GOTTA BE YOU (HARRY STYLES)

10

Harry held Daniel as EJ took out her phone to call her parents. She had spent a good time thinking over what she would say, but then decided to just see how everything flowed.

"Hello," said her mom, bright and cheery as usual.

"Hi Mom," EJ said, taking a deep breath. "Is Dad around? I have something I want to tell you both."

"No, he's not here. But if you want, I can tell him when he- Oh! He's just walked in. Hold on just a second."

EJ sighed and sat next to Harry on the couch. She smiled at the sleeping baby and caressed the soft skin on his hand.

"Ok honey," came her dad's voice on the line. "What's up?"

EJ looked at Harry, he smiled encouragingly.

"Mom, Dad," she began slowly, "please don't jump to conclusions. But I've...well, I've sort of adopted a baby boy. His mother couldn't care for him, so she left him here and disappeared in yesterday's blizzard. He's only a month old.....and I've named him Daniel."

Her parents were silent. EJ held her breath as she waited to them to speak.

"Ella," her dad said finally. "I know that I raised you to make your own decisions. But I also raised you to make the right choices. Becoming a parent at sich a young age is not....it won't be easy. And I'm not entirely certain that you should. Not to mention that you'd be a single parent until whenever."

"Your dad is right," her mom said, but she wasn't as firm in her tone of voice. "You being a young, single mother at such a young age? That's not something we would want for our daughter."

"I'm nearly twenty," EJ protested softly. "I know that it won't be easy, but I can o this. I want to do this.....and I'm not the only one who wants to."

She looked at Harry as she said this. He smiled and hugged her into him with his free arm.

"What do you mean that you're not the only one?" Dad asked.

EJ sighed "Ok," she said, "if you go to my bedrrom and look at my photo collage, on the wall next to my bed, maybe it will help me to explain."

She coul hear her parents discussing as they walke to her room.

"EJ, who are these boys with you girls?" her mom asked. "When were these pictures taken?"

"Remember the One Direction concert?" EJ asked slowly. "Last summer, on my birthday? Well, the boys are the band, and we hung out in San Juan."

"What do they have to do wi-" her father stopped. "Oh, I see."

"I promise that nothing serious happened. I've only just run into Harry yesterday."

There was a long pause. EJ swallowed hard and tried to bury her head in Harry's side. He rubbed her arm.

"Do we at least get to see what Daniel looks like?" Dad asked a moment later.

"Yeah," EJ replied with relief. "One sec-" she quickly took a picture with her phone and sent it to them.

"Oh! he's so prescious!" came her mother. "Honey!"

EJ smiled at the joy in her mom's voice.

"He looks like he could be your son," her father said with a chuckle. "EJ, why's you have to go making me a granddad so young?"

EJ laughed "So you're not mad?" she asked, smiling at Daniel as he opened his eyes.

"Nah," Dad replied, "but now you'll have to be sending us pictures of the little guy so that we can show him off. And what of this Harry? He's the boy with the wild, curly hair?"

She looked at Harry an snickered. "It's not that wild."

"Oh no! It's like a lion's mane, right?"

"Dad!"

"OOooo! girl is getting defencsive."

EJ laughed harder, Harry chuckled.

"We have to go now, sweetie," Mom said. "Don't forget to keep sending us pictures! We love an miss you!"

"I love you guys too!" EJ said, glad to have gotten that over with. "Bye!"

She hung up and set the phone on the side table. Harry smiled at her.

"I told you so," he said with a shrug.

"You certainly did," she said, kissing his cheek.

There came a knock on the door. Louis, who had been MIA for a few hours, ran to answer it.

"Say," he exclaimed, "I know all of you!"

There were three screams that EJ recognized.

"No way," she said, standing and running to the front door.

"EJ!" her sisters screamed, with both excitement and annoyance.

"Sshh! You'll wake the baby."

"What baby?!"

Her sister ran past her, into the living room. EJ and Louis exchanged a shrug. They were about to close the door when Stella ran in.

"Louis!" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

"Keeping Ella company," he replied with a grin.

"What are you girls doing here?" EJ asked, closing the door.

Stella bit her lip as she hesitated.

"My dad paid our way," she explained as they went in the living room. "We used his miles an- Awww!"

Khristina, Jessenia, Lisette and Stella were gawk-eyed as they stared at Harry holing Daniel.

"You guys are seriously drolling," EJ joked as she sat next to Harry.

"He looks like you," Lisette said in astonishment, pointing at EJ.

"He looks like you," Jessenia was equally surprised as she pointed at Harry.

"Girls," EJ said, taking Daniel from Harry. "I would like to introduce you to Daniel."

"He's Harry and Ella's son," Louis added without missing a beat.

The girls' eyes grew white. EJ exchanged an amused look with Harry and Louis. They all started laughing at their inside joke.