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“Hold still, I'll show you.” She tried to fish out her phone—I shifted my grip so she could. “I feel like Jane Goodall.”

“You found tiny chimpanzees?”

Maya tapped my head softly. “Set me down, careful now.”

I spun her, hugging her as I let her slide down my chest until her feet touched the ground. Bending my head, I gave her a kiss. “Any other height-related tasks you need me for?” I asked.

She snuggled closer. “Look.” Holding her phone, Maya showed me the photo she'd taken. It was a little dark, but inside the birdhouse was a bunch of twigs, fluff, leaves... and two little speckled eggs. “Aren't they beautiful?” she asked in quiet awe.

My heart tugged in my chest. “I didn't even see the birds move in.”

“They're fast,” she said, “And sneaky. I've been watching them each morning. They're active right around sunrise.”

The lines in my forehead multiplied. “Why have you been waking up so early?” Now that I thought about it, shehadbeen at the kitchen counter with breakfast ready and coffee brewed for me the past week.

“Oh, I just wake up when I feel sick.” She shrugged nonchalantly. I tiny worm of anxiousness wriggled through my gut. Maya's lips spread in a massive grin. “You look pale. Here, check out more bird photos.”

“Maya...”

“This one is good. I got the sparrows mid-flight.”

“Maya, wait, are you...”

“Heeere we go, this is my favorite picture.” My wife put the screen in my face, leaning her weight against me. It wasn't a photo of birds, not even nests or eggs. Maya was grinning on the screen with something in her hand. The white test had a pink positive.

I started to shake—my breath caught in my lungs, swirling, unsure where to go. She was watching me expectantly. She spoke but my ears rang too loud to hear at first.

“...Conner? Are you alright?”

Catching her in my solid arms, I squeezed her, kissing her forehead, her cheeks, and then I realized she was crying through anxious laughter. “You're pregnant? I'm going to be a dad?”

“That's how it works, yeah,” she sniffled.

“I can't believe it! Maya, that's wonderful!” I let her go, my body burning with so much energy I just—I just had to let it out. I grabbed the railing of the balcony, shouting at the top of my lungs to the city below.“I'm going to be a father!”

Maya couldn't stop laughing; she pulled me away from the edge. “Conner, stop! People will hear!”

“I want them to! Maya... I'm so happy. I can't—I'm stunned.” I palmed my head, running fingers through my hair. She turned me towards her. I looked into the watering eyes of the most amazing woman on the planet. I remembered what she said forever ago, about how she didn't think she was ready to be a mother. I'd told her it would be hard, but if she wasn't alone, if I was there to help,it would work out.

Knowing she believed in me created a rush of affection. “I love you so much, Maya.”

We embraced, and my hand went to her stomach. I couldn't stop myself. “I'm only a month along. You won't feel anything.”

“But I do,” I said, thick with emotion. “I feel our connection. I feel grateful.”

“Grateful?”

“You're special, Maya. I thought I had everything I needed, and now you're going to bring more into this world for me to devote myself to.”

I used to believe people didn't know what they wanted.

But with my palm on my wife's pregnant belly...

I knew.

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The End

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