TESSA ▸ PAUL POGBA

THIRTY • A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

The football season was well under way. American Thanksgiving had come and gone and Paul and Tessa had taken a few days off to visit Tessa's sister, Olivia, and her nephew, Levi.

Now that they had returned, Christmas was around the corner. Tessa was well aware that Paul was Muslim and therefore didn't celebrate the religious part of Christmas—she didn't either—but that didn't mean they couldn't get a tree, some decorations and give each other presents anyway. It didn't have to be a religious holiday.

So, a few weeks before Christmas, they went out and bought a big tree, lots of Christmas lights and tons of decorations for around the house. And putting all the decorations up together was a great way for Paul and Tessa to bond.

And, afterwards, they even shared a plate of cookies and sat on the floor of their living room, watching TV. Tessa, as nervous as she was, grabbed the box she'd been hiding from Paul from under the couch and with shaky hands, passed it to him.

"I got you something. It's kind of an early Christmas present for you."

"Now?" Paul asked, eyeing the suspicious small box. Tessa nodded, feeling her heart beat out of her chest.

"Open it."

She sat in front of him on the floor, her legs tucked under her as she watched him slowly unwrap the box and open the lid. He grasped the contents of the box in his hand, eyeing it carefully. As he stared between the object and Tessa, his mouth hung open and his eyes widened.

He gazed only at her then, holding the stick in his hand as his eyes filled with tears. "Is this real?" His voice was barely above a whisper but Tessa heard it perfectly. She nodded her head, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth as she held back the widest grin. "Really?" His eyes only grew in size as he neared Tessa, fingers grazing her stomach.

"I'm pregnant," she confirmed, tears clouding her own vision as she placed a hand over his.

He looked up at her then, his own tears freely flowing, and wrapped her up in the tightest hug. Paul couldn't find words to describe his happiness. He'd never been this happy in his life and he rarely cried so this was an incredible moment.

"There's a baby in your belly?" he asked her, his voice making the sentence seem like the most adorable thing he'd ever said to her. He pulled away, his free hand cupping her cheek as he watched her nod.

"Un petit bébé," she mumbled just before he pressed his lips against hers, both their tears mixing into the salty kiss. She pulled away, telling him, "I know we just got Remy and I know we didn't plan to have a baby so soon but—"

"Je m'en fous," Paul cut her off. "I don't care. We're going to have a baby!" The smile that adorned his face melted Tessa's heart. And, it didn't leave his face for a long time.

That same smile was there when they told all their friends and family. Paul wanted to tell his mother first so they called her; Flo and Mats were at home then, too. And their reactions were indescribable. Mama Pogba got incredibly emotional about it and the twins cheered.

And when they told Olivia, Tessa's sister, over FaceTime, she screamed into the microphone, causing the couple to hold their hands up to their ears. "Liv! Relax!" Tessa had tried.

"I'm just so excited! Levi's going to have a cousin to play with!"

Tessa was excited about that too.

And when they told Elle and Wyatt in person, the two girls also ended up inevitably squealing.

"You're pregnant?!" Wyatt asked as herself and Elle sat on the barstools at the island in Tessa and Paul's kitchen.

"I'm pregnant," Tessa grinned, feeling Paul stand behind her as he wrapped his arms around her tummy.

"There's a baby in there?" Elle asked, tears clouding her vision as she thought of the new addition to their non-traditional family.

"Yeah, Elle, there is."

She burst into tears then, something that wasn't surprising given their friend group. Between herself, Tessa and Wyatt, Elle was most definitely the most emotional. Still, seeing Elle cry over how happy she was for them made Tessa want to cry too. She slipped away from her boyfriend, finding her way to Elle and Wyatt and pulling them into a group hug.

Telling their friends at United, specifically Jesse and Marcus, was much easier and full of less emotion.

"Congratulations, guys!" Marcus gave Tessa a hug first before moving onto Paul.

Jesse tried to joke about it, as he always did when it came to serious issues. "Jess," Tessa started.

"Mhmm?"

"Shut up and just give me a hug." And so he did just that.

Telling Kylian and Anto and Benji and all the other French boys was Tessa's favorite. They were all so genuinely happy for them and yelled and cheered in excitement. And they asked a lot of questions.

"When are you due?" Kylian had asked.

"Late August if I'm counting right. We have to go to the doctor and see."

"Can you name him after me?" Antoine had asked.

Tessa rolled her eyes at this. "Anto, I love you but you know we already have a boy name picked out. Besides, what if it's a girl?"

Now it was time for Antoine to roll his eyes. "It's a boy. We all know it, Tess."

And even though they couldn't back their belief with any proof, everyone in the friend group collectively shared the belief that the baby growing inside Tessa was a mini version of Paul. And they weren't wrong.