Page 76 of Pieces

His eyes roll before he looks at me again. “I know. I’m just…proud of you, I guess. This is big life shit and you’re handling it really fucking well.”

I swallow that kernel of fear that sometimes lodges in my throat and focus on what my mom would say to me in this situation. “I’m taking my mom’s advice right now, and she says: Panic doesn’t do anyone any favors.” I roll back my shoulders, believing the words. “I keep thinking about when I’m on the field…”

“Because that’s the same as becoming a dad for the first time.” Jay snorts.

“Just listen for a second,” I say. “On the field, I have to think about the play. I have to stay calm, focused, and fix problems fast. There’s no room for panic there.”

Jay raises an eyebrow. “Okay, go on.”

“It’s the same idea.” I continue, pacing a little to work off the nerves creeping in. “I can’t overthink or let fear take over. I just do what needs to be done, protect the people around me, make smart moves, and adapt to whatever’s coming at me. I’ll screw up sometimes; I know that. But I can fix it. Just not if I’m freaking out the whole time.”

Jay leans back against the counter, nodding slowly. “Yeah, okay, I get it now.”

“I just…” I let my words trail off. Yesterday at the lake felt like something shifted again between us. I want more of that.

“You’re not just talking about handling the dad stuff, are you?”

Debating whether to say it out loud, I glance at him. But this is Jay. He knows me better than anyone.

“No,” I admit, my voice quieter. “I want to be with her, not just protect her. Yesterday...we almost kissed. The whole day was just like a fucking dream, dude. I really like her.”

Jay pauses before breaking out into a smile. “Well, damn. Look at you, Huds. The big guy’s got feelings.”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t help the small laugh that slips out. “Yeah, laugh it up. I’m being serious.”

“I know you are,” he says, straightening up. “And honestly? It sounds like you’re in a good place to make that happen. You’ve got the right mindset, man. You’re not just thinking about yourself; you’re thinking about her, about the future.”

“I don’t want her to feel alone, ever.” I never want her to feel what my mom felt raising me and Rory alone. “I’ve just gotta figure out how all this shit works with her dad too.”

“How’s it going at practice? I’ve seen him at games, but…”

I scrub a hand through my hair. “It hasn’t been great. He mostly talks to me through the assistant coach.”

“I’m sorry, Huds.” And I know he means it. I also know there’s not much he can do, and I’m hesitant to make everything worse. He slaps my shoulder giving me a sympathetic look. “You better get going. Don’t want to keep your girl waiting.”

My girl. I’m gonna manifest the shit out of those two words.

***

The room feels way too quiet, like the kind of quiet where you can hear yourself think, and trust me, that’s dangerous right now. The machine beeps softly as the tech moves the wand thingy over Daphne’s stomach.

And then the screen flickers to life. At first, it’s just a bunch of black and white blobs, like TV static, but then I see something, and all the air vanishes from my lungs. “That’s the baby right there,” she says, like this is totally normal and not the wildest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

I let out a breath and squint at the screen, trying to make sense of it. There’s this tiny shape, kind of curled up in the middle of the black space. The edges are a little blurry, but it’s moving. Like, actually moving. Wiggling, even. I feel this weird, incredible pull, like I’m connected to that little blob on the screen in a way I don’t even have words for yet.

I blink. “Whoa. That’s…our baby?”

“That’s your baby. See the little flicker? That’s their heartbeat.”

The wordheartbeathits me like a freight train. It’s real and alive and right there. I’m not prepared for the landslide of emotions attacking me right now. Relief. Happiness. Fear. Anxiety. Joy.

It’s like every single feeling I’ve ever had is trying to elbow its way to the front. My throat gets tight, and I don’t know which one to focus on first. I’m overwhelmed, but I’m also completely in awe. That little flicker—it’s ours.

The steady thumping echoes around us.Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. I can’t look away. That little baby, it’s ours. Ours. And somehow, in the chaos of emotions swirling inside me, that one thought becomes an anchor.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

---