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I walk out into the hallway and shut the door behind me quietly, then make my way out to the waiting room, when I see the guys stroll through the doors.
“Wait, maternity ward?” Graham whisper yells, not fucking quietly whatsoever. “Why are we here? Am I being punked?”
“Shut up Graham,” Reed mutters.
When I finally come to a stop in front of them, all eyes are on me, full of questions.
“Thanks for coming guys. Uh, so I’m a dad. I have a daughter, and her name is Olive.”
Asher’s jaw literally drops. Graham looks like he might actually fall on the floor. Hudson’s eyes widen, and Reed looks absolutely shocked.
Then Graham laughs. He laughs so fucking loud that every head in the hospital wing turns toward him. It’s so hard that he’s doubling and then Asher and Hudson look at each other, and they start laughing too. Like dominoes, all falling together in a line. Reed shakes his head, in annoyance, and then he lets out a laugh of his own.
This goes on for at least a minute before Reed looks at me with wide eyes.
“Wait, you’re serious?”
Everyone stops laughing.
“Yep, my daughter was just born.”
Silence settles between us then Asher speaks, “Yeah, this is the last thing I expected. Thought you were joking.”
“Same,” Graham quips. “How? I mean like... obviously, I know how, but who? When? Where? You can’t just bring us here and then drop this fucking bomb on us.”
He’s talking so fast his words are running together.
“Let’s go out to the courtyard.”
I lead them out the double doors to the small outdoor courtyard that I called Conrad in earlier and they sit on the small concrete benches with their hulking frames. I start at the only place I can.
The beginning.
By the time I’m done, the shocked looks on their faces have only intensified, but fuck, it feels good to get it all out and off my chest to the only people in the world I actually trust.
The only ones who have shown themselves worthy of my trust.
I told them about the weekend Maddison and I spent together, and what happened with Conrad, and how he almost destroyed my life while using the facade of having my “best interests in mind.”
“That motherfucker,” Reed curses.
I nod. “He’s done. All I want to do is focus on Olive. My daughter. It’s almost like… even after all the shit I’ve done, all the fucking up and hurting the people I love, I’m still getting a chance. A chance to be something amazing to this little girl.”
Graham nods. “I never really thought about being an uncle. Kids aren’t really my thing, but I think it could be cool. Can I see her?”
“Yeah,” Asher adds, and then Hudson too.
I laugh. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Together, we walk down to the nursery and stand in front of the glass wall where all of the babies are. I find her tiny, wrapped body in the bassinet on the far right.
“That’s her. That’s Olive Elizabeth,” I say proudly. My baby girl.
“Oh my god, she’s so fucking cute,” Graham squeals, pressing his hand over his chest. “She’s after my own heart.”
“God, you're a girl. But… wait until you hold her for the first time. She has this… baby smell that’s the best smell in the entire world. I can’t even describe it,” I tell them.
Reed nods. “Being a dad is the best thing I’ve ever done. I know you’ll be amazing at it.” He claps me on the back, then slides his arm around my shoulders and pulls me to him. I guess Reed’s situation is like mine, in the sense of we’re both new fathers and we didn’t see it coming. Last year, his estranged sister and her husband passed away and left behind their son, Evan. Reed was the only living relative he had, and now… he’s his dad. And man, he’s amazing at it. He’s the one I’d go to for advice, hands down.
