Are you going?” Kristen still couldn’t pry her hands away from her stomach since she’d found out about the baby, and she hadn’t even come close to showing yet.

Stefani grabbed her keys and the list off the table. She was going to the grocery store to get snacks and treats, and when she got back, both girls planned on spending the night watching movies and talking. It was Kristen’s last night on campus.

“I think we wrote down everything. If not, I’ll come back and make two trips.”

She turned and walked out the door, and Kristen’s heart sank. The dorm seemed so empty without Stefani in it now. Part of her was sad that she was going to leave it behind.

Not even three minutes had passed, and there was a knock at the door.

“Stef?” Kristen opened the door.

She jumped back when Stef was just inches away. Stefani stood in front of her, breathless and with her hair blown back, like she’d sprinted up the stairs.

Kristen stared. “What the fuck, dude?”

“Forgot my keys. Didn’t you get my text?”

“What?” Kristen grabbed her phone. “Oh, sorry, it was on silent.”

Stefani rolled her eyes, and they both laughed.

“God, you scared the shit out of me. I’ll turn it on in case you need to ask me something at the store.”

“I’ll hurry.” Stefani shook her head and grabbed her sunglasses. She turned and left.

A few minutes later there was another knock at the door.

I’m going to kill this bitch.

“What the fuck, Stef?” She said the words right as she opened the door. Fear shot through her like a bolt of lightning, and nothing but pure anger followed. “What the fuck do you want?”

Grant stood in front of her. “I need to talk to you.” He tried to come through the door, but Kristen shook her head.

“No. You need to go.”

She tried to close the door, but he blocked it with his shoe. She grunted in frustration.

He pushed the door open wider with his palm. He didn’t fight against her, but he didn’t let her close it in his face either.

“I need to talk to you.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to talk to you.” Kristen tried to close the door again, but it wouldn’t budge. “Go away, or I’ll scream.”

His jaw tensed. “Would you stop acting like a child and making a scene? Jesus.”

She folded her arms over her chest. “I’m acting like the child? You know what? Just get the fuck out. I have nothing to say to you.”

Why couldn’t he seem to understand her words? The man was a fucking professor, for God’s sake.

“Okay, Kristen. You want to play your little games. Fine. We’ll see what happens when we go to court and I win custody of my baby.”

Her whole body froze, every muscle frigid. Pure horror coursed through her body. “Fuck you. That will never happen.”

“Really? I’m a professor with a career. A responsible adult. You’re a college dropout. What do you think will happen?”

Her stomach twisted, and tears threatened the corner of her eyes once more. He was probably right? Surely, he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t take her baby away from her.

His gaze dropped to the floor, as if he felt bad for what he’d just said. “I don’t want to do that, but you’re leaving me no choice by acting like an immature brat. I came over to apologize and try to work something out.”

“You should’ve done that a long time ago.”

“Really?” He nodded the most sarcastic nod she’d ever seen, and then scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Fuck, you’re so impossible sometimes.”

Something inside of her still found happiness, knowing how frustrated she could make him. For a brief moment, they were back to their old selves.

“Just let me in for five fucking minutes. I look like an idiot out here.”

She pushed the door aside and glared at him.

He stepped into the room.

“You have three.”

He whipped around once he was in the middle of the room. “Don’t make demands, Kristen. It won’t end up well for you.” He pointed at her face.

She threw her arms up in frustration, then quickly moved her hands back to her baby as if to protect it. “Why now? All of a sudden I’m leaving, and you’re here.”

The door closed. It was just the two of them in the room. She didn’t trust herself with him. It was the reason she’d wanted him to stay in the hall. The reason she’d sent a text to tell him. He’d say the right things, or do the right things, then he’d walk out on her again. Fuck that.

“You should’ve thought about all of that before you just tossed me aside.”

“I didn’t know you were pregnant.”

“So?”

“So!” He took a step toward her. “How’d you think I would react? What did you think would happen?”

She turned and looked out the window. “I don’t know. Not the way you did, obviously.”

“Really?” He threw his hand up and sighed in frustration. He ground his jaw. “You didn’t have this news dropped on you with someone being confrontational. You got to sit around and make a decision, whether you should call me, text me, or come over. You had an opportunity to think it through first. Not have it blasted in your face, and then be grilled with life choices and ultimatums.”

She could kind of see his point. She’d seen the test and then sat around, wondering what to do. She was pretty freaked out at first. It didn’t matter, though. She would’ve never let him go for weeks alone in that state.

“What about the last two weeks? You couldn’t let me know this shit somehow? You just left me here, hating you.”

“It’s all I’ve thought about. But you dropped a bomb and told me you didn’t want to hear from me. Then sent people who flipped me off in the middle of my classroom after I signed their goddamn papers that meant you were leaving.”

Kristen tried not to grin. Stefani hadn’t told her she’d flipped him off.

“So, what do you want? Why are you here?”

“I want to say I’m sorry. And I want to do the right thing. And I don’t regret our relationship, or whatever it was we’ve been doing. But you’re making it pretty difficult to do.”

Kristen looked away. Tears formed in her eyes, and she didn’t want to cry in front of him.

“I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry we weren’t more careful. And you feel you have to bear most of the burden. I’m sorry for that. I’ll do whatever you need me to do. If you need money, it’s yours. The only thing I ask is that I get to be a part of my child’s life.”

Her jaw was set, and her mind was in a million places. She didn’t like being placed on the spot like this, but she’d be a huge hypocrite if she got pissed at him for it, because she’d done the same thing to him. All she could do was stare at the same icy blues that once heated her up the moment they’d walk into the room.

“Most of all, I’d like to give a relationship a try. I love you.”

What the fuck just happened?

He still stood there, yammering like an idiot while her heart came alive, and all the colors around her turned vibrant. It was the only thing she’d ever wanted to hear him say, and he’d fucked it all up, over and over.

“I want to marry you someday. I know that it all seems sudden, but fuck what the school has to say, and I don’t give a fuck what society says anymore. I’ve never been happier than I was with you the last few months. You make me so fucking happy.”

Kristen stood there, speechless.

She’d expected him to apologize and leave, but she’d never thought he’d want to commit to her—and eventually marry her.

She opened her mouth to reply, but words wouldn’t come out. “I-I—"

He stepped toward her and grabbed her hands. He lowered himself to his knees in front of her. It’d always been her crawling to him in the past, but the roles had reversed. He was elevating her on a pedestal. Like he was worshipping her.

She’d always been the one who begged, but now it was him begging for her.

It had to be humiliating, and he didn’t care. He looked like he’d go to the ends of the earth for her.

“We can go wherever or stay here. I can resign my teaching position. Whatever I need to do.”

The emotions were almost too much to handle. She’d gone from upset, to angry, to happier than she’d ever been in her life. It was going to be a challenge, and there was no way her parents would ever approve of him. But the thought of walking down the aisle to him, and him cradling their baby in his arms—it caused her heart to flutter.

He was willing to sacrifice everything for her. If she wanted to go, he would go. If she wanted to stay, he would stay. No more sneaking around, no more guessing, no more hiding. They could finally be together, and it would all be okay.

She shook her head, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Grant’s face paled. She said the only words that came to her mind. The only words she could think to say in the moment.

“I love you, too.”

He jumped to his feet. They stood for a moment, nothing but silence between them.

Grant suddenly rushed forward and wrapped her in his arms. It was the first kiss between them that wasn’t going to lead to sex. It was the first kiss of their new relationship. He twirled her around in the middle of the room, and it was like the whole world spun around the two of them, existed only with them in it.

She wasn’t sure how long they kissed for. Her head was somewhere up in the clouds. But finally, they released, and Kristen took a step back.

“Stefani’s going to be back soon. She might murder you if she catches you in here.”

They both laughed, and he headed for the door smiling harder than she’d ever seen. He was glowing—glowing—for her and their baby. He kept his eyes on her each step into the hallway, looking at her with a spark in his eyes she’d never seen before.

“You won’t have to worry about that much longer. You’re moving in with me.”

Kristen’s heart jumped into her throat. He lived in such a nice place, she couldn’t imagine what it’d be like calling it her own home. Rushing forward, their lips collided again, and they shared another passionate kiss in the hallway where anyone could see.

Kristen finally pulled back. “You better get out of here, sir.”

He smiled. “Got the sir part right.” He smacked her on the ass and yanked her closer to him. “Fuck, I’ve missed you.”

He dropped a kiss on her forehead and hurried from the room.

Kristen shook her head and spun in the middle of her dorm, clutching her stomach, wondering how long it would take to pack her things. She could still spend time with Stefani, but it was going to be nice not living in the cramped space anymore.

Stefani returned shortly after with groceries in hand, and when she saw Kristen, she gave her a strange look. “Uhh, what’s happening here?”

Kristen smiled, biting her tongue. She wanted to tell her friend everything, but she knew it was a bad time. She’d enjoy her secret for tonight and worry about the rest in the morning. All that mattered was she was finally happy, filled with pure joy. The rest of the world could wait for the news.

“Nothing. Let’s watch a movie.”

Stefani smiled and shook her head, grabbing the chips and heading for the futon. Kristen, on the other hand, grabbed her phone and quickly flipped to her message thread with Grant.

“I love you.” She typed it and quickly hit send.

It wasn’t thirty seconds later when her phone lit up, and she grabbed it.

His name flashed across the screen, and for the first time in forever, her heart skipped a beat.

“I love you too, baby”

Kristen tossed her phone back on the bed and turned her attention to the movie.

Baby.

Everything was going to be okay.