Chapter 368

Nina

It wasn’t long before I realized where Enzo was taking us: into town, and to the diner, the location of many a late-night date.

“I should’ve known,” I murmured with a half-hearted smile as we slid into our regular booth.

“It’s been a little while,” Enzo said, his eyes scanning the menu. “And I’m hungry.”

I hadn’t been working regularly at the diner since we got married. In fact, I hadn’t been working much at all outside of being the team doctor for the hockey team during game season and volunteering occasionally around town. In a strange way, I missed it. Maybe, I thought to myself, I would come back to it at some point. But that felt like a silly thought; as if I would have the time, what with a baby on the way and medical school.

The server came over, a familiar face who greeted us with a forced smile. “The usual?”

“Yeah,” Enzo responded, handing back the menus. She nodded and left us alone, with nothing but the tension that we had brought in with us.

“I’ve been thinking,” I began, twirling a napkin in my hands. “About what you said—the ultimatum. It’s a lot to process in 48 hours, Enzo. I don’t know if I want to move back in with my parents, and I’m not sure if I can make a decision like that so quickly.”

He sighed, leaning back in the booth. “And I don't know if I want to quit my job, Nina. But one of us needs to make a decision. For the baby’s sake/”

I shook my head, feeling a surge of frustration. “But that’s just it. Why does it have to be so black and white? Why can’t we find a middle ground?”

“Because sometimes life doesn’t give you that luxury,” he said, his voice tinged with weariness. “We have to be practical. We have a baby on the way.”

“Yeah, a baby that neither of us planned for,” I shot back. “Do you not think that scares me too?”

He looked at me, his eyes searching mine. “Of course it does. But we can’t undo it now. We have to think about the future.”

“The future,” I echoed, staring at the worn tabletop. “And where do our dreams fall into that? Do they just get pushed to the wayside?”

He sighed, a sound heavy with resignation. “Sometimes dreams change. Or they get delayed.”

I shook my head, the lump in my throat growing larger. “I never wanted to give up on them entirely.”

“And who says we are?” he said, his eyes meeting mine. “We’re just adjusting them to fit a new reality. That doesn’t mean giving up.”

"But it feels like it," I whispered. "It feels like I'm losing a part of myself, and I don’t know how to deal with that."

“I’m scared, too,” he countered, his voice tinged with desperation. “You think I don’t worry about losing myself too? And yet, I’m willing to give it up for you, for us, if I have to.”

The server returned, setting our food in front of us, a plate of fries and two milkshakes—just like old times. Neither of us touched it.

“I just… I didn’t want this, Enzo. This whole situation. It’s not what I had in mind for us.”

His eyes locked onto mine. “Life throws curveballs, Nina. If you want to keep the baby, we have to accept that not all dreams may come true, not the way we envisioned them.”

“I know,” I said, my eyes filling with tears that I refused to let fall. “But it’s hard, Enzo. We’re being asked to compromise so much, and I don’t know if I’m ready for that level of sacrifice.”

“And you think I am?” he asked softly, his hand reaching across the table to cover mine. “But maybe that’s what love is, Nina. Maybe it’s about making sacrifices for someone else’s happiness, even if it means putting your dreams on hold.”

It was as if the air got thicker around us. Our milkshakes started to melt, the fries growing cold, but neither of us moved. The jukebox switched to another song, filling the space between us.

“So what do we do?” I finally asked, my voice a mere whisper.

“I wish I knew,” Enzo responded, his grip on my hand tightening.

“Do you even want to keep the baby?” I finally blurted out, unable to contain the question any longer. The words hung heavy in the air, almost tangible, like they’d materialized and were sitting right there on the table next to our untouched milkshakes.

Enzo’s gaze didn’t waver. “Of course I do. Why would you even ask that?”

“Because,” I paused, searching for the right words. “If we’re going to make these sacrifices, these huge life changes, I need to know it’s what we both want. And with everything else going on…”

He looked at me, his eyes softening. “Nina, I want this child. But I can’t sit by and watch you and the baby be in danger if you’re going to be stubborn about this.”

I looked at him, trying to read between the lines. “You mean, if I don’t move in with my parents?”

He nodded, his face serious. “Your parents can provide a level of security and support that I can’t, especially if I’m gone. I don’t like it any more than you do, but it’s the responsible thing to consider.”

My mind raced. I could see the logic in his words, and yet it hurt to think about living away from him, about going through the pregnancy while he was off chasing his career. And then it hit me.

“Okay,” I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. “But what if I come with you? What if we made this new place our home, at least for a while?”

Enzo looked surprised, then thoughtful, his eyes searching mine as if trying to gauge whether I was serious. “You’d do that?”

I nodded, feeling a tentative sense of relief. “Yes, I’d do that. I’d go wherever you go.”

He sighed, a long, drawn-out sound that felt like it carried the weight of the world. “That’s incredibly sweet, Nina, but you have to consider the logistics. I’ll be living in a hotel room in a city neither of us knows. That’s not conducive for a pregnant woman, let alone a new mom. And what about medical school?”

I opened my mouth to protest but then closed it again. The reality of what he was saying sank in, crashing down like a wave of cold water. He was right, of course. Medical school was my dream, a goal I had been working towards for years. And yet, the idea of being apart from him, especially now, felt unbearable.

“I know you’re right,” I finally said, my voice tinged with regret. “But I hate it.”

“I hate it too,” he said softly, his eyes meeting mine. “But sometimes doing the right thing isn’t the easy thing.”

There was a long silence as his words sank in even further. The thought of it all was so scary, and yet I couldn’t let go of this little life living inside of me. Already, my maternal instincts were kicking in, and I knew that this was what I wanted. It was going to be messy and confusing, but somehow, I knew that it would be worth it in the end.

“Alright,” I finally said, taking in a shaky breath. “I’ll move in with my parents in the werewolf realm. But only when you officially leave for your job. And the minute you’re back, so am I.”

Enzo looked at me, his eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and sorrow. “That sounds like a plan.”

“A shitty plan,” I added, the bitterness creeping into my voice.

“But a necessary plan,” he countered, reaching for my hand and squeezing it tightly.