What Now?

Family

You hadn't seen your parents since the tense lunch when you told them you were pregnant. They were very weird about Henry being the father. You called your mom a few times a week, but she only answered half the time. It was disappointing that she seemed to be ignoring you, but you couldn't change it. You didn't know if it was the pregnancy out of wedlock, or the fact that your baby daddy is famous. Either way, it was so unlike her to ignore you like she was, and it hurt. You thought she'd be supportive, regardless of the circumstances.

On the contrary, Henry's parents were quite remarkable. His mother texted you almost every day, just to check in. She wasn't overbearing, at all. She'd send a good morning text most days, asking about your day. She didn't only ask about the baby. You appreciated that she was acknowledging you as a person, not just the baby mama.

You'd expressed to Henry how fantastic you thought his parents were. He seemed to pick up on your lack of enthusiasm about your parents, because he asked how they were handling it. He felt really bad when he heard that they weren't really talking to you. He didn't want you to have to go through that.

You were set to have your ultrasound soon, and you were upset that you weren't sharing that with them. It would be only you and Henry at the appointment, but you'd hoped to be able to have lunch or dinner with them to tell them the gender. You were having dinner with Henry's parents two days after the appointment. They had left LA for a week to take a trip down to San Diego. Your parents had declined your invite, stating that they thought it best they not be seen in public with Henry, despite you having had no intention of meeting in public. When you offered to have them over, they just said they'd think about it. You were hoping they would accept. Henry had offered to be at the dinner with you, should they accept. He was willing to change his schedule around to ensure he was available.

You were always so amazed at how great Henry was. He made sure he talked to you every day. He always asked about you before asking about the baby.

The two of you had started to be able to joke around more and have a lighter friendship. Things didn't feel so forced and awkward. You no longer felt like you had to be formal. You genuinely liked him as a person, and you thought he genuinely liked you. He certainly acts like he does. Given the circumstances, you couldn't ask for better.

He helped you pick paint colors for the nursery, and offered to come paint with you. You were going with a more neutral wall color of light gray, with classic black trim. You'd accent the room with color and theme depending on the gender. You joked with Henry and said you were going with a Marvel theme. He was mock offended and insisted the baby be raised DC, seeing as how he's Superman and all. You were so happy that you had a nice friendship.

The Saturday before your appointment, he came over and the two of you painted the nursery. It was a lot of fun. He was so easy to talk to and be around. And, despite you starting to have quite the bump, he didn't treat you like you were an invalid.

He told you it was refreshing to not have to put on this public persona with you. He was just Henry, the expectant father spending time with the woman carrying his child. He wasn't famous. He wasn't Superman. He was Henry. He liked that.

You never wanted him to feel like you were treating him as a celebrity. You went out of your way to be accommodating in case of paparazzi, but you didn't treat him differently. You were mindful of his needs, but treated him like any other friend, albeit one whose baby you had inside you.

You wouldn't say anything, because you didn't want to mess things up, but you were developing feelings for Henry. At first, you didn't know if it was just hormones from the pregnancy making you want something so badly you were picking up on non-existent vibes. As time went on, you knew it was more than just hormones. However, you couldn't risk the friendship when you had to interact for at least the next 18 years.

You didn't know it, but Henry had developed feelings for you too. You were genuinely the kind of woman he would want. You were confident, smart, funny, gorgeous and talented. You were independent, and didn't ask for anything. You'd never treated him like he was different from you. His parents already loved you. You were carrying his child. But, he wouldn't say anything and risk the friendship if you didn't have feelings for him too.