End...

End...
Diana

Five years. I couldn't believe five years had already passed since my son was born. Sometimes I’d stop in the middle of the kitchen, holding a mug of coffee, and just stare at the wall, thinking about how quickly everything had changed. I—someone who didn't think she could even keep a plant alive—now had a boy running around the house, leaving toy cars, dinosaurs, and cookie crumbs in every corner.

He was turning five next week, and I was freaking out because he wanted a "Space Ninja" themed party. I didn't even know such a thing existed. Ethan said he’d handle everything, but I knew my husband: whenever he said "I'll handle it," it meant something over-the-top was coming. He was just the type to hire real ninjas to hang from the ceiling, just to make a splash.

Speaking of him... Ethan was still the same gorgeous, stubborn, protective, and sometimes dramatic man—but now with a bonus: a habit of saying it was "time for a second child." He talked about it almost every day. I’d wake up to him talking about it. I’d go to sleep with him talking about it. One time, we were watching an action movie and, out of nowhere, he turned to me and said:

"Imagine if we had another one?"

I just took a deep breath and pretended not to hear him.

But the funniest part was: little did he know that tonight—this very night—I was going to tell him I was pregnant again. And I was hoping so hard for a girl that I’d even dreamed about it. A little girl clinging to me, full of hair bows and with messy hair just like mine.

And, of course, the scene of him finding out kept playing in my head like a movie trailer. I just hoped he wouldn't go pale as a sheet this time, because the first time around, he’d nearly collapsed onto the floor.

I finished my coffee, put the mug in the sink, and looked out the kitchen window. The backyard was full of scattered toys, as always. That’s a mom’s life for you: constant chaos mixed with love.

My mom had remarried and acted like a lovestruck teenager. She was living with her new husband on a beautiful country property and constantly sending photos of her chickens as if they were her grandkids. At least she was happy, right? After everything we’d been through, she deserved some peace.

Ethan’s family... well... they were the same as ever. Eva was always cheerful, always laughing, always dropping by our house unannounced with a cake. Luana was looking great and more sassy than ever, claiming our son had inherited my "angry face." And the stepmother... she still had that same look on her face—like she’d been smelling vinegar since 1999. I swear that woman was incapable of a natural smile. If she smiled too much, I think her face would crack.

I sighed and felt my hand instinctively drop to my lower belly. My baby. Still so tiny. Hardly anyone knew yet. Just me. And, thank God, everything was going well so far. I just really, really wanted it to be a girl. Like, really wanted it—with the kind of intensity you’d see at a championship final.

"Mommy, look at my new dinosaur!" my son shouted, running into the kitchen.

He was holding a T-Rex that flashed a blue light. I smiled.

"Where did that come from?"

"Daddy gave it to me!" he said, looking so proud.

Of course. Ethan couldn't resist a shop being open without buying something for the boy. Zero self-control.

I picked him up; I wanted to make the most of it while he still let me. Soon enough, he’d grow up and think I was being too dramatic.

"Sweetie, did you know your party is next week?"

His eyes went wide.

"Are the ninjas coming?"

"I still don't know if professional ninjas actually exist, but... maybe."

He laughed out loud—that laugh that made my heart feel warm.

I set him down and fixed his hair. “Go play outside, go on.”

He ran off again, shouting as if he were a space ninja himself.

I sighed again. There was so much love in that child. It was almost impossible to believe that I had once lived in fear—insecure and hurting. Things changed. I had changed. My life had changed. And now, I was going to bring another life into the world. Just thinking about it made my heart beat a little differently.

That evening, Ethan came home from work full of stories. He always arrived talking as if he’d been saving up a huge list of things to tell me.

“Babe, can you believe the new partner showed up with a blue beard? Blue! I kept staring—I swear I did—thinking it was a bet. Or the booze. Or a midlife crisis...”

I laughed as I chopped garlic in the kitchen.

He stepped closer, kissed my forehead, and held my waist.

“I missed you today,” he murmured.

That was it. That was all it took to make me go all soft inside.

“I missed you too,” I replied.

He sniffed my hair like a sniffer dog.

“You’re different.”

“Of course—you’re here,” I replied, trying to play it off.

But I knew what he was sensing: I was more... sensitive. Hormones were kicking in, right? They don’t wait for anyone.

He opened the fridge.

“No sweets?” he complained.

“You’re thirty-two, Ethan. Eat some fruit.”

“Fruit doesn’t comfort anyone,” he grumbled.

I laughed. He pulled me by the arm, spun me around, and hugged me from behind, burying his face in my neck. That always made me go weak at the knees.

“Hey...” I said softly.“Can I tell you something?”

He turned my face toward his, looking serious.

“What is it?”

My stomach did a flip. This was it—now.

I took a deep breath.

“Ethan… I…”

“You’re making me nervous,” he said.

“Relax. It’s a good thing.”

His eyes grew intent—that look he always got before something important.

I spoke slowly.

“I’m pregnant.”

Silence.

He blinked. Once. Twice.

“What?” he whispered.

My heart was pounding in my throat.

“I’m pregnant, Ethan.”

He pressed both hands against the counter, as if holding up the whole world, and laughed. He laughed the way he only did when he was incredibly happy, relieved, or in love.

“Oh my God…” he murmured. “Oh my God, Diana…”

He pulled me in so fast it almost took my breath away.

“I knew it! I knew it! I could feel it!” The words tumbled out of him, just like a kid’s.

“Liar,” I replied, laughing.

He placed his hand on my belly, even though there was barely anything to see yet.

“Our second baby,” he said softly, his voice thick with emotion. “Babe… you’ve completely melted my heart. I’m so happy…”

I felt tears welling up in my eyes.

“I’m hoping for a girl,” I confessed.

He broke into a huge grin.

“If it’s a girl, I’m done for,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll become that little creature’s slave.”

I laughed.

“You really will.”

He cupped my face in both hands.

“I love you. I love our family. I love this life with you. Thank you… thank you for this.”

He hugged me again, tight, as if I were the greatest gift he’d ever received. And there, in that embrace, in his scent, in that house full of scattered toys… I felt that everything was exactly where it was supposed to be.

Me, him, our boy… and now, perhaps, our girl.

And I could hardly wait for what lay ahead.