Zayden's POV
The stars were still above us, but she had drifted off to sleep in my arms — until the baby kicked.
She stirred, brow furrowed, and groaned softly. "Ow. Someone's doing karate in there."
I chuckled and placed my hand gently on her belly. "Hey, little one," I whispered. "Easy on your mom."
The baby kicked again — stronger this time.
I froze.
Then my eyes widened. "Wait. Did you feel that?"
Elena smiled sleepily. "You felt it?"
"Yeah," I whispered, eyes glued to her belly. "That was real."
My hand stayed there, stunned, moved, speechless. And then I leaned forward and whispered to her bump like it was sacred.
"Hi. It's your dad. I think you're a girl, just so you know."
Elena lifted an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
I smirked. "Yup. I want a girl."
"A girl?"
"A little version of you," I said, smiling dreamily. "With messy brown curls, your wild temper, and your beautiful eyes. She'd be smart, fierce, and I'd have to chase the boys away with a shotgun."
Elena laughed. "You're so dramatic."
"Not dramatic. Prepared."
She rolled to face me slightly, hand over mine on her belly. "Well, I want a boy."
I mock-gasped. "Traitor."
She grinned. "A charming little troublemaker. Your dimples. My sarcasm. The kind who'll talk back at five and steal cookies at midnight."
I grinned. "Okay, that actually sounds like a gremlin."
"Gremlin you'll adore."
I pretended to pout. "So what now? We're divided?"
"Clearly," she teased. "We're going to be that couple in the gender reveal—one with pink confetti, one with blue boxing gloves."
I laughed so hard I nearly woke the baby up again.
She smiled sleepily again and whispered, "What if it's twins?"
I froze. "Elena. Don't joke about things I'm emotionally unprepared for."
She giggled.
But her hand never left mine. And when she whispered, "Zay… I think you'd be the best girl-dad," it made my heart ache in the sweetest way.
I kissed her softly and whispered back, "And you'd raise the kind of boy who'd make this world better."
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Later that night – Zayden's Journal Entry
> I want a girl. Not because I don't want a boy. But because I want another version of her. So I'll never forget what that smile looks like. What that fire feels like.
But whatever we have… boy, girl, even twins (God help me), I already love them more than life.
And Elena? She's the moon my world orbits.
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