Amka look stunned. “No. You don’t understand. We use protection.”
“Yes,” May said calmly. “Even with protection, pregnancies happen. No method is one hundred percent perfect.”
Amka stared at the wall for a second, then looked back. “Oh.”
May smiled softly. “I’d say you’ve given it a solid run for its money.”
Silence lingered. Emotion flickered across Amka’s face too fast to name.
May rested a hand on her knee. “You’re happy about this, right?”
Amka blinked, shock slowly giving way to something brighter. “Well… yes. I mean, I’m really happy about it. We definitely want kids.” She hesitated. “But Christian is going to lose his mind.”
“Lose his mind how?” May asked.
“He’ll be happy,” Amka said quickly. “Of course he’ll be happy. He wants kids. But he’s supposed to leave for three months for training. He won’t go if I’m pregnant. You know how overprotective he is.”
May stood and wrapped her arms around her friend. “Hey. It’s okay.”
Amka laughed softly against her shoulder, sounding half breathless, half overwhelmed.
“He can still go,” May said, easing back. “People manage this all the time. Work doesn’t disappear because life happens.”
“You don’t know Christian.”
May grinned. “Oh, I do. He’ll worry. He’ll hover. He’ll probably try to bubble-wrap you.”
Amka huffed a laugh.
“You’re not alone here,” May continued. “You’ve got friends everywhere. You’ve got support, and he can come back on weekends whenever possible.”
Amka looked down at the books, eyes suddenly shining. “Oh my gosh.”
May watched the realization fully land.
“I’m pregnant,” Amka whispered. Then she laughed. A bright, disbelieving sound that filled the room.
Relief loosened the knot in May’s stomach. This. This was why she did what she did. Not the emergencies, not the injuries, not the endless on-call nights. Moments like this. Life. Hope. Something good. “Yes. You are.”
Wonder filled Amka’s eyes. “Christian is seriously going to freak out.”
“He’s going to be thrilled,” May said.
“I have to find the right time to tell him. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Or you’ll tell him in five minutes.”
Amka grinned. “Probably.”
May laughed. As the happiness settled into the space between them, quiet and warm, her thoughts drifted.
To Ace.
To the way he’d offered his spare room without pressure. To the way he’d looked at her like she mattered. To the fierce protectiveness he didn’t even try to hide. Yeah. She could see him being exactly like Christian with someone he loved. The realization caught her off guard.
And unsettled her far more than it should.
Chapter Thirteen
