This Christmas you had made it home without a delayed flight. You had been there in time to open presents with your family and enjoyed all the festivities that you expect each year to be involved in. Unlike last Christmas, where you spent the holiday stuck in an airport terminal with your fiancé Seunghoon, this time you spent it with your now husband and your families. It had felt like a perfect way to wrap up the year, but you knew better now.

It was New Year’s Eve and you wondered why it was becoming a tradition for this day to hold significant meaning to you. Last year you had used the last day of the year to show off the new addition to your ring finger, letting everyone know you and Seunghoon were engaged. Now you would have more news to share and you were anxious to do so.

“You okay?” a familiar voice asked and you turned to see Seunghoon approaching you, kissing you on the top of your head before enveloping you in his arms. You sighed happily, it didn’t matter how many times he took you in an embrace it felt magical every time. You had to work hard to keep your emotions at bay and not blurt out what you needed to tell him right now though. You wanted him to be surprised, and whilst he would be, you wanted the heightened atmosphere of the countdown to the New Year to assist your big news.

Even if you felt like you would combust before that time tonight.

“I’m fine now that you’re here,” you murmured and he smiled, looking at you for further information. Since you weren’t giving any up, he pouted.

“You look tired,” he concluded and you nodded. After all, it wasn’t a lie. You had been struggling with sleep lately and it showed. Seunghoon then smiled again. “But even so you still look beautiful tonight. Are you ready to go out to the party?”

“Just give me a few minutes and I’ll join you,” you replied, smiling as your husband walked off and you were left staring into the reflection of yourself in the mirror.

You nodded once. You could do this.

Seunghoon could tell there was something up with you all night. You were barely conversing with him, opting to find others in the party to greet and talk with instead. At first, he left it down to you wanting to catch up with friends and family, but as the night wore on, he knew there was something you were avoiding.

More than just him too.

He let you go for some time, observing you from afar as best as he could. But then he grew concerned. You kept placing down glasses of champagne when handed one and you hadn’t really eaten any food offered to you. Were you sick? He was all too happy to not see the New Year in if you needed to go back to the room and rest up.

He excused himself from talking with your Father and walked over to your side, grabbing your elbow to garner your attention. You stared up at him wide-eyed for only a moment and then smiled. “Are you having a good night?”

“Are you okay?” he asked for the second time tonight, brushing off your question with his own. Your eyes diverted from his and he frowned, he knew you too well for you to successfully hide anything from him. “Are you unwell?”

You shot your head back up and nodded a bit too enthusiastically. He eyed your reaction warily. “You know how you noticed I was tired, well I feel a little nauseous too. But I’m okay. I want to stay tonight.”

“If you’re feeling unwell, we should just go,” he suggested and you grabbed onto his lower arm, encouraging him to let go of the idea. He sighed heavily and looked around the party before back at you. “We can stay a little bit longer but if you start to feel worse, let me know and we’ll retire early, okay?”

You nodded with a smile. “Deal.”

Despite the promise, he didn’t feel comfortable leaving your side and you were starting to sweat over keeping up your act. You clutched at your purse for dear life, knowing what laid inside was itching to come out much like the words were. But you needed to wait; you had done so well to make it to fifteen minutes until midnight as it was. There had been a couple of slip-ups that you managed to catch before Seunghoon or anyone around you did, and whilst you were thankful, it had you teetering on the edge of an anxious excitement, you wanted to get it out and done with so the stress of your secret would be over, yet you were anticipating his reaction. Would he laugh, cry, do both? You had never told him anything big like this before, and you wondered as the minutes ticked by how to announce it. You were so invested in your thoughts that when you walked right into the appetisers’ table leg, Seunghoon had to grab you before you fell over.

He mistook it for dizziness. “Right that’s it, we’re going.”

“No, Hoon, I’m fine! There’s only a couple of minutes until the countdown. I can make it.”

“You’re not focusing on anything anymore!” he cried in frustration, searching your eyes for an answer. “Why are you being so stubborn? It’s just another night babe. We don’t need to stay up and-”

The one minute countdown began and you smiled, not quite listening to the words your husband was still speaking. He stopped as the room filled with excited chanting the closer it got to the mere seconds left of this year, and he heaved a heavy breath right as you dove into your purse, retrieving the weight you had been carrying around all night long.

“Eleven – ten – nine –”

You held it up to Seunghoon, who froze.

“Eight – seven –”

“Seunghoon, I’m pregnant!” you called out and then grinned, catching up with the numbers being counted down. “Five – four – three –”

Your lips were captured within his then and the New Year struck loudly within the room as Seunghoon kissed you passionately. When he finally pulled away, he had tears in his eyes.

“Really?!” he asked and you laughed as your own happiness brimmed within your tear ducts, bouncing your head up and down as you laughed again. Seunghoon hugged you tightly before you were both jostled by other members of the function celebrating. You quickly snapped the test back and hid it in your purse as your parents came over to greet you in the New Year, Seunghoon giving you an odd look until you were alone again.

“Don’t you want to tell them yet?” he asked and you shook your head. “Why not?”

“I know last year we surprised them with our big news and we’re in a position to do it again, but I only just tested yesterday. Whilst it still was positive this morning too, I want to make sure we can give them something more than just a pregnancy test.”

“Like a sonogram?” he offered and you nodded. Seunghoon grinned again and rested his forehead on yours. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” you uttered, kissing him again.

“I can’t believe this.”

“Neither can I. Who knew this year would bring us another adventure and so soon too?” you wondered and Seunghoon’s eyes widened.

“This time next year we’ll have a baby.”

You smiled giddily, letting him capture your lips again in a breath-taking kiss. And as you continued to kiss well into the start of the New Year, you were glad you decided to tell Seunghoon tonight. Because there was another 365 days ahead of you both, and during those, you knew there would be another special date aside from New Years and your wedding anniversary to celebrate.

Your adventure ahead had never looked so fulfilling until now.