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We talk softly about the baby. About the future. About the thousand ways everything has already changed.

Then, all at once, the silence is shattered.

Voices. Laughter. Shouting. The sudden burst of chaos sends Sierra’s heart racing beneath my palm. I tighten my hold on her.

“What’s that?” she asks, breathless.

“I don’t know.”

I pull open the glass door completely and step out onto the balcony with her close beside me.

And there they are.

Our family. Our friends.

All of them, gathered in front of our house like a storm of joy. They’re holding a massive banner—WELCOME HOME—surrounded by balloons, throwing confetti into the air with the kind of reckless enthusiasm only they could pull off. Someone lets out a wild cheer when they see us on the balcony.

“Welcome home, family,” a voice says.

Then the sky explodes in color.

Fireworks shoot into the air, one after another, bathing the courtyard in bursts of electric gold and deep red. The noise echoes through the open space, bouncing between the houses we all share.

The light dances across Sierra’s face as she turns toward me, laughing through her tears. I’ve never seen her like this—so full of awe, so raw with emotion.

When the fireworks finally die down, a calm settles over us again. She turns to me slowly, her eyes still glistening. And I already know. I can see it in her gaze.

She doesn’t need to say a word.

I just give her a small, steady nod. And just like that, her whole face changes—softens, blooms with something luminous.

I slide my arms back around her waist and pull her close as we step together toward the railing.

Below us, the noise resumes—cheers, laughter, music—but Sierra lifts one hand and they all go quiet. Instantly.

You could hear a pin drop.

And then she speaks. Her voice is calm, trembling just slightly, but full of meaning.

“Well… I don’t think you could’ve picked a better moment to celebrate,” she says, looking out at all of them, her tone both warm and certain. “And this welcome… it couldn’t be more perfect for our new reality.”

Everyone stares—curious—caught between excitement and confusion.

She pauses, and I feel her hand slide over mine, guiding them gently to her stomach.

“Because…” Her voice breaks, just a little, as she presses my hands tighter against her belly. “The newest member of our family is already here.”

A beat of silence.

Then another.

And another.

No one says a word. Not a single breath. The entire world seems to freeze. Dozens of eyes locked on us. Mouths slightly open. Hearts clearly pounding.

And in that moment—this still, charged, breathtaking moment—everything changes.

“What?” Zayn’s voice cracks slightly, a mix of disbelief and something that sounds dangerously close to awe.