Winning Back His Ex's Wife's Broken Heart by Hayley

Richard

pov.

The morning was off to a slow start, but I didn't mind. Sarah looked like she needed the extra few minutes in bed.

I watched her for a moment, her hand resting on her growing belly, her hair messy from sleep. It hit me again, like it had been hitting me every day for months now: I was going to be a dad. "Richard," she mumbled, her eyes barely open. "Don't stare. It's creepy."

I chuckled, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "It's not staring, it's admiring. Totally different."

She groaned, throwing the blanket over her head. "Go admire the coffee machine."

She wasn't wrong. We had a hospital pre-registration appointment later, and I figured a cup of coffee might help me face the mountain of paperwork that probably awaited us.

The hospital was about as inviting as hospitals could be-sterile, bright, and slightly intimidating.

We sat in a small office, and a nurse handed us a clipboard full of forms. I took one look at the stack and whistled.

"Looks like they want my entire life story," I joked, flipping through the pages. "I'm surprised they didn't ask what I had for breakfast in 1997."

Sarah shot me a look that said, Behave, but the corner of her mouth twitched. "Just fill it out, Richard."

I tried to focus, but the questions felt overwhelming. Name, address, emergency contacts, insurance information-it all seemed so official, so adult.

"Do you think they'll still let us take the baby home if I accidentally spell something wrong?" I muttered, scribbling my signature.

"Richard," she said, this time full-on smiling, "you're not getting out of this with sarcasm. Keep writing."

I could tell she was a little

at her. "You

my eyes. "Just feels...

there, filling out those forms, it hit me how close we were to this baby actually being here. It

we handed the forms back, the nurse smiled and gave us a

parenting paperwork. Sarah rolled her eyes, but

amazing, and I found myself lingering near the counter, scrolling on my

old friend, grinning at me. He looked a little older, a little rounder, but still the same easy going guy I

shook his hand, genuinely glad to see him. "Man, it's been years. How've you

kids now. Life's chaos, but you know, in a

"Three kids? You're braver than me. We're just gearing up for our

laughed, the kind of belly laugh that made everyone around smile. "Oh, man, you're in for it. But it's the

peanut butter, how he'd accidentally put a diaper on backward in the

just have to laugh," he said, wiping his eyes. "Because

his stories.

maybe that was okay.

Greg patted my shoulder. "You'll do fine, Richard. Just remember: no one knows what they're doing. You figure it out as you

beside her. She looked up when I came in, her face lighting up at the sight of the takeout bags. "You're a hero," she said,

I know it," I teased, handing her

container.

sounds of

She'd been quiet since the hospital, and I could

thinking. Today made it feel... close, you know? Like, this is