Page 110 of The Pakhans’ Curvy Prize

The atmosphere is surprisingly calm. No urgent phone calls or security alerts. No immediate threats demanding attention. Just the four of us existing in the same space without chaos pressing in from all sides.

I realize that if I don't say it now, I never will. My hands twist together in my lap. My heart pounds so hard I'm certain they can all hear it. I open my mouth but nothing comes out. I try again.

"I need to tell you something."

All three men turn their attention to me immediately. The shift is instantaneous and complete. Russ sits up straighter. Nick's green eyes sharpen with focus. Alex pushes away from the doorframe, his entire body going tense.

"What's wrong?" Russ asks. There's an edge to his voice that wasn't there a second ago.

"Did something happen?" Nick's tone is calm, but I can hear the concern underneath.

They think something terrible happened. They think I'm about to tell them someone got hurt or that Zach found me or that Sharon's in danger again. The panic on my face is making everything worse.

"I'm pregnant."

The words come out in a rush, blurted and graceless and completely lacking any of the careful phrasing I'd rehearsed in my head a thousand times. Complete silence crashes through the room.

Russ physically stops moving. He was reaching for his coffee mug on the side table and his hand just freezes mid-motion, suspended in the air like someone hit pause on reality.

Nick stares at me, his sharp mind clearly trying to process the information logically before the emotional weight of it catches up. I watch the calculation happen behind his eyes.

Alex goes unnervingly still in that way he does when something hits him deeply. Not the controlled stillness of a predator waiting to strike. Instead, the frozen stillness of a man whose entire world just shifted beneath his feet.

I force myself to keep talking before I shut down completely and run from the room. "I don't know which one of you is the father." My voice cracks on the words.

Humiliation floods through me so intensely I want to disappear. This is it. This is the moment they realize I'm not worth the complication. This is when they walk away. I brace myself for what will inevitably happen next.

Instead, Russ moves. He crosses the room in three strides and drops to his knees in front of where I'm sitting on the couch. His hands find mine, warm and steady, and he looks up at me with those eyes that always make me feel lighter.

"Are you alright?" he asks, and his voice is so gentle it makes my throat tighten. "Have you been feeling sick? Are you taking care of yourself?"

The question completely blindsides me. That's what he's worried about? Not whose child it is or how this complicates everything or whether I'm trying to trap them?

"How long have you known?" Nick asks quietly from across the room. He hasn't moved from the armchair but his entire focus is locked on me.

"I..." My brain struggles to catch up. "I've only known for a few days, and there hasn't been a chance to go to a doctor."

Alex finally moves, walking slowly across the room until he's standing beside Russ. He looks shaken, but not in a bad way. The emotion on his face looks dangerously close to happiness, and that terrifies me more than anger would have.

"Say something," I whisper, looking between the three of them. "Please just say something so I know what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking we need to get you to a doctor," Nick says, standing from the armchair.

"I'm thinking you've been carrying this alone for days and that's fucked up," Russ says, his grip on my hands tightening. "You should've told us immediately."

"I'm thinking," Alex says slowly, his voice rough with emotion, "that this changes everything between the four of us. Permanently."

The word hangs in the air. Permanent. The same word Ekaterina used last night.

"I know it's complicated," I start, but Russ cuts me off.

"Fuck complicated. Do you want this baby?"

The directness of the question catches me off guard. "Yes."

"Then that's all that matters." Russ looks up at Nick and Alex. "Right?"

"Right," Alex agrees immediately.