Just us║E. Buckley x O.C.

The drive home was silent, but only on the surface.
Hope kept one hand on her stomach, as if trying to make sure it was all real, that tiny miracle growing inside her was truly there. Evan drove with one hand on the wheel, the other tightly holding hers. Neither of them spoke: there was no need. The silence was filled with emotion, with hope.

As soon as they stepped inside the house, the children rushed toward them with their still-uncertain but increasingly confident steps.
“Mamma!” they shouted in unison, clinging to Hope’s legs with overwhelming excitement.

Evan crouched down and scooped all three of them into his arms, like only he could.
“We have a surprise for you,” he said with a smile, exchanging a tender look with Hope. She returned it with a soft smile, full of understanding.

Later, they all sat together on the couch, the five of them wrapped in a soft blanket, warm lights casting a gentle glow around them. The quiet hum of home life embraced them.

Hope spoke in a soft voice, almost like she was telling them a bedtime story.
“In a few months, a new baby will be joining our family. You’re going to have a little sister, and when she’s older, you’ll be able to play with her.”

Charlotte furrowed her brow and made a funny face.
“Like us?”
Hope chuckled. “No, just one. One tiny little sister. But she’ll be special, just like each of you.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened in amazement.
“Can I hold her?”

Evan laughed. “Of course. But you’ll have to be very gentle. She’ll be tiny, smaller than all of you put together.”

Charlotte stood up on the couch and wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck.
“She’s going to be my best friend.”

Hope gently stroked her daughter’s hair.
“I’m sure she will be, sweetheart. And you two little men,” she added, turning to the twins, “I know you’ll always protect her.”

Evan suddenly started tickling them, making them burst into laughter, their giggles echoing through the living room and wrapping the moment in pure joy.

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Later that evening, when the house had finally quieted down, Hope sat on the edge of the pool, her legs dipped in the cool water. The moon reflected on the still surface, and for a moment, everything felt perfect. They had moved into that house just two months earlier, but it already felt like home, a peaceful haven built with love, dreams, and sacrifice.

Evan approached quietly and sat beside her.
He had just put the twins to bed after they had fallen asleep in their parents’ bed. Now they were resting peacefully in their new rooms.

“The kids were more excited than us,” he said with a soft laugh. “It was a mission getting them to sleep.”

Hope smiled, her eyes still on the water.
“I believe it. I was the same when my mom told Filippo and me we were going to have new siblings. We couldn’t stop asking questions.”

Evan turned to her and took her hand.
“I don’t know how it’ll go... if it’ll be hard or not. But I do know this: we’ll get through it together. These are our children. Our family. We’ve got this, Hope.”

He kissed the top of her head with a tenderness that only he could give. Hope leaned into him, finding warmth in his embrace.

“We’ve been through so much, Buck. So many moments where everything felt like it was falling apart. But we made it. We have each other, we have our families. We’re not alone.”

Hope felt her heart tighten. Despite all the fears, the scars of the past, and the traumas that still surfaced in quiet moments... their family had become a sanctuary.
A safe place.
A place to start again. Always.