“That’s all that’s in here.”
“That’s not going to last long, is it? Babies have to eat all the time, don’t they?” Foster pressed.
“Fuck if I know.”
I was about to panic, but instead I carefully repositioned Aurora—I was going to need to shorten that name—and reached into my pocket to grab my phone. “Hey Siri, how often do six-week-old babies need to eat?”
“Oh, yeah, you’re gonna be a great dad,” Liam said, biting his lip like he was fighting back a smile.
“Fuck you, Li. How else are we supposed to figure this shit out? None of us know anything about babies.”
“Hold on. I’ve got an idea,” Gordy said before he walked out the door.
“What are you going to do with her during your classes and practice?” Foster asked.
The reality of it crashed over me like ice water. I couldn’t exactly strap Aurora to my chest and skate drills. I couldn’t take her to lecture halls. I had commitments, responsibilities that wouldn’t just disappear because my entire life had been turned upside down.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, and the words tasted like panic. “I haven’t thought that far ahead.”
“Okay,” Liam said, and I could practically see his brain switching into problem-solving mode. “Let’s figure this out. You need help, and we’re here.”
“You guys don’t have to?—”
“Don’t even start. You know we’re going to help you. That’s what family does. You’d do the same for any one of us.”
Aurora made a small sound, almost like she wasagreeing with him, and despite everything, I felt warmth spread through my chest as my panic receded. These guys were more than just my friends and teammates. They were my brothers. They weren’t running for the hills or treating this like some disaster that wasn’t their problem. I wasn’t going to have to figure this all out alone.
Gordy barged back into the room, dragging Sam right behind him. “Seriously, what the fuck, Harry?”
She glared at him and then looked at me and her jaw dropped. “Why the hell do you have a baby?”
“So…long story short, apparently she’s mine and we have no idea what to do.”
She turned back to Gordy with the most unimpressed look on her face and her hands planted firmly on her hips. “So you thought because I had a vagina, I would know what to do with a baby? I’m disappointed in you, Harry. I thought you were less misogynistic than that.”
He gave her a look that said she knew him better than that. “I brought you here because you’re our roommate and therefore this impacts you too. These walls aren’t that thick.”
She dropped her hands and faced me again. “Well, in that case, you’re in luck because I babysat all through high school.” She turned back to Gordy and threw him a wink that had him shaking his head at her, but I didn’t miss the small lift at the corner of his lips.
“Alright,” Foster said, taking charge the way he always did. “Here’s what we’re going to do. Liam, you’re good with research. You find out everything we need to know about taking care of a six-week-old baby. What she needs, when she needs it, how to tell if something’s wrong. Sam, can you help since you already know about kids?”
“Sure,” she said, moving closer to Liam who had already pulled out his phone.
“Gordy, you’re the most responsible one here. Can you handle getting supplies tomorrow? Whatever Drew doesn’t already have?”
“Sure,” Gordy said. “We can make a list tonight and hit the store first thing.”
Foster turned to me. “And you need to call Ava. Tonight. And then your parents in the morning. They’re going to want to know, and honestly, you’re going to need their help.”
The thought of calling my parents still made my stomach churn, but Foster was right. I couldn’t do this alone, and I was going to need all the support I could get.
“What about right now, though?” I asked, looking down at Aurora. “I mean, she’s been pretty good so far, but what if she starts crying again? What if something happens?”
“Then we figure it out,” Foster said simply. “None of us knows what we’re doing, but there are six of us and one of her. We’ve got decent odds.”
“Six?”
“Abby’s coming now. She was using Sam’s bathroom. I just texted her that we were in here,” he clarified. And of course, I should’ve known his girlfriend would help too.
