Joy laughed, her eyes twinkling as she looked into his own. He wasn’t faking it. He was truly happy. He was really looking forward to it!
“You’re going to be the best father ever,” she whispered, smiling tearfully. He’d accepted her yet again. “This child’s so lucky to have a father as wonderful as you are. We’re both so lucky to have you…”
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Bryce grinned and kissed her gently. And then again. And again. And one last time before he simply grinned at her.
“You’re amazing,” he said softly.
Joy wiped her tears away, sniffling again before pulling him by his shirt, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.
“Thank you…” she cried shakily. “I love you so much…”
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“I love you, too. Gosh, I love you,” Bryce murmured, tugging her tighter against him. “You’re so beautiful… So, so amazing…”
Joy didn’t believe Bryce’s words, but they only made her cry harder. She clutched his shirt tighter between her fists, sobbing.
“It—it’s just the—the hormones, okay?” She hiccuped, clinging to him tightly.
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Bryce hummed softly and kissed her cheek. “It’s okay, darling. You can cry all you want. It’s not big deal.”
“What if—what if I’m not a good mother?” Joy stammered, already thinking about the impact of her as a mother. “What if our child finds me obnoxious and annoying?”
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“Joy, honey…” Bryce murmured, pulling back to look her in the eyes. “You are going to be an amazing mom, okay? You are so kind and caring and compassionate, and you already take care of both of us. You’ll do spectacularly.”
(I’m crying)
(I’m crying)
(Me, too… 😭)
Joy sniffled.
“I hope…” her voice cracked, but his words made her warm. “You don’t even need to worry. You’ll be the best dad ever.”
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“Only because I’ll have an amazing woman by my side the whole time,” Bryce said softly, kissing her forehead.
Joy wrapped her arms around him, overwhelmed by everything.
“Can we… I want to go home…”
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“I’ll ask the doctors if you can come home, then,” Bryce said softly, kissing her cheek. “But I’ve gotra go find them first, which means you need to let me go, lovely.”
Joy noticed the way her fingers had gripped his shirt tightly to the point where her hands turned white. She immediately let go of the extremely wrinkled shirt.
“So—sorry…” she stammered, patting the spots on the shirt in a poor attempt to smooth the wrinkles. “You can go.”
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“It’s fine, babe,” Bryce chuckled a bit. He kissed her forehead as he stood, smiling at her gently. “I’ll just be right back.”
Joy nodded slowly.
“Okay,” she said, smiling at him.
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(Skip?)
(NOT IT.)
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(Oof… Fine… To when?)
(To uh… when they get home?)
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(Uh…. Sure. Lol.)
Bryce opened the door for Joy, unable to keep the grin from his face whenever his gaze fell on her. He still couldn’t believe hat she was pregnant. It was amazing, really. Even if he had wanted to wait, it wasn’t the end of the world.
Joy stretched when she entered, kicking her shoes off immediately before she set them aside neatly.
“Home…” she yawned, catching the happy look Bryce constantly sent her way. She grinned. It was too cute seeing him happy like this. She liked it. “We still have time. Is there anything you want to do, Bry?”
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“Hm… No, not really. What about you? We could just cuddle if you want,” Bryce suggested, his cheeks tinting slightly pink at being caught staring.
Joy hummed to herself, stretching again a little.
“Do you… do you think your family would accept this…?” She asked, hugging her stomach. “Having an illegitimate child?”
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Bryce frowned at the term. “This child is as legitimate as my love for you. Which means completely, totally, and 110%, babe. They’ll accept him or her.”
Joy chewed on her bottom lip, knowing Bryce didn’t like the way she put the words. But it was true. They weren’t married to each other, and they were going to have this child.
Still, she felt relieved at his statement.
“I’m glad…” she whispered. “I don’t want your parents to think less of me…”
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“They won’t,” Bryce assured her, hugging her to his chest tightly. “And if they do, I’ll remind them what an amazing woman you are.”
Joy leaned into his embrace, sighing deeply, wrapping her own arms around him just as tightly.
“Remember the first time we met?” Joy laughed, remembering their first meeting.
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“You were beautiful… You still are beautiful, of course,” Beyce chuckled softly. “I still can’t believe that you ever fell for me.”
