Chapter 5

Four Months Pregnant

Paige was halfway across campus when she realized she had made a huge mistake.

She stopped walking.

Groaned.

And immediately pulled out her phone.

Your phone rang less than ten seconds later.

“Hello?”

“I forgot my playbook.”

You laughed instantly.

“Seriously?”

“Don’t laugh.”

“You literally triple-check everything.”

“I know.”

“How did you forget it?”

Paige rubbed her forehead.

“I was distracted.”

“You mean by the twenty minutes you spent talking to our daughter this morning?”

Paige pointed at absolutely nothing.

“That is irrelevant.”

You laughed again.

Paige smiled despite herself.

The last month had been her favorite month of the pregnancy so far.

Now that the two of you knew you were having a girl, everything felt more real.

Every day Paige found herself thinking about her daughter.

Wondering what she’d look like.

Whose eyes she’d have.

Whether she’d like basketball.

Or whether she’d completely hate sports just to annoy her.

“Baby.”

Paige blinked.

“What?”

“You stopped talking.”

“Oh.”

You laughed.

“Were you thinking about the baby again?”

“Maybe.”

“You absolutely were.”

Paige smiled.

“Can you bring me the playbook?”

“Practice already started.”

“Please?”

You sighed dramatically.

“Fine.”

“You’re the best.”

“I know.”

—

About thirty minutes later, you arrived at Gampel Pavilion.

The building was mostly quiet except for the sounds of basketballs echoing through the gym.

Practice was in full swing.

You weren’t supposed to interrupt.

But Paige had sounded genuinely desperate.

So here you were.

You slipped quietly through one of the side entrances.

Immediately spotting the team running drills.

Paige was on the court.

Focused.

Competitive.

Exactly the way she always was during practice.

You smiled.

Some things never changed.

Even now.

At four months pregnant, you instinctively rested a hand against your stomach.

A habit you hadn’t even realized you’d developed.

You waited near the sideline until one of the managers noticed you.

“Need something?”

You held up the playbook.

“Paige forgot this.”

The manager laughed.

“That’s surprising.”

“Trust me. She knows.”

The manager nodded.

“I’ll grab her.”

Unfortunately for both of you…

Someone else noticed first.

KK Arnold.

The freshman guard was jogging toward the bench when she glanced over.

Her eyes landed on you.

Then the playbook.

Then your stomach.

Then back to you.

For a brief moment, KK looked confused.

Then thoughtful.

You offered a small smile.

KK smiled back.

But didn’t say anything.

Not a single word.

A few moments later Paige jogged over.

The second she saw you, she looked relieved.

“You are literally a lifesaver.”

You handed her the playbook.

“You’re lucky I love you.”

“Very lucky.”

Paige leaned over and quickly kissed your forehead before remembering she was standing in the middle of practice.

You immediately laughed.

“Go.”

“Right.”

She took the playbook and hurried back onto the court.

You waved goodbye before leaving.

Neither of you noticed KK watching the interaction from across the gym.

—

Practice finally ended around seven.

The team slowly filtered into the locker room.

Everyone looked exhausted.

Everyone except Paige.

Who was currently stuffing equipment into her bag while humming.

Nika immediately pointed.

“She’s doing it again.”

Azzi looked over.

“Doing what?”

“Being suspiciously happy.”

Paige rolled her eyes.

“I’m always happy.”

The entire locker room laughed.

“No, you’re not,” Aaliyah said.

“That’s actually false.”

“Very false,” Nika agreed.

Paige threw a towel at both of them.

The conversation quickly moved on.

One by one the players began leaving.

Eventually only a handful remained.

KK sat quietly for a moment.

Thinking.

Then finally stood up.

“Hey, Paige?”

Paige looked up.

“Yeah?”

KK glanced around.

Making sure nobody else was listening.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”

Paige immediately noticed the serious tone.

“Sure.”

The two walked into the hallway outside the locker room.

KK leaned against the wall.

Clearly trying to figure out how to start.

Paige waited patiently.

Finally KK spoke.

“I saw your wife today.”

Paige froze.

Not visibly.

But internally?

Absolutely.

KK immediately held up her hands.

“You’re not in trouble.”

Paige laughed.

“I didn’t think I was.”

“I just…”

KK hesitated.

“I wasn’t sure if anyone was supposed to know.”

Understanding immediately crossed Paige’s face.

“Oh.”

KK looked relieved.

“I wasn’t going to tell anybody.”

“I know.”

“I just wanted to check with you first.”

Paige stared at the younger player for a moment.

Then smiled.

Because honestly?

That was incredibly respectful.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know.”

KK shrugged.

“But it seemed like your business.”

Paige nodded slowly.

“It is.”

KK waited.

Giving her the opportunity to say as much or as little as she wanted.

Paige appreciated that.

A lot.

After a moment, she quietly spoke.

“My wife is pregnant.”

KK’s eyes widened.

Not because she was judging.

More because it confirmed what she’d suspected.

“Seriously?”

Paige nodded.

A smile immediately appeared on her face.

“Four months.”

KK looked genuinely happy.

“That’s awesome.”

Paige laughed.

“Yeah.”

The smile on her face softened.

“We’re having a girl.”

For a second KK looked like she’d completely forgotten they were standing in a hallway.

“A girl?”

Paige nodded.

“A little girl.”

“That’s so cool.”

Paige couldn’t stop smiling.

Talking about her daughter always had that effect.

KK laughed.

“You look ridiculously happy.”

“I am.”

“Good.”

There was a brief silence.

Then KK spoke again.

“You know nobody’s gonna care, right?”

Paige blinked.

“What?”

“About the pregnancy.”

Paige looked surprised.

KK shrugged.

“We’d probably just be excited for you.”

Something warm settled in Paige’s chest.

Because if she was honest…

Part of her had been worried.

Not about judgment.

Just about changing how people saw her.

Basketball had always been the biggest thing in her life.

Now it wasn’t.

Now there was something more important.

Someone more important.

Her daughter.

KK smiled.

“You’re still Paige.”

The simple statement hit harder than she expected.

“You know that, right?”

Paige nodded.

“Yeah.”

“You just happen to be a wife and future mom too.”

Paige laughed softly.

“When you put it like that…”

KK grinned.

“Congratulations, by the way.”

“Thanks.”

The freshman started walking back toward the locker room.

Then paused.

“Oh.”

Paige raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

KK smiled.

“Your daughter’s definitely gonna be tall.”

Paige laughed so hard she nearly doubled over.

And for the rest of the night, she couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation.

Because maybe she didn’t need to be so worried about people finding out.

Maybe the people around her would surprise her.

Just like KK had.