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The parking lot was already crowded by the time Max pulled in.
She spotted her daughter immediately. Purple backpack. The top half of her curls pulled back with a blue bow she'd picked out herself that morning, the rest bouncing softly around her shoulders. She was standing exactly where she always waited.
Only... She wasn't chatting with her friends, she wasn't searching for the car, either. She was looking at the ground, tracing little circles on the pavement with the toe of her sneaker.
Max frowned slightly.
Normally, the second Riley spotted the car, she'd wave both arms over her head like she'd been stranded on an island all day before running over, climbing into the back seat and immediately launching into a story she'd apparently been saving for the drive home.
But today, she just quickly opened the back door and climbed into her seat.
Max looked back over her shoulder and smiled. "Hey, baby."
"Hi." She dropped her backpack onto the floor and buckled her seatbelt.
"How was your day?"
"Good."
Max pulled out of the parking lot as she waited for the usual follow-up: stories about recess, complaints about homework, asking what was for dinner. But there was none.
"Just good?" Max asked.
"Mhm," Riley murmured, picking at her fingers.
A few minutes passed by.
Max glanced at Riley's reflection in the rearview mirror. She was watching the trees drift by through the window. "Are you okay, baby?"
Riley's eyes shifted, meeting Max's in the mirror. "Yeah."
"Are you sure?"
Riley hesitated for a moment. "Yeah," she said again, already turning her attention back to the window.
Max didn't push. She waited a few seconds before speaking again.
"Daddy and Charlie are at the park," she said, drumming her fingers lightly against the steering wheel. "They're probably halfway up the jungle gym by now," she joked. "I told them we'd meet them there."
Another quiet moment passed.
Then Riley spoke so softly Max almost missed it. "...Can we just go home?"
Max frowned, confused. "You don't want ice cream?"
Any day that would've earned an immediate reaction. Riley simply shook her head. "I just want to go home."
Max didn't ask another question. "Alright."
The car rolled through a few quiet streets. At the next red light, she picked up her phone and called Lucas.
"Hey," he answered over the distant sounds of children playing.
"Hey."
"Everything okay?"
Max glanced at Riley again. "I think so. Riley doesn't want to go to the park."
A brief pause. "Oh. Why? Is she alright?"
"I don't know. I'm taking her home."
"Okay. We'll head back soon."
"Alright."
"Love you."
A small smile tugged at Max's lips. "Love you too."
Riley caught Max's reflection for a second before dropping her gaze. Max hung up.
The rest of the drive passed quietly.
_______________
The house felt warm in the afternoon sun.
Riley slipped off her shoes by the front door.
"You hungry?" Max asked while hanging up the purple backpack.
"No."
"Want some fruit?"
"No, thanks."
Max was trying to read her face. "You sure?"
Riley nodded. "I'm just gonna go to my room."
"Okay..." Max said as she watched her daughter disappear upstairs.
The bedroom door clicked softly shut.
Max walked into the kitchen, she washed her hands, turned off the faucet and dried them. Then stood there.
Something wasn't right. She knew Riley. Eight years old wasn't old enough to hide your feelings from your mom. Not really.
She turned toward the stairs and dried her hands again, even though they were already dry.
Then headed upstairs
______________
She knocked softly. "Riley? Can I come in?"
A few seconds passed. Then came a soft reply. "Come in."
Max opened the door. Riley was sitting on her bed with her dolls lined up in front of her. She wasn't really playing, just moving them around absentmindedly.
Max sat beside her. "Hey."
Riley didn't say anything.
Max looked at the dolls for a moment before speaking. "So..."
Riley looked up.
"I know something's bothering you..."
She immediately looked back down.
Max kept her voice gentle. "You don't have to tell me right away." She rested one hand on the comforter between them. "But...you've been quiet since I picked you up. You didn't want to go to the park." A small pause. "You didn't even want ice cream."
That finally earned a response. "...Yeah."
"So..." Max brushed a strand of hair behind Riley's ear. "Would you help me understand?"
Riley didn't answer.
Max waited. No rush.
Finally, she asked, "Did something happen at school?"
A small shrug.
"Did someone hurt your feelings?"
Another shrug.
"Did you get into an argument with a friend? Did you think you got in trouble?"
"No."
Max nodded. "Okay."
She reached over and picked up one of the dolls, setting it upright after it had tipped onto its side. "Whatever it is..." She looked back at Riley "You can tell me. I promise."
Riley picked at a loose thread on the blanket.
"I won't be mad."
Another long silence.
Then, barely above a whisper
"...Today we talked about history."
Max nodded. "Okay..."
"The teacher was talking about..." Riley searched for the words. "when black people and white people had different schools..."
Max felt something tighten in her chest.
She stayed calm.
"And different places."
"And they were treated differently."
"Mhm."
"And... then some kids at recess said..." Riley hesitated. "They said their parents told them that black and whites weren't even allowed to..." Her voice became smaller. "be together."
Max didn't interrupt.
"They said they couldn't get married. Not even be friends." Riley finally looked up at her. "They said..." Her eyes were beginning to shine. "That you and Daddy would've been against the law...and me too."
The room suddenly felt very still.
Max reached over and took Riley's hand. "I'm glad you told me."
Riley's fingers tightened around hers. "I thought they were making it up...so I asked Mrs. Gilbert."
"What happened then?"
"She said..." Riley sniffed. "She said it was true."
Max nodded slowly.
"She said it was a long time ago and that things are different now. But..." She swallowed. "if it was true...why?" Riley looked at Max with the kind of earnest confusion only children have. "Why would anybody think that?" She stared at their joined hands. "And...am I safe?"
Max's heart broke a little.
She had imagined difficult conversations.
About growing up, about friendships, about heartbreak. She hadn't imagined this one. Not today. Not when she'd simply gone to pick her daughter up from school.
She took a slow breath.
Suddenly, all she could think was: 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.
He had grown up carrying things she had only learned about.
The thought lasted only a second.
Then she focused back on her daughter, watching the confusion and worry swirling in those little brown eyes as they searched for an answer. She wasn't asking for perfection. She was asking for her mom.
Max reached for her. "Come here."
Riley scooted closer immediately, settling against her as Max wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. "I'm really glad you asked me."
Max stared at the opposite wall for a brief second, searching for the right words. Looking back down, she tucked Riley a little closer. "You know how sometimes grown-ups make really bad decisions?"
Riley nodded.
"Well...sometimes they make decisions because they're scared. Sometimes because they don't understand something."
"And sometimes..." She sighed quietly. "Because they believe things that just aren't true." Her hand moving to gently stroke Riley's arm in a slow, reassuring rhythm. "In the past, there were a lot of people who believed that the color of someone's skin made them better than someone else."
Riley frowned. "But... it doesn't."
"No, It doesn't. They were wrong." Max said firmly. "They were completely wrong."
Riley picked up one of the dolls, studying it for a moment. "So they made rules?"
Max nodded. "They did. They made cruel rules. They separated people. They hurt a lot of people." She felt her throat tighten. "And that was awful. It should never have happened."
Riley's expression shifted as she tried to understand. "But, why?"
Max let out a quiet breath. "I don't know if anyone can give a good answer to that, baby." She continued caressing Riley's arm. "Sometimes people choose hate. And some never questioned what they had been taught."
Riley stayed tucked against her, processing everything. "But... if you and Daddy had met back then..."
"I still would've fallen in love with him."
Riley looked up. "You would've?"
"Absolutely." Her eyes crinkling with total certainty. "I would've thought he was funny. And kind. And handsome."
That finally brought a genuine smile to Riley's face.
"I would've wanted to know him." Max said, her own smile widened as she leaned her cheek against the top of her daughter's head. "The people who made those rules were wrong back then, too." Her tone shifted into a proud fierce. "Your dad is my favorite person in the whole world. And nothing–𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 about us loving each other has ever been wrong."
She nudged Riley's shoulder playfully. "Well, he's one of my three favorite people in the entire universe.
Max let the words sit for a moment.
Riley's lips curved into a small, comforted smile.
"And love isn't something that becomes right or wrong because someone writes a law," she said brushing her thumb over her daughter's knuckles.
Riley stayed tucked against her mom's side for another minute.
She was quieter now. Not because every question had been answered, but because she no longer felt alone with them.
After a while, she looked up. "So...our family isn't strange?"
A fierce ache of affection squeezed tight in Max's chest. Something about the way she asked it... so small, so afraid of the answer.
It pulled a memory from a few years ago.
A much smaller voice.
________________________
𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙧
Warm steam still clung to the bathroom mirror after Max's shower.
She stood barefoot in front of the sink, slowly brushing through her damp red waves. A towel wrapped securely around her body.
Lucas had gone out to pick up a few things from the grocery store, leaving Max alone with the kids in the small apartment they once called home.
The bathroom door stayed open, and just beyond it, a three-month-old Charlie slept peacefully in a crib beside their bed. Every now and then, he let out one of those tiny baby sighs or sleepy little sounds that made Max instinctively glance toward him before returning to what she was doing.
Meanwhile, a four-year-old Riley sat cross-legged on the bathmat, surrounded by rubber ducks, a toy boat, and colorful plastic cups she'd decided were magical potion bottles. The little game had successfully kept her occupied for a little while.
Max glanced at Riley's reflection in the mirror, noticing that she had stopped pouring water from one cup into another.
She was just staring at Max now, completely mesmerized. Like little girls sometimes study their mothers. Taking in the way Max scrunched her curls, the freckles scattered across her face, and the way the afternoon sunlight spilling through the bathroom window made her red hair almost glow.
Max's reflection smiled at her. "What?"
Riley didn't answer right away. She just kept staring.
Max laughed softly. "What is it?"
"You're pretty," she said in a tiny voice.
Max's expression immediately softened. "Oh, thank you, baby. You're even prettier."
Riley blinked. "I am?"
"Mhm. The prettiest girl I've ever seen."
A shy smile spread across Riley's face. She looked down at her toys for a second.
Max fondly continued styling her hair, the bathroom falling back into a comfortable quiet.
"Mommy?"
Max caught her gaze in the mirror again. "Yeah?"
"Why do I look different than you?" Riley asked, tilting her little head.
The brush stopped halfway through a wave. Max turned around. Riley looked thoughtful, like she'd only just realized something.
Max set the brush down on the counter and crouched until they were at eye level. "What do you mean, baby?"
Riley reached up and touched one of Max's damp strands. "Your hair's orange."
Max smiled. "It's red."
Riley squinted thoughtfully. "It's orange," she said with complete confidence.
That made Max laugh. "You're right."
Riley picked up one of her own curls and examined it carefully. "Mine's brown."
"It is."
Then, she carefully placed her little hand against Max's freckled forearm. "And you're really pink... but I'm darker."
Max's expression softened as she took the tiny hand in hers, turning it over. "Yes. Your skin is darker."
"Why?"
"Because families don't all have to look the same."
The little girl frowned, trying to understand how that worked.
Max gently stroked Riley's arm. Keeping a reassuring voice. "You know how Daddy has one skin color, while Mommy has another?"
Riley nodded, paying attention.
Max smiled warmly. "Well...You're our baby."
"And when you were growing in my tummy, you got a little bit of both of us."
Riley glanced down at her arms and crossed legs.
"Some people have parents and families with very similar colors, so you don't really notice much of a difference." Max looked at their joined hands, the contrast between them making her smile. "But Daddy and I," she said, excitement bright in her voice, "we have very different colors." She nudged Riley's knee. "That's how you became this beautiful."
Riley grinned at her. She thought for a silent moment, then asked, "Charlie too?"
"Charlie too," Max nodded. "He's our baby too. He's a beautiful mix of Daddy and me, just like you."
Riley looked fascinated.
"And there are lots and lots of people just like you two," Max continued. "So many that you'd get tired trying to count them."
That made Riley laugh.
"We all look a little different, some people look more like their mom, some more like their dad. And some are somewhere in between." She caught Riley's hand again and gave it a gentle, grounding squeeze. "For example, you have your Dad's beautiful brown eyes."
Riley blinked. Testing them out. which caused a wave of pure tenderness to wash over Max.
"You have my freckles. Right on your nose," she continued.
Riley immediately reached up to touch them. "I got your freckles?"
"You sure did." Max smiled as she twirled one of Riley's curls around her finger. "And you definitely got your Daddy's curls."
Riley grinned proudly. "You have curls too." She reached up to capture one of Max's damp waves between her tiny fingers.
Max chuckled. "So you ended up with even prettier curls."
Riley beamed.
"You got my cheeks, too" Max said, playfully squeezing them. "And..." She narrowed her eyes, pretending to study her daughter very carefully. "You definitely inherited my stubbornness."
Riley looked deeply offended. "I'm not stubborn."
Max slowly raised an eyebrow. "No?"
"I am not."
Max tried very hard to keep a straight face. "Well... maybe not today."
Riley held a serious face for exactly two seconds before bursting into giggles.
Max laughed with her. "All of this together, makes you 𝘺𝘰𝘶," she said, gently tapping Riley's little nose. "Riley Jane Sinclair."
A proud smile spread across Riley's face.
Just then, a tiny high-pitched squeak came from the bedroom. Riley's eyes lit up instantly. "Charlie's awake!"
She jumped to her feet and took off running toward the bedroom.
Max laughed, standing up from her crouch and adjusting her towel. "Not so fast." She followed after the blur of brown curls. "Let's make sure he's actually awake before you tell him all about freckles."
Riley giggled in response.
_______________________
The memory faded as quietly as it had come.
Max turned her attention back to the little girl sitting beside her—a bit older now.
"Absolutely not," she smiled without a single shed of hesitation. "Our family is wonderful."
Relief washed over Riley's face.She traced little circles on the blanket with one finger, then another quiet question surfaced. "Do people still think like that?"
Max's smile faded just a little. She had hoped they were done, but she knew Riley deserved an honest answer. She chose her words carefully. "Some people do."
Riley's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Mhm. There are still people who believe hurtful things." Max let out a quiet sigh, looking down at the blanket for a brief second "There will probably always be people who believe things that hurt others." She brushed a strand of Riley's hair behind her ear again. "I know that sounds scary, and its okay to feel a little afraid of that."
Her voice grow a bit firmer. "But they're wrong. And there are far more people who know they're wrong."
Riley watched her, listening intently.
"The important thing is that we'll always tell you the truth. And if someone ever says something that confuses or scares you...." She squeezed Riley's hand. "You come to us. Okay?"
Riley nodded. "Okay."
"You never have to wonder by yourself."
Another nod.
Max smiled warmly. "Promise?"
"I promise." Riley wrapped both arms around her.
Max hugged her back, burying her face in Riley's curls for a long moment before pulling away just enough to look at her. "You know what else?"
"What?"
"I love your dad very, very much."
Riley smiled up at her.
"I loved him when we were teenagers. I love him now, and if I got to choose all over again..." Max’s eyes crinkled with total affection. "I'd still choose him."
Riley giggled. "Daddy would choose you too."
"You think so?"
She nodded very seriously. "He looks at you all weird."
Max laughed. "All weird?"
"You know..." Riley scrunched up her face. "Like he likes you."
Max pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing. "I'll have to ask him about that."
Downstairs, the heavy click of the front door cut through the house.
Riley's face brightened instantly.
"We got movies!" Charlie's excited voice carried through the house.
Max beamed. "Sounds like your brother survived the park."
A second, deeped voice drifted upstairs. "Wash your hands!"
Riley was already climbing off the bed. She reached the bedroom door before Max could stand. Then she stopped, turned around, ran back and wrapped her arms around Max one more time. "I love you."
Max hugged her immediately. "I love you too. So much."
Riley grinned against her, then disappeared into the hallway in a flash.
Max sat on the edge of the bed for one more second, letting out a slow breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs, Riley had already launched herself into Lucas's arms.
"There she is!" Lucas caught her effortlessly. "Hey, bug. You alright?"
Riley nodded burying her face in his neck for a second. "Yes."
Charlie ran over the second he saw Max. She bent down just in time to catch his flying leap. "Mom! I went all the way to the top of the climbing thing!" His arms flew upward to demonstrate.
"You did?" Max gasped dramatically, her eyes widening to match his flying arms. "All the way to the very top?"
"Higher than Daddy!"
Lucas laughed from where he was crouched with Riley. "I don't know about that."
"I did!" Charlie insisted.
Max smiled as she took in his flushed cheeks, his slightly messy curls from all his playing, and the familiar brown eyes looking up at her.
"We got movies!" He shouted. "Dad said it's movie night!"
"Oh?"
"I brought 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨!"
Max looked over at Lucas, her eyes wide with mock surprise. "What a completely unexpected choice."
Lucas matched her expression. "I know. We're branching out."
Charlie nodded enthusiastically. "I brought a new one too!"
Riley was already pulling the rental bag from Lucas's hand. "I wanna see!"
The two of them disappeared into the living room in a blur of excitement.
Lucas watched them go with a smile.
Then he turned back to Max and stepped closer. She stepped into his space just as naturally, looping both arms around his neck as his arm slipped around her waist.
He gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Everything okay?
Max nodded.
They both glanced toward the living room. Charlie was explaining something dramatically while Riley laughed, already putting the tape into the VCR. She looked lighter. Safe.
Lucas looked back at Max. "So...Riley's ok, then?"
Max nodded again. "Yeah." She reached for Lucas's hand. "Come."
He followed her a little farther into the open kitchen, where the children's voices became a comfortable murmur. "What happened?"
Max leaned against the counter and told him everything.
From the quiet drive home, to the heavy conversation upstairs. Lucas didn't interrupt once; he simply listened, his expression growing serious. When she finished, she let out a breath.
"She came home scared."
His heart sank.
"I kept thinking..." She looked down. "What if I say the wrong thing?" Her eyes drifted toward Riley in the living room for a moment. "Her confusion...I've never lived it." She shook her head lightly. "I kept thinking she'd be better off hearing it from you."
Lucas was quiet for a moment, then he reached over and took her hand. "Hey."
Max looked at him.
"You did good."
"I don't know..."
"I do." Lucas stepped closer. "You knew what our daughter needed to hear."
Max felt her throat tighten.
He brushed his thumb across the back of her hand. "We can spend years teaching her history, but first she needed to know she's safe." He glanced toward the living room, then back at Max. "She needed to know she wasn't the problem. You gave her all of that."
Max blinked quickly, swallowing the lump in her throat.
"You were exactly who she needed today," he reassured her.
Before she could answer, Charlie appeared at full speed. "The movie is on!"
Lucas looked over. "Which one?"
"𝘓𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨!"
"Oh no," he said with exaggerated worry.
Charlie grabbed his wrist. "Hurry!"
"We'll be there in one minute."
"But Simba's already little!" he insisted, now grabbing Max's wrist too.
Max smiled at him, giving his chin a fond little nudge. "Give us a second, baby. We'll survive by remembering the first fifteen minutes, from the other thirty times we've rented it."
Charlie thought about that logic for a second. "Okay." He ran back into the living room.
They watched him go. Both smiling.
For a moment, they simply stood together, listening to the sound of the familiar movie drifting through the house.
Then Max looked back at Lucas, her expression tightening again. "I was mad."
He looked back at her.
"At the kids. At the teacher. At everyone."
Lucas nodded.
"I just..." She sighed. "I just wanted somebody out there to tell her that she doesn’t have to be scared."
Lucas leaned beside her against the counter, his shoulder rubbing against hers.
"My parents talked to Erica and me before we heard anything from anybody else. I don't remember exactly how old I was..." He looked upward, searching for the memory. "They told us our history. They answered questions before we even knew what questions to ask..." He thought for a moment. "I know how much it meant that they did that for us."
This isn't your fault," he turned his head back to her. "I'm sorry. I should've been the one to bring it up before the world did."
"Lucas..." Max immediately reached for him, shaking her head. "It's not your fault either." She slipped her arm through his, leaning her weight against his side and intertwining their fingers. "Today just took us by surprise."
"Yeah, but..." Lucas let out a quiet breath. "I grew up knowing that conversation had to happen someday." He looked toward the living room, where their kids were laughing together. "The world eventually makes them start asking hard questions."
Max rested her head against his shoulder, gently stroking his arm.
"I just forgot 'someday' comes pretty fast," he admitted quietly.
Silence settled between them, heavy but comforting.
Lucas broke it after a minute. "We should talk to Charlie soon," he said, his tone turning thoughtful. "Maybe tomorrow? Before the world makes him question things too."
She nodded. "Yeah..." Her fingers tightened gently around his arm. "I wish I could shield them from the world."
He gently untangled himself only to wrap his arm securely around her waist, holding her close. "You protected her today." He kissed her forehead.
Max's eyes drifted closed, her head still resting against his shoulder. Another quiet moment passed.
Then Lucas smiled faintly. "Poor Riley. Everything is a first with her. Our parenting guinea pig."
Max let out a soft laugh. "Yeah... we're gonna sound incredibly wise tomorrow."
A shared warmth lingered between them as they leaned into each other, watching Riley and Charlie sitting shoulder to shoulder on the couch, completely absorbed in the screen.
Max bit her lip.
She inhaled slowly, then let the breath out.
She hesitated for only a fraction of a second before turning fully in Lucas's arms.
"Well..." She reached for one of his hands, gently guiding it down to rest against her lower stomach before covering it with her own. "By the time this one starts asking questions..."
Lucas frowned slightly, confused.
Max looked down too, then back up into his eyes. A nervous warmth tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I guess... we'll already be experts."
Lucas didn't move. For a second, his expression stayed completely blank as his brain tried to process the shift. Then his eyes widened. "...Max?"
She looked at him with that little smile he knew so well. The one she got whenever she was excited and nervous at exactly the same time.
His mouth opened slightly. "You serious?"
Max couldn't stop a grin from breaking wide across her face.
She pressed her lips together, nodding. "Mhm," she gave a tiny, breathless shrug, her heart racing. "I'm... pretty sure."
Lucas stared at her. "Pretty sure?"
"I took three tests."
He blinked, utterly stunned.
Max laughed quietly. He was still looking at her as though his brain had stopped halfway through processing the sentence. "I was suspicious yesterday," she rubbed her thumb gently over his hand. "but i didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure."
"When?"
"This morning. I stopped at the pharmacy on my way to work...I took the first test during my lunch break," she giggled at the memory. "It was positive."
Lucas just kept staring at her.
"And then later, I bought two more," she laughed at herself. "The second you took Charlie to the park, I ran upstairs and took them. I just needed to be a hundred percent sure." She offered a soft smile. "Positive and positive."
Lucas let out a slow, breathless exhale. "Three..."
She nodded, whispering, "Three."
The music from the television echoed softly through the quiet kitchen.
Lucas lifted his free hand to cover his mouth, his eyes watering without him realizing it. A disbelieving, joyous laugh escaped him. "Max..."
"I know," she whispered, her own eyes bright.
He looked toward the living room, then back to her face, and finally down to his hand resting against her stomach.
She tilted her head playfully. "Wanna see them?"
Lucas finally came back to himself, giving a fast, emotional nod.
Before they could move, however, Charlie's voice boomed from the couch. "When are you coming?"
Both of them looked toward the living room.
"We'll be back in a minute, buddy!" Lucas called back.
Max smiled. "We'll watch the other movie all together, okay?"
"Can we order pizza?" Riley perked up, turning around to look at them.
"We'll definitely be ordering pizza," Lucas said with a laugh.
Both kids grinned. Their attention immediately returned to the movie.
Max looked back at Lucas. "Come on."
Together, they headed upstairs.
───
The late afternoon sun painted warm rectangles across their bedroom floor.
Max walked over to the dresser, where the first test rested exactly where she'd left it. She picked it up and turned around, offering it out.
Lucas accepted it carefully, almost reverently, his eyes dropping to the little window.
Two lines. 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵.
He let out another shaky breath. "God."
Max smiled at him, a quiet warmth settling in her chest at seeing how overwhelmed he looked.
When he looked up, she gave a soft nod and walked toward the bathroom. He followed her to the doorway, where she pushed the door open to reveal the other two tests sitting neatly on the sink. Positive. And positive.
Lucas simply stood there, staring at the little plastic sticks. Three tiny pieces of proof that had just changed their lives all over again.
Max leaned against the doorframe, watching him take it all in.
His eyes kept moving from the counter back to the one in his hand. "Three," he whispered, slowly shaking his head. "All positive."
"Wanna count them again?" Max teased.
He laughed through an emotional breath. "I don't think that's necessary."
"Me neither."
He carefully set the test down beside the others.
Turning back to her, he wrapped both arms tightly around Max's middle, pulling her against his chest. Max melted into him immediately, closing her eyes and letting out a long, happy sigh as he laughed softly into her hair.
She buried her face in his shoulder. "I've wanted to tell you since this morning."
Lucas held her even tighter. "I wish you had."
"I know," she murmured against his shirt.
He pulled back just enough to cradle her face in both hands, his thumbs brushing gently across her cheeks. "Hey, are you okay?"
Her eyes softened immediately. "Yes." A tiny laugh escaped her. "Yesterday, when I first figured out it was possible... I was overwhelmed. For about five seconds."
Lucas lowered his hands, his touch lingering as it traced down her arms before gently catching her hands. He held on, listening quietly.
"Then I got so excited," she admitted. "This morning, I woke up terrified that I might have been wrong... and when the first test was positive..." Her expression lit up. "I felt so happy."
He didn't say a word, just grounding her with his touch, a look of profound affection washing over his features.
"I wanted to run straight to you," she confessed. "I almost left work to go to yours. I almost did about ten completely ridiculous things."
Lucas let out a soft, breathless laugh, shaking his head in amusement. "I wouldn't have minded."
Max squeezed his hands, stepping in closer until they rested their foreheads together.
"Wait," Lucas pulled back an inch to look at her, the logical side of his brain kicking in. "Do you know how far along we are?"
"Just a couple of weeks, probably."
"You had your period recently."
"I did. But I should have gotten this month's three days ago." Max paused, her eyes drifting for a second as she retraced the last few days in her mind. "That was a clue, but I really started suspecting it because I've been feeling so nauseous these last mornings."
Lucas's brow furrowed slightly with sudden realization. "I never even considered this. I was getting worried, but I just thought you were coming down with a stomach bug or something."
He squeezed her hands a little tighter, his eyes searching hers with a mix of awe as his mind raced to re-evaluate the last few days.
"My breasts are sore, too," she added, a little sheepishly. "I just recognized the symptoms... connected the dots."
She quieted, holding his gaze as the weight of the reality fully settled between them. "It's unexpected."
"Yeah," he said softly, his eyes full of love.
"But..." She offered a small, tender expression, her fingers subtly shifting against his. "It's not like we hadn't talked about having another one."
Lucas couldn't stop looking at her. Max noticed, studying the quiet intensity of his face for a beat as her heart swelled. The silence between them wasn't heavy, but it was thick with everything they were both feeling.
Quietly, she asked, "Are you happy?"
Lucas stared at her for exactly one second.
Then he burst into the brightest, loudest laugh she'd heard all week.Without warning, he scooped her up and guided her backward toward the bed.
Max let out a surprised squeal as they both tumbled onto the mattress together.
They landed in a happy tangle of limbs.Lucas hovered over her, showering her face in kisses. Her forehead, her temple, her cheek, the tip of her nose.
"Lucas!" She laughed, trying to dodge him.
He caught her jaw, completely unbothered, and trailed a few final kisses down her neck before burying his face happily in the crook of it.
Max sighed contentedly, one hand cradling his short curls while the other slowly rubbed soothing circles across his back as they breathed each other in.
Eventually, Lucas lifted his head, propping himself up on one elbow to brush a loose red strand away from her face. She smiled back at him. The sight of her made Lucas feel like a truck had run over him. He leaned down, capturing her lips in a deep, unhurried kiss full of pure joy.
After a few seconds he pulled apart with a quiet laugh. "We're really doing this again, huh?"
Max reached up and caressed his cheek with her palm. "Yeah." She nodded.
"You know..." He smiled even wider. "I love making babies with you."
Max raised one eyebrow. "Oh, I know," she said grinning mischievously. "You definitely enjoy the making part."
"That too." Lucas laughed. "But... we truly make wonderful kids."
Max nodded again. "We do."
"I mean..." He glanced toward the bedroom door, as if Riley and Charlie might somehow hear him through the floors. "Have you seen those two?"
She smiled. "They're pretty great."
"They really are." He leaned down for a quick, gentle kiss before sliding lower, resting one hand lightly over her stomach.
Max shifted against the pillows to see him better.
He looked up for a second, as if silently asking for permission, and when she beamed, he bent down to press a tiny, lingering kiss beside her bellybutton. Her fingertips brushed gently across his shoulder.
"I already love you," he whispered to her belly. Then he looked back at Max. "And I love you," he said softly, climbing back up beside her. "So much."
Max cupped his face with both hands. "I love you too." She leaned forward to kiss him, neither of them in any hurry to pull away. "So much," she whispered when they finally parted.
She was incredibly happy. So was he.
Lucas lowered his head until it rested against her chest, just above her heart. She held him closer as the room fell quiet around them.
Then Lucas spoke again, his thumb gently tracing her side. "You're an amazing mom."
Max closed her eyes.
She didn't answer immediately.
When she spoke, her voice was softer. "Thank you."
She kept running her fingers through his hair. "You're a pretty amazing dad."
He smiled against her chest. "I hope so."
"You are. I've seen the evidence."
Lucas hummed. "I trust your professional opinion."
She laughed, the sound fading back into a comfortable silence.
Then Lucas spoke quietly. "Just so you know."
"Mhm?"
"I would've loved you exactly the same if we'd never had kids."
Max smiled. "I know."
"I mean, they're the best thing that's ever happened to us...but they aren't why I love you." He looked up to lock eyes with her again. "You were already enough."
Her eyes filled completely now, taking every word in. "You were already enough for me too."
Lucas went back to rest his head on her chest. Max wrapped her arms back around his shoulders. "Everything," she added.
There wasn't anything left to say.
They stayed there, wrapped around each other.
Then Lucas suddenly looked at her again. "Okay."
"Okay what?"
"When's the appointment?"
She blinked. "You assumed I already made one?"
"I know you."
She laughed. "I did."
"I knew it."
"Tomorrow. Twelve p.m."
His eyebrows lifted.
"I figured we'd take the kids with us. And afterward maybe go to the beach?"
Lucas nodded immediately. "I like that." He leaned in, affectionately brushing his nose against hers. Then he looked toward the door. "We should probably start thinking about how we're going to tell them."
Max smiled. "We've got time."
"Yeah. We do." He rested his forehead against her shoulder for a brief, happy moment.
She let out a happy sigh, then laughed.
He looked up again. "What?"
"You know..." She absentmindedly traced a fingertip along his arm. "We do actually have two children out there already. Downstairs."
He narrowed his eyes playsfully. "We do, huh?"
"Waiting for us to feed them..."
He nodded. "We told them we'd order pizza."
"Cause we're responsible adults."
"It's Friday," Lucas defended.
"It 𝘪𝘴 Friday." She narrowed her eyes right back at him.
"And we are celebrating..." He smiled widely, his eyes flashing with mischief. "whoever is joining us for movie night."
She laughed, the sound bright between them.
Lucas didn't let the space last. He leaned in and caught her lips again, and slowly, the lingering laughter faded as a deep warmth spread between them.
Max’s hands slipped back into his curls, her fingers gently threading through the soft strands to pull him closer, deepening the angle.
The rhythm shifted, growing heavier, more deliberate. Max melted into him entirely, anchoring herself against his chest.
Lucas’s hand moved to the small of her back, his palm warm through her shirt, while his other hand slid up to the back of her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair drawing her impossibly close.
Max pulled apart for a fraction of a second, just enough to catch her breath. Lucas trailed his lips down, kissing the line of her jaw before moving up to gently nip the lobe of her ear.
Max's eyes fluttered closed.
She tipped her head instinctively, giving him more room. "Lucas..." she breathed, her voice a low whisper.
He answered by brushing lingering kisses along the curve of her neck, slower, intense.
Every press of his lips sent a dizzying rush of heat straight to her core, making the rest of the room disappear.
Max arched her back slightly, a quiet sigh escaping her throat. He moved right back to her mouth, capturing her breath in another deep, swirling kiss. She met him halfway.
They stayed there for a long, heavy minute, completely lost in each other, the rest of the world entirely locked out.
When they finally came up for air, Lucas rested his forehead against hers for barely a heartbeat before his lips wandered lower once more, scattering warm kisses along her collarbone.
Her hands shifted to his shoulders, her nails pressing into his skin as she let out a helpless, breathless laugh mixed with a gasp. "Lucas," she warned, tapping his shoulder to ground him.
He paused, lifting his head to meet her gaze, his eyes dark with affection and desire.
Still wrapped in his arms, Max glanced over to the bedroom door, pointedly reminding him of the reality outside.
Lucas followed her eyes. A beat passed as they stared at each other, and then they both burst out laughing.
He dropped his head back down, resting his forehead against hers. "Right," he murmured.
"Right," she agreed.
Unwilling to entirely break the embrace, they stayed like that for just a few more minutes before they both agreed they had business to attend to downstairs.
Lucas stood up first, smoothing down his shirt before offering her his hand. She took it, letting him pull her easily to her feet.
"They're probably halfway through The Lion King by now," Lucas said, keeping his fingers intertwined with hers as he guided them toward the door.
Max hummed in agreement. "We've watched it so many times I know every line by heart."
"Hey, at least its a great movie," Lucas said, flashing her a grin.
"Yes. But you cry every time Mufasa dies," she said with a teasing glint in her eyes.
"I do," he admitted proudly.
Max smiled up at him, her heart swelling as they stepped out into the hallway.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Lucas stopped.
Max looked at him, blinking. "What?"
He turned to her fully, stepping into her space for one more kiss, gentle, grounded, and entirely unhurried. Max leaned into it, her free hand resting against his chest.
When he pulled back, he kept his face close to hers. "I really am happy," he whispered.
Max's smile widened, so bright it almost hurt. "Me too."
Hand in hand, they headed downstairs.
By the time they reached the living room, Charlie had somehow fallen sideways against Riley, who was trying very hard to stay focused on the movie despite being used as a human pillow.
Lucas and Max watched them with nothing but adoration.
Charlie noticed them first, blinking away from the screen. "When's the pizza getting here?"
Max laughed, snapping out of her trance. "We're ordering it right now."
Lucas lifted their joined hands, pressing a soft kiss to the back of hers. "I've got it," he murmured.
A knowing smile spread across Riley’s face as she watched them.
"You go join them. I'll grab some snacks for everyone while we wait," he said.
"Yes, please. Before they eat us." Max gently squeezed his hand one last time before letting go.
She crossed the living room to join the movie event, sliding onto the couch next to the kids just as Nala and Simba were recognizing each other on screen.
A few minutes later, Lucas returned from the kitchen carrying bowls of chips and popcorn.
He set them down on the coffee table, and the four of them settled onto the couch together, a comfortable, familiar tangle of limbs. Lucas stretched one arm across the back of the sofa behind Max, and she curled comfortably against his side.
Neither of their children noticed the secret little smiles their parents kept exchanging throughout the rest of the evening. They didn't notice the way Lucas's hand found Max's again and how his thumb brushed across her knuckles in a soothing rhythm.
They had no idea that, a year from then, there would be one more little person squeezed onto that already crowded couch.
But Lucas and Max did.
And somehow, as the opening notes of 𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 drifted from the television, the house already felt just a little bit fuller.