Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

I couldn't convince Aleeka to take the sleeping pills. I did, however, convince her to try to sleep on her own. I sat on the bed with Sebastian lying on my chest as I sang softly to both of them until Aleeka drifted off.

I have no fucking idea what I'm doing. I just know I have an overwhelming sense that it's up to me to protect this baby and his mother.

How I do that? Fuck only knows.

I'm currently sitting in the living room with Sebastian, wondering what I'm supposed to do with him exactly, when my parents walk in. My mom strolls over and snatches my son right out of my arms.

She sits on the sofa with my dad next to her. Both of them staring at Sebastian. "He looks just like you did," Mom says.

I know it's coming. The lecture. How could I let this happen? What are my plans now? All the questions I have no fucking answers to.

"This is your fault," my mom directs to my dad.

"How the fuck do you figure that?" Dad chuckles.

"You were supposed to have the talk with him," she says. "To prevent things like teenage pregnancies."

"I did. I even bought the kid a lifetime supply of condoms," Dad tells her.

"How could you let this happen?" Mom asks me. "This is going to change the course of your entire life."

"I'm aware," I reply.

"No, I don't think you are," she says. "Babies aren't a fad, Orlando. They're forever. This precious little gem is going to rely on you for everything."

"And I'll give him everything."

"How do you plan to do that? You're still in school. You're starting college next year," Mom reminds me, like I don't already know that.

College isn't something I've been set on doing. I know my parents want me to go, especially my mom, because she didn't get that experience. I've just never seen the point of it. I'm going to continue singing and making albums.

"I don't need to go to college. I can just look after him so that Aleeka can go instead."

"What are your plans with her?" Dad asks. "Are you guys… together?"

"She says we should be friends."

"She's smart." Mom hums to herself before adding, "Then again, she let you get her knocked up, so that's debatable."

"She's not like that," I'm quick to counter.

"Like what?"

"It was her first time." I cringe at telling my parents that not only did I take the girl's virginity, but that I knocked her up at sixteen.

Mom blinks at me and sighs. "I really thought I raised you better," she says. "Obviously, this is a shock to all of us. And we are going to do whatever we can to help both of you."

"I appreciate it," I tell my mom as I retrieve my phone, which has been buzzing continuously in my pocket, before checking to see who keeps messaging me.

Aurora:

WHAT???

Aurora:

ORLANDO, WHAT???

Aurora:

YOU HAVE A KID???

Aurora:

I need a pic… NOW, Orlando.

I look up at my dad. "Does the whole family know about Sebastian already?"

He shakes his head. "Just us. And Zio Theo, Dante, and Josie. Why?"

"No reason." I lean over and snap a picture of Sebastian while my mom is holding him and send it to my cousin.

Me:

He looks just like me. Fucking adorable.

"Who are you texting?" Pops asks me.

"Dante," I lie.

Aurora is taking a sabbatical of sorts. I guess you could say if the oldies found out that we knew where she was, or that we were in contact with her, they'd force us to tell them where she is.

I can only guess it was Dante's big-ass mouth that mentioned Sebastian. I mean, if it were him who turned up with a kid, I'd probably let it slip too.

"You both need to talk about how you're going to navigate this together. For his sake, don't fuck it up, Orlando," Pops says.

"I won't." I know Aleeka wants to be friends, but I have no intentions of not making her mine and keeping her that way. My idea of a reset has altered slightly. I don't want to fuck her out of my system anymore. I want to hit the reset button and keep her. "I should take him back upstairs. Aleeka will freak if he's not there when she wakes up," I tell my parents.

"Understandable," Mom says. "I was the same way with you. Let me change him for you first."

"I can do it." I push to my feet and pick up Sebastian. The diaper bag is upstairs in my room and I need to figure out how to do this anyway.

"Can you?" Mom asks with a smile across her face.

"I'll figure it out," I tell her, stopping short before exiting the room. "I know this isn't ideal, but I'm going to do whatever I have to do to make sure he has everything he needs."

"I know you will," Mom says.

"I'm not ready to be Nonno. Let's just stick with Glamps," Pops adds.

"What?" I ask him.

"Nonno sounds old, so I want him to call me Glamps, like glamorous gramps," my dad clarifies.

"I think we'll stick with Nonno. Glamps is the stupidest thing I've ever heard." I laugh at him.

"Says the kid who's now a teenage father."

Ignoring the comment, I walk up the stairs and back into my room. Aleeka is still asleep. So I grab the diaper bag and head into the bathroom.

"I can do this," I say to Sebastian, who makes the cutest little giggling sound in reply.

I lay out three towels on the tiled floor before placing Sebastian on top. Then I open the bag and pull out a diaper, then the wipes. I might not know what I'm doing, but I'm not a complete idiot. I do know I have to wipe the kid down before putting a new diaper on him.

"Okay, it's you and me. You're going to help me out, right?" I ask Sebastian.

He smiles back at me.

"Yep, that's what I thought. How hard can it be?" I look at the onesie he's wearing and pull at the clips that run along the middle and then down his legs. "Uh-huh, success," I tell him when I get his tiny little arms and legs out of the material.

Next, I pull at the tabs on the sides of the diaper. It opens, and I move it out from under his bottom.

"Okay, now the wipes, right?" I ask Sebastian while reaching for the packet of wipes.

As I'm tugging a few free from the package, something wet hits my chest. I look down and freeze. He's peeing on me.

"Seriously, dude? This is how it's going to be?" I ask. "You're just gonna pee all over me?" Once the stream stops, I pull my shirt over my head and glare down at my son. "Guess we're having a shower now, little man. The water kind."