Boy Bean or Girl Bean?

Boy Bean or Girl Bean?
Alina nods slowly, pushing her fork through the pasta but not eating another bite. “Yeah. Apparently, word travels fast in our world. He wasn’t thrilled.”
Hunter sets the garlic bread down, rubbing the back of his neck. “Define not thrilled, kitten.”
She lets out a sharp, humourless laugh. “He yelled a bit. You know—‘how could you ruin my plans, you were supposed to be married to a Don, form alliances, make the Orlov name stronger.’” Her tone dips into a mocking impression of him before fading. “Same old song.”
I can feel the heat rising in my chest, slow and coiling. “Did he threaten you?”
Her gaze flicks up to mine, then to Hunter’s, and she shakes her head. “No. Not directly. Just the usual guilt trip. He thinks I’m selfish. That I’ve ruined everything.” She twirls her fork absently, then adds with a small, bitter smirk, “Although… his tune definitely changed once he heard it was a Donatello heir. Suddenly, I wasn’t a disappointment anymore.”
Hunter’s jaw tightens, his voice sharp. “Of course, he’d see it that way. Bastard probably started calculating profits right away.”
Alina shrugs, a wry twist to her lips. “Yeah, I could practically hear the gears turning in his head. One minute I’m reckless and stupid, the next I’m some golden ticket.”
I reach across the table, catching her chin gently between my fingers, forcing her to meet my gaze. “You’re not a pawn in his empire anymore, Alina. You never were to us.”
Something softens in her at that. She reaches up, laying her hand over mine, her voice small but steady. “He’s still my dad, Kaiden. As much as I wish that didn’t matter sometimes, it does.”
“I get that,” I say quietly. “But Bean comes first now. You come first. That’s not negotiable.”
Hunter hums his agreement, his expression dark but calm. “Let him stew in his disappointment. We’ll make our own damn legacy.”
For a long moment, no one says anything. The three of us just sit there, the air thick with unspoken promises. Alina finally sighs and picks her fork back up.
“Well,” she says with a crooked grin, “I’d say that’s enough heavy talk for one night. Who wants dessert?”
Hunter raises his hand immediately. “If it’s those little pancake things again, I’m in.”
Her laugh rings through the room, cutting through the tension. I find myself smiling too, because whatever her father thinks this is, I already know he's wrong.

Hunter
It’d been a few weeks since the last appointment, but it felt like months. Between Alina nesting and Kaiden pretending he didn’t google every possible baby milestone at two in the morning every morning, we were both climbing the walls waiting for this day. The big one. The day we’d find out if Bean was a boy Bean or a girl Bean. The excitement buzzed in my chest the whole drive over. Alina sat in the passenger seat, one hand on her little bump, humming along to some song on the radio, her hair catching sunlight like spun gold. Kaiden was behind the wheel, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel in time with the beat, trying to play it cool, but failing miserably. When we walked into the clinic, it was the same familiar hallway, same worn chairs, same faint smell of disinfectant and coffee. The receptionist smiled when she saw us. She remembered us, of course, she did, and within minutes, we were ushered into the same small room where everything had started to feel real the first time.
The doctor greeted us with his usual calm grin, the kind that somehow made everything seem like it was going to be fine no matter what. “Good to see you three again,” he said, pulling on his gloves. “How’s my favourite patient feeling?”
Alina smiled softly, though there was a tiredness behind it. “Better. Bean doesn’t like eggs anymore, but pancakes are still acceptable.”
The doctor chuckled, checking her chart. “Pancakes are an excellent craving, I approve. Let’s see how things are progressing.”
She climbed up onto the bed and lifted her shirt, and Christ, it hit me all over again. The curve of her stomach wasn’t subtle anymore. There it was, small but undeniable, a living, breathing reminder that our world was changing. I swallowed hard, heat burning at the back of my throat. Every single time she did this, I forgot how to breathe for a second.
Kaiden must’ve felt the same because he reached for my arm and gave it a quick squeeze, his silent yeah, I know, me too. A nurse came in and fussed around for a moment with vitals before they prepped the ultrasound gel and said gently, “Cold coming up,” before pressing the probe to her skin. Alina hissed and squirmed, laughing softly when I reached out to lace my fingers through hers. And then, there it was. The faint, rhythmic sound of a heartbeat filled the room, steady and strong. My whole chest went tight. Every time I heard that sound, it was like the universe itself took a breath just to let us listen.
Kaiden’s hand found Alina’s shoulder, his thumb brushing over her skin. “That sound,” he murmured, “that’s everything.”
“Bean’s growing beautifully,” Dr Hale said with a warm smile, turning the screen toward us. “And since you’re far enough along… would you like to know the gender?”
Alina’s head turned toward us, her eyes wide and shining. “Do we?” she asked, but we were both already nodding.
I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears. This was it, the moment we’d been waiting for. The doctor angled the probe a little, and the fuzzy shapes on the monitor sharpened. Then there was movement, tiny, perfect movement. A hand flexed, fingers curling and uncurling. A little foot kicked, soft and quick, like Bean was waving just for us and when the image changed again, I saw the outline of a face. A tiny litte nose, round cheeks, a jawline that made something in my chest ache in the best possible way.
“Look,” Alina whispered, her voice trembling as she pointed. “That’s… that’s Bean.”
Kaiden’s breath hitched beside me. I couldn’t even speak. My throat was too tight, my heart too full. There it was, our baby. Our everything.
Dr. Hale angled the screen slightly, adjusting the probe. The image shifted, blurry shapes forming something miraculous. “Congratulations,” he said softly. “It looks like… you’re having a boy.”
A boy. The biggest grin spreads across my face and Kaiden's already shooting his fist into the air. "A boy!" He yells, punching my arm.
"A perfectly healthy baby boy." Alina smiles, still looking at the screen with a tear threatening to spill. I don't waste a second leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. "A boy bean," I whisper.