Harry's POV

"Mate, have you been on twitter lately?" My friend Nick Grimshaw asked me from his spot on the couch next to me.

"Not since yesterday, why?" I shrugged, not taking my eyes off the television in front of me.

"Alex is in LA right?"

The mention of her name made me snap my head in his direction, the television show long forgotten. "Yes? Why?" I questioned.

"Are you sure she's visiting her mum?"

"Yeah, who else would she be visiting?" Max. That's who. But she wouldn't go there, would she? Of corse not. But she is pretty pissed at me, so there's not telling what she would do.

"There's multiple pictures of her with this guy at what looks like a movie premier, and they loo pretty chummy with each other."

"Let me see." I said, sitting up straight and reaching for the cell phone in his hands.

"Your fans are going crazy." He said, handing me his phone.

"Fuck." I cursed under my breath.

"Who is that?" Nick questioned.

"I'm not sure." I said, shaking my head. "Where did you find this?"

"It's all over my feed."

I handed him the phone and took out my own. I opened twitter and sure enough my feed and my mentions were flooded with the pictures. There were multiple. His hand on her hip, holding her close. The two of them laughing and smiling together. A smug grin on his face that I just wanted to smack right off. I clicked on one of the pictures and you could see, or at least I could see, the small but noticeable bump of her stomach. My heart sank, we haven't made an announcement yet, and now I'm afraid that we never will, together at least.

"You okay man?" Nick asked.

I peeled my eyes away from my phone to look at him. "Uh yeah."

"You look liked you've just seen a ghost, mate."

We haven't told anyone except our families and the lads that we are- or I guess that Alex is having a baby. And I honestly don't know if I should tell Nick, but he is one of my best mates, so why shouldn't I?

"It's just that Alex is pregnant and I think that this is her ex boyfriend that she's with."

"She's pregnant?"

"Yeah and I'm not the father."

"What the hell man?" Nick said, rising from the couch to stand in front of me. "When did this happen?"

"Like literally days before I met her."

"So are you guys like, not together anymore?"

"I don't know." I answered truthfully. She didn't come right tout and break up with me. When she stormed out it sounded like she just needed time, and everything that her mum had said to me since she left has reassured that to me.

I turned my attention back to my phone and saved the picture that you could see her bump in and sent it to her.

Me- What in the fuck is this?



Me- Is that Max?

Me- Is this really what you're doing out there? Is this why you haven't been texting me back or calling me?

Me- Did you tell him about the baby?


Instantly my phone buzzed. Honestly I wasn't expecting a response and since she had responded I felt my body relax, even just a little, since she left.

Alex- No I didn't tell him, I'll call you when I get back to my mom's.

I was going to respond, telling her that she needed to leave right now when my phone buzzed again.

Alex- I love you.


Alex's POV

"Baby?" Max whispered into my ear.

I looked up at him to see that he had just read my conversation with Harry. I opened my mouth to respond when the actors that stared in the movie we were about to watch walked into the room to give their obligatory "thank you's" and then the movie started.

I tried really hard to focus on the movie but I just couldn't. My mind was racing with thoughts of Harry seeing the pictures of Max and I together. And then my thoughts would turn from Harry to Max and how he had seen my conversation with Harry. I wanted to be mad at Max for looking at it, but I guess he had the right to know since he was the father, unfortunately enough. Then my thoughts took another turn to how. How had I gotten myself into this situation? Is this what a love triangle is?

Even though I've been feeling guilty about spending time with Max while Harry is back in London, I can't help the feelings that are starting to stir back up. Max has proved to me that he has changed for the better but could he be there for me the way Harry has been? Would Max be a better father than Harry? Why are these thoughts even going through my mind? I'm with Harry. Harry is the one I want, not Max. I think.

---

After the movie was over Max informed me that there was an after party that we could go to if I wanted. I decided against it and asked him to take me back to my mom's house.

To say that the car ride was uncomfortable would be an understatement. I didn't want to be the one to break the silence so I waited in agony for Max to speak. We were about ten minutes from my mom's place, but we were stuck in wonderful LA traffic so it would be at least another half hour or so till we got there.

I continued to sit quietly in the passenger seat while playing with my fingers when Max cleared his throat.

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat before speaking. "So." He paused for a fraction of a second. "A baby?" He questioned.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him redirect his gaze from the standstill traffic in front of us to look at me. I took a deep breath and met his gaze. "Yeah."

"How far along?" He asked while his eyes examined my face.

His gaze was intense and it made me want to squirm. I felt like a child being scolded for doing something wrong, but then again, that's how I always feel when I'm with Max. A child. "Um, about 13 or 14 weeks, I'm not exactly sure." I blushed.

I saw him mentally doing the math, before he looked away from me. He rested his elbow on the arm rest, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Is it mine, the baby?" He asked with his eyes still closed.

I didn't answer right away. Do I tell him the truth or lie? I know deep down in my heart that Harry will be everything I need him to be and more. But Max is the biological father and he has the right to know and if I lie to him about it and he finds out the truth later on then things could get messy.

"Is the baby MINE?" Max shouted the last word and that made me jump. Max has the control, this power over me. I can't quiet explain it, but he intimidates me. He makes me feel less than what I am.

I felt tears well up in my eyes. "No! I don't know, maybe." I choked out and by the end I was crying.

"What do you mean you don't know? Either you know or you don't." He said, glaring at me once again.

"I mean that Harry and I got a paternity test done, and he led me to believe that he was the father and then he told me he wasn't. He took the phone call from my doctor, so I have no idea what she said, I'm just confused and I can't talk to her because she's out of town."

"Is this doctor the one you went to here or in London?"

"London."

"Well then get ahold of the doctor that you went to here and you and I will go do the paternity test too." He said, he sounds a lot calmer now than before.

"But it's almost christmas eve."

"So, it's a doctor. Tell him it's an emergency."

I pulled my phone out of my clutch. I had four missed calls from Harry and countless texts. I ignored them and found the number to my doctor in LA.

I explained my situation and that it was kind of an emergency. He reassured me that he understood and that it wasn't a problem for me to visit his office this evening. When traffic finally picked up, Max redirected his path from my moms house to the doctors office.

---

An hour later and we were pulling into the parking lot. We got out of the car and walked over to the door, my doctor, Dr. Parker, met us at the door and let us in.

"Alex, nice to see you." He said with a warm smile.

"You too. Thank you so much. I know it's late."

"Nonsense, anything for Ella's daughter." My mom's practice was in the same building as Dr. Parker's so they were pretty friendly with each other.

Dr. Parker led us to an examination room, everything was the same as last time, except when it came to my turn I had Max wait in the hallway.

"Alright. I'm going to take this over to the lab at the hospital across from here and have a rush put on it, you're more than welcome to wait here or you can go get something to eat if you'd like. It will be approxemently an hour till we have the results."

"Okay, I'll talk to Max."

"Very well." He smiled and exited the room.

Max walked in. "He said that he was going to take it to the lab and get a rush on it. It'll be about an hour, we can wait here or go somewhere."

He nodded. "I'm hungry. You?"

I shook my head no, "Not really, but I'll go with you."

Since it was fairly late at night there weren't many places that were open that weren't bars, but we found a little cafe just down the street from the doctors office. We were seated at a table near the back, after Max orders his food he speaks up.

"What do you want to do? If the baby is mine?" He asked.

Thinking back on my revelation in the car I know that I don't want to raise a child with him. He isn't ready for that type of responsibility, and honestly I'm not sure if Harry is either. Maybe I should do this by myself. I always pictured myself with a loving husband, a house in the suburbs, and four children running around. I don't see that being my reality anytime soon.

"I- I don't know. Harry has said from day one that he wants to raise the baby with me, but if it's yours then I don't think that would be the case."

"I've never met Harry, but I think he'd be a better dad then I ever would be."

"What?"

"I'm saying that if the baby is mine, then I want you and Harry to raise it together. If that's what you want."

"You'd agree to that?"

"Of course. I've been awful to you these past few years and the least I can do is not stand in your way when it comes to raising another human being. God knows I'd never be good at that. I can barely take care of myself." He smirked.

I smirked back, "Well you've go that right."



When Max was finished eating we headed back to Dr. Parker's practice. He greeted us at the door again and took us to his office. He motioned for Max and I to sit in either one of the leather chairs that were positioned in front of his desk.

"Alright Alex, so you told me that you had this test done once before?"

I flushed, hearing it out loud made me embarrassed. I felt like one of those girls on Maury that spend the entirety of their life searching for their "baby's daddy". "Yes." I nodded.

Dr. Parker gave me a reassuring smile before continuing. "And the doctor that preformed the test told you that Max was the father?"

I nodded again.

"Well the samples that I took from the two of you-" he motioned between Max and myself. "Have not left my sight, and the results came back negative. So something must have gone awry with the test she preformed."

"Not a match?"

"That's correct. Max is not the father."

Max and I let out a sigh of relief simultaneously. "Oh thank god." Max chuckled.

Dr. Parker gave us a weird look, I filled him in on why Max reacted that way and he offered to preform the test again, but this time on Harry.

"That would be great, but Harry is in London."

"Very well, when you get back maybe you should visit a different doctor and have the test redone then."

"Most definitely, but Harry is the only other possible person."

"Better to be safe than sorry." He smiled.

---

Max and I said our final goodbyes, we both agreed that it was probably the best idea if we didn't see each other again.

It was just after 11pm when I got back to my mom's house. The house was completely dark and her car wasn't in the driveway like it normally was.

I made my way to "my" room and stripped out of my red dress and showered. I was exhausted after the day I had had. When I was finished showering I slipped on a pair of pajamas and curled up in bed with my phone. I decided to try calling Harry back to tell him the good news, but the call went straight to voicemail.

"Hi Harry, it's Alex, call me when you get this. I love you."

I hung up the phone and fell into a much needed deep slumber.

---

I woke up the next morning at 8am craving a glass of water. I made my way to the kitchen and filled a glass. I drank it rather quickly before filling up the glass again. I heard the television on in the living room. I decided to join my mom and tell her the news.

I walked into the living room and my glass dropped from my hand and connected with the wood floor next to my feet. Instead of seeing my mom on the couch watching the news, it was Harry.

His gaze shot from the TV to the floor where the broken glass and water where, and then to my shocked face.

He was dressed in one of his many plaid shirts with a few of the buttons undone. He looked so good. I felt the all too familiar tightening in my stomach.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Notes

Heyyy :) Firdtly I apoligize for taking so long to update, this past week has been filled with family dinner after family dinner, and just all around "family bonding". And not to mention work :( I work in retail so to say that I've been busy is an understatement. I've been working on this chapter for the past 5 days here and there so I'm sorry if it's a bit choppy or doesn't flow as smoothly.

A lot happened in this chapter. How do you feel about it?


Random Fact!!

Normally I loathe listening to christmas music because I hear it at work practically every day for two and a half months straight, but recently I've been listening to it for fun. My favorite album is the Michael Buble christmas album that came out a few years ago, whats yours? (If you like christmas music.)