Blacktail Deer Plateau I've swam the beaches on the west coast

Their shared certainty on the matter helped relax him, if only a little bit; if they were sure, then he should be, too. And although being certain of it didn’t necessarily make him any less worried, it did soothe him of any lingering panic—quelling the worries entirely would be for another day.

“Okay,” he repeated, a little sturdier with his words this time around. “I’ll do it.” Maybe, when the time actually came around, he would be a bit more confident (he was banking on this thought, actually). And perhaps, over time and as his anxiety died down, he might even grow to be excited. But in the meantime, he wore a ghost of a smile and said, “So then… after”—a pause, short-lived—“our family will be even bigger. I like the idea of that.” Even if the entire situation itself made him feel awkward as hell, he hung onto that part. For dear life.