The word came out almost in a whisper, but it filled the room all the same.
His jaw dropped. He looked from her to Euan and back again, his brain visibly short-circuiting. "Wait...pregnant? As in...a baby?"
Euan gave a sheepish grin. "Looks that way."
David ran a hand through his hair. "Oh my God. I'm gonna have a little brother or sister? That's—" He stopped mid-sentence, his face twisting in an expression of disgusted horror as his gaze flicked between Sage and Euan. "Wait. You two actually... Eww."
Sage had been bracing for this, terrified of how he might take it. Beside her, Euan stiffened, his hand tightening on the back of her chair.
But then David's expression cracked into a ridiculous grin, wide and uncontainable. "That's epic."
Relief hit Sage like a wave, leaving her light-headed. Tears stung her eyes as David leaned forward, practically vibrating with excitement. "So, when's the baby due? Have you picked names? "
Euan slipped his arm around Sage's shoulders, steadying her, his lips brushing her temple before he murmured, low enoughonly she could hear, "See? I told you he wouldn't flip when he finds out we haven't been reading the Bible when I slept over."
The kitchen, once thick with tension, now buzzed with teenage enthusiasm, and for the first time, Sage let herself believe this might really be okay.
But breaking the news to Ronin was a totally different matter.
She chose a quiet moment, after David had gone upstairs. Ronin stood by the kitchen island, his jacket still on, the faint smell of aftershave clinging to him.
"Ronin," she began, her palms damp, "I need to tell you something."
She braced herself and made eye contact before she whispered," I'm pregnant."
His head snapped up, eyes sharp. For a heartbeat, he just stared at her, a hundred emotions passing through his face before his jaw clenched and his face twisted, settling on anger.
"Pregnant?" His voice was raw, incredulous. "With him?"
Sage swallowed. "With Euan."
Ronin turned away, pacing once before gripping the counter edge with white knuckles. "We tried for years, Sage.Years. You remember how badly we wanted another child." His voice cracked, and he didn't turn to face her. "And now you get it. Withhim. Just like that."
Her heart ached, but her voice held steady. "I know it hurts. But this isn't about what we didn't have; it's about what's happening now. I didn't plan this, Ronin—neither of us did. But I can't apologise for it, not when I am so happy about it."
He finally looked at her then, eyes clouded with something between anger and grief. "I can't... I can't do this right now."
And before she could answer, he was gone, the slam of the door echoing through the quiet house.
Sage pressed a hand to her belly, the weight of new life fragile under her palm, and whispered to herself the truth she knew, that she would carry on. With or without Ronin's blessing.
The first scan had been wonderful. Euan had leaned so far forward that the sonographer had chuckled, pointing things out twice just to keep him satisfied. He'd quizzed her about every measurement, every flicker of light on the screen, then spent the evening double-checking her antenatal vitamins, supplements, even googling whether sex was still safe. The reassurance had barely left the doctor's mouth before he'd rushed Sage home and proved just how safe it was.
Now, twenty weeks in, Sage smoothed her palms over her dress as they sat in the waiting room. Her belly was rounder, her hair looser, but her nerves were jangling. She was forty-five. They'd read about the higher risks, and the thought gnawed at her.
When her name was called, she gripped Euan's hand. He squeezed back, steady as ever.
The room dimmed, gel spread cold across her belly. And then there it was—the flicker of life, the grainy outline blooming into clarity. A head, a spine, tiny hands flexing in the shadows of her womb.
Euan couldn't take his eyes off the screen. His gaze was rapt, his jaw slack with wonder.
"Would you like to know if it’s a boy or a girl?" the sonographer asked.
Sage and Euan spoke in unison. "No."
They smiled at each other, sure in their bones it was a girl, but content to wait for the day she arrived.
On the way back, Euan insisted on a stop at the ice cream parlour. He didn't even need to ask; he ordered coconut for her, as he had since the first month, always keeping it stocked at home since she first developed a craving for it.
