"Wake up."

"No."

"Reece, you have to, baby."

"I don't. Sleep please."

"Baby, we have work in an hour and we both need to shower."

He doesn't respond for a moment before he slowly moves his head back from where he's had his face pressed into his pillow. He looks at me with hooded eyes and a lazy smile, shoulder muscles moving under his tattooed skin as he lifts himself up slightly. "Together?"

I flop back onto my pillow with a little breathless laugh, shaking my head. "You are unbelievable, Reece Carter."

His smiling face suddenly blocks my view of the ceiling as he rolls over, resting his forearms on either side of my head to hold himself above me. Leaning down, he captures my lips in a deliciously slow and leisurely kiss. When he pulls away, he murmurs with a grin, "Why, thank you, Layla Carter."

A slow grin forms on my own face at his words. We've been married for two years now, but it still feels surreal to think that I'm finally a Carter.

Our wedding day was one of the happiest days of my life. My favourite moment was just after we had walked back down the aisle and we went into a little room. There was a brief moment where Reece and I got to have a little time to ourselves just after the ceremony. I remember him pulling me into the room and backing me against the door, staring down at me with so much love in his eyes I could have cried.

The second I step over the threshold, Reece spins me around, stepping into the little waiting room and slamming the door closed. My eyes are wide as he presses me up against the door, the satin of my white dress pressing against the ironed fabric of his suit. His eyes sparkle as he stares down at me.

"We did it." He whispers despite the fact that we're alone in this room. When planning our wedding, we knew we wanted to have a moment of alone time before the hectic reception – even if it were just ten minutes. I couldn't be gladder that we did this because I couldn't have waited until tonight to finally get my hands on him.

I slide my hands up his chest to place my hands at the back of his neck. "We did. We're married."

"Holy shít," Reece laughs, tilting his head back, "You're my wife!"

I laugh along with him, unbelievably happy in this moment. "And you're my husband, baby."

He grins down at me, leaning forward to nuzzle his nose against mine. "You're officially Mrs. Carter now."

My eyes widen along with my grin, "Holy shít, I'm a Carter!"

He laughs, "Welcome to the club, Sunshine. I've been waiting a long time for this one."

I grin, looping my arms around his neck and pulling him in for a kiss. His lips press against mine firmly and I can feel him fighting his smile. I'm doing the same, and eventually we have to break apart when our smiles get too big.

"You remember our first date, when I asked you to be my girlfriend?" He asks suddenly.

I furrow my eyebrows, "That's going back a while, but of course. Why?"

"I told you then that it was the best day of my life. I lied."

"You've got to stop making that statement, baby. You keep having to correct yourself." I chuckle, grinning unbelievably wider.

"This is the best day of my life. I'm calling it. Nothing can top this. Ever. This is the last time I'm saying it because I know this time it's true." He kisses my forehead, then my nose, then finally presses his lips against mine once more.

When we pull away, I smile, pressing my forehead against his, "We'll see about that, Mr. Carter."

"Indeed we will, Mrs. Carter."

"So... Shower?" Reece looks down at me with a hopeful smile and I pretend to think about it for a moment.

"Hmm... I don't know..." I trail off and he begins peppering kisses all over every inch of my face. I immediately burst into fits of giggles. "Okay! Okay! I'm kidding!"

He stops and looks down at me again, "So, morning shower sex?"

I laugh, nodding, "Yes, morning shower sex. Now hurry up, or we'll be late."

"Yes!" He jumps up from bed and starts running towards our bathroom, already shimmying out of his pyjama pants. I follow after him, getting excited for the activities that are about to ensue as well.

After high school, Reece and I both ended up studying education. I always knew that I wanted to be an English and Music teacher, but it came as a surprise when Reece told me what he had been considering.

For a while, Reece didn't know what he wanted to do. He's always loved boxing, along with many other sports, and he's very good at it. But he didn't think going pro was for him. It was actually Gunner, who first sparked the idea of Reece teaching. He had noticed how good Reece was with teaching the kids at the gym, so he suggested becoming a personal trainer. Reece wasn't so keen on that idea, but then one day he came running into my room with the biggest smile on his face, telling me his idea.

The sound of footsteps pounding up the stairs has me pausing the strumming of chords on my guitar. I look up just in time to see Reece burst through the door of my room, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"I have something to tell you, Sunshine." He pants, stopping in front of where I'm sitting on the edge of my bed.

I look up at him with raised eyebrows and a small smile. "Well hello to you to."

"Sorry," He bends down and gently cups my cheeks, pressing his lips to mine in a lingering kiss before he pulls away, "Hi, Sunshine."

"Hi, baby. Now, what is so important that you came running in here like the house is on fire?" I set my guitar down beside me and watch as Reece begins to pace. I notice that he's probably picked up that habit from me and it makes me smile.

"So, you know how we're graduating soon and I haven't been able to decide what to do after high school?"

I frown slightly, knowing this has been a bit of a touchy subject as of late. "Yes..."

"Well I've been thinking a lot and I have an idea." He pauses his pacing and turns to look at me, face practically splitting in half with how wide he's smiling.

"Go on then." I laugh, ready to hear what he has to say.

"Okay, remember the other day when Gunner brought up the idea of coaching or becoming a personal trainer?"

"Yeah, you weren't keen on the idea..."

"No, I didn't like the idea of doing something one-on-one or just focusing on boxing. I love it, but I don't know if I could do just that for the rest of my life. So, then I was thinking about you and how you're going into education. And then boom! It came to me!" He suddenly stops and kneels down in front of me, taking my hands in his. "I'll study education too. I can be a gym teacher. It means I can teach kids sports and I can coach teams... I can even coach boxing for a school! Wouldn't that be amazing? I think that's what I want to do, Sunshine. I finally found what I want to do with my life."

Grinning widely, I cup his face in my hands, a laugh bubbling out of me. "Reece, that sounds incredible! That job would fit you perfectly. I can already see you being a teacher! And I can be an English teacher, and we'll work together!"

"Sunshine, I'm so ready for this. We're going to be starting a new chapter of our lives together."

I smile, leaning down to kiss his cheek. "I can't wait."

So, after we graduated, Reece and I both got accepted into UCLA and we studied for four years before becoming teacher aids for a couple of years. Then, six years after we graduated high school, we went back to the very same school. We were lucky enough to both get jobs at our old high school, me as an English teacher and him as a Gym teacher. We've been working there for about three years now and it's been amazing.

After spending way too much time in the shower, Reece and I start getting ready for our day. I was smart enough to pick out my outfit for today last night because I knew that I would be scrambling about this morning otherwise. So, within five minutes I'm dressed in some black pants with a grey sweater and a black belt.

Reece has a school sports polo shirt that he has to wear along with some comfortable pants, being a gym teacher and all. I on the other hand have to dress semi-formal every day.

I quickly blow-dry my hair and twist it back with a clip to keep it out of my face for the day. I then put on some black boots and start gathering everything I need for the day.

Every day without fail, I end up taking way longer than Reece to get ready. So, by the time I walk out of our bedroom and through to the kitchen, he already has toast with my favourite jam spread on it ready for me. I thank him with a quick kiss before we eat up and start heading out.

When we finally make it out of the door and into the car, I give myself a chance to breathe. I sit in the passenger seat while Reece is in the driver's seat and he starts the car, backing out of our driveway.

I take a moment to admire our little one-storey home. We bought it soon after we got married. It's not big, but it suits the two of us just fine. The place is big enough that maybe it could house another little addition one day.

Our drive to work is short, mostly spent with me singing along to songs on the radio while Reece just listens quietly. I try to get him to join in, but he never does. When we pull into school, it's still very early and there aren't many students there yet. We walk in and eventually we have to part ways and head to our separate departments.

Time for another long day of work.

~

I'm scared. I'm really fúcking scared.

Reece just left to go to the grocery store and now I am home alone. In my bathroom. Why am I in my bathroom? Because I just realised something that could change absolutely everything.

I check the app on my phone once more, but it doesn't change. It's been forty-one days. Forty-one days since I last got my period, according to my period-tracker. It is most definitely late.

I've had a pregnancy scare once before – almost a year ago now. It was a false alarm, but this time I'm not so sure. I stare at my body in the mirror, lifting my shirt to see if there's any notable changes. Apart from the usual bloating I have by the end of the day, there's nothing different. But even if I am pregnant, there won't be any change in my appearance yet.

I have to take a test.

I reach up into the cabinet above the sink and search for a moment before I find the box I'm looking for. I still have the tests from my last pregnancy scare, so I check to make sure they haven't expired before taking one out of the box. I quickly take the test and set it face-down on the counter. I set a timer on my phone before sitting on the closed toilet seat. It's the longest five minutes of my entire life.

I just about jump out of my skin when the timer goes off and I quickly stand up. Before I can take even one step towards the test, the front door slams closed and I freeze.

Reece is home. Shít.

I debate for a moment on what to do before grabbing the test and putting it behind my back without looking. This is a big moment for both of us. I want him to be the first one to look at it. I leave the bathroom and hear him call out to me.

"Sunshine! I got the pumpkin soup you like! I thought we could have that for dinner tonight!" He yells from the kitchen and I start heading towards him. When I walk into the kitchen he turns to me with a smile before continuing to unpack the groceries. "They also had mangos on special – they're in season at the moment – so I bought a bunch of those. I know you like to have them in those smoothies you make."

My heart lurches at his kindness. I don't deserve this man.

"Thanks, baby." I murmur, clutching the stick in my hand tighter. I'm suddenly thinking that maybe... maybe I want this test to be positive. I hadn't been hoping for either outcome, really. We haven't exactly been trying for a baby, but I want to spend the rest of my life with Reece. We both want kids, so... why not start a little family now?

"You alright, Sunshine? You're looking a bit pale." Reece turns to me then, walking forwards and looking down at me curiously.

"I'm okay, I just have something to show you." I tell him, swiping my tongue over my bottom lip nervously. What will his reaction be?

His eyebrows furrow slightly. "What is it?"

"I haven't looked yet... So you have to tell me. Okay?" I look up at him, biting down on my bottom lip. I've never been so nervous yet excited in my life. This could change everything.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but sure." He nods, starting to look serious.

I take a deep breath in before slowly bringing my hand out from behind my back. I take his hand in mine and place the pregnancy test face-down in his palm. Looking up into his eyes, I see him staring down at it in shock.

"Is that... A pregnancy test?" He asks in a whisper.

I nod. "My period's almost two weeks late. I had a test, so I took it, but I haven't looked yet. The timer just went off. I want you to look at it first."

He looks up at me with wide eyes. "What do we do if...?"

I shrug, already knowing what he means. "I don't know. We'll see I guess. But we have to know."

He nods gently and looks back down at the stick in his hands. He brings it closer to him and waits a couple seconds before slowly turning it over. I can't read his expression. His face doesn't budge an inch. I don't know what to think and I hate that he's leaving me in suspense. He just stares at the test. Then suddenly his eyes well up with tears and his hands drop to his sides. He brings his eyes up to me, a slow smile lifting his lips.

A shocked gasp leaves my lips as he drops to his knees before me, gripping my hips and pressing his face into my stomach. His shoulders shake with silent sobs for a few moments before he looks up at me with tear-stained cheeks and whispers. "We're having a baby."

My own tears start to form as my legs give out and I collapse into him. He catches me easily, pulling me into his lap and wrapping his arms around me. "I-It's positive?"

"Two lines, Sunshine. There's two red lines on this thing, look." He sniffles, bringing the test up between us so that I can look at it. He's right. The second line is faint, but it's definitely there.

"There's a little baby growing inside me." I whisper, moving my hands to cup my stomach.

Reece rests his much larger, tattooed hands over mine and nods his head. "A little bit of me and a little bit of you. We made a baby, Sunshine. You're pregnant."

"We're going to be parents, baby." I laugh through my happy tears and Reece smiles.

"I changed my mind. I know I said that our wedding day was the happiest day of my life, but this tops it. I didn't think anything could, but this does."

"You need to stop calling it so early! We're not even thirty yet and you're saying this is the best day of your life?"

"You're growing a little person made of me and you inside of you, Sunshine. What could possibly top that?"

I chuckle, shaking my head to myself as I lean my head against his shoulder. For a moment, I think back to our time in high school together. I couldn't be happier that I took a risk and talked to him that day in the parking lot. Because if I hadn't taken that risk, I wouldn't be here with him today. We wouldn't be on our way to starting a family together.

I wouldn't be His Sunshine.