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They drove back to the apartment late that night. Mia slept most of the way with her head against the window. Alex kept one hand on the wheel and the other resting on her thigh. The ring on his finger felt new every time he glanced down. Married. He was married to her. Seven months pregnant with their baby. It still didn’t feel completely real.

When they pulled into the parking lot he helped her out of the car slow. She was tired from standing and smiling all afternoon. He carried the small bag her mom had packed for them. Inside the apartment everything looked the same but different. Her white dress from the ceremony was hanging on the back of the bedroom door where she had left it. The ring on her finger caught the light when she turned on the lamp.

“Home,” she said soft. She smiled at him. “Feels weird saying that as your wife.”

Alex set the bag down and pulled her close. Careful around her belly. “Yeah. Wife. Still getting used to it.”

They stood there in the living room for a minute just holding each other. The lights were low. The apartment was quiet. No more family or friends. Just them. Married. About to have a baby in two months. Alex felt the weight of it settle in his chest. Good weight. Scary weight.

Mia kicked off her shoes and sat on the couch with a sigh. Her hand went to her lower back. Alex sat next to her and rubbed it without her asking. He had learned the spots that helped. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes.

“Today was perfect,” she said. “Small. Just right.”

He nodded. “Your parents were good. Mine tried.”

“They did,” she agreed. “Your dad even smiled once.”

Alex kept rubbing her back. His mind was already spinning. Now that they were married he felt even more pressure to get everything right. Money. The baby. Being a husband. He still worked too many shifts. She still got tired too easy. The corner of the bedroom had a half-built crib and a small stack of onesies. It wasn’t enough yet. He kept thinking he should be doing more.

But then Mia opened her eyes and looked at him. That warm look she got when she was really seeing him. “Stop overthinking,” she said. “I can feel it.”

He let out a small laugh. “Can’t help it.”

She turned and kissed him. Soft at first. Then deeper. Her hand came up to his face. “We’re married now,” she whispered against his mouth. “And I’m tired and pregnant and I just want to be close to my husband.”

The word husband did something to him. He kissed her again. Careful. His hands stayed gentle on her sides. They moved slow to the bedroom. No rush. Just the quiet need to be close after the day.

They undressed each other slow. Her belly between them made everything different. He kissed the stretch marks that had started showing. Kissed the curve of her stomach where their baby was. She ran her fingers through his hair and sighed when he touched her. They made love careful. Slow. The way they had learned to since the pregnancy got bigger. It wasn’t about finishing fast. It was about feeling each other. Feeling safe. Feeling like they were in this together no matter what came next.

Afterward they lay tangled under the blanket. Her head on his chest. His hand resting on her belly. The baby kicked once and they both felt it.

“Strong tonight,” Mia said sleepy.

“Yeah,” Alex answered. He rubbed where the kick had been. “Think it knows today was special.”

They talked low for a while. About the ceremony. About how her mom had cried during the vows. About how his dad had shaken his hand after and said “take care of them.” Small things that meant more than they sounded. Alex still worried. About the hospital bills coming. About whether he could be the dad the baby needed. About whether Mia would ever regret marrying him so young with so little figured out. But her breathing against his skin and the ring on her finger made the worries quieter than they used to be.

Living together had already changed things. Being married made it feel even more real. He saw it in the way she called him husband when she teased him about leaving his shoes by the door. In the way she let him help her with her swollen feet without arguing. In the way she looked at him like he was already the father she wanted their kid to have.

He kissed the top of her head. “I love you,” he said. “Wife.”

She smiled against his chest. “I love you too. Husband.”

They fell asleep like that. Her belly pressed against his side. His arm around her. The apartment dark and quiet around them. Outside the world kept going. Classes. Shifts. Bills. Everything that still scared him. But in the bed they had shared for months now it felt like they had carved out something steady. Something that was theirs.

Alex woke once in the middle of the night. Mia had shifted and her hand was on his. The ring pressed cool against his skin. He looked at her sleeping face. Seven months pregnant. His wife. The mother of his child. He still didn’t feel ready. Probably never would. But he was here. Showing up every day like she had asked him to.

He closed his eyes again and pulled her closer.

They had two months left until the baby came. Two months of getting the apartment ready. Two months of her parents helping and his parents slowly warming up. Two months of him working and worrying and loving her more every single day.

He didn’t know if he was enough. But he knew he wasn’t going anywhere.

And for tonight that was enough.