Belladonna queen POV
Chapter One: A Secret Wrapped in Sweetness
A week.
It had been a week since I stood in my grandfather's bathroom holding a pregnancy test with trembling hands.
A week since Tank had wrapped me in a hug and promised we would figure everything out.
A week since I learned Ali had ordered the hit that nearly killed Matilda.
Somehow, I had managed to keep both secrets.
But today...
One of them wouldn't stay a secret anymore.
I smiled to myself as I looked at the small bakery box sitting on the passenger seat of my car.
Inside was a simple cake.
White frosting.
Purple flowers around the edges.
And hidden beneath the removable top decoration was the pregnancy test I'd carefully cleaned and saved. The baker had helped me create a reveal that simply read:
"You're going to be a dad."
I rested one hand lightly over my stomach.
"I hope you like surprises."
---
Matilda had gone to spend the day with her mother at the rehabilitation center.
She'd actually been the one to encourage me.
"You two need some time together," she'd said with a small smile.
So I'd planned an entire day just for Cain.
---
When I pulled up outside his apartment, he walked out wearing black jeans and a dark green hoodie.
He smiled the moment he saw me.
"Morning, Queen."
I leaned over and kissed him.
"Morning."
He laughed.
"What's got you smiling like that?"
"I planned today."
His eyebrows lifted.
"All of it?"
"Every second."
He opened the passenger door.
"I guess I'm just along for the ride."
"Exactly."
---
We started the morning at a small bookstore.
Cain wandered through the mystery section while I disappeared into the technology aisle.
When he found me, I was already carrying three programming books.
He laughed.
"I should've known."
"What?"
"You can't go anywhere without buying something about computers."
I nudged his shoulder.
"And you can't leave without buying another crime novel."
He held up two books.
"I only got two."
"Progress."
We both laughed.
---
Later we walked through a street market.
He bought us fresh lemonade.
I convinced him to try a spicy snack from one of the vendors.
Five seconds later he was reaching for my drink.
"This is your fault."
"You ate the whole thing."
"You told me it wasn't that hot."
"It wasn't."
He looked at me with mock disbelief.
"I've been betrayed."
I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes.
---
By the afternoon we were sitting beside a quiet lake.
Cain skipped a stone across the water.
"You've been happier today."
I looked out across the water.
"I wanted today to be peaceful."
He bumped my shoulder.
"It has been."
---
After a while he asked quietly,
"Can I ask you something?"
"Always."
"What's your favorite story about your family?"
I smiled immediately.
"I've heard it my whole life."
He leaned back on the grass.
"I'm listening."
I looked toward the water.
"My Aunt Sofia loved my dads more than anything."
"I never got to meet her..."
"But I've always felt like I knew her."
"My fathers told me that she saw how much they loved each other."
"She wanted to give them something they never expected."
"So..."
"Without telling them, she arranged for a surrogate."
Cain listened quietly.
"When I was born, they were shocked."
I laughed softly.
"They say Pop's cried first."
"Daddy Quin insists he did."
"They still argue about it."
Cain smiled.
"I can picture that."
"They told me they held me together."
"That they promised they'd spend every day proving they deserved the gift Sofia left them."
I looked down at my hands.
"I grew up hearing that I wasn't just their daughter."
"I was Sofia's last gift."
"And every birthday..."
"We celebrate her too."
Cain reached over and intertwined our fingers.
"They're amazing fathers."
"The best."
---
As evening arrived, I drove us to a private restaurant overlooking the river.
Soft lights reflected across the water.
The hostess smiled.
"Your table is ready."
Cain looked around.
"You really planned everything."
"I told you."
---
Dinner was relaxed.
We talked about classes.
About Matilda.
About future trips.
About the restaurant Leo wanted to open another location for someday.
For a little while...
The world felt normal again.
---
When dessert arrived, the server placed the small decorated cake between us.
Cain looked confused.
"I didn't order cake."
I smiled.
"I did."
"For what?"
"Just open it."
He carefully lifted the decorative topper.
His eyes landed on the message.
You're going to be a dad.
He froze.
For a heartbeat...
He didn't move.
Then his eyes shifted to the pregnancy test nestled inside the presentation box beneath the message.
He looked back at me.
His voice barely came out.
"...Queen?"
Tears filled my eyes.
I nodded.
"I found out a week ago."
He stared at me in stunned silence before standing and walking around the table.
He knelt beside my chair.
"Are you serious?"
I laughed through my tears.
"I've never been more serious."
His hands trembled as he cupped my face.
"We're..."
"We're having a baby?"
"We are."
A tear slipped down his cheek.
He kissed my forehead.
Then my lips.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
He rested a gentle hand over my stomach.
"So little one..."
"You already have three people who love you more than anything."
I smiled through happy tears.
Outside, the city lights shimmered across the river.
For the first time in days, hope felt stronger than fear.
Neither of us knew what tomorrow would bring.
But tonight...
We held on to the future we were about to build together.
