls out her phone and clicks on Max's number. After four long rings, he answers in a chipper voice. "Hey, gorgeous! How'd the talk with your mom go? I didn't expect you to be finished yet."

"It's over," Helen whimpers, still trying to get her crying under control. "I'm done trying."

"What are you saying?" Max asks with a shaky voice, jumping to the worst possible conclusion.

"With my mum," Helen clarifies. "It was a complete disaster!"

Max sighs in relief at the knowledge she's not talking about them, but feels ashamed at his moment of panic. Twice since reconnecting, when Helen called him in tears, he assumed she was ending things with him again. That's something he should bring up when they start couple's therapy after the move. "What happened?"

"A lot. She said some nasty, judgmental things about our relationship and my move to Geneva, saying that I'll probably leave you again. And that if I do, she'd give me a big, grand 'I told you so.'"

"What the hell?! She can't say things like that to you! Hon, I'm so sorry!"

"She didn't even congratulate me on the baby! In the end, I told her off and said she's not welcome in our family! Max, I just detonated whatever relationship I had left with my mother!"

Max gives Helen a moment, waiting until she's done blowing her nose to speak. "Helen, you gave it your best shot. But if she's not willing to change, cutting out your mom from your life is completely okay!"

"But… last January, you told me I should try to mend things with her."

"That was before I knew how bad things really were between you two. She's toxic, and she's been tearing you down for years! I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself!"

"I know it had to be done. But it still hurts. Other than Mina, she's the only blood relative I'm in contact with." Helen has an aunt and two female cousins, but she hasn't spoken to them in years. "And the only grandparent that would have been in our child's life."

"Yeah, well, you don't have to be blood related to be family. I'm closer with you and our work friends than I ever was with my parents."

Helen definitely has some thoughts about their so-called "friends," but that's a discussion for another time. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

"And it doesn't matter how small our family is. Our baby is gonna have two loving parents and a doting big sister! They're gonna be so spoiled!" Max waits for a response, but it doesn't come. "Helen, you still there?"

"Yes, it's just…" she begins, shuddering a sigh, "I can't stop thinking about something that my mother said. How do we know I won't abandon you again? What if she's right about me?"

"That's not gonna happen," Max states definitively.

"But how can you be so sure?"

"You wanna know how I'm sure? In the past, conversations like this with your mom led you to question everything you wanted out of our relationship. But you did something differently this time. Instead of shutting down and shutting me out, you called me! You wanted to talk to me about it! That's a testament to your personal growth, Helen!"

"Yes, I… I did, didn't I?" For the longest time, Helen's defense mechanism was to run whenever things got difficult or too complicated. Now, she's leaning on her partner for comfort and support.

"Yeah! I'm so proud of you, babe! Don't let what your mom said get into your head, okay?"

No matter how down Helen is feeling, conversations with Max always end with the heaviness in her chest feeling a little lighter. "I really love you, Max."

"I really love you too."

End notes:Yeah, yeah, yeah, Helen's pretty weepy in this chapter. Blame it on the hormones! 😂 Next chapter will include the Helen/Luna reunion! This story is a little longer than I originally anticipated. At this point, it'll probably be somewhere between 6-8 chapters.