Ready Or Not

Ch 20 - A DAD

** Jordyn's POV **

It was December. And it was going to be a big month. I was turning 21 and graduating college. And Luke would be going to LA for a few months to work on the upcoming album. The band was scheduled to land in LA the day before my graduation. Too bad we were still going to be 2000 miles apart. Luke probably had no interest in hanging out with me, but it would have been nice to see him in person. And I'd like to get to know the others better as well. But I'd have enough time for that when I moved to Sydney.

Luke and I had discussed every possibility. And the scenario that made the most sense was staying in Nashville until the baby was born, then move to Australia a few weeks later. That way I'd have family near when the baby was born, and they'd get to spend some time with him before we left. I had no ties to Nashville other than my parents, who traveled a lot, and my sister. So I figured I could at least give Sydney a shot so Luke could be close to the baby.

Also, it worked out well with Luke's schedule. They were going to be in LA at least through February. So it was possible that Luke could maybe even make it for the birth, if he chose to. We hadn't really talked about the actual birth much. Honestly, I think it scared us both shitless, so we kind of avoided the topic.

One topic we couldn't really avoid anymore was making a public announcement. Our families and closest friends had done an amazing job keeping our secret. Of course, it wasn't really a secret that I was pregnant, because that was becoming more obvious by the day. But every time I was questioned about the father, I just answered that it was someone they wouldn't know. Most people accepted that answer. A few kept digging, but I never did give in.

The due date was only two months away, on February 12th. Not that I wanted to be pregnant any longer than necessary, but I thought it would be cool to have a Valentine's baby. I had read that only 5% of babies are born on their due date, so it was a possibility. I was almost a Christmas baby myself, born on Christmas Eve at 11:15 p.m. Close, but no cookie.

Luke wanted to make a simple statement about the impending birth on Facebook, where he wouldn't have a character limit, then post a link to it on Twitter. Before leaving for LA, he sent me a draft of the statement for approval.

Hello fam! Luke here. I have some very exciting news to share with you guys. I'm going to be...wait for it...A DAD! Can you believe it?! It's a boy, and he should be here sometime in February. Until then, I'll be busy in the studio with Mike, Cal, and Ash, giving birth to some new tunes. (See what I did there?) Thank you for your support and I'll see you soon. Love you guys! :-)

To Luke: It's perfect. Just enough detail to drive them crazy. LOL Really though, good job.

From Luke: K. I've already checked with our PR lady, & she's cool with it. I'm posting it when we board. Twitter's gonna blow up while we're on that plane. Haha

Speaking of Twitter, I saw pictures of fans waiting at LAX for 5SOS. It was packed, and they hadn't even left Sydney yet. But those photos quickly dissipated when the announcement was released, and news of the pregnancy took over Twitter. Of course, the thing everyone was asking was, "Who's the mother?" If they only knew it was someone just like them, but a little older than many.

For the most part, the fans seemed fairly supportive. But naturally, there were many ugly comments. I expected that, and it was the main reason why I had hesitated telling Luke in the first place. But there were even freaking death threats! I mean, come on. Some people are unbelievably rude when they can hide behind a screen. I knew that, after a while, it would be old news, and everything would settle down. But it was so overwhelming that I had to put the phone down and step away. That was the last time I actively seeked out what "fans" were saying about the guys' personal lives. I didn't need that in my life.

Before I knew it, I was getting ready for my graduation ceremony. Jodie was making me a nervous wreck, flitting about the apartment for no reason, like she had some nervous energy to release. Then she insisted on doing my makeup, which I rarely ever wore. But it was a special occasion, so I let her. I must say she was quite a makeup artist, and I always loved the results. When she was finished, I thought, "If only Luke could see me now." Well, minus the ginormous belly. And minus the fact that I needed to not be thinking of Luke that way. Then she helped me get that stupid cap on just right.

We picked up Jonathan on the way, and Mom and Dad met us there. They were acting a little weird, too. And I soon found out why.

I took my seat along with the other students and busied myself by reading the program. When I was finished with that, I looked around to see where my family was sitting. I heard a loud whistle and looked in the direction of the sound, as did probably most people in there. I noticed someone with bright blue hair waving excitedly and thought, "That guy has the same hair color as Michael." Then I noticed the blue haired guy was sitting between Jonathan and Jodie. I looked at him again, squinting to make sure that I was seeing clearly and my eyes weren't deceiving me. Nope. It was Michael! I did a double take and spoke out loud, "No. Fucking. Way. It can't be. If Michael is here, then that means..."

I'm positive my jaw was on the floor as my eyes landed on Luke, sitting on the other side of Jodie, next to Mom. I literally couldn't shut my mouth, so I covered it with my hands instead. I looked like the little "speak no evil" monkey emoji.

Luke gave me a subtle wave and wink, quite the contrast to Michael's greeting, and I was positive that I was about to die. I waved back and turned around in my seat, in denial about what was happening. What the fuck?