Loud, frantic knocking pounded at Milly's door persistently.

She opened it to see Austin in the hallway, eyes wide, breath uneven. He didn't meet her gaze.

"Sage and Bryan," he said quickly, biting his lips. "They're going at it."

Milly's pulse kicked up. "What do you mean?"

Austin shifted, rubbing his waves with his fingers. "Just—did Sage not call you?"

Before she could even reply, an incoming call from Sage came through.

"Sage, what—"

"Milly, I need you here right now," Sage snapped, "Bryan's being a complete asshole."

In the background, something slammed. Then Bryan's voice erupted:

"Tell her you're a bitch with no morals!"

Milly's entire body went still.

"How was I supposed to fucking know? Are you a dumbass?" Sage fired back, her voice strained.

Milly tightened her grip on the phone. "What's happening?"

"I don't have time," Sage said. "Just get here. He's destroying everything. You think you could destroy my shit—"

Another crash.

"That's my TV! Are you insane?!" Bryan shouted.

Milly flinched. "Sage—what the hell did you do?"

"Matty's outside. Ride with him."

Click.

The call ended.

Milly stood frozen.

Austin shifted beside her. "We should hurry and head out," he said, still not meeting her eyes. His tone was beyond calm, which was odd.

She grabbed her keys, shoved on her sneakers, and followed him out. Something in her chest stayed tight.

Outside, Matty leaned against his car. He pushed off as they approached, rolling his shoulders like nothing was urgent.

"You alright," he asked as Milly slid into the front seat.

"Bryan's apparently smashing things. And Sage sounded like she was too. Have they ever acted like this before?"

Matty's brow lifted. "Try not to stress. They like theatrics."

Milly stayed quiet. She didn't know how to react—this felt serious. Matty seemed calm, and Austin was... suspicious.

And why was Austin by her home? They had no plans. Did he have something to do with this? Did Bryan catch Sage with Austin?

Austin sat in the back seat, too quiet. He kept biting his lip, his jaw tight, as he texted on his phone.

"They sounded different," Milly murmured. "Meaner."

"They're dramatic," Matty said, shifting into drive. "You know that."

Milly glanced into the rearview mirror. Austin looked away the second their eyes met.

Something felt off. This wasn't their usual kind of messy. And she was the only one panicking.

When they reached the apartment, everything was still.

No yelling. No mess. Just silence.

"I've gotta get something from the trunk, so go ahead without me," Matty said, popping it open.

Austin stepped out fast, brushing past Milly. "I'll walk with you," he offered, voice lighter now.

They walked the stairs. Austin kept his hands in his pockets, head down, shoulders stiff.

The door was already cracked open. Milly pushed it the rest of the way—and froze.

Soft light filled the room. A banner stretched across the wall:

It's a Girl.

Balloons floated above the chairs. Streamers curled gently across the ceiling. A pink cake sat in the center of the table.

Bryan stood in the middle, under the banner with a bright smile.

Milly stayed frozen in the doorway.

Matty walked in behind her, holding a pink gift bag. "Surprise," he said with a grin.

Milly blinked. "You—what?"

Sage stepped out from the kitchen, party cup in hand, a lopsided paper hat on her head. "Sorry, Milly. It was Matty's idea to make it a surprise."

Milly's mouth opened, then closed.

Austin entered the house as he guided Milly in. A smile shone on his lips and he gave her a quick hug. "You deserve this, sis."

Sage stepped forward. "Okay, maybe we went a little too hard."

"A little?" Milly said, finally finding her voice. "You two sounded like you were about to kill each other."

"I told him not to go that far," Sage muttered, nudging Bryan.

He shrugged. "You said sell it."

"Bryan, I knew those sound effects were too much. She's shaken up."

He raised his hands. "She's here. That's all that matters."

Milly looked at each of them—Sage, Bryan, Matty—and finally Austin. They were all smiling.

It hit her, everyone was wearing pink. Sage and Bryan were in full pink outfits—loud and proud. Austin had on a pale pink shirt, clearly borrowed. And Matty? He wore a ridiculous hat that read It's a Girl in bedazzled letters.

"Thank you," she whispered, as her vision blurred with tears falling. She wiped them away quickly.

"We'll always support you and LP. Our life wouldn't be fulfilled without you," Sage said, pulling her into a hug.

The tightness in Milly's chest began to ease. She returned the hug—then felt more arms around her. A group hug.

Milly smiled. Not for show. Not because anyone needed her to. Just because she wanted to.

"Okay, now ease up on her. I'm getting heated and I'm on the outside," Bryan said with a smirk, and they all released her.

"Give me a house tour," Austin said, grinning.

Sage only laughed and led him away. Bryan walked to the kitchen, his smile fading a bit as his eyes lingered on Sage and Austin.

Then Matty's voice broke the quiet moment. "Come on, time to eat, Milly and  LP," he said kindly, smiling.

He led Milly to the table filled with her favorite food.

As the day went on Milly ate food and they played some baby shower games. It was fun. Relaxing. But her back started aching a little bit. And Matty guided her to the sofa.

"I am going to get us some more cake before we head out," Matty offered with a bright smile, and she nodded.

Her eyes noticed Sage had drifted back toward Bryan, linking her arm through his waist. His frown fluttered and was replaced with a soft smile as he fed her a piece of cake which she welcomed.

Milly smiled at them as Austin wandered over to her, and sat down.

"You're a bad liar," she joked.

Austin laughed. "I thought I sold it."

"Far from it."

He handed her a pink heart-shaped gift box. "Mom wanted me to give you this. She thinks LP could use it."

Milly opened it slowly.

Inside was her old necklace, one she hadn't worn in years. It was something she got from her mom when she was a baby. It was with her throughout her childhood. At some point, she thought she'd lost it and cried so much for it, but never told anyone.

A small cross hung from a brand new chain—familiar, worn smooth at the edges.

Her throat tightened. She curled her fingers gently around it, grounding herself.

She let out a breath and looked at him. "Thanks."

Milly took in the room—the balloons, the cake, the care. The effort. The gifts.

They really did care. And somehow, despite everything, they hadn't abandoned her.

Screw what everyone else thought. The smiles and care made it all worth it. For the first time, she had her own people.

"I got the cake and some leftovers," Matty said, returning with a grin. "Are you ready to head out?"

Milly nodded.

Milly gave Sage and Bryan a goodbye hug, lingering for a moment longer than she meant to. They felt like home, just for a second.

"Austin, let's go," Matty stated when they walked to the door.

She noticed Austin hanging near Sage. His hands were buried in his pockets, and his eyes kept glancing at Sage, but his mouth kept slightly opening and closing.

She knew he maybe wanted to stay and hang out, probably hoping for more time with her.

"We're heading out to grab groceries," Bryan said, grabbing some keys from the counter, and wrapping his arms around Sage, who leaned into him.

Austin raised his eyebrows slightly. "Oh. I was thinking of sticking around a little longer—"

Bryan gave him a stern look. "You've got school in the morning. And I don't need your Dad upset at me."

There was a pause. Milly saw the tension in Austin's jaw as he bit down on whatever response was crawling up his throat. He shifted his weight, then gave a clipped nod.

"Right," Austin muttered. "I'll text someone for a ride."

Sage looked between them, her smile faltering just a little. She reached out to squeeze Austin's arm. "Nah, Bry, and I could give you a ride. Right, Bry?"

Bryan nodded, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. And Austin was now glowing with glee.

And he turned to Milly, stepping forward and pulling her into a hug.

"Get home safely, and I love you," he said quietly against her shoulder.

Milly pulled back and gave him a soft smile, patting his chest like she used to when he was younger. "Austin, I love you too."

"Drive safe," Sage called as she, Austin, and Bryan waved them off.

Milly smiled to herself. It had been a long time since a day felt like this. And for once, she wasn't dreading what came next. If anything, she was excited. Excited for her daughter. For her future.

She glanced at Matty, who was singing horribly along to the music on the radio. For some reason, she didn't feel the need to tell him to stop. In fact, she could feel her daughter kicking.

Her daughter enjoyed his singing, and she did too.

When they pulled into her apartment lot, Matty reached for her hand and grinned.

"Well... looks like we arrived."

Once they reached Milly's door, Matty walked inside with all of her gifts and rested them on the floor.

"I will be back." Matty said, and Milly was confused; there was no more gifts.

"There's two more. You will see when I come back."

And Milly stood by the door until she saw Matty holding two large boxes.

"Your dad cornered me at the store," Matty said with mock horror. "Huge guy. Real scary."

Milly looked down. No wrapping paper, no decorations—just the words "For Milly" scribbled on top. Inside were a sling and a baby crib.

"He also told me to give you this," Matty said, handing her a sealed envelope.

Then he held a kind smile, but with a weary look. "Hey," he added. "Hopefully this time I don't owe you an apology."

Milly tilted her head, eyes growing wet but calm. "You didn't have to do this."

"I know," he nodded. "That's exactly why I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to stop me."

Her gaze dropped to all the gifts.

She looked back up. "You're annoying."

Matty smiled. "Yeah, well. I saw you smiling all day. That makes it worth it. You and LP deserve to be celebrated... whether you think so or not."

Milly blinked fast, then nodded.

Matty gently bumped her shoulder. "It's okay to let people show up for you, you know."

"I'm working on it."

"You're doing alright so far."

His hand twitched towards her and stopped. But Milly reached out and hugged him.

This baby shower was the best gift — she'd ever received.

She held him tightly for a few seconds, then let go.

"Matty, you're not so bad." Milly said and smiled.

He nodded and walked off.

Once Milly closed the door, her fingers carefully tore open the envelope.

She knew her Dad loved to give her letters; it was something between them. Ever since she was young, he gave her letters to make her feel special—especially after she told him everyone in her class had a pen pal, and he offered to be hers.

And she began to read it:

Milly,

I honestly love you so much.

Once Austin told me that the guy who hangs around your work wanted to throw you a baby shower, I felt a little guilty. Guilty that I wouldn't be able to attend. I know it wouldn't be right to go after what we did to you. And I know you may not hold any hostility toward me—but I do. I didn't want to bring your mom with me, and I didn't want to put pressure on you. When you're ready, you'll both be better.

But I still wanted to give you something.

I bought the sling because I remember how, when you were young, you always wanted me to hold you. You were always connected to me. And for that reason, I have a feeling your little girl won't want to be anywhere but wrapped in your arms. Maybe this will make it easier.

When I picked it up, I figured I should get you something useful too. I didn't give it to Austin because I wanted it to be something just between us. Not your mom. Not Austin. Just you and me.

I'm surprised that Matty kid is actually decent—I can't lie. I may have roughed him up a bit because you're still my baby. I didn't like the idea of him being too close. But I was wrong. He proved himself. And I know I don't need to protect you anymore. You've got the strength and wit of your mom.

Milly, I love you.

Milly didn't know why, but the tears fell from her eyes.

Her phone buzzed softly from a text.

Austin just got home, so I figured it was okay to reach out. I hope you liked the necklace. It reminded me of when you used to run straight into my arms without thinking twice. I hope you get to share memories like that with your daughter. I love you, Milly. —Mom

Milly heart skipped a beat, and it was as if LP knew. She felt a soft kick... and she smiled.

Thank you.

*
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Did you expect it to be a baby shower, or were you just as worried as Milly after that phone call?

How did it feel to see Milly being celebrated after everything she's been through? And is Matty growing on you?

What are your thoughts on the Bryan, Sage, and Austin situation? Should I keep exploring that dynamic in Milly's story, or do they deserve a book of their own?

How did you feel about the gifts from Milly's parents? Were they meaningful, or do you think they still have a long way to go?