Chapter 156 CHAPTER 156: BIG DREAMS
~Elara's Pov~
Elara didn’t mean to stop walking.
She really didn’t.
But the moment she saw the display window, her feet betrayed her.
Wayne almost bumped into her back.
“What” he began, then followed her gaze.
The store window was filled with baby clothes.
Tiny knitted hats. Soft pastel blankets. Miniature shoes that looked impossibly small. A crib display sat in the center, decorated with plush animals and warm fairy lights.
Elara’s fingers curled slightly around Wayne’s hand.
“They’re so small,” she whispered.
He looked at her instead of the display.
“You want to go in?”
She hesitated.
“I’m not even pregnant.”
“And?” he asked gently.
She glanced up at him. “Isn’t it silly?”
He smiled slowly. “Hope isn’t silly.”
Her chest tightened at that.
Before she could overthink it, he tugged her lightly toward the entrance.
“Come on.”
The soft chime of the doorbell welcomed them inside.
The store smelled like baby powder and fresh cotton. Calm instrumental music played quietly in the background. The walls were painted in neutral tones cream, soft mint, pale beige as if the place itself was designed to whisper peace.
Elara walked slowly between the aisles like she was in a museum.
She picked up the tiniest sock she had ever seen.
“Oh my God,” she breathed. “Wayne. Look at this.”
He leaned over her shoulder.
“That’s not a sock. That’s a finger glove.”
She elbowed him lightly, but her smile remained.
“Imagine,” she said softly. “Little feet.”
He didn’t joke this time.
He watched her carefully the way her eyes softened, the way her fingers traced the fabric like it already belonged to someone.
“You’d be a good mom,” he said quietly.
She froze.
Then slowly turned to him.
“You think so?”
“I know so.”
Her eyes shimmered slightly, but she blinked it away.
They moved deeper into the store.
Elara gravitated toward the girls’ section first.
Soft pink dresses. Tiny floral headbands. Baby cardigans with delicate buttons.
She lifted a small white dress with lace trimming.
“If we had a girl,” she began slowly, “I’d dress her in something like this for her first birthday.”
Wayne crossed his arms playfully. “Already planning birthdays?”
“Yes.”
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “What would her name be?”
Elara paused.
She hadn’t expected that question to feel so big.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Something strong. But soft too.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Like her mom.”
She tried to hide her smile.
“What about you?” she asked. “What kind of dad would you be?”
He pretended to think hard. “Strict.”
She raised a brow.
“Okay, maybe not strict. Protective.”
“That I believe.”
He smirked. “Any boy even looks at my daughter the wrong way and”
She laughed. “She won’t need you fighting her battles. I’ll teach her to be strong.”
“And I’ll teach her to feel safe.”
They both fell quiet at that.
Elara placed the dress back gently.
They wandered toward the boys’ section next.
Tiny suspenders. Mini denim jackets. Little sneakers.
Wayne immediately picked up a small black leather jacket.
“This,” he declared confidently.
She stared at him. “For a baby?”
“Yes.”
“He’d look like he runs a motorcycle club.”
“Exactly.”
She shook her head, laughing.
“You’re ridiculous.”
He held the jacket up against his chest. “Imagine a little version of me.”
Her heart did a strange little flip.
“A little version of you would be trouble.”
He stepped closer. “Or maybe a little version of you.”
She softened.
“What if he has your eyes?” she whispered.
“What if he has your smile?”
They were standing very close now.
Very close.
Elara looked around the store at the cribs, the rocking chairs, the stuffed animals and something inside her shifted.
It wasn’t desperation.
It wasn’t pressure.
It was possibility.
She walked toward a crib display in the center of the room.
It was simple, wooden, sturdy.
She reached out and gently touched the railing.
Wayne watched her from behind.
“You really want this,” he said softly.
She nodded slowly.
“Not just a baby,” she clarified. “A family. A home filled with noise and laughter.”
He walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist gently.
“You already are my family.”
She leaned back into him.
“I know. But I want more of us.”
He rested his chin on her shoulder.
“Then we’ll have it. When the time is right.”
She turned slightly in his arms.
“Even if it takes time?”
“Especially if it takes time.”
Her eyes softened.
She moved away reluctantly and wandered toward the shelves of baby blankets.
She picked up a neutral beige one with tiny embroidered stars.
“This is perfect,” she whispered.
Wayne looked at the price tag and whistled softly. “This baby is already expensive.”
She swatted his arm. “It’s an investment.”
“In what?”
“In cuteness.”
He laughed.
They ended up picking a few small things not because they needed them, but because they wanted something to hold onto.
A pair of neutral baby socks.
A soft grey onesie.
A small stuffed bear.
At the checkout counter, Elara hesitated again.
“Are we crazy?” she asked quietly.
The cashier smiled warmly. “First baby?”
Elara flushed. “Not yet.”
The cashier nodded knowingly. “It’s good to dream.”
Wayne squeezed her hand.
“Yes,” he agreed. “It is.”
After paying, they stepped back outside.
The air felt different.
Hopeful.
Elara clutched the small shopping bag to her chest like it was fragile.
Wayne noticed.
“You okay?”
She nodded, but her voice wavered slightly.
“I didn’t realize how much I wanted it until now.”
He stepped in front of her gently.
“There’s no rush,” he reminded her. “We don’t have to prove anything to anyone.”
“I know.”
She looked down at the bag again.
“I just… I want a little human who has your stubbornness and my temper.”
He laughed loudly. “That sounds dangerous.”
“It does.”
They walked slowly toward the car.
Halfway there, Elara stopped again.
“Wayne?”
“Hmm?”
“What if it doesn’t happen easily?”
The vulnerability in her voice made him turn fully toward her.
“Then we face that together.”
“And if I blame myself?”
He stepped closer, serious now.
“You won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I won’t let you.”
She swallowed.
He gently took the bag from her hands and placed it in the back seat before pulling her into his arms.
“We are not defined by timing,” he said softly. “We are defined by how we love each other.”
Her arms tightened around him.
“I’m scared of wanting it too much.”
He pulled back slightly, brushing his thumb across her cheek.
“Wanting something beautiful isn’t weakness.”
She nodded slowly.
They got into the car.
Instead of driving immediately, Wayne reached into the back seat and grabbed the small stuffed bear.
He handed it to her.
“For practice,” he said lightly.
She cradled it instinctively.
He watched her carefully.
“You’re glowing,” he murmured.
“I am not.”
“You are.”
She looked down at the bear, then back at him.
“Promise me something else.”
“What now?”
“When we have a baby… don’t let me forget who I am.”
His expression shifted immediately.
“Elara.”
“I mean it,” she continued. “I don’t want to lose myself.”
He reached for her hand.
“You won’t. You’ll just grow.”
She squeezed his fingers tightly.
“And you?”
“I’ll be right there. Diapers and all.”
She laughed through the emotion threatening to spill over.
He started the engine.
As they drove home, she rested her head against the window, holding the tiny bear in her lap.
The city passed by in soft blurs of light.
Wayne glanced at her occasionally.
“Thinking again?”
“Yes.”
“About names?”
“Maybe.”
He smiled. “Tell me one.”
She hesitated.
“If it’s a girl… maybe Aria.”
He considered it.
“Aria Wayne.”
She smiled softly.
“And if it’s a boy?”
He thought for a moment.
“Maybe… Elias.”
She looked at him in surprise.
“That’s beautiful.”
He shrugged lightly. “It feels strong.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek softly.
“Thank you for today.”
“For shopping?”
“For dreaming with me.”
He intertwined their fingers again.
“Always.”
When they reached home, Elara carefully placed the small shopping bag on their dresser.
She pulled out the tiny socks and laid them gently on the bed.
Wayne stood behind her.
“You’re going to stare at those all night, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist again.
“We don’t know when,” he whispered. “But we know we want it.”
She leaned back into him.
“And that’s enough for now.”
He kissed the top of her head softly.
The room felt warm.
Safe.
Full of quiet anticipation.
And as Elara carefully folded the tiny grey onesie and placed it in the drawer beside their bed, she realized something
Hope didn’t feel heavy anymore.
It felt steady.
And even though there was no baby yet…
There was already love waiting.