All Chapters of We Were Almost : Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

Maya woke up at 3am with a strange feeling.Not pain. Not yet. Just... different.She lay still for a moment. Listening to her body. Waiting.Then it came. A tightening across her belly. Not strong. Just there.She timed it. Forty-five seconds. Then it faded.She waited.Ten minutes later, another one.She woke Ethan."Ethan.""Mmm?""I think it's time."He was awake instantly."What? Now? Are you sure?""Pretty sure.""What do we do?""We time them. Wait. Go to the hospital when they're close together.""How close?""Five minutes apart.""Okay. Five minutes. I can do that."He grabbed his phone. Opened a timer.She laughed."What?""You're adorable.""I'm terrified.""Same."The contractions got closer.Seven minutes apart. Then six. Then five.Maya breathed through each one. Ethan timed. Panicked. Brought water. Panicked some more."You're doing great," he said."I'm dying.""You're not dying.""I feel like dying.""You're having a baby. It's supposed to hurt.""Remind me why we did

Week eight, Maya finally felt like herself again.Not completely. Parts of her would never be the same. But the fog was lifting. The exhaustion settling into something manageable.She looked at herself in the mirror. Same face. Same eyes. Different person.Mother.Grace was growing fast.Eight weeks old and already changing. More alert. More interactive. Those dark eyes following Maya around the room."Hi, sweet girl. You see me?"Grace stared. Intent. Seriously."What are you thinking about there? World peace? Dinner? Why do we keep putting you in that bouncy seat?"Grace blew a bubble."Good answer."Ethan came home with coffee.Two cups. One for her. One for him."You're a lifesaver.""You're the one who kept a tiny human alive all night.""Team effort.""Always."They sat on the couch. Grace in her bouncy seat between them. Coffee in hand. Perfect.That afternoon, Bisi came over with Amara.Amara was walking now. Full speed. Into everything."Sorry," Bisi said, chasing her. "She's

Grace smashed her first birthday cake with the enthusiasm of someone who had been waiting her whole life for this moment.Frosting flew. Tiny fists pounded the cake into submission. A grin spread across her face that made everyone in the room laugh.Maya stood back, watching. Camera in one hand. The other pressed to her mouth. Tears streamed down her face.Ethan appeared beside her."You're crying again.""I'm always crying.""It's a happy day.""That's why I'm crying."He put his arm around her. Squeezed."She's pretty great, isn't she?""The greatest."The living room was full of people. Balloons floating near the ceiling. Presents stacked on the coffee table. Chaos everywhere.Amara, now two and a half, was trying to "help" Grace eat her cake. She kept pointing at the frosting and saying, "Eat, Gracie! Eat!" Then she'd try to put it in Grace's mouth herself. Most of it ended up on both their faces.Bisi was taking photos. Dozens. Hundreds. Kneeling, standing, climbing on furniture

Three months later, Bisi called with news."I'm pregnant."Maya screamed."BISI!""I know!""Another baby!""I know!""You're doing it!""I know!"They screamed together for a full minute. Grace, now fifteen months old, watched from the floor with wide eyes.Amara, almost three, covered her ears."Mama loud," she announced.Bisi laughed."Sorry, baby. Mama's excited."They met at the café to celebrate.Bisi was glowing. Literally glowing. The same early pregnancy glow Maya remembered from herself."You look amazing," Maya said."I feel terrible. Sick all the time.""That's how you know it's working.""Small comfort."They laughed.Amara was with Dayo. Grace was with Ethan. Just the two of them. Like old times."Remember when we used to do this?" Bisi asked. "Just us. Coffee. Talking for hours.""I remember.""Feels like a lifetime ago.""It was. Different lifetimes."Bisi looked at her."Better now?""Different now. Not better. Not worse. Just... more.""More is good.""More is everyt

It started with a throwaway comment.Bisi was on the phone with Maya, complaining about something mundane. Grocery prices. Toddler tantrums. The usual."You should just start a business," Maya said.Bisi laughed."Right. With what time? What energy? What money?""I don't know. But you're always talking about wanting something more. Maybe that something is work. Your own work."Bisi was quiet."I'm serious. You're creative. You're smart. You're bored out of your mind. That's a recipe for something."That night, Bisi couldn't stop thinking about it.A business. Her own business.She'd always wanted to. Back in her twenties, she had ideas. Plans. Dreams.Then life happened. Marriage. Kids. Routines.The dreams got buried.She brought it up with Dayo.They were in bed. Lights off. Daniel is finally asleep."Can I ask you something crazy?""Always.""What if I started a business?"He was quiet for a moment."What kind of business?""I don't know yet. Something small. Something of mine. May