The school bell had barely finished ringing when Rachel came out of the gate, her backpack bouncing lightly behind her and a pout stuck firmly on her face.
Bella's smile faltered the moment she saw her. She exchanged a quick glance with Lucas, who raised a brow and opened the car door for Rachel.
"Hey, little sunshine," Bella said gently as Rachel climbed in and buckled her seatbelt. "What's with that face?"
Rachel just gave a small shrug and looked out the window, lips pressed together.
"Did something happen at school?" Lucas asked, turning in his seat to face her slightly. "Did someone say something?"
Still no answer—just another shrug and a heavier sigh.
Bella turned slightly in her seat to face her better. "Sweetheart, you know you can talk to us, right?"
Rachel stayed quiet for a few seconds more, as though weighing whether it was even worth saying out loud. Then finally, she muttered, "Lily got a baby sister today."
Lucas and Bella glanced at each other again, softer this time.
"Oh," Bella said, understanding beginning to dawn. "And that made you sad?"
Rachel didn't look at them. "Everyone's talking about babies and how fun it is to be a big sister and how they get to help and all that." Then she added with a sigh, "And I… I don't have a sibling."
Lucas stayed quiet, letting her speak freely.
That's when Rachel turned toward Bella, her expression half confused and half hopeful. "But, Mommy… you said before… when I get a dad, I'll get a sibling." Her eyes flicked toward Lucas. "Now I have a dad."
Bella's mouth parted slightly in surprise. She remembered saying that. Months ago. A quiet moment between just the two of them, back when everything had been simpler… and lonelier.
Lucas chuckled softly. "She's got a memory like a vault."
Bella blushed. "I did say that, didn't I?"
Rachel sat up straighter in the backseat. "So?"
Lucas glanced at Bella, his expression asking should we?
Bella nodded.
"We were going to wait," Lucas said as he turned onto their street, "but I think someone has earned a surprise."
Rachel's eyes lit up instantly. "A surprise?! What surprise?"
"Patience," Bella teased. "Close your eyes until we say so."
"No peeking," Lucas added as they pulled into the driveway.
Rachel groaned dramatically but covered her eyes with both hands. "Okay, okay!"
They guided her into the house, one hand in each of theirs. Bella whispered something to Lucas, who quickly went into the kitchen and returned with a plate of her favorite cookies—chocolate chip, still a little warm from earlier.
"Ready?" Bella asked.
Rachel squealed behind her hands. "Yes!"
"Open your eyes!" Lucas said.
Rachel's eyes flew open and instantly widened. "Cookies!"
Bella crouched down beside her and smiled. "And guess what goes best with cookies?"
Rachel blinked. "Um… milk?"
Lucas laughed. "True. But also… a surprise."
She looked between them, puzzled and curious.
"You're going to be a big sister, munchkin," Bella said softly.
Rachel froze. "Really?"
Bella nodded.
Lucas knelt beside her. "Really. There's a baby growing in Mommy's tummy."
Rachel's mouth formed a perfect "O" before she shrieked in delight and threw her arms around Bella. "I'm going to be a big sister?!"
"Yes, you are," Bella laughed, hugging her tightly.
Rachel then launched herself into Lucas's arms. "And I have a dad and a sibling now!"
Lucas hugged her gently, brushing a kiss to the top of her head. "Exactly."
Rachel bounced back toward the cookies. "I'm going to help with the baby every day! I'll sing lullabies and help fold the tiny clothes and tell bedtime stories!"
Bella's eyes shone as she watched her daughter's joy bubble over.
Lucas wrapped an arm around her waist and whispered, "Well… I think that went well."
Bella leaned into him, her heart full. "Better than I imagined."
As Rachel nibbled on a cookie and listed off baby names like "Peanut" and "Muffin" they both knew they'd remember this moment forever.