Page 4

CHAPTER

FOUR

MAX

I take a steadying breath, still holding Caroline close, and turn back toward the house. The sounds of the party feel distant now, muffled, like I’m walking in a dream. This is real, though. She’s real.

I step inside, the weight of my new reality sinking deeper with every step. In a matter of minutes, everything has changed.

The chaos hits me as soon as I open the door—loud laughter, slurred speech, and the sharp clink of Ping-Pong balls bouncing against red Solo cups. I blink a few times, trying to clear the fog in my mind, and scan the room for my friends.

Jaden and Cade are hunched over the beer pong table, half of the cups filled with beer. Logan is sprawled on the couch, phone in hand, while Miles, Finn, and Eddy are huddled around a TV, completely engrossed in whatever video game they’re playing.

“Max!” Jaden shouts, a grin on his face, still holding the Ping-Pong ball. “You’re back! Where have you been?”

I don’t answer right away. I stand there in the doorway with Caroline still in my arms. The room falls silent for a beat. Every person in the room notices me, then notices the baby.

“Uh, Max…?” Cade stares at me, his words slow, like he’s processing the scene before him. “What… is that…?”

“Is that a baby?” Logan asks, sitting up from the sofa, his voice wavering between confusion and disbelief.

I nod, swallowing thickly, still trying to piece everything together myself. “Yeah. This is… Caroline.” I glance down at her, unsure how to explain this.

“Why are you holding a baby?” Miles asks, raising an eyebrow, the beer can in his hand forgotten. He glances around at the others, looking for answers.

Ari rushes over, her hand gently resting on my clammy cheek. She's our resident doctor—well, technically a veterinarian—but I suppose it doesn’t take an MD to see that I’m not well. “Are you okay?”

I shake my head, still in shock. “I don’t know.”

“Want me to hold her for a bit?” She extends her hands toward the tiny human I’m clutching to my chest.

“Okay, sure,” I croak, swallowing hard. My mouth is dry. “I need water.” I let out a tired sigh.

“I got it!” Iris volunteers, rushing over with a bottle of water.

I chug half the bottle in one gulp, desperate to wet my throat.

Jaden is at my side now, his expression a mixture of concern and confusion. “Dude, what is going on? Why are you holding a random baby?”

“Well, do you guys remember that girl I was hanging out with a little over a year ago? Monique?” I address the room, still trying to make sense of everything myself.

“Was she the one obsessed with opossums or Vampire Diaries ?” Jaden asks, brows furrowed in thought.

“ Vampire Diaries ,” I reply. “I think opossum girl was Amber.”

He nods, snapping his fingers. “Yeah, that’s right. Amber.”

“Go on with the story, bro,” Bash urges, leaning forward, eager for the rest.

“Right. Long story short—she had a baby. It’s mine. And she doesn’t want her. She’s flying to France in the morning, and Caroline is staying here with me.”

The room explodes in a chaotic wave of chatter with everyone talking over each other.

“Holy shit.” Jaden blinks rapidly. “Max, man, I?—”

“You’re serious?” Bash asks, his voice skeptical but softening as he watches me.

I nod, my stomach still in knots.

Questions come at me in rapid succession, but I’m too stunned to answer them all.

“Okay, okay, okay.” Cade holds up a hand to quiet the room, his face serious. “This is a lot to take in. You’re—what, a dad now? Out of nowhere?”

“Yeah, man. I’m a dad now,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel. I glance at Caroline, happily nestled in Ari’s arms.

Finn rubs his eyes, clearly unsure if he’s seeing things correctly. “And you didn’t know?”

“I didn’t know.” I shrug, my chest tight. “I had no idea. But… she’s mine. She’s definitely mine.”

“Not to be insensitive or anything,” Miles says, a little too casual. “But are you sure? You should probably take a paternity test.”

I nod, swallowing. “Yeah, I can, but look at her. I feel like she’s mine.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Eddy leans forward, his eyes wide with disbelief. “So, what, she just handed you a baby and left?”

“Pretty much,” I say, my voice shaky as the reality of it all starts to sink in again. “We talked for a bit, but yeah, that’s the gist of it.”

A heavy silence fills the room as everyone processes the news. Then Jaden, his usual laid-back demeanor replaced with concern, speaks up. “Max, man… this is huge. Are you okay?”

I glance around at my friends, unsure of what to say. I still don’t know what to think, let alone how to feel.

“I don’t know, Jay,” I mutter, my voice low. “I guess I will be. I’m gonna figure it out. But, right now…” I look down at Caroline, and everything in me softens. “Right now, I’m just trying to process this.”

Cade steps closer, his tone more serious than I’m used to. “Max, man, this is crazy, but you’re gonna be a great dad.” His words are sincere, a little slurred from the alcohol, but still genuine.

“You sure about that?” I ask, my voice thick with emotion. “Our schedule is insane. What am I supposed to do? Throw her in one arm and skate with my stick in the other? This is insane.” I run a hand through my hair, feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders.

“We’re here to help you,” Iris says, her voice calm and reassuring.

The others voice their agreement, and Iris continues. “Me, Penny, Ari, and some of the girls from the office can take turns watching her while you’re on the ice until you get a nanny.”

“A nanny?” I repeat, still a little thrown off by the word.

“Of course,” Ari chimes in. “With your schedule, the only way to make it work is a live-in nanny. It’ll make your life so much easier.”

“A live-in nanny…” I repeat, slowly nodding. “Okay, yeah. I guess that makes sense.”

“Yeah, man.” Jaden raises his beer in a half toast, a grin on his face. “You’ve got this. And if you need anything, we’re here. For real. You’re not alone in this.”

I look around at my friends—my family—and feel a small spark of relief. Their support means the world to me. But I know when it comes down to it, this is my responsibility. Caroline is mine now.

I walk over to Ari and carefully take Caroline from her arms. The moment she settles against my chest, she gives me the smallest smile. My heart melts. She doesn’t know who I am—there’s no way she could—but maybe… maybe she feels something. A connection.

“She really is a beautiful baby,” Ari says softly, warmth in her voice.

“Yeah,” I murmur, my gaze fixed on Caroline. “She is.”

Shock still buzzes through me like static under my skin. I haven’t even started to process the last half hour of my life. This morning, I was grateful for my freedom—no ties, no responsibilities. And now? Now I have the biggest, most important responsibility there is. A life. My daughter.

The realization hits me hard, knocking the breath from my lungs.

“What do I do now?” I ask, my voice cracking with the question.

I stare at Caroline, then at my friends, panic rising fast in my chest. “I don’t know how to change a diaper.

What does she eat? Where does she sleep?

What do I do if she cries?” My words tumble out in a rush. “I don’t even know where to start.”

I know all first-time parents must feel some version of this.

But most people get time to prepare, right?

Nine months of preparations, baby showers, and parenting books.

I got thirty minutes and a diaper bag. I’m completely out of my depth—and painfully aware I can’t afford to screw this up.

She’s not a houseplant I can water and stick by the window.

She’s a living, breathing little person.

Small. Fragile. Totally dependent on me.

The terror claws back through my veins, turning my blood to ice.

“I’ll stay with you tonight,” Ari says gently. “I’ve watched baby Nolan plenty of times. I can help.”

“I’ll stay too,” Iris adds with a reassuring smile. “I’ve helped with Nolan a lot. We’ll go over the basics tonight, okay? You don’t have to do this alone. It’ll be okay.”

Little Nolan—the first Crane baby—is Beckett’s son with Ari’s mom, Elena. I’m so grateful for his existence because he’s the reason these two are now seasoned baby pros.

I exhale slowly. Relief trickles in. “Thank you. Seriously.”

I start rocking Caroline gently, patting her back without even thinking about it.

“Look at you,” Iris says, a glimmer of pride in her eyes. “You already have the baby bounce down. You’re going to be just fine.”

God, I hope she’s right.

Ari turns to the others, clapping her hands to get their attention. “Okay, party’s over. Time to call your Ubers and head home. We’ve got work to do.”

I glance down at Caroline, her little blue eyes blinking up at me. She’s so tiny, her fist curled around my hoodie string like it’s a lifeline. My chest tightens. This is real. This is happening.

And “we’ve got work to do” might be the understatement of the year.