baby love (h.s.)

six

"You're fucking joking."

I tilted my head up to gaze at Noor, whose eyes were wider than I'd ever seen them. The time had finally come to break the news to my best friend, and, just as I'd expected, she wasn't taking it well.

"You know me," I reminded her. "Does this really seem like the kind of prank I'd pull?"

She paused, assessing me for a moment, before shaking her head. "Oh my God. Grace. You're actually pregnant." She pointed to my stomach. "Like, there's something living in there!"

I swallowed at the reminder, nodding my head tightly. "Yup."

"I mean, I honestly didn't even notice," Noor continued. "I thought you were just getting a little chub—"

"Well, I'm not," I cut her off, rolling my eyes. "I'm just pregnant."

The sharpness of my time jerked a laugh out of her. "Yeah, and you have the moods to prove it. Wonder what I'm gonna be like when I'm pregnant." She shuddered at the thought of it. "Jesus."

I racked my brain for something to say, but I came up with nothing. That seemed to be fine with Noor, because before I knew it, she was practically leaping towards me to squeeze her arms around my neck. "Well, congratulations, bitch!" she exclaimed.

I froze for a second before hugging her back, taken aback by her actions. When I pulled away, I frowned at her slightly, my eyebrows knit with confusion. "Congratulations?" I repeated.

"Of course," Noor smiled gently at me. "You always used to tell me how scared you were that you'd never be able to get pregnant. And now...it happened!"

I blinked. "I know, but...I guess I just never planned for it to happen this soon."

"Grace, that baby is a blessing. If it happens for you now, then now's your time."

I'd been so consumed with anxiety and guilt that I had barely had the time to think about it from that perspective. Noor was telling the truth; I had genuinely been afraid that I'd never be able to get pregnant, what with my medical history. My gynecologist had assured me that only having one ovary made no difference when it came to pregnancy, but that hadn't combatted my fear of infertility.

I didn't want to discuss that any further, however, so instead, I asked, "Don't you want to know who the father is?"

"Oh my God," Noor gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Holy shit, that should have been my first question. Who the hell is it?" She genuinely looked curious, which made sense because my ex, Porter, and I had broken up almost six months ago. It wasn't like I'd dated anyone else since then.

"Well..." I swallowed, feeling suddenly overwhelmed by the dryness in my throat. She was looking at me expectantly, waiting for the name of the father. Just tell her, Grace. "Do you remember that guy Niall set me up with? Harry?"

I'd always known Noor was dramatic, but this was a whole new level, even for her. She practically dropped to the floor at the revelation, and her eyes were so wide it felt like her gaze was imprinted on my skin. "Oh my God!" she shrieked, and I tried not to wince. "Oh my fucking God! Grace, your baby's going to be so fucking hot!"

Well, that wasn't where I had been expecting her to go. A laugh bubbled out of my throat before I could hold it back. "You know, I hadn't thought of that."

"Your genes and his genes?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Holy shit. I may as well call Vogue now. Is it possible to be jealous of a fetus?"

I knew she was exaggerating, but I appreciated her effort to try and make me feel better. "It's just crazy, is all. I mean, call me traditional, but I always thought I'd at least be in love with the guy I'm having a baby with," I said sarcastically.