Babysitting the Player

Chapter 24

"Here he is." The nurse smiles and lays my baby on my chest.

I look down at his bright blue eyes and tiny pink lips and chubby little cheeks. His screaming doesn't bother me and after a few seconds, he settles himself down.

"He's adorable." Bryce smiles.

"He's perfect." I kiss his forehead.

"Do you have any name ideas?"

I shake my head. "Not yet. I thought I'd know it when I see him."

"We've got time." Bryce wraps his arm around me.

"Would you like us to grab your visitors?" Dr. Watson offers.

"Just our moms for now," I say before turning to Bryce. "Are you okay with letting Layla wait with Cassie?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Aaliyah, could you go grab the grandma and potential grandma?" Dr. Watson asks a nurse.

"Of course." Aaliyah walks out.

"What do you think of the name Eli?" I ask Bryce.

"Eli. I like it."

"So do I."

"Middle name?"

"Still stuck on that part."

"Well, at least it's a start. Eli."

"Eli." I look down at him in my arms.

He's definitely an Eli.

"Here we are." Aaliyah enters the room with our moms.

"Oh my gosh." My mom smiles. "Boy or girl?"

"Boy." I smile down at him. "Eli."

"Oh, Eli." She wipes a tear off her cheek. "Can I hold him?"

I pass Eli to my mom and Maggie peeks over her shoulder to see him.

"Oh, he's adorable." She beams. "Those cheeks."

"I know." I smile.

"Long labor." She smirks.

"Brutal labor."

"I'm surprised you did it without me in here," Mom says. "I thought you'd crack and want to break my hand."

"She broke mine instead." Bryce laughs.

"He's really a beautiful baby." Maggie smiles. "Everything's normal? He's healthy?"

"He's perfect," I say.

"Good."

"And the paternity test?" Mom asks.

"On its way to the lab," Dr. Watson says. "I put a rush on it so we'll have the results by the end of the day."

"Perfect."

"I still don't know why you bothered." Maggie shrugs. "Bryce isn't going anywhere regardless of what it says."

"I don't want my son to wonder who his dad is. I don't want him to feel like I lied to him. If it's Bryce, perfect. If it's Johnny, then Eli will know what an amazing guy Bryce is for stepping up and being there for us despite all this."

"Whose last name will he have?" Mom asks.

"I don't know."

"Obviously it's up to you," Bryce says, "but if he's mine and you want to give him my last name, I wouldn't be opposed to it."

"Okay."

I wish everyone would shut up about the paternity test and the last name debate. Being the pregnant girl at seventeen and giving birth at eighteen would've been hard enough on its own but on top of it, I have to question who the father is and what last name I should give my baby. My guidance counselor may have offered to help with whatever I need when I switched to online classes to graduate early, but I don't think offering help in this particular area was what she meant.