After dinner with the family, Derek, Evelyn, and Samantha retired to the bedroom. Evelyn sat propped against the headboard, a quiet smile on her face as she watched Derek and Samantha. Beside her, Derek lay on his back, his strong arms playfully holding up a giggling Samantha.

"Higher, Daddy! Higher!" Samantha squealed, her laughter ringing through the room.

Derek grinned and lifted her again, making airplane noises that sent her into fits of laughter. Her little legs kicked wildly, and her cheeks flushed pink with joy. "You're going to fly away at this rate!" Derek teased, bringing her back down onto his chest. Samantha's hands clutched his shirt; her face glowed with happiness.

"I'm not flying anywhere!" she announced between giggles. Then, in a sweet moment, Samantha wrapped her arms around Derek's neck, hugging him tightly. Her voice softened, full of love. "I love you, Daddy."

Derek's heart melted; his smile faltered as his eyes softened. He tightened his arms around her, kissing the side of her head. "I love you more, baby."

"No, I love you more!" Samantha argued, her face serious as she pulled back to look at him. Derek raised an eyebrow, pretending to be shocked. "That's impossible. I love you the most." Samantha shook her head stubbornly, her curls bouncing. "Nope! I love you the mostest!"

Watching from her spot on the bed, Evelyn laughed. Her heart swelled as she looked at the two people she loved most. "Alright, you two," she said playfully, "you're both wrong. I love you both the most."

Derek turned to look at Evelyn, a slow smile spreading across his face. Samantha turned too, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"I love you two the most," Derek said. Samantha shook her head.

"Mommy is always right, so she has to win," Samantha said with a dramatic sigh, making her parents laugh.

Derek and Evelyn exchanged a knowing look as the playfulness subsided. Something gentle passed between them, an unspoken agreement. It was time. Evelyn gave him a slight nod, her smile softening. "Baby," Evelyn began tenderly, "there's something we want to tell you."

Samantha tilted her head, her eyes darting between her parents.

"Did you get me a new toy?" she asked curiously.

Derek chuckled. "No, darling. But we can get you as many as you want," he promised.

"Then what?" Samantha asked, looking from Derek to Evelyn.

Evelyn smoothed Samantha's curls. "Well," she said with a smile, "there's one more person for us all to love now."

Samantha's smile widened. "Is it Aunt Maya?"

Evelyn chuckled softly, shaking her head. "Maya is very special to us, but no, sweetheart. There's someone else we want you to meet."

Samantha's brows furrowed in confusion. "Who?"

Samantha watched as her father opened the nightstand drawer, pulling out the ultrasound picture. He handed it to her. "Do you know what this is, baby?" Derek asked gently.

Samantha frowned, studying the picture intently. "Is it a drawing?" she asked, squinting.

Evelyn and Derek exchanged a quiet laugh. "Not quite, love," Evelyn said softly.

Derek sat up straighter and grabbed his phone. "Here," he said, swiping through until he found a similar photo. "Do you know what this is, Sam?" he asked, showing her the image.

Samantha stared at it, her face blank. "No"

Derek's voice was gentle. "That was you, sweetheart, when you were in Mommy's tummy."

Samantha's mouth dropped open, and she turned her wide eyes toward Evelyn. "Me? In your tummy?"

Evelyn nodded, her voice a whisper. "Yes, love. That's you before you were born."

"But there's nobody in this. I can't see myself here," she said, looking back at the picture on Derek's phone.

"That's because you were very tiny. But this little shape here was you," Evelyn said, leaning closer to show Samantha the shape.

Samantha looked back at the photo in her hands, staring at it with awe. "Is this a baby, too?" she asked, and her parents nodded.

"Yes, darling," Evelyn said softly.

"But this baby is not me?" she asked, wanting to be sure.

"This is a different baby," Derek said with a slight nod.

"Is there a baby in there now?" Samantha asked quietly, her voice trembling with wonder as her gaze shot back to Evelyn's stomach. Evelyn smiled and placed a hand on her belly. "Yes, Sam. There's a baby in here right now. You're finally going to have a younger sibling."

For a moment, the room was silent. Samantha blinked, her small face filled with amazement. Then, she gasped and scrambled forward, wrapping her arms around Evelyn's belly. Her voice broke with excitement.

"There's a baby in there! Mommy, there's a baby in there!"

Evelyn laughed softly, tears stinging her eyes. "Yes. There's a baby in here," she said, embracing Samantha.

Samantha lifted her head, her face glowing with happiness.

"Mommy, Daddy—I'm gonna be a big sister!"

"Yes, sweetheart," Derek said softly, his voice thick with emotion. "You're going to be the best big sister ever."

Samantha turned to him, her eyes suddenly shiny with tears. "Do you think it's going to be a boy or a girl? Or will there be two?" Samantha asked excitedly.

Evelyn laughed. "I don't think there will be two. And we can't tell yet whether it's going to be a boy or a girl. Why? Do you have a problem with either?"

Samantha pursed her lips. "If it's a girl, we can play with my dolls and have lots of tea time together, but if it's a boy, I don't know what we can do together. Will the baby love me, too?"

Evelyn's heart swelled as she leaned closer, kissing Samantha's forehead. "Of course, the baby will love you, Sam. And there's a lot you can do with your little brother too. You can have tea time with him and play with other toys." Derek placed his hand on Samantha's shoulder.

"You already have the biggest heart. That baby is so lucky to have you."

Samantha's lip trembled, but then a bright smile broke across her face. She threw herself into Derek's arms, hugging him tightly, before crawling back to Evelyn and pressing her cheek against her tummy.

"Hi, baby," she whispered softly, her voice filled with love. "I'm your big sister. I'm going to love you forever."

Samantha lay curled up next to Evelyn's tummy, her little hand resting there. "I can't wait to meet you. You can be a boy or a girl; I don't mind as long as I get to be your big sister," she whispered, her voice full of promise.

Tears slipped silently down Evelyn's cheeks as she looked up at Derek. His eyes mirrored hers, brimming with emotion. No words were needed. Evelyn reached for Derek's hand, and as their fingers laced together, they knew this moment—this little family—was perfect, and the love in the room felt bigger than words.

Derek leaned in close, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Thank you for this. I love you," he murmured.

Evelyn turned to him, her voice soft but steady. "I love you too."

Samantha continued to "talk" to the baby until she fell asleep, then Derek took her to her bedroom and tucked her in.

Derek smiled as he returned to Evelyn. "She was still talking to the baby in her sleep as I lay her down," he said, and she giggled.

"That's all she's going to be talking about now. I can imagine her telling my parents and Maya about it tomorrow," Evelyn said, and Derek chuckled.

"I'm just so glad she didn't ask how the baby got into your stomach," Derek said, and Evelyn giggled.

"That she didn't ask today doesn't mean she won't ask sometime. So, get ready," Evelyn advised.

Derek shook his head. "I have a lot of reading to do. I've gotten quite a few books on parenting," he said, and Evelyn smiled.

"Really? You're such a good dad," she said, and he sighed softly.

"I want to be a great dad to my kids. But mostly, I want to be a great husband to you," he said, and she smiled.

"I don't doubt that you'll be both," she said confidently.

"Do you think we should tell Samantha about Maya? I'm not sure how to explain how we got separated and about our parents?" Derek asked. Evelyn shook her head. "We can always tell her when she's older and can understand. For now, all she needs to know is that Maya is her aunt," Evelyn said, and Derek nodded.

"Yeah. Good idea."