Updated Oct 23, 2025 • ~11 min read
LINA’S POV
“I’m not going,” I said, staring at the email.
“You have to go,” Seb replied from the kitchen where he was making breakfast. “It’s part of the custody agreement.”
“Parenting classes. With Jasper.” I read the message again, hoping the words would change. “Why do we have to take classes together?”
“Because the court wants to ensure you can co-parent effectively.” He set a plate of eggs in front of me. “Eat. The baby needs protein.”
“The baby needs me not to be stressed.”
“Then don’t be stressed. It’s eight weeks of classes. A few hours on Saturday mornings. You can handle Jasper for a few hours.”
I pushed the eggs around my plate. “What if it’s weird? What if he tries to—I don’t know—bond with me or something?”
“Then I’ll be there to un-bond you.” Seb sat across from me. “I’m coming with you, Lina. Natalia already cleared it with the court. You, me, and Jasper. One big happy co-parenting trio.”
“That sounds like a nightmare.”
“It’ll be fine.” But he didn’t look entirely convinced.
SEB’S POV
The parenting class was held in a community center that smelled like old coffee and dry erase markers.
Jasper was already there when we arrived, sitting alone in the circle of chairs. He stood when he saw us, looking uncomfortable in jeans and a sweater.
“Lina. Sebastian.” He nodded at me. “Thanks for agreeing to this.”
“Didn’t have much choice,” Lina muttered.
“Right. Well. I appreciate it anyway.” He sat back down, leaving two chairs between us.
Other couples filtered in—most of them looking excited, holding hands, glowing with anticipation. Then there was us. The awkward triangle of people who’d created a baby through a one-night stand and were now legally required to learn how to parent together.
The instructor, a cheerful woman named Brielle, clapped her hands.
“Welcome, everyone! I’m so excited to start this journey with you all. Let’s go around and introduce ourselves. Name, due date, and one thing you’re most excited about regarding parenthood.”
Perfect. Nothing like forced vulnerability with strangers.
We went around the circle. Happy couples sharing their joy. And then it was our turn.
“I’m Lina,” my wife said. “Due in March. And I’m most excited about… meeting my baby.”
Safe. Neutral. Good.
“I’m Sebastian. Lina’s husband. And I’m excited about all of it.”
Brielle beamed. “Wonderful! And you, sir?”
Jasper shifted in his seat. “Jasper. I’m the biological father. Not married to Lina. But we’re co-parenting.”
The room went silent. Several couples exchanged glances.
“Oh!” Brielle recovered quickly. “How modern! We love all family configurations here. Thank you for sharing.”
The class continued, covering basics—baby safety, sleep schedules, feeding options. Every time Brielle demonstrated something on the practice doll, she’d call on a couple to try.
“Lina and Sebastian, why don’t you practice swaddling?”
We moved to the front. I took the doll while Lina held the blanket, and we fumbled through the technique together.
“Tighter,” Brielle coached. “You want the baby to feel secure, like they’re back in the womb.”
“They’re literally coming from the womb,” I muttered. “Seems redundant.”
Lina stifled a laugh. “Seb, focus.”
We finally got it, sort of. The doll looked like a burrito, which was apparently correct.
“Excellent! Jasper, would you like to try?”
Jasper stood, walking to the front. Lina handed him the doll, and I watched them stand there together—the biological parents of the baby Lina was carrying. The baby I was pretending was mine.
Except I wasn’t pretending anymore. Was I?
“You okay?” Lina whispered, touching my arm.
“Fine,” I lied.
LINA’S POV
During the break, Jasper approached us at the coffee station.
“This is weird, right?” he said. “Not just me?”
“Extremely weird,” I agreed.
“I appreciate you both being here. I know it’s not easy.” He poured himself coffee. “How are you feeling? With the pregnancy?”
“Good. Tired. Emotional about everything.” I added sugar to my decaf. “The baby’s moving more now. It’s surreal.”
“Can I… I mean, would it be okay if I…” He gestured vaguely at my stomach.
Every muscle in Seb’s body tensed.
“Maybe not yet,” I said gently. “It’s still early. But when the baby’s bigger, maybe.”
Jasper nodded, looking disappointed but understanding. “Yeah. Of course. I just… I want to be involved, you know? Not just in theory.”
“You will be,” Seb said, his voice tight. “That’s why we’re here. Learning how to do this together.”
“Right. Together.” Jasper looked between us. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad the baby has you, Sebastian. Lina’s lucky.”
“I’m the lucky one,” Seb said.
The second half of class focused on partner support during labor. Brielle demonstrated breathing techniques, pressure points, encouragement phrases.
“Partners, your job is to be the calm in the storm. The laboring parent will be in pain, possibly for hours. You need to be their anchor.”
She called on couples to practice. When she got to us, she paused.
“Lina, who will be your support person during labor?”
I looked at Seb. Then at Jasper.
“Sebastian,” I said. “My husband will be with me.”
“And Jasper? Will you be present?”
“I’d like to be,” Jasper said quietly. “If Lina’s okay with that.”
All eyes turned to me.
“I… I don’t know. Can I think about it?”
“Of course! It’s your birth, your choice.” Brielle smiled. “Now, Sebastian, let’s practice some breathing exercises with Lina.”
Seb knelt in front of me, taking my hands. “Breathe with me. In through the nose…”
I followed his lead, breathing in sync, and the room fell away. It was just us, like it always was. Like it had been since that courthouse ceremony.
“Good,” Brielle said. “You two have great chemistry. Very connected.”
Because we were. Actually, genuinely connected.
After class, we walked to the car in silence. Jasper had left immediately, mumbling something about work.
“That was torture,” I said.
“Complete torture,” Seb agreed.
“He asked to feel the baby move.”
“I know. I heard.”
“You looked like you wanted to punch him.”
“I didn’t want to punch him. I wanted to throw him through a window. Very different.”
I laughed despite myself. “Seb, we have seven more weeks of this.”
“I’m aware.”
“Can you handle it? Seeing him? Sharing this?”
He stopped walking, turning to face me. “Lina, I’m not sharing you. Or the baby. Jasper is biologically connected to this child, yes. But I’m the one who’s here. Who’s going to be here. For all of it.”
“Including labor?”
“Especially labor. Wild horses couldn’t keep me out of that room.” He touched my face. “You’re mine. This baby is ours. Jasper can have visitation and co-parenting agreements, but he doesn’t get this. Us.”
I kissed him, right there in the parking lot, not caring who saw.
“I love you,” I said against his lips.
“I love you too. Even when you make me attend parenting classes with your ex.”
“He’s not my ex. He’s… I don’t even know what he is.”
“An inconvenience?”
“Seb!”
“A necessary inconvenience?”
“Better.”
SEB’S POV
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
I kept thinking about Jasper standing there, wanting to feel the baby move. Wanting to be involved. Having every legal right to be part of this child’s life.
“You’re thinking too loud,” Lina murmured beside me.
“Sorry.”
She turned to face me in the darkness. “Talk to me.”
“I’m jealous,” I admitted. “Of Jasper. Of his biological connection to the baby. Of the fact that he’ll always have that and I won’t.”
“Seb—”
“I know it’s irrational. I know I chose this. But watching him today, asking to feel the baby, being the actual father…” I ran a hand through my hair. “Sometimes I forget this baby isn’t mine. And then something reminds me and it hurts.”
“This baby IS yours.” Her hand found mine in the dark. “Maybe not genetically. But in every way that matters. You’re the one who’s been here. Who held my hair when I was sick. Who came to appointments. Who’s reading parenting books at two AM because you’re terrified of messing up.”
“You’ve noticed that?”
“I notice everything about you.” She squeezed my hand. “Seb, Jasper contributed DNA. That’s biology. But you’re contributing your heart. Your time. Your life. That’s family.”
“What if the baby doesn’t see it that way? What if they grow up and want Jasper instead?”
“Then we’ll handle it. Together. But Sebastian, love isn’t a competition. This baby will have enough love to go around. They can love Jasper and still love you. Probably love you more, since you’ll be the one actually raising them.”
“You’re very confident about that.”
“I am. Because I know you. And any kid would be lucky to have you as a father.”
I pulled her close, breathing in the lavender scent of her hair. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For making me believe I can do this.”
“You can. We can.” She yawned. “Now sleep. We have another class next week and I need you well-rested so you don’t actually punch Jasper.”
“No promises.”
But I did sleep, eventually. With Lina in my arms and the knowledge that whatever happened with Jasper, whatever legal agreements existed, this—us—was real.
And real beat biology any day.
LINA’S POV
The next Saturday, class was about infant care—bathing, diaper changing, handling a newborn safely.
Jasper arrived late, looking frazzled.
“Sorry. Work thing.” He sat down, two chairs away like always.
Brielle divided us into stations. Seb and I ended up at the diaper-changing station, fumbling with a practice doll that was, frankly, unrealistic.
“Real babies don’t stay this still,” the mom next to us said. “Mine came out angry and hasn’t stopped moving since.”
“Encouraging,” I said.
Seb managed to get the diaper on backwards.
“How is that even possible?” I asked.
“I’m an engineer, not a childcare expert.”
“You’re going to be changing a lot of diapers. You should probably figure out which end is which.”
“I’ll have six months to practice.”
At the bathing station, I held the doll while Seb pretended to wash it. His hands were gentle, careful, and I could suddenly picture him doing this for real. With our baby.
“You’re going to be good at this,” I said softly.
“You think?”
“I know.”
Jasper watched us from across the room. There was something in his expression—not quite jealousy, but maybe longing. Like he wanted what we had but knew he couldn’t have it.
During break, he approached again.
“Can I talk to you? Both of you?”
We stepped outside, away from the other couples.
“I’ve been thinking,” Jasper said. “About the birth. About being there. And I think… I think maybe I shouldn’t be in the delivery room.”
Relief flooded through me, though I tried to hide it.
“Why?” Seb asked.
“Because it’s intimate. And I’m not… we’re not…” He looked at me. “You should have Sebastian there. Your husband. The person you’re actually doing this with. I can meet the baby after. When things are calmer.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Yeah. It’s the right call. For everyone.” He smiled sadly. “Besides, I’d probably just be in the way. Make things weird.”
“Thank you,” Seb said quietly. “For understanding.”
“Yeah, well. I’m trying.” Jasper shoved his hands in his pockets. “I know I messed up. With the custody thing. With everything. I’m trying to do better.”
“You are,” I said. “We all are.”
After class, in the car, Seb took my hand.
“That was big. What he did.”
“I know.”
“Are you okay with it? Him not being at the birth?”
“I’m relieved,” I admitted. “Is that terrible?”
“It’s honest.” He brought my hand to his lips. “I want it to be us, Lina. When our baby comes into the world. Just us.”
“Our baby,” I echoed. “I like when you say that.”
“Good. Because I’m never going to stop.”
We drove home in comfortable silence, and I thought about how far we’d come. From a coffee shop arrangement to this—a real marriage, a real life, a real future.
Seven more weeks of parenting classes.
Three more months until the baby arrived.
And a lifetime of figuring it out together.
I couldn’t wait.
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