MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat-Chapter 717: Big Sister News

A few days had passed quietly. The clinic visit confirmed what they already suspected, Svetlana was pregnant. Neither of them had told anyone.

Not even Aoife, despite how much she meant to them both. For now, it was something they wanted to keep between their small family.

Ava had spent those few days with her grandmother and was finally coming back home.

Damon drove to pick her up, and the moment she saw him through the window, she ran straight into his arms with her little backpack bouncing behind her.

He lifted her easily, holding her close as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

She was happy to be with him again, but there was a sadness in her voice when she said goodbye to Aoife. She waved from the car window until they turned the corner and her grandmother was out of sight.

The drive home was peaceful. Ava was unusually chatty, sitting in her car seat and kicking her feet as she talked.

She had stories about everything, what she ate, how she helped Aoife water the garden, the TV shows they watched, and how Aoife let her fall asleep in her bed "like a big girl."

Once they were home, Damon helped her take off her shoes and set her little bag aside. Svetlana was still upstairs getting ready, so he took the chance to sit with Ava in the living room.

She climbed onto the couch beside him, holding her favorite plush cat close.

"So," Damon said, stretching one arm over the back of the couch, "did you have fun at Grandma's?"

She nodded quickly. "Yes. Granny made pancakes! She let me pour the syrup."

"Let you?" Damon raised an eyebrow. "Or did you just grab the bottle?"

Ava grinned, clearly caught. "Maybe both."

He laughed softly and brushed her hair back behind her ear. "Did you miss me?"

She leaned in, resting her head against his side. "Yes. But I had fun."

Damon smiled. "That's good. You're allowed to have fun without us."

She looked up. "Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did. The house was too quiet."

She turned on the couch, pulling her legs up. "Where's Mommy?"

"She'll be down soon."

Ava didn't speak for a moment. Her eyes scanned the room, then focused back on Damon. "Did you and Mommy have fun too?"

Damon smiled again, this time slower. "Yeah. We had a special day."

He wasn't sure how to bring it up. They'd agreed that they'd tell Ava first. She was old enough to understand a little, and they wanted her to feel involved.

But just before he could say anything else, Svetlana stepped into the room.

She wore comfortable clothes, her hair tied loosely, still looking tired but smiling. "There's my girl."

Ava got up and rushed to her. Svetlana picked her up, even though her back was still sore from everything.

Damon stood. "You ready?"

Svetlana looked at him, then down at Ava. "Yeah. Let's do it now."

Svetlana sat on the couch with Ava on her lap, while Damon pulled over the small stool from the corner and sat in front of them.

Ava held her plush cat again, gently brushing its imaginary hair as if nothing serious was going on. Damon leaned forward.

"So," he said, "we have something to tell you."

Ava looked up, curious but distracted. "Is it about cake?"

"No," Svetlana said, holding back a laugh. "Not this time."

"Then is it about going to the zoo?"

"Nope," Damon said, smiling. "It's even bigger than the zoo."

Ava's eyes widened. "Bigger than the elephant?"

"Way bigger," Svetlana said, kissing the top of her head. "It's something that's going to happen soon, and it's about you."

Ava tilted her head. "Me?"

Damon nodded. "Do you know what a big sister is?"

She paused, thinking, then nodded slowly. "like theo?... he calls me little."

"Exactly," Svetlana said. "Well… guess what?"

Ava stared.

"You're going to be a big sister too," Damon said gently.

Ava blinked. "Me?"

"Yes, you," Svetlana said, tapping her nose. "There's a little baby in Mommy's tummy. Very small right now."

Ava looked down at Svetlana's stomach, confused. "Where?"

Svetlana chuckled. "Too small to see yet, but it's in there. Growing every day."

Ava reached out carefully and touched Svetlana's belly, then looked back up. "Is it sleeping?"

"Probably," Damon said. "Babies sleep a lot. But one day, you're going to have a little brother or sister."

Ava's mouth opened. "Like... forever?"

"Yes," Svetlana said. "Forever."

Ava sat back like she'd just been told she owned a castle. She was quiet for a few seconds.

"Can I share my toys?"

"You can," Damon said. "That's very sweet of you."

"But not Mr. Cat," Ava added seriously. "He's shy."

"Totally fair," Svetlana said.

Ava leaned into her again. "Is the baby going to be loud?"

"Yes," Damon said. "Very."

Ava sighed. "Okay… but I still want it."

They both laughed.

Svetlana hugged her tighter. "You're going to be the best big sister."

Ava nodded proudly. "I'll teach it stuff. Like how to color. And how to not eat bugs."

"Very important lessons," Damon said.

The three of them sat there a little longer, and while Ava kept asking odd, funny questions like if babies could eat cookies or if the baby could sleep in her drawer, Damon and Svetlana answered them all patiently.

Damon didn't wait long to bring it up.

As Ava continued asking about baby names and whether her new sibling would like cartoons, Damon gently shifted the conversation.

He glanced at Svetlana first, and she gave him a small nod. It was better to let Ava know early.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, rubbing her back lightly. "I need to tell you something else too."

Ava looked up from her toy. "More surprises?"

"Kind of," he said. "You know how Daddy fights on TV sometimes?"

She nodded. "You punch people."

He laughed under his breath. "Yes, but nicely."

Svetlana rolled her eyes but smiled.

"Well," Damon continued, "I'm going to be on TV again soon, but not for fighting. I'm going to be on a show… like a big competition. I'll be helping other fighters. Teaching them."

Ava tilted her head. "Like a coach?"

"Exactly. But it means I'll be away from home a bit more, just for a little while. Not forever."

Her smile faded slightly, and she leaned into Svetlana again.

"But I'll still call you all the time," Damon added quickly. "Every day. And when I'm back, we'll play even more."

Ava looked at him, processing.

"Will you miss my birthday?"

"No," Damon said without hesitation. "Never. I'll be here for that."

She stayed quiet for a second more, then said, "Okay… but I want bedtime calls."

"You'll get them," Damon promised. "Even if I'm tired, even if it's late. Deal?"

Ava reached out and grabbed his pinky finger with hers. "Deal."

The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on fre(e)webno(v)el.𝒸𝑜𝘮