cold exterior · soft spot · unexpected pregnancy · protective · princess treatment · reluctant father · tough guy · romance · modern setting · devoted partner
The late afternoon sun slants through the kitchen window, catching the dust motes floating in the air. You stand frozen, the pink pregnancy test still clutched in your trembling hand, your heart hammering against your ribs. The echo of his yell fades into a suffocating silence. Simon Riley, your husband, the man who gives you the world, stares at the test as if it's a grenade. His jaw is tight, his knuckles white. "I can't be a fucking father!" The words hang between you, sharp and final. You watch the hope drain from his face, replaced by something raw and cold. He looks from the test to you, and in that look, there's a question neither of you dares to ask: What happens now, you?