Chapter 25 #2
I couldn’t hack any romantic relationship—was too scared of failing to even try. I couldn’t cut it at a desk job, was generally disorganized, and didn’t know the first thing about babies.
“Have you considered that people could just want to take care of you? You’re not some burden on everyone’s plate, Hannah. Your family wants to help you. I want to help you, not because I think you can’t do it, but because—”
Barry paused, and when I looked back up at him, it was as if he was chewing on his words, debating whether he should say them. Eventually, he raked his hands through his short hair and then dropped his hands down to his side.
“Because, fuck, I really like you, Hannah. I am excited to have a baby with you. I want to help, not because I think you can’t do it, but because I’m thrilled. And you’re doing the hard part, growing the baby. I just play hockey.”
Not for the first time, Barry Wright had rendered me completely speechless. It was a talent of his, disarming and surprising me.
“Help from the people that care about you doesn’t make you weak. It makes you supported,” he said. In the quiet of the garage, I tried to steady my breath. “We’re in this together, Han.”
In this together. I didn’t know what that looked like and was afraid to even consider it for long. Like if I let myself imagine he meant it, then it would hurt all the worse when he decided different.
“I want the baby to have everything she needs, and I want her mom to be comfortable. You have been working so hard, for so long for this. Please, just let me help you.”
I took a long breath, considering his plea. Was it really so bad to accept help from him? No. It felt like an attack to my pride, but no, Barry was rich and wanted to help. But was he still crossing the line by doing this without talking to me first? Absolutely, positively yes.
Before we could go back and forth more, there was a knock on the side door of the garage. I opened it with a sigh only to find my dad, a weird look on his face. Like he had indigestion or something.
“What happened?” I asked, all too certain that something was not right. My mind offered flood, fire, power outage, termites.
“We’ve got a problem.”
Mold.
So. Much. Fucking. Mold.
Tearing out the bathtub revealed that the bathroom walls were just chock-full of mold, and that wasn’t all. The inspection led to the basement bathroom directly beneath, which revealed more mold behind those walls as well.
It would need a total remediation, not something I could just fix on my own without a ton of work and hours, and we would have to be out of the house for it.
The hockey team finished the demo of the bathroom and kitchen, both areas stripped to the bones, ready to be fixed up, if not for the mold remediation.
God, I couldn’t afford that.
And now I didn’t even have a kitchen.
“The timing is bad, I know, but there’s no need to freak out,” Dad started, while I paced back and forth. I was definitely freaking out.
“This is a good thing, really. It’s better that you know now than after the baby’s born,” Kate said.
“I’ve got a guy for this, he’ll get the mold taken care of quick,” Dad said.
“I’ll cover the costs,” Barry said. I held back from snapping that him helping was exactly what got us into this mess in the first place.
Kate was right, at least, that the baby would be safer in the house if we got the mold situation sorted out before she was born. It just really fucking sucked and was yet another thing sprung on me on a day I wasn’t expecting anything to be sprung at all.
Not to mention, I was still desperate for a nap.
“It won’t take more than a week to get the mold done,” Dad said.
“And then I still won’t have a kitchen.”
“You can stay with me,” Barry offered, too quickly. I slanted my eyes at him. This was his plan the whole time, I just knew it.
“No,” I said at the same time that Kate said, “That’s a great idea!”
Again, my family was full of traitors.
“Why can’t I stay with you?” I asked Kate, and ignored the hurt expression Barry couldn’t hide.
“On the couch? Your body pillow isn’t going to fit either there or in my bed with me. Plus, you know I like to starfish.”
“I have lots of beds,” Barry said.
“And you’ve been sleeping in the murder basement? Why dude?” Jeremy asked. Barry pretended not to hear, still looking at me so steadily and assuredly that this was going to be just fine. Like this wasn’t actually an expensive disaster and it was all going to work out just fine.
“What about Junior?”
“Junior can come too,” he said quickly. “Of course.”
I let out a long exhale and squeezed my eyes shut for a moment. My stomach growled and the hunger made me queasy.
Suddenly, it was just too much. I was crying before I could even try to stop it.
“Oh hon, it’s gonna be alright,” Dad said, already jumping to my side to comfort his pregnant, crying daughter.
“This sucks,” I muttered, and let Dad pull me into his chest.
“This is a good thing,” Dad assured again. “It’s gonna get all worked out.”
I took a shuddering breath and nodded, steeling myself for a few moments before wiping my cheeks and looking back to Barry, Jeremy, and Kate assembled in my backyard. Barry looked shattered at the sight of me crying and also like he was holding back from reaching out to me himself.
“I need to eat something, and then I need to sleep,” I said. “We can figure out the mold and shit after.”
“I’ll help you pack a bag,” Kate said, already moving.
“And I’ll order burritos,” Barry said.
“Jeremy, you go get the cat from my house,” Kate instructed, and he snapped to. If I knew all it took to get this family to move like that was a breakdown, I might have cried more often.
Dad gave me one last squeeze before sending me off with Kate to pack some clothes.
When I had a suitcase and a duffle packed, Kate took them to the car. Barry met me in the living room, looked down at me, and I looked up at him. I sighed, a long and labored sound.
“So we’re doing this.”
“Mhm.”
“Lead the way.”