After years of fertility treatments with her ex-husband, after being told her chances were nearly nonexistent, after finally accepting that motherhood might not be part of her path—here it was. Two pink lines that changed everything.
She placed a protective hand over her still-flat stomach, tears gathering in her eyes. A baby. Her and Walker's baby. A tiny miracle growing inside her when she'd long ago abandoned hope.
Sabrina checked her watch. Walker wouldn't be home for another three hours. He was meeting with Reed about security protocols for the company's newest shipping routes. Three hours felt like an eternity to hold onto news this momentous.
She carefully wrapped the test in tissue. Then she splashed cold water on her face, trying to compose herself before headingto the kitchen. Her mind raced with ways to tell him. Should she plan something elaborate? Or simply blurt it out the moment he walked through the door?
Sabrina moved to the window overlooking the lake. Their home sat on a gentle slope above the water, with a winding path leading down to a private dock. The same lake where they'd spent childhood summers, where they'd married a year ago. They’d decided to buy it. Now, it would be the place where their child would learn to swim, would skip stones, would create memories of their own.
She pulled out her phone, tempted to call her mother, but stopped herself. Walker deserved to be the first to know. This was their miracle.
Instead, she channeled her nervous energy into action. She drove to the small bookstore in town, browsing until she found what she was looking for—a beautiful hardbound copy of "Goodnight Moon." Then she stopped at the bakery and ordered Walker's favorite chocolate cake with a simple message: "Hello, Daddy."
Back home, Sabrina wrapped the book and placed it on the dining table alongside the cake. Too much? Not enough? She rearranged things three times before laughing at herself. Walker wouldn't care about the presentation. All that mattered was the news itself.
She tried to distract herself with work, reviewing shipping manifests and quarterly projections, but her mind kept drifting to the future. A nursery in the spare bedroom. Tiny clothes. The sound of a baby's laughter. Walker teaching their child to fish off the dock.
Walker, who would be an amazing father. Who had never pressured her about children, never made her feel inadequate when she shared her history of infertility. Who had simply heldher and said, "If it happens, wonderful. If not, we still have each other."
And now it was happening. Against all odds.
The sound of a car in the driveway pulled Sabrina from her thoughts. She checked her watch—Walker was early. Her heart began to race as she heard his key in the lock, his familiar footsteps in the entryway.
"Sabrina?" he called out.
She stood in the dining room, suddenly frozen, the enormity of the moment overwhelming her. This wasn't just news—it was the beginning of a new chapter for both of them.
Walker appeared in the doorway, his expression shifting from casual to concerned when he saw her face. "What's wrong?"
Sabrina shook her head, unable to speak past the lump in her throat. She gestured toward the table—the wrapped book, the cake with its telling message.
Walker approached slowly, his brow furrowed in confusion. He read the cake's message, then looked up at her, understanding dawning in his eyes.
"Are you..." he began, his voice trailing off as if he was afraid to say it aloud, afraid to hope.
Sabrina nodded, tears spilling over. "I'm pregnant," she whispered. "We're going to have a baby."
Walker crossed the room in two strides, gathering her into his arms with such gentleness it made her cry harder. When he pulled back to look at her, his own eyes were wet.
"How?" he asked simply.
Sabrina gave a watery laugh. "The usual way, I assume."
He smiled, shaking his head in wonder. "But I thought... you said..."
"I know. The doctors said my chances were almost zero." She placed his hand on her stomach. "Apparently almost zero isn't the same as zero."
Walker knelt before her, pressing his forehead against her abdomen. The tenderness of the gesture made Sabrina's heart swell. When he looked up at her, the love and wonder in his expression took her breath away.
"Thank you," he said softly.
Sabrina ran her fingers through his hair. "For what?"
"For this. For everything." He stood and kissed her, his hands cradling her face as if she were something infinitely precious. "I love you."
"I love you too," she whispered against his lips.
Later, they sat on the dock with bare feet dangling in the water, the setting sun painting the lake in shades of gold and rose. Walker's arm was wrapped around her shoulders, his free hand resting protectively over hers on her stomach.
"What do you think our fathers would say?" Sabrina asked, watching a pair of ducks glide across the water.
Walker was quiet for a moment. "I think they'd be happy. I think this is exactly what they wanted for us all along."
Sabrina leaned her head against his shoulder, contentment settling deep in her bones. From tragedy had come healing. From separation had come reunion. And now, from what she'd thought was impossible, had come their greatest joy.
A new Star.
**
