You Stayed With Us

All In (M)

Jennie's POV

It was quiet now. The kind of quiet that only settles when a kid is deep asleep in her cloud-and-stars-themed room, and the house has finally taken a breath after an exhausting day.

I padded barefoot through the hallway, hands instinctively resting on my bump as I peeked into Ella's room. She was curled up under her blanket, one arm stretched across her stuffed unicorn, her tiny lips parted in that deep, dreamless kind of sleep she only gets when she's had a big day.

I smiled and turned the lights down even lower.

Lisa was already in our bedroom, sitting on the floor with her back leaned against the bed, her hair slightly messy, legs stretched out, looking at the small pile of folded baby clothes we hadn't had time to hang up yet.

"Hey," I said softly, walking over and lowering myself slowly beside her. My body was heavier now. Everything took more effort. But sitting next to Lisa never did.

She glanced up and smiled, that tired but content kind of smile that always did something to me. "Hey. Ella's asleep?"

"Like a rock." I glanced at the pile beside her. "You're organizing again?"

"Just folding," she said, then held up one of the twin onesies she'd secretly picked. The one with Copy and Paste printed in bold black letters. I groaned, half-laughing, half-exasperated. "You really bought ten of these?"

Lisa grinned, completely unapologetic. "They were on sale. And they're funny. Admit it."

"They're embarrassing."

"They're adorable," she corrected, then kissed my shoulder. "And they're going to look so good in them. One will wear Born to Cry, the other Sleeps Like Dada. Perfect."

I laughed, shaking my head and resting it on her shoulder. "You're really ready for this."

She paused, and I could feel the shift in her breathing.

"I'm getting the Cadillac," she said quietly.

I blinked. "What?"

Lisa looked at me, soft and serious now. "The Escalade. I went to look at it after I dropped the stroller boxes off at the garage earlier. They said I could pick it up next week."

I sat up straighter, confused. "Lisa..."

She smiled. "I know it's a lot. But come on, Jen. Ella, two car seats, a double stroller, a diaper bag the size of an elephant, your purse, snacks for you and Ella, my camera bag—our little car's not going to make it. And I want us to fit. All of us."

My chest tightened.

Lisa had always been the practical one. She fixed things before they broke. She kept us steady. But every now and then, she'd say something that caught me off guard and wrapped around my heart.

"You're really doing this," I whispered. "We're really doing this."

She looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered. "I've been doing this since the day you came back."

I leaned in and kissed her. Gently at first. Gratefully. But then something shifted, and maybe it was the hormones or the way she always knew what to say, or maybe it was just the way she looked tonight, like the whole world started and ended with us.

My hands slid over her shoulders as I deepened the kiss, and I felt her smile against my mouth.

"Jen..."

"Mhm?"

"You're seven in a half months pregnant."

I kissed her again. "I'm also very turned on."