[At the same time] [Garage]
The garage smelled faintly of oil, rubber, and money. Alex's Lotus sat there. He only drove it like four or five times so far.
Max was already at the driver's side, keys in hand, mentally halfway down the Pacific Coast Highway.
Caroline, meanwhile, had drifted off course.
She stopped near the far wall, where something forgotten leaned quietly in the shadows. A bicycle. Thin frame, slightly dusty, gears that had not turned in a long time. It looked innocent. Almost hopeful.
Caroline frowned thoughtfully, then tugged it forward.
Max turned and froze.
"Put that back," Max said, too quickly.
Caroline glanced at her. Then at the bike. Then back at Max. "Why?"
There was a pause. A suspicious pause. The kind of pause that suggested secrets, trauma, or, at the very least, a bad Yelp review from childhood.
Caroline's eyes widened. "Oh my god," she gasped. "Are you pregnant?"
Max closed her eyes. "You ask me that every day, and almost every day I say no."
She exhaled, rubbing her forehead. "Look, I want to tell you, but it is a secret. And you cannot tell anybody. They would think it is weird that I can drive a Mustang GT but cannot ride a bike."
Caroline stared at her.
Then stared again, harder.
"You do not know how to ride a bike?" she said slowly. "Max does not know how to ride a bike?"
"Damn it, Caroline," Max snapped.
Caroline folded her arms. "Did your mother never teach you how to ride a bike?"
"No," Max replied flatly. "My mother was too busy being the town bike."
Caroline winced. "Okay, that was dark even for you."
Then she brightened. "I will teach you."
"Nope," Max said immediately. "Never getting on a bike. It is one of my three nevers."
Caroline tilted her head. "Yes, well, your first never was never having a blonde roommate."
Max pointed at her. "You are chipping away at me piece by piece, lady."
Caroline dragged an old chair across the concrete floor and planted it directly in front of Max. She sat down with purpose, legs crossed, arms folded.
"I am not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on."
Max stared at her for a long moment, calculating escape routes. There were none.
She sighed. "When I was little, there was this kid. Tommy Doonan. Nice kid. Solid hopscotcher. Used to give me his fruit roll up at lunch every day."
Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Max, did he give you these fruit roll ups, or did you take them?"
"Do not interrupt," Max said. "One day, Tommy Doonan got a new bike. He was out front with this nice, older man who looked just like him."
Caroline blinked. "You mean his dad?"
Max considered this. "Is that what they call them? I assumed it was a predator."
Caroline sighed. "Of course you did."
Max continued, undeterred. "Anyway, I was making fun of him because he seemed happy."
"I thought that was our thing," Caroline muttered.
"And he started showing off," Max went on, "doing wheelies and stuff to put me in my place. Then he flipped over the handlebars and landed face first."
Caroline grimaced. "Sad."
"Sad," Max agreed, "but not worth me having baklava pits. So after I stopped laughing and the man picked him up and hugged him predator style, I saw that Tommy's teeth had busted through his cheek. To put it plainly, his mouth was on the outside of his face."
Caroline recoiled. "That is like something out of a horror movie."
"Exactly," Max said. "Bike of the Living Dead. Texas Bike Chain Massacre. Every time I see a bike, I think of his little face and his little teeth chomping out the side of it. He had to eat apples like this."
She demonstrated an unsettling sideways chomping motion.
Caroline stared. "Max, you are not responsible for that."
"I know," Max said. "One out of the twelve jurors agreed. Thank you, number six. Anyway, it freaked me out. So no bike."
Caroline stood up.
"No," she said firmly.
Max frowned. "It is not going to work that way."
"You are learning how to ride a bike," Caroline said.
"I am already on one painful cycle," Max replied. "I do not want to get on another one."
Caroline smiled sweetly. "Max, I have access to Tootsie Rolls. If you get on a bike, I will give you four."
Max squinted. "What am I, a chimp?"
"Five."
There was no hesitation.
"Let's go," Max said, already walking toward the bike.
...
[Inside the Penthouse] [Bathroom]
Halle stood near the sink, staring down at the fourth pregnancy test lined up on the counter like a very smug little jury.
Positive.Positive.Positive.Still very positive.
She let out a breath she had apparently been holding for a while and then laughed softly as her eyes got a bit teary.
"Oh," she whispered. "Oh my God."
Her hand drifted to her stomach instinctively, palm resting there as if she could already feel something different. She could not. But that did not matter. Her eyes stung anyway.
They had been trying for a while now, and now here it was. Real and undeniable... just staring back at her in plastic and pink lines.
She walked back and sat down on the edge of the bathtub and smiled to herself, that radiant, private smile that belonged to a woman whose entire future had just tilted in the best possible direction.
Then she pictured Alex.
She imagined his face when she told him. The way his brows would knit together for half a second while his brain caught up. The silence, followed by the sharp inhale. Then that look. The one he got when something hit him right in the chest and he forgot how to be smooth.
He would probably say something stupid first. Something like, "Are you sure?" even though there would be literal evidence. Then he would pull her into a hug that was too tight and too long, like he was afraid reality might change its mind.
She laughed again.
"Yes," she murmured to the empty room. "We did it."
Then the practical part of her brain kicked in, which was rude but necessary.
She could not just walk into the living room and announce it. Not like that. This was a special moment that required proper planning.
Halle gathered the tests carefully, tucked them into a small pouch, and washed her hands like a woman who had just committed a very joyful crime.
She stepped out onto the balcony.
Angelina was mid yoga pose, balanced on one leg, arms extended, looking serene and unbothered by gravity.
Halle cleared her throat.
Angelina did not move. "If this is about breakfast, I already ate a smoothie and half an apple."
Halle walked closer and took out the testing device and held it before her.
Angelina opened one eye. Then the other. She froze for a moment. Then very slowly, she lowered her arms, set her foot down, and stared at Halle.
"Oh," Angelina said quietly.
Halle nodded, unable to stop smiling now.
Angelina blinked once. Then again. Then she covered her mouth with her hand, eyes already shining. "Halle."
Halle laughed and nodded again. "Yes."
Angelina stepped forward and hugged her. When she pulled back, she looked Halle up and down as if checking for invisible signs.
"When?" Angelina asked.
"Today," Halle replied. "Technically four times today."
Angelina let out a breathy laugh. "You always were thorough."
They stood there for a moment, letting it settle.
"This is wonderful," Angelina said softly. "You know that, right?"
"I do," Halle replied. "And I am terrified and glowing and already in love."
Angelina smiled. "Alex is going to lose his mind."
Halle's smile turned playful. "That is why we cannot just tell him."
Angelina's eyes lit up with interest. "Of course, we cannot."
"We need to think," Halle said. "Like a good plan to set the mood and then drop the news."
Angelina nodded seriously. "Agreed. Wait! We can set up a candlelight dinner on the roof with some romantic music and flowers... Oh, and we can move the chairs and set up an outdoor bed with white drapes around."
Halle agreed. "Let's go. We need to buy flowers and wine. Actually, sparkling cider for me, because apparently I am now a responsible adult."
Angelina raised a finger immediately. "No. First rule. Relax and take a deep breath. Act normal."
Halle blinked. "I am being normal."
Angelina looked at her stomach, then at her glowing smile, then at the pregnancy tests still peeking from the pouch. "You are vibrating like a rom-com soundtrack."
Halle sighed and pressed a hand to her chest. "I cannot help it. I'm so excited."
Angelina smiled and gently took Halle's hands. "I know. But if Alex senses anything, he will get suspicious. We can't have that."
Halle nodded reluctantly. "Fine. I can do normal."
Angelina nodded. "Great. We wait until he leaves for the shoot. Then we'll go together."
Halle tilted her head. "All of us?"
"Yep. We'll do the shopping while you get your hair and nails done," Angelina replied.
"Okay, that works," Halle said before hugging Angelina. "Thank you."
Angelina smiled, hugging her back.
...
[After Alex left for the shoot]
Halle stood near the balcony doors, looking out at the skyline. Her hands still buzzed with the excitement of what she'd just learned. For the first time in a long while, everything felt perfectly right in her world. And now, she was about to share it.
Caroline, Max, and Angelina were lounging in the living room, playing cards. Scarlett was sitting at the dining table, reading her new script.
She took a deep breath and walked toward them, the small pouch of pregnancy tests tucked safely in the pocket of her jacket.
"I have something to tell you all," Halle said.
The three of them turned at once. The room shifted, the energy subtly changing as their attention honed in on her.
Caroline raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"
Halle reached into her pocket and pulled out the small pouch. She held it up, watching as the other women's eyes flicked from her face to the pouch and back again.
"Is that...?" Scarlett began, her voice trailing off.
Caroline blinked. "What's in there?"
Halle smiled and let the silence hang in the air for just a beat longer. "I'm pregnant," she said softly. "I'm going to have a baby."
The room fell silent, the kind of silence that clung to the air like a thick fog. For a moment, nothing moved except the soft rustling of the city outside.
Then, Caroline's face split into a grin so wide it almost seemed too much for her face. She sprang to her feet and rushed toward Halle. "You're kidding! This is... this is amazing!" She hugged her before looking back. "A baby!"
Max sat up straighter, her eyes widening with disbelief. "Wait, really? For real?"
Halle nodded, her eyes sparkling. "Yes, really."
Max's reaction was swift but full of the kind of raw honesty only she could pull off. She stood slowly, crossed the room in three long steps, and then stopped just in front of Halle. For a long moment, she didn't say anything, just stood there, staring down at her with an unreadable expression.
Then, in the most Max way possible, she smirked. "Well, shit. Looks like I'm going to be the world's best aunt. Wait! Aunt or big mom? You know I'm going to spoil that kid rotten, right?"
Halle let out a breath of relief, laughing. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Max grinned, her usual sardonic edge softened by something more tender. "I can already see myself teaching it how to steal cookies from the jar and then blame it on the cat." She looked at Nacho, who was lying on his little bed. "No offence, Nacho. Someone's gotta take the fall."
Caroline laughed, clapping her hands together. "I'm in! We're going to have so much fun! Oh my god, this is huge! I can't believe it. You're going to be a mom. That's... that's incredible."
Scarlett, who had been watching the exchange with a soft, knowing smile, finally spoke up. "This is amazing, Halle. You're going to be such a great mom."
Halle looked at all of them, feeling the warmth of their support and excitement filling the room. "Thank you," she whispered.
Max, always the pragmatist, tilted her head. "You know, I've never seen you this happy, even with all your glowing skin and perfect hair. There's something about this baby news that makes everything look brighter."
Caroline jumped in, practically vibrating with excitement. "We have to do something special to celebrate! I'm thinking a massive surprise party when Alex finds out. We can't just tell him, right? We have to do it in style."
Angelina chimed in. "We actually got everything planned out. I'll explain it on the way. So, dress up, girls. We are going shopping."
---
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