"We need to tell the others," Kira said quietly.
It was the next morning. She was laying in bed with Jack. Neither of them had gotten much sleep. Kira seemed to wake up every couple of hours feeling anxious and panicked. Jack always stayed awake until he was sure Kira was asleep again and even then it was hard for him to stay sleeping. He was too worried about her.
He looked over at her with tired eyes. It was clear she'd already been crying today and it hurt him to see that. She'd spent most of the night crying. He moved her curly hair out of her face and then he tenderly brushed his fingers against her cheek.
"We don't have to tell them right away," he whispered. "I don't want it to make you more upset."
"No, we need to do it now. Otherwise, I'll keep putting it off and I'll have a baby bump before we even bother to tell them," Kira said and she smiled a little. Jack smiled too, but it was forced. She sighed and rolled onto her back. "I've cried most of the night. I'd like to think I've gotten it out of my system by now."
As she said that, more tears welled in her eyes. She sighed angrily and wiped them away.
"It's the damn hormones. I'm fine," she insisted, giving Jack a look that made him know he'd better not challenge her. This time his smile was genuine. "We need to handle this."
"Okay," Jack said.
She reached beside her and grabbed his hand. She lifted their hands so they were both laying on her chest. Jack continued to stare at her and she slowly squeezed his hand tighter. She took a deep breath.
"Or maybe we could have sex first." She looked over at Jack with raised eyebrows. He laughed.
"Baby, you're already putting it off," he said. He shifted so he was on his side and sitting up more.
"I'm being serious," Kira said and she fluttered her eyes at him. "I'm feeling sad and sex will make me feel better."
She even pouted at him. Jack laughed and then rolled onto his stomach. His laughs were muffled by the pillow.
"Don't make that face at me," Jack said into his pillow. Kira moved her hand up and rubbed his back. "It's gonna make me say yes."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Kira said tauntingly. Jack turned his head just enough to look at her and he made a fake angry face. "Come on, baby. Please!"
She moved closer to Jack and rubbed her hands all over him. Jack laughed and rolled back onto his side again. Kira took that as an opportunity to move closer to him. She hugged his body close to hers and she even hooked one of her legs around his waist. Once she had a firm grip on him, she rolled onto her back again, pulling Jack on top of her. He was still laughing.
"The guys will hear us," Jack said in a very unconvincing tone.
"That is a terrible excuse," Kira said with a roll of her eyes. "You and I are pros at being quiet."
Jack let out a dramatic sigh.
"How about this?" Jack said as if he were proposing a business deal. Kira looked at him attentively. "We tell the guys the news. And as a reward, we can have sex after."
Kira narrowed her eyes at him.
"Why do you have to be so logical?" she muttered.
"One of us has to be," he said and he leaned over and kissed her nose.
"Yes. But it's mildly frightening that it's you."
Jack just smiled and then he kissed her lips. She kissed him back, but Jack got up before she could deepen the kiss.
"Come on," he urged. "Let's make the bed and then call the guys up."
"Fine," Kira sighed and she rolled herself off the bed.
* * *
Jonah, Corbyn, Daniel, and Zach were all sitting downstairs on the couch. None of them had talked to Jack and Kira since the night before. After Jack went upstairs to talk to her, he briefly came down to get some food for the both of them but he said he didn't want to talk until the morning. He'd gone back upstairs to Kira's room and that's where they had both been ever since.
The others were starting to get worried. They didn't know why Kira had been so upset last night and it was more concerning that Jack had refused to tell them what the problem was. They wanted to make sure everything was okay.
Out of all of them, Jonah was the only one with a rough idea of what might have happened. He'd been picking up on Kira's symptoms for about a week now. When she'd come home last night, she had a drugstore bag with her and he had a good idea of what had been in the bag. If he was right, he knew things were about to get complicated. But he still wondered what Jack had meant last night when he said it was Kira's biggest fear...
"I'm losing my mind," Daniel muttered. He tossed his phone on the couch beside him and laid his head back on the cushions. "I'm worried about them. Kira seemed really upset last night and it's unusual for Jack to be so tight-lipped about stuff. He wouldn't even say if she was okay. He just said he'd talk to us later."
"It's not really our business," Jonah said from across the room.
"How though?" Zach asked. He managed to keep his tone even, but his annoyance was still obvious. "We all live together. The five of us have spent nearly all our time together for the last six years. We're all wrapped up in each other's lives. So why start keeping secrets now?"
"It's not about keeping secrets," Jonah said with a sigh. He'd been reading, but he could already tell this conversation wasn't going to end anytime soon so he put his book down. "They're just keeping to themselves right now. It hasn't even been 24 hours. Just let them process this on their own."
Zach let out a sigh and looked away and Daniel stared down at his lap. Corbyn was looking at Jonah with suspicion.
"You know what's wrong, don't you?" Corbyn asked with a slight accusatory edge in his voice. Jonah looked over at him and tried his best to look innocent. He didn't confirm or deny what Corbyn was saying.
"Wait. Do you?" Daniel asked and he looked up again.
"What were you talking to Jack about right before Kira got home?" Corbyn asked. He folded his arms and looked at Jonah sternly. "You pulled him into the front room to talk alone. What was that about?"
"I guess Jack's not the only one keeping secrets," Zach muttered.
"Look, I don't know anything for sure," Jonah defended. He didn't like having everyone's attention on him all of the sudden. "I'm only guessing and I'm not gonna say what I think just in case I'm wrong. But if the three of you ever bothered to pay attention the way I do, I'm sure you could figure it out too."
"Figure what out?" Corbyn pressed. "What do you think's going on?"
"I just told you I'm not gonna-"
"Quit holding out on us, Jonah!" Zach argued.
"I'm not-"
"HEY!" Jack's voice came from upstairs and they all froze. "Everyone needs to come upstairs. Now."
Jonah, Daniel, Zach, and Corbyn looked at each other for a moment and then they all quickly got up. They rushed up the stairs and walked into Kira's room. Jack and Kira were both sitting on the bed. Kira was in Jack's lap and he had his arms wrapped around her. She was leaning her head back against him and her lips turned up slightly when the guys walked in. No matter what, she was determined not to burst out crying in front of them. She'd done plenty of that already.
"Come sit down," Jack said nervously. He wasn't sure how the others were going to take the news. He really hoped this didn't cause more fighting. "This'll probably be a long conversation, so get comfortable."
Jonah stepped forward first and the others soon followed him. He sat near Jack and Kira and Daniel sat on the other side of them. Corbyn and Zach were on the end of the bed so they were all sitting in a loose circle.
"Kira, are you okay?" Corbyn asked gently. She looked up at him with a half smile.
"Better than last night," she said. He nodded. He wanted to ask more, but he figured Jack and Kira were about to get into that.
"So, we have some news," Jack said and he looked out at the guys. Kira grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. He squeezed it back and took a breath. Then he looked down at Kira. "Do you want to say it or should I?"
"Go ahead," she said and she squeezed his hand again. Jack nodded. He took another deep breath and he could feel himself stalling. Maybe he should have just said yes to sex so they could've done this later.
"We um...we found something out last night," Jack began. He was squeezing Kira's hand tighter and he found that he couldn't really make eye contact with anyone. "We figured you guys deserved to know-"
"Oh my god! Just say it!" Zach shouted.
"Kira's pregnant," Jack said immediately.
"Oh shit I was right," Jonah mumbled.
"She's what?" Corbyn's eyes widened. He looked at Kira.
"Fuck," Zach whispered. He rubbed his hand over the lower half of his face. He stared at Jack and Kira for a moment and then he looked down.
"You're pregnant?" Daniel asked. He was forcing a calm tone of voice, but the shock was still apparent in his voice. "You're sure?"
Kira nodded. Daniel looked at her with concern and she knew he must be worried about how she was taking this. She smiled at him to show she wasn't currently freaking out.
"I took a test last night. And then I took another one this morning just to be sure. I'm definitely pregnant," Kira explained. Daniel reached out and grabbed her free hand. He squeezed it reassuringly. "This explains why I've been feeling so off lately. So, it's nice to finally figure out what that's been all about."
She squeezed Daniel's hand one more time and then released it. He pulled his hand back and Kira entwined her hand with Jack's instead. Jack leaned his head against hers.
"Do you know...when it happened?" Corbyn asked slowly. Kira locked eyes with him for a moment. She hesitated when she saw the look on Corbyn's face. He wasn't just asking out of curiosity. He was already doing the math in his head.
"No," she whispered. Jack caught the way Corbyn was looking at Kira and he tightened his grip on her hands. "I won't know until I have an ultrasound done. But that also means that as of right now...I don't know which of you is the father."
Everyone froze as they took that in. Some of them had already been wondering that.
"Are you serious?" Zach asked and he finally looked back up at Kira. There was hope on his face and that worried her. "It could be any of us?"
"We already scheduled Kira's first appointment and that's when they'll do the ultrasound," Jack said quickly and his eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't like the way Zach was looking at Kira. "After that, they should be able to give us a rough estimate of the conception date and we can try to figure things out from there."
"So..." Jonah spoke up finally and he looked at Jack and Kira seriously. "What if it's...not Jack's?"
There was silence for a moment. Zach and Corbyn watched Kira very closely. She leaned into Jack a little more.
"That doesn't change anything," Kira said firmly. Jack had been holding his breath and he let it out at her words. "Jack and I are staying together even if it's not his."
"Seriously?" Corbyn asked in disbelief. "You're gonna stay together even if it turns out you're having a kid with one of us?"
"Corbyn," Jonah said in a warning tone.
"He's right though," Zach said forcefully and everyone looked at him. "Won't that just complicate things more? Wouldn't that be weird for everyone? And think about how this would affect the kid. They'd grow up with mommy, daddy, and mommy's boyfriend. That doesn't sound very stable."
"You know, Zach, not all of us came from homes where our parents stayed together," Jack said sharply and Zach actually flinched. For a moment, he'd forgotten that Jack's parents had divorced when he was young. He looked down. Kira could feel Jack's pulse quicken in his hands. She knew Zach was just lashing out because he assumed that if the baby was his he might have another chance with her. Jack's voice raised as he continued. "It's ideal if they do, but it doesn't always happen that way. And it can still work out fine for everybody if it doesn't. Kira is not obligated to force a relationship with anyone if it turns out one of you is the father."
Everyone was silent now. Jack's hands were shaking a little, despite how tightly Kira held them. She breathed slowly and hoped Jack was calmed by the steady rhythm since her back was pressed against him.
This didn't need to start a fight.
"Until we have more information after the ultrasound, we shouldn't even talk about it," Kira said calmly and gently. "This is already a complicated situation and this really isn't coming at the best time. I never thought I'd get pregnant anytime soon and I'm sorry that it's happening just a few weeks after I ended things with the rest of you. I know it's hard to process, but I really hope we can all be on the same page with things."
"How...how did this even happen?" Corbyn asked quietly. He looked uncertain and confused. "I thought you were on birth control this whole time."
"I was," Kira said and she shrugged. "But, it's only about 99% effective. I just happened to fall into the 1% I guess. Even when you think you're being careful, life still finds a way to fuck you over."
"Kira, are you really okay with this?" Daniel asked timidly. "I mean...this is literally the thing you are most afraid of."
Jonah furrowed his brow a little. Jack had said nearly the same thing last night and he was wondering what he was missing.
"Dani, there are just too many things surrounding this situation for me to even worry about that," Kira said with a defeated sigh. She leaned back against Jack. He kissed the side of her face. "But anytime I do think about it, it terrifies me."
Jack, Daniel, and Corbyn all nodded in understanding. Jonah and Zach were still confused. For once, Jonah didn't know everything. He was always observant and figured stuff out on his own, but Kira had also been very forthcoming with him. Being one of the few who didn't know something was unsettling.
Zach was just as confused. Already, he was angry about all the secrets everyone had been keeping. After the brief argument last night, it seemed like everyone would be more truthful. He didn't like that there was now one more thing he didn't know about.
"What are we talking about exactly?" Jonah asked and Zach nodded. Kira looked at Daniel and nodded for him to explain.
Daniel cleared his throat. Jack kept his face close to Kira's and he kissed her cheek often. She appreciated how comforting he was being. His support was making all of this a lot easier.
"Kira's actually been pregnant before," Daniel explained. Jonah and Zach both looked like they had comments, but Daniel kept going. "It ended in a miscarriage."
It was quiet again. Jonah looked sad for her, but Zach was feeling extremely guilty. He suddenly remembered the day he'd been relaxing in the bath with Kira and he'd stupidly said that he'd be willing to have a baby with her. Now he understood why she'd gotten so upset with him. He never would have said anything like that if he'd known what she'd experienced.
"Oh...Kira, I'm so sorry," Jonah said. "That must have been really difficult to go through."
"It was," Kira admitted. Jack was kissing her cheek more frequently and he hugged her closer. She reached behind her and stroked his face. "It's been a couple years, but it's still something I'm dealing with. And it's the main reason why I've been so resistant to being in a relationship. When I got pregnant before...it was a very serious relationship and we were kind of hoping that I'd get pregnant."
Jack furrowed his brow. She'd never told him that. He always assumed it had just happened. Daniel caught his eye. From that look alone, Jack guessed that Daniel already knew all this. He'd been very close with Kira even while he'd been on tour. Of course he already knew.
"We'd had all these plans for the future and we'd even been talking about getting married," Kira continued. Jack suddenly felt panic. He knew that her relationship with Sean had ended years ago, but he still felt threatened for some reason. It scared him to know she'd once been so serious with someone else. "We were really excited about the idea of having a baby. And then it ended. I lost my baby and I lost him because I pushed him away. I pushed everyone away. If it weren't for Daniel, I'd probably still be all alone."
For once, Kira managed to tell the story without breaking down in tears. She still felt emotional and her throat tightened the longer she talked, but it was easier. She'd had this conversation plenty of times in the last few months and it didn't hurt as much. She took that as a good sign.
"That's why you invited her to the concert in London?" Corbyn clarified.
"I actually invited her to several concerts before that," Daniel said and he chuckled a little. His eyes met Kira's and they both smiled. "She's so damn stubborn though. So I finally just bought her a plane ticket and told her it was happening no matter what and she'd better get her ass on the plane. She needed to be around people again. You four are my favorite people, so I wanted her to be around you. I figured it would be good for her and honestly good for all of us. And now look where we are."
They all smiled at each other affectionately. Then Jack scoffed.
"I mean, this situation could be a little better," Jack muttered and they all laughed.
"That's definitely true," Corbyn said as he continued to smile.
"I don't know," Kira said in a joking tone. "I'm living every limelight's dream right now. I got knocked up by one of the members of Why Don't We."
The others laughed, mostly out of shock. Jack hugged Kira tighter and she giggled.
"Why do you have to say it like that?" Jack said with a shake of his head.
"Because it's funny," Kira insisted. She was still smiling and leaning against Jack. "I need to think this is funny. Because if I don't laugh, then I'm gonna cry and I am so sick of crying."
"I can make you do other things," Jack whispered in her ear. She smiled and bit her lip. Then Jack looked up at the others. "Do you guys have any other questions or things you want to talk about?"
He was hoping they would say no. Now that they'd shared the news, he was eager to have some alone time with Kira again.
"Do you want us to come with you to your appointment?" Jonah asked. Kira nodded quickly.
"Yeah, I think that would be good," Kira said. "That's when we can potentially find out the timing of when this happened and you guys should be there for that. Plus, I'd really appreciate having you guys there for support."
"Of course," Corbyn said quickly. He was nodding and some of the others joined him. "We'll be here for whatever you need. Throughout the whole pregnancy."
"Yeah, absolutely," Daniel added. Jonah and Zach nodded too.
Jack smiled appreciatively at all of them.
"Do you think you guys will stay here?" Jonah asked and everyone turned to him. "Like, we definitely have plenty of room and stuff. But after the baby is born, would you guys want to get your own place?"
Jack and Kira looked at each other hesitantly. Kira could already feel her fears closing in again. The worst had already happened. She was pregnant again and she'd have to face the risks that came with that. But even the idea of getting more serious scared her. She had just started her relationship with Jack and already they were expecting a baby. A baby that might not be his. It seemed like too much to be planning to get their own place already. What would come next?
"We haven't really talked about it," Jack said slowly. He kept his eyes on Kira for a moment and then he looked back at the guys. "I mean, most of last night was spent dealing with the emotional shock of it all. We didn't really make any plans."
"We'll make more decisions once we have more information," Kira said quickly. "There's also a lot we'll need to do to get ready for the baby and we haven't even started thinking about that."
"You just barely found out last night. I think you can afford to take a few days to take it all in." Corbyn said. He laughed quietly and the others joined him. Corbyn's eyes met Kira's again. There was a brightness in his eyes now whenever he looked at her. For the last two weeks, he'd been more reserved and quiet around her. Hearing that there was a chance she might be carrying his baby seemed to be enough to light a spark in him again. "When's your appointment?"
"On Tuesday," Kira answered. She looked away from Corbyn and instead she looked between all the guys. Then she smirked at them. "It's at 11 so hopefully that's not too early for any of you."
"The only person that's too early for is Jack," Daniel said with a laugh. The others all joined in, except for Jack.
"Yes. You're very funny, Daniel," he said. Then he looked at Kira. "Well, I promised I'd do something for Kira if she told you guys about this right away, so I kind of owe her now. And I don't need you four in here for what I'm going to do."
The guys all stared blankly at Jack. Kira facepalmed.
"That is the most awkward way you could have said that," she said and shook her head. Then she looked up at the guys. "We're gonna have sex now, so you can leave."
"Oh," Jonah said. He quickly got off the bed and gestured to the rest of the guys to leave with him.
Zach looked hesitantly at Kira.
"Can you...do that?" Zach asked uncertainly. "Like is that safe?"
Kira started laughing and Jack chuckled behind her.
"Yes, Zachary!" she said as she kept laughing. "You can have sex when you're pregnant."
"And we're probably gonna do it as often as Kira feels up to it, so buy some earplugs," Jack said with a devilish grin. The guys all groaned.
"I'm gonna head to Chipotle," Corbyn said loudly as he walked away. "Anyone want to come with me?"
"Yes!" Zach said as he quickly walked out of the room.
"Me too," Daniel agreed.
"We'll see you guys later," Jonah said with a smile and a wink.
"Bye!" Kira called.
They waited until they heard all four of the guys walk downstairs and head out the door. As soon as the house was quiet, Kira turned to look at Jack. He was already smiling at her.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" Jack muttered. He leaned in and kissed her neck slowly. She giggled.
"I guess not," she agreed. Jack laid back on the bed and she turned over so she was laying on top of him. He ran his fingers through her hair and looked up at her with a smile. "They all took it well. A little too well maybe."
"What do you mean?" Jack asked. He'd stopped stroking her hair and now he just held his hand against her cheek. Kira looked down. Had she been the only one to notice the hope in Zach and Corbyn's eyes?
"Well...I think some of them might be a little too excited about the possibility of it being their baby," she said quietly. She traced the letters on Jack's t-shirt so she had an excuse to not look at him. Jack sighed.
"You made it clear that you and I are staying together," Jack said quietly and Kira finally met his eyes again. "Zach and Corbyn better not think they can use this pregnancy as an excuse to be with you again."
"I hope not. Because I have no intention of giving this up," Kira said.
Jack smiled again and he pulled her in for a kiss.