Work Text:
Hugh had always assumed that starting a family was a linear process, from point A to point E, with three equidistant steps in between. Meet a lovely girl, court her, get engaged, get married, have children. It had all seemed simple enough in theory.
In practice, he was finding the whole thing more akin to a labyrinth, full of unexpected twists and turns, and traps that he didn’t notice until he’d already fallen into them.
Like this one.
He curled his hand around the ring, felt it digging into his palm. Everything he’d been taught and had understood about the world had been turned upside down the day he met Dottie and Miss Fisher, and most days he was just doing his best to keep up.
Now he was at a crossroads. Behind him was the comfortable world he’d always known. He could go back, find a nice Protestant girl who would fit the mold and make his mother happy. Or he could forge ahead into the twists and turns he didn’t yet know how to navigate, for the wonderful girl who would make him happy. Without a backward glance, Hugh made his decision and plunged back into the maze.