Ruby wrapped her arms around his head, her own tears soaking into his shirt. "A Byron," she repeated, the word finally feeling real, feeling heavy, feeling like the most beautiful thing she had ever heard. "We're going to be parents, Max. We're actually doing this."
Max pulled back, his hands cupping her face, his thumbs wiping away her tears even as his own flowed freely. He looked at her with a reverence that made her heart ache. "I'm going to build a world for this child, Ruby. A world where they never have to run. I promise you. I promise both of you."
He leaned down and pressed a long, shaking kiss to her forehead, then dropped to his knees right there on the bathroom floor, pressing his ear against her still-flat stomach as if he could already hear the future whispering back.
