bbyavacado

Annika stared at the test in disbelief, her hands trembling as the second line slowly appeared. After all the waiting, the hoping, the heartbreak—this time, it was real. She was finally going to have the baby she’d been dreaming of.

She didn’t need to raise her voice. The power was in her composure. In that moment, Annika made it clear: she was not someone to belittle—and Remi was no longer alone.

“She’s everything you never bothered to be.”

Instead, he got exactly what he’d always known: a mother who never really saw him. And now, she couldn’t even pretend to see the woman who loved him for everything he was.

Mr & Mrs Boswell 💐🍰💍

Leanne babbled through the vows, Annika laughed through tears, and Remi couldn’t stop smiling.

Under the warm sun, surrounded by a few close friends and desert hills, Annika and Remi exchanged vows in a simple, heartfelt ceremony. There were no grand decorations, just genuine smiles, happy tears, and Leanne giggles as they said “I do.” It wasn’t perfect—but it was real, and it was theirs.

Out in the dusty yard in front of their trailer, Remi adjusted the settings on his portable analyzer, and as the device lit up with unfamiliar readings, a grin spread across his face—he’d done it. A breakthrough, right there in Strangerville.

Annika’s days overflowed with love for Leanne, but each negative test deepened the quiet ache inside her. Motherhood brought joy, yet the dream of a child of her own with Remi lingered just out of reach, leaving her heart both full and heavy.

Daddy’s girl 🎀

Annika stood in the dimly lit kitchen, another negative test clutched in her hand, tears silently slipping down her cheeks. Remi was beside her, hand massaging his forehead. “I know how much you want this,” he said gently, his voice thick with emotion. “I do too. But… Leanne’s still so little. We’re barely sleeping, and everything feels like a blur right now.” Annika nodded, swallowing hard, the ache in her chest deepening. “I just thought maybe this time…” she whispered. He pulled her closer. “We’ll get there, babe. Just… maybe not yet.” The room fell quiet, filled with love, grief, and the hope they weren’t quite ready to let go of.

They sat together on a worn bench, watching the sky shift from gold to deep lavender as the sun dipped behind the red cliffs. The desert air had cooled, and Annika leaned her head on Remi’s shoulder, their fingers loosely intertwined. Without a big plan or speech, just feeling the weight of the moment, Remi turned to her, pulled a small ring from his pocket, and said softly, “Will you marry me?” Annika blinked, stunned, then smiled so wide it made her eyes shine. “Yes,” she whispered, as the first star appeared overhead.

They shared kisses under a swaying tree, laughing about nothing in particular, grateful for a normal day in a place that once felt anything but.

Annika sat on the edge of the toilet seat, the test trembling in her hand as the single line stared back at her. Her heart sank and the silence of the bathroom was suddenly deafening. She blinked back tears, trying to steady her breath, telling herself it wasn’t the end. But in that moment, the emptiness hit harder than she expected.

Annika didn’t hesitate when a burglar crept up to the trailer—barefoot in her pajamas, she tackled her in the dirt and left her limping while the sirens wailed in the distance.

Annika cradled little Leanne against her chest, the baby’s soft coos a gentle rhythm against her heartbeat. She loved this child—loved her laugh, her curious eyes, even the faint green shimmer that marked her as something otherworldly. But deep ache stirred beneath the love. She imagined a child with Remi’s warm smile and her own stubborn attitude, a child born not from mystery, but from the life they were building together. As Leanne drifted to sleep in her arms, Annika pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered a promise—one day, they’d grow this family, and she’d get to hold a piece of their shared future in her arms.