"The baby will look like a baby," I said gently, letting a small, crooked smile tug at my lips. "And then a child. And then a person who is loved beyond measure—no matter who they end up resembling. Eye color, hair, nose, whatever. Doesn't change the fact they'll be ours. And they'll be spoiled rotten by the best mom in the world."
Linda pulled back just enough to look up at me, her swollen eyes searching mine like she was trying to find the catch. "You've… thought about this."
I huffed a quiet laugh, rubbing the back of my neck. "I've had approximately goddess-flight time to think about nothing else. Turns out traveling at mach-whatever with ARIA gives you a ridiculous amount of headspace for contemplation. I basically wrote three parenting books in my head on the way here. All terrible. But the point stands."
Another watery laugh bubbled out of her—small, surprised, the sound loosening something tight in my chest. "My life has become so strange."
