Two months later…

Jade stood on the balcony of Leon's apartment, the early morning air chilly with the first traces of fall. Looking out onto the balcony, she held her cup of coffee close, a smile on her face as she considered the events of the last few months.

After their night out, Jade and Leon decided without hesitations to give their relationship another shot. Jade was quickly moved into Leon's apartment, and they both feel almost instantly into a comfortable sort of domestic bliss for which they'd both been secretly yearning. Though Oliver was a little surprised by the news, he and Jade became fast friends. She was more than happy to be the mother figure that he'd been missing, and in taking care of him, Jade found a satisfaction deeper than anything she'd ever known.

Her article was finished a month or so after the final interview, and the word from the editors of the New Yorker couldn't have been better. They loved the piece – so much so, in fact, that they wanted to expand the article into a book-length treatment, with the article serving as a teaser of sorts. They put Jade's agent Ari in touch with one of the biggest publishers in the city, and once they hear about the idea, they were sold on it right away. To Leon's surprise, they felt that his story would make a wonderful non-fiction book.

"I still don't know what the hell they're talking about," said Leon the night that Jade told him the news from the publisher.

"Come on," said Jade. "You have to see it – you're from the streets, you made good, and now you're one of the most powerful men in the city. Not to mention a great father, loving boyfriend…incredible in bed…"

"Maybe keep that last part out," said Leon. "I don't think New York needs to know everything about my life."

"I don't know," said Jade. "A sex scene here and there might do wonders for certain demographics."

Jade laughed as she remembered the conversation. Glancing back to the balcony table, her eyes settled on the piece of paper that she'd received from the visit to the doctor's last night, the one that held the new that would change her and Leon's life forever.

The news that she was pregnant.

Jade wasn't sure quite how to handle it. Things were going well with her and Leon, sure, but a baby was something that they hadn't spoken of, not even once. And she had no idea what could've happened; she was almost positive that she'd been taking her birth control regularly.

Pretty sure, she thought. Mostly sure.

Anxiety pooled in her stomach as she checked the time and saw that it was almost noon. Leon had told her that he wanted to take her out to lunch today, and she knew that she needed to tell him the news as soon as possible. After all, she knew it really wasn't the type of thing she could keep hidden for too long;

What if he's furious? she thought, now pacing back and forth across the balcony. I mean, it's not like he doesn't have enough to worry about as it is. What if he asks where the hell he's supposed to find time to raise a child while being a senior executive at one of the biggest financial firms in the world?

Jade felt worse and worse by the second. Part of her was sure that he'd be mad, that he'd yell at her for not taking her birth control properly. But the image of him yelling at her struck him as silly; he could have a hard edge at times, sure, but she knew that Leon was about as unflappable as it gets.

Still, she thought, wringing her hands, we haven't even talked about marriage, let alone starting a family. What if he's been thinking this whole thing was a mistake? What if he's been planning on breaking up with me? What if the second I tell him that I'm pregnant he sends me packing out the front door? What if-

Her stream of anxious thoughts was interrupted by Leon striding in through the front door. Jade' eyes latched onto him right away; she never got tired of the sight of Leon in one of his exquisitely-tailored suits. The man knew how to dress.

OK, she thought, here goes nothing.

She rushed over to the balcony table and snatched up the piece of paper with the information about the pregnancy. Just in time, as Leon opened the door right afterward.

"You look like you have something on your mind," said Leon, coming over and planting a kiss on Jade's forehead.

"Um, no," said Jade. "Just, um, enjoying the view."

Leon gave her a sly look.

"You know that you're a terrible liar, right?"

"Um, I'm not lying."

"I heard a little more through the grapevine about your article," said Leon.

"Oh, really?" asked Jade, her face turning hot as it normally did when her writing was discussed. "And?"

"It's…a hit," said Leon. "But you already knew that. People are chomping at the bit to get ahold of that book of yours."

"I'm sure you love that," said Jade. "A whole book about you, loaded down with personal details about your upbringing."

"It's…not something I'd normally be in favor of, but after I read the article I realized that if anyone would handle this material well, it'd be you."

"Thank you," said Jade, a warmth growing in her heart.

Leon stepped over to Jade and took her hands into his.

"I still don't think you understand how talented you are," said Leon, looking into her with those big, beautiful blue eyes of his. "What I can do with business, you can do with words; maybe even more so. I can't tell you how proud I am that you're finally finding the success that you deserve."

"I'm pregnant," said Jade, the words coming out in a blurt.

Leon's mouth opened just a bit, and his eyes opened wide.

"You're…what?" he asked.

Jade fumbled in her pocket and pulled out the paper from the doctor's. Unfolding it, she dropped it into his hands. Leon looked it over, nodding as he did.

"You're…pregnant."

"Listen," said Jade. "I have no idea how this happened. I'm so sorry; I don't know what to say; I mean, I wish it weren't the case, I know that we haven't even talked about this, and that we've only been dating for a few months, and I know this is a lot, but-"

Leon held up a finger.

"You're rambling," he said.

Jade zipped her mouth shut.

"Hold on," he said.

With that, he left the balcony and headed inside. Jade's heart pounded with each second that he was gone. Part of her was convinced that he was inside right now, calling some moving service or something to send her packing, literally. She considered the life that she'd been living for the last few months, how with Leon and Oliver she hadn't ever been this happy before in her life. And now she feared that she was on the verge of throwing it all away.

Jade placed her hand on her belly, imagining the baby boy or girl in there, growing larger by the moment.

Then, before she could worry any longer, the balcony door opened once again and Leon stepped through it.

"I've been waiting for the perfect time," he said. "You know that you always have the perfect moments in mind for certain events. You want the stars to line up just so, the sunset to look a certain way, all of that."

As he stepped closer to Jade, she realized that one hand was in his pocket.

"But sometimes you realize that the perfect moment can't really be planned for. Sometimes, the perfect moment comes when you realize that the woman you're with is someone you love beyond all understanding, someone who challenges you, who makes you a better man with each day."

Then, he pulled a small box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a gorgeous diamond ring, a stone so large and perfect that it seemed to catch every drop of the sunlight overhead. Jade gasped, her hands shooting to her mouth.

"So, Ms. Ingrid, what do you say about you and I going on another adventure. It might be a little scary at times, but there's no one I'd rather go on it with. Will you marry me?"

Tears filled Jade's eyes. She didn't know what to say. Other than, of course-

"Yes!"

She threw her arms around Leon, covering his face with kisses. At that moment, her heart was filled with so much joy that she feared it might burst. They embraced for a time, Leon only pushing her away for long enough to place the ring on her finger.

"I love you, Jade Ingrid," said Leon, his voice warm.

"And I love you too, Leon Sebastian."

There, the city spread out all around them, they kissed.

And in her heart, Jade knew that this was the beginning of something special.