Big News

Nadine took a deep breath and slowly let it out before taking a small sip of her coffee. "If we get married, I don't want us sleeping together. Separate bedrooms. And I want us to stay out of each other's personal lives."

Ethan nodded, looking like he understood.

"Anything else you wanna add, my dearest soon-to-be wife?"

Her throat tightened. Her heart kicked up speed again the second those last few words left Ethan's mouth.

Damn it. Keep this up and I might actually have a heart attack.

"Could you not use those cringy lines?" Nadine snapped. "There's nothing special between us."

Ethan just grinned, flashing his annoyingly perfect teeth. "Can't promise you that, babe."

Nadine groaned and looked away, clearly done with his nonsense.

"You busy after this?" Ethan asked casually. "If not, I was gonna take you out for lunch."

"I'm busy. Got a lot of work."

"My bad for bothering you, then," he said, glancing at her desk stacked with files. "Next time, maybe. I'll text you."

He stood and was about to leave when Nadine suddenly blurted, "Wait!"

He turned. "Yeah?"

"So you came all the way here just to ask for custody?"

Ethan shrugged. "Not just that. I wanted to see you. Thought we could grab lunch, but since you're busy... maybe some other day."

"Oh…" Nadine mumbled, still eyeing him.

The longer she looked, the more she noticed how young Ethan looked. Honestly, she had no idea how old he really was. But judging from his face m, and okay, fine, that body... they couldn't be too far apart in age.

"Oh, right," Ethan suddenly added with a smirk. "About that 'no sleeping together' rule? I can't make any promises. Judging by how your body reacted to mine in Bangkok… I highly doubt you'll be able to resist. And, well, the proof's kinda in your belly now, isn't it?"

He winked, flashed another infuriating grin, and walked out like he hadn't just dropped a verbal grenade.

Nadine stood there, stunned, her jaw nearly hitting the floor.

Holy shit! Did he seriously just say that?

This guy… who the hell does he think he is?!

***

It was Saturday morning when Nadine called her mom.

"Mom, are you home today?" she asked while pacing around her apartment, one hand resting on her baby bump.

"Yes, I am. Why? What's wrong?" her mom replied, instantly sounding alert.

"Nothing's wrong," Nadine reassured her. "I just… I want to come by. There's something I'd like to talk to you and Dad about."

There was a short pause before her mom replied, her voice warmer this time. "Of course. Come whenever. We'll be here."

When Nadine arrived at her parents' house, the front door was already open like always. Her mom stood there on the porch, arms crossed and smiling.

"Took you long enough," her mom teased as Nadine got out of the car.

"Well, traffic loves me," Nadine grinned, hugging her mom. "Hi, Mom."

Her dad peeked from behind the curtain, then walked out. "Hey, kid."

"Hey, Dad."

They went inside like it was any regular weekend visit. Her mom had already made tea, of course. Nadine plopped down on the couch and kicked off her flats, rubbing her ankles.

"So," her dad said, grabbing a cookie. "You said on the phone you had something to tell us."

"I do." Nadine looked from her mom to her dad, took a breath, then said, "I've decided to get married."

Her mom's eyebrows lifted. "Married? To who?"

Her dad leaned in slightly, his tone even. "The father of your baby?"

Nadine nodded. "Yeah. To Ethan."

There was a beat of silence. Then her mom blinked and leaned back on the couch. "Wow. Okay. That's… big news."

Nadine sighed. "It's not because I suddenly fell in love or whatever. He said he wanted to take responsibility for the baby, for everything. I told him he didn't need to marry me just because of guilt. But he didn't back down. He said if I didn't want to marry him, he'd go to court and fight for full custody."

Her dad blinked. "What?"

"Yeah," Nadine said, her voice tired. "I think he was bluffing a little, but I also think he meant it. I don't want that mess. I don't want to drag our baby into a legal fight before they're even born. So… I said yes."

There was a long silence in the room.

Her dad finally nodded slowly. "So you're doing this because it's practical. Not emotional."

"Exactly," Nadine replied. "It's not a fairytale. I'm just trying to protect what's best for the baby."

Her mom leaned back, frowning in thought. "Well… I don't know. Maybe it's not the worst idea. At least he wants to be involved."

Her dad gave her a side-glance. "That doesn't mean she has to marry him. There are other ways to co-parent."

"I know," her mom said. "But he seems sincere. Maybe this is his way of making up for everything."

"I didn't say I'm in love with him," Nadine added quickly. "I'm doing this because I feel like I don't have much choice. And I'll set my own boundaries. This isn't about suddenly being a happy couple."

Her dad reached out and touched her hand. "Whatever your decision, we've got your back."

Her mom nodded. "If it works out, great. If it doesn't, there's always a way out. Marriage isn't a prison."

Nadine looked between them, relieved by their calm. "Thanks. I just needed to hear that."

Her mom gave her a small smile. "But still… he better not screw this up."

Her dad smirked. "If he does, he'll have to deal with us."

Nadine chuckled, shaking her head. "You guys are terrifying. No wonder I turned out like this."

Her mom reached for her hand. "As long as you're happy and safe, we're with you. You're not alone, Nadine."

A small smile tugged at Nadine's lips. "Thanks, Mom. And… I was thinking. Maybe you guys could meet him properly? Like, dinner or something?"

"Absolutely," her mom said without hesitation.

"As long as he can handle us," her dad added with a chuckle. "Especially me."

"Oh, great," Nadine muttered with a grin. "Now I have to warn him."

***