“Go out with me?”
“Gladly.”
“Why don’t we lay down?” He smiles. “My mom tells all the moms to sleep when the baby sleeps.” We lay on his bed, and he smiles down at me. “I wouldn’t mind doing this for real with you one day.”
I scoot closer. “I’d like that too. We’d be the coolest parents ever.”
“Easily.” He sighs. “What are we going to tell your brother?”
“We tell him the truth.” I shrug. “But, we tell my dad first, and then have my dad there when we tell Sti so that there is a muzzle.”
“And your dad will be okay with it?”
“Yeah. It took me two hours to get it into his head that I never slept with Jackson, or anyone else, and in the end, all he said was, ‘What about Scott?’ So, he will be very happy.”
“We could take him to lunch tomorrow,” Scott suggests. “And my mom. Two birds, one stone.”
“Plus, they can meet their granddaughter.”
“What does maleńka mean?” He asks. “It’s Polish, right?”
“It means little one, it’s what my mom used to call me.” I take his hand. “What about you? Mijita? Gordito?”
“Just passing down a family tradition. My mom always called me mijo or peque.
“Did you really call Isaac and Allison’s son a little fat boy?” I tease.
“What?!” he laughs, “What are you calling your nephew?”
“Żabko…” I mutter. “It means froggie in Polish.”
“Okay so we have Froggie, little fat boy, what about the girls?”
“Myszka, or mouse.”
“I called her Bicho, but apparently is not as cute to English speakers,” He scoffs. “What about Misiu?”
“Oh no, that’s a secret.”
“C’mon! Please, Kat?”
“Nope!”
“Maravillosa, princesa mio, cielito, amor de mi vida…” He begs. “Please!”
“Teddy bear!” I giggle. “It means teddy bear.”
“Oh,” he laughs. “That’s really cute.”
“It’s better than the other terms of endearment they use. One of them directly translates to ‘old fart’ which is what my mom called my dad.” I look at Aylin. “If we were to really have kids, boy or girl, what would you name them?”
“Hm,” he thinks for a moment. “Nicholas and Alexander are cute boy names, and they have plenty of nicknames. I am partial to Aylin now, but Kalina, Anja, and Letizia are my favorite girl names. What about you?”
I shrug. “Never really thought about names beyond Claudia.”
“Why don’t you get your pajamas on, I’ll go get water, and some food.” He kisses my nose before leaving the room.
I change into my pajamas, which are just a pair of gym shorts, and a t-shirt I stole from one of the boys. I braid my hair and take out my earrings.
“Is that one of mine?” I hear Scott enter the room.
I examine the shirt, an old lacrosse shirt with Scott’s number and McCall on the front. “It is, and an old one too.” I sit next to him on the bed. “Did you see how Isaac looked at Allison when she was holding Camden?”
“You bet I did!” Scott smirks. “It was the closest thing to heart eyes I’ve ever seen. But Allison made the same face when you handed Aylin to Isaac. Although nothing will beat the shock on Stiles’ face when he saw us on the couch. I was taking a video of Aylin when he walked in. Do you want to see it?”
I roll my eyes. “I’m good for now.” I yawn. “She’ll need to eat in like an hour.”
Scott pulls me in close. “I can handle it, mariposita.” He grabs the covers and tucks us in. “Sleep.”
I snuggle in closer. “G’night misiu.”
He starts to sing.
Unforgettable Lyrics
I woke up to Aylin crying. I sit up and see Scott already looking for the bottle. “Diaper bag. Mini backpack.” I grunt, picking up Aylin.
“Found it.” He hands me the bottle, sits against the headboard, pulls me into him, and sighs. “I could’ve done it. You didn’t have to get up.”
“I know. I just ended up waking up.” I rest my head against him. “I am so glad tomorrow is Saturday. If we had to go to school the day after getting our baby I think I’d sleep through every single class.”
“Me too. We are definitely napping tomorrow, right?”
I nod. “I won't survive without one.” I sit up, burping Aylin. “I wonder how the others are doing?”
Scott laughs. “I put your phone on do not disturb, but I didn’t do that to mine, so I’ve been reading the group chat, and they are not doing great.”
I cradle Aylin and shift to put her in the bassinet, “Sucks for them I guess.” As I lay her down, she wails, so I tuck her in my arms. “She’s not going to let me put her in the bassinet. That’s great.”
Scott pulls me against him, before kissing my cheek. “We can stay like this. That’ll be easier.” I nod and close my eyes.
“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!” I open my eyes to see my brother and Lydia in the hallway.
“I was napping, until I was so rudely awakened.” I groan, sitting up. “We all were actually.”
“IN HIS LAP?”
I roll my eyes. “Shut up Meechie.” I take the wailing Oliver from him. “I’m assuming he’s been fed, burped, changed, and rocked?” Lydia and Stiles nod. “Poor baby.” I coo “Let’s get you snuggled up, and a lullaby.” I look at my brother. “Swaddle wrap?” Lydia hands me the wrap. “I know, I know Ollie. It’s okay! Auntie Kat is here, and we’re gonna wrap you up snugger than a bug in a rug.” I snap the final snap on the swaddle and Ollie immediately calms down. “That’s better, huh?” I hand him back to Stiles. “He should fall asleep on the drive home now. And if that doesn’t work, you could always try a lullaby with his head against your chest.”
“Are you kicking us out now?”
I nod. “Scott and I have our own baby to take care of.” I walk them to the door. “Call me if you can’t get him down.”
Once they’re gone, Scott stands. “You are beautiful.” He kisses my nose. “I fed her while you were napping. I’m gonna go set stuff up in my room. Let me know if you need something.”
I take Aylin and head to the kitchen. “You really are the perfect baby.” I dance around the kitchen, humming, and laughing at the baby talk.
“Scott? Kat?” Allison calls.
“Hey, Alli.” Scott smiles, taking Camden. “You fed him and changed him and everything?” I join them in the living room. “Do you have another swaddle wrap, Cariña?” I hand Isaac Aylin and grab a swaddle for Scott. “Oye gordito… You’re just sleepy, huh? You just need to be snuggled up before bedtime, yeah?” I smile down at the scene before me, as Scott murmurs to the doll. “There we go!” He hands Camden back to Allison, “He should be out like a light after a drive, and if all else fails, sing a lullaby.” He takes Aylin from Isaac. “Call if you need anything else.”
I walk them to the door. “Have a nice rest of your night guys.” I walk back to Scott and sigh, taking Aylin. “I think it’s time for Maleńka to go to bed, how about you?”
“I think so.”
We walk to Scott’s room, and I smile at how he’s set everything up. “Look at this Maleńka! Your dad got everything all set up!” I look at Scott. “Thank you.” I start to sway, thinking of a lullaby when Scott starts singing.
I could find the whole meaning of life in those sad eyes They've seen things that you never quite say, but I hear Come out of hiding, I'm right here beside you And I'll stay there as long as you let me
Because you matter to me Simple and plain and not much to ask from somebody You matter to me I promise you do, you, you matter too I promise you do, you see? You matter to me
I smile, knowing right when to join in.
It's addictive the minute you let yourself think The things that I say just might matter to someone All of this time I've been keeping my mind on the running away And for the first time I think I'd consider the stay
Because you matter to me Simple and plain and not much to ask from somebody You matter to me I promise you do, you, you matter too I promise you do, you'll see You matter to me
I take a deep breath, before continuing on.
"Dear baby I hope someday Somebody wants to hold you for twenty minutes straight They don't pull away, they don't look at your face And they don't try to kiss you All they do is wrap you up in their arms and hold on tight Without an ounce of selfishness in it I hope you become addicted, baby I hope you become addicted to sayin' things Having them matter to someone"
Scott stands behind me, wraps me in his arms, and we sway as we finish the song. I look down and Aylin is sleeping soundly in my arms. I lay her in the bassinet and then go back to Scott.
“You and I make a damn good team McCall,” I look back at the bassinet. “Who would’ve guessed we’d be helping the others through this project?”
“Not our parents.” He rests his forehead against mine.
AS A NOTE. I AM TRYING TO UPDATE CONSISTENTLY BUT PLEASE BE KIND
When we finally pull into Scott’s driveway my phone rings. IDIOT BROTHER
“What?”
“Can Lydia and I bring Ollie over? We can’t seem to get him to stop crying.”
“Bring a swaddle wrap. They’re in the top left drawer in the baby room. And, bring my fuzzy blanket. Also, tell Lydia that she can use anything in the baby room.”
“Got it.”
I hang up and look at Scott. “Meechie and Lydia need our help.”
“Is this what it’s going to be like when he actually has kids? If so, you’ll need to live with him.” Scott shakes his head. “We won’t ever be rid of him, will we.”
“It’s Meechie!” I laugh. “He won’t let us get rid of him.”
“You take Aylin inside and I’ll unpack the car. Then we can use Stiles to set everything up.” He kisses me. “You are amazing.”
I grab the diaper bag and my backpack and take Aylin inside. When I sit on the couch my phone rings again. ALLI THE ARCHER
“Hey, Alli!”
“We need help.”
I laugh. “Come on over to Scott’s, Stiles and Lydia are already on their way.”
“You are a lifesaver!”
“Who was that?”
“Allison. She and Isaac need help too.”
He sits next to me. “Can you imagine this for real? All of us having kids?”
I cuddle into him. “I don’t think all of us will. Allison doesn’t want to have kids, nor does Isaac, or Malia.” I look up at him. “What about you?”
“I’d love it. Having a crazy house full of kids.” He smiles down at me. “I always wanted siblings growing up, so I’d love to have like 3 or 4 kids.”
I hum into his chest. “I’ll have at least two seeing as I’m genetically predisposed to have twins.”
“You tired?” He takes Aylin from my arms.
“Parenting four babies is hard.” I whine, laying my head on his lap.
“I’ll help the others, you can go ahead and nap.” he runs his fingers through my hair. “No promises your brother won’t wake you though.”
“Thanks, Misiu.” I close my eyes.
I retie the carrier and follow the others down the bleachers. When we reach the locker room doors Isaac and Scott are already out.
“How’d she do?” Scott leans over to peek at Aylin.
“Not a peep,” I smirk at the girls. “Unlike Lyssa.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lyssa just needed some Auntie Kat time and a lullaby.” I smile when I hear Aylin babbling against my chest. “Someone’s awake!”
“I can take her.” Scott holds Aylin as I taught him earlier, and smiles. “Hey, pretty girl! Did you have a good time with Mamma?” He pauses when he sees her shirt. “Really, Katya? Cute outfit, but we both know the looks come from my side of the family.”
“You’re only saying that ‘cause of Stiles.” I pout. “Which is not fair! We don’t know what happened with him!”
Scott smiles. “Whatever you say, Cariña.”
“Damn right Misiu.”
“Stiles!” Isaac shouts into the locker room. “Hurry up! Scott and Kat are being all mushy, and it’s getting annoying!”
My brother immediately runs out of the locker room. “Hey! Watch it! Both of you!” He stares at us, looking between the two of us. “You two seem awfully comfortable parenting together…”
“We’ve been parenting you for years, it’s hardly new.” I smile up at Scott. “Plus, I do all the work anyway! He just gets to stand there and look pretty.”
“That is not true!” Scott argues as we all walk to the parking lot.
“Who put in the car seat this afternoon?”
“You wouldn’t let me help!”
“GAH!” Isaac shouts. “Could you both please just shut up? I forgot how annoying you two are when you like each other.” Allison slaps his arm. “Ow!”
“You know what that was for, don’t even.”
As everyone piles into their cars, I look at Scott and hand him the keys before putting Aylin in her car seat, finally taking my seat in the back.
“I’m sorry about these past couple of weeks,” I state as soon as he starts driving. “I’ve had a lot on my mind, and I took it out on you, which isn’t fair.”
“Katya…” Scott sighs. “Listen, about that conversation we had. I’m sorry for how I responded, I was in shock, and it’s taken me up until today to figure out what to say…”
I shake my head. “Scott, you don’t have to.”
“No, no I do,” he parks on the side of the road. “Ekaterina, I have had a massive crush on you since the sixth grade, and that day on the porch, I wanted nothing more than to kiss you, and tell you everything I feel for you. And yet I didn’t, because I hesitated, I thought about what Stiles would say, and I hesitated.” He takes a breath. “I’ve been falling for you for ages Katya, and I want to be more than just your brother’s best friend.”
I jump over the seat and kiss him. When I pull away I smile. “You have never been just my brother’s best friend Scott.” I glance at Aylin. “Now let’s get our little one home.”
When I get back to my house I grab all of the baby stuff and stuff it into the backseat of the jeep, I then take Aylin up to the room that used to be a nursery and start packing baby clothes in the diaper bag. Once her clothes are all packed, I grab an outfit that says ‘I got it from my Mama’ and lay Aylin down on the changing table. Once I’ve checked her diaper I put on the new outfit, and head back to my room. I grab all of my basics, and shove them in my duffle bag, toss in my makeup and jewelry, grab my toiletry bag, and finish packing the car. When I get to the school, I see Lydia struggling in the parking lot. I tie on the baby carrier, situate Aylin against my chest, grab the diaper bag, and head over to her car.
“Do you want some help, Lydia?”
She turns around. “I can’t get the carrier out of the base.” She sighs. “Clearly you are prepared for this.”
“There’s plenty of stuff for you, Alli, and Malia to use at my house.” I shoo her away from the car and lift the carrier out of the car. “There you go!”
She takes the carrier. “What did you guys name her?” Lydia asks as we walk toward the field.
“Aylin Claudia McCall.” I smile. “And my nephew?”
“Oliver Kai Stilinski.”
We sit next to Allison and Malia on the bleachers, I untie Aylin and show the girls her outfit. “Allison, Malia, meet Aylin Claudia McCall. Also, how pissed will Scott be about this outfit?”
“Oh, I think he’ll love it,” Allison smirks. “How come you get a cool name? Camden Argent-Lahey is so boring!”
“I think that’s cute Alli!” I smile, “Plus you hyphenated, which is cool.”
“Lyssa Evelyn Tate, named after the spirit of rage, and my mother.”
“That’s sweet Mal,” I hug her. “How has it gone for you guys so far?”
“Cam is not a fan of his father…” Allison laughs. “Every time Isaac holds him he starts to cry.”
“Oh no!” Lydia laughs. “Ollie has been decent, but I’ve had to change his diaper often.”
I grab a bottle out of the diaper bag and start to feed Aylin. “Maleńka has only cried once.” I look out on the field. “Once she was in Scott’s arms, there wasn’t a peep.”
“Lyssa has not stopped crying, this is the longest she’s been quiet.” Malia tilts her head. “Kat, why are you feeding her? She hasn’t started crying yet.”
“Babies need to eat every 2-3 hours, and it’s been 2.5 since she woke up. I’m trying to keep her from crying.” I smile at the girls. “Look,” I eye the field where Scott, Stiles, and Isaac are standing and staring. I start to burp Aylin as I wave at the boys. “Wait till Uncle Sti sees your outfit maleńka…” I coo, knowing Scott can hear every word. “I think he’ll like it, huh baby?” Once Aylin has burped I cradle her once again.
“Now you’re being mean Kitty.” Lydia scolds.
“Oh hush.” I scold. “If I really wanted to be mean, I would.” All of a sudden, Lyssa starts crying.
“What more do you want from me?” Malia whines. “I have just fed you, and changed your diaper, what else is there?”
“Here, you take Aylin, and I’ll take Lyssa.” I gently trade with her. “Oh laleczko,” I stand and start to sway. “You’re just tired, huh?” I think for a moment and then start to sing.
“There's a faraway land, so the stories all tell Somewhere beyond the horizon, If we can find it then all will be well. Troubles there are few, someday we'll go to Solla Sollew, Solla Sollew Solla Sollew, Solla Sollew. They say breezes are warm there, And people are kind, Maybe it's something like heaven. I close my eyes and I see in my mind, Skies of bluest blue Solla Sollew I've had so much trouble finding my way there, When I get close, it disappears. If I can get there, I'm gonna stay there. If it takes us miles, If it takes us years. High on a mountain or lost on the sea, Sooner or later I'll find it. I have a picture of how it will be On the day I do. Troubles will be through But I'll be home with you. Solla Sollew, Solla Sollew Solla Sollew, Solla Sollew.”
When I look down, Lyssa is fast asleep. “There,” I put her gently in Malia’s arms. “All she needed was a lullaby.”
“When did you learn to sing like that?” Lydia whispers when I sit next to her.
“I’ve always been able to.” I shrug.
“They’re done with practice, let’s meet them at the doors.” Allison stands.
“YOUR TIME BEGINS…” Coach shouts, and I immediately cradle the baby in my arms. “NOW!!”
Lydia and Malia’s babies instantly start crying and Scott laughs. “Aylin is definitely the most well-behaved here.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course she is. She’s my daughter!”
As the bell rings Stiles tosses me the keys to the Jeep. “You can go pack up, and then meet us here after practice, yeah?”
I put on my backpack, and take the baby carrier from Scott. “Yeah, I’ll see you soon.”
As I walk out of class, Scott follows me. “I’ll help you get her in the car.”
“I can do it too, y’know.” I roll my eyes. “I’ve done it before.”
“When?”
“Remember when that couple died two years ago? My dad took their baby in for a couple of weeks, and I did most of the work. Car seats, strollers, changing, everything.” I smile softly. “So lucky for Aylin, because Mama has all of the things she’ll need.”
“Like what? I thought Coach gave us everything?” Scott asks, holding the door.
“Diaper bag, stroller, bassinet, baby carrier, swaddles, and more.” I unlock the jeep. “Though I might leave the swing and rocker for Lyds because Stiles is not the best with babies.” I hand Scott the car seat and climb in the car. “Okay, now she has to face the seat and be centered on the cushion.” Scott helps me maneuver the car seat, and then Aylin starts to cry. “I’ll do this part, you rock her.”
“And what if she keeps crying?” Scott panics, trying to get Aylin out of the car seat.
“Jesus Scott, then check her diaper, and if that doesn’t work, feed her!”
“How do I hold her?”
I laugh. “Okay, how about you work on the car seat, and I’ll show you how to hold her.” I lean over and unbuckle the car seat. “The most important thing to remember is to support her neck since she can’t hold her head up on her own.” I tuck her in my arms and coo. “And then you just cradle her, isn’t that right sweetheart? Yeah…” I look up at Scott. “Do you wanna hold her?”
“Sure…”
I carefully step out of the car and stand in front of Scott. “Ready?” He nods. I hold Aylin away from my chest. “Okay, so put your right hand behind her head and neck,” I adjust his position a little. “Left hand on her butt, and then cradle.”
“How do I cradle her?”
“Slide your right arm toward me, until her head is in the crook of your elbow,” I guide his movements. “And now just hold her.” I step back.
“Wow.” Scott chuckles. “She’s so small.” I turn back to the car seat and secure it properly before turning back to Scott, only for my heart to melt. “I think you and I would be lost without your mama, mijita. But I promise I’ll do my best, by both you and mama.”
“Car seat’s all set,” I whisper. “I’ll be back in 30 minutes.” I easily take Aylin from Scott’s arms and buckle her in. “See you soon.”
“Katya.” I look at Scott, surprised by the softness in his voice. “Thank you.”
I nod, and put the Jeep in gear, before whispering, “You’re lucky I like you, McCall!”
“We all know something happened Kat. You’ll have to tell someone eventually.” Allison puts an arm around me. “And unlike your brother, I know how to keep a secret.”
“I told him.”
Allison looks at me in shock. “What did he say?”
I feel tears pool in my eyes. “That’s just it Alli, he didn’t say anything. He just said ‘Oh.’ and that was it.”
“Oh Kat…” She wraps me in a hug. “I’m so sorry. That’s terrible.”
Two more sets of arms join the hug. “Don’t get me wrong, I love group hugs, but why?” Malia whispers.
“Can I tell them, Kat?” Allison asks, and I nod. “She told Scott about how she felt, and all he said was ‘Oh.’ and now it’s weird.”
“Oh, Kitty…” Lydia sighs. “He doesn’t know what he’s missing, you are too good for him.”
“You’re too pretty to cry over him, Kat. Plus, if you really want a date, I’ll take you.” Malia kisses my forehead.
“We have to go to class.” I extricate myself from their arms. “Just don’t tell the boys, okay? I don’t want them to make him feel guilty, and I especially don’t want Stiles to go berserk on him.”
“Our lips are sealed.” Lydia takes my hand. “Now, let’s get to class, Coach is apparently in a mood today, so let’s not piss him off more than he already is.”
“Oh god.” Malia sighs. “This should be fun.”
Allison takes my other hand. “And today is robot doll day. We have them for two whole weeks.”
“I’m excited, believe it or not. I love taking care of kids, especially babies. It’s actually pretty easy.” I smile.
“So, if any of us struggle, call Kat!”
We walk into the classroom, and Coach grunts. “Partner list is on the back board. There will be no switching. You will be in your groups all day. Good luck.”
“Just my luck.” I sit at the desk with my name on it.
“So…” Scott takes his desk. “Partners, huh?”
“Guess so.”
Coach stands up. “Alright. Treat these babies as your children for two weeks. I will get a report on how well you care for them. Discuss.”
“So, what should we name our little one, Katya?”
“Enya?”
“Kiara?”
I scoff. “Carolyn.”
“Mallory.”
“Althea.”
“Vanessa.”
“No.” I think quietly. “What about Aylin or Ayla? They mean halo of moonlight, Turkish I think.”
“Aylin Claudia McCall.” Scott puts a hand on mine. “Beautiful.”
“Claudia?” I look at him in shock. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Scott smiles. “Remember growing up, we would always talk about what we wanted to name our kids, and Stiles and I would come up with Yoda or something? You always said that you wanted your daughter’s middle name to be Claudia, after your mom.”
“I can’t believe you remember that.” I take a deep breath. “Moving on, it’d probably be easier to just stay at one of our houses, so we’re together all the time, then we don’t have to switch all the time.”
“Works for me.” he pauses, listening in on my brother’s conversation. “Lydia and Stiles are going to stay at your house, so why don’t we stay at mine, I doubt my mom will care.”
I nod. “And we have the same schedule, so it’ll be easy to coordinate that too.”
I sit next to Allison at the lunch table. “I cannot stand him anymore!”
“Who are you talking about, Scott or Stiles?” Lydia asks.
“Stiles!” I groan.
“What did he do now?” Malia sighs. “'cause if it’s not something to do with food, I don’t want to talk about it.”
“He told our dad about Jackson. He breezes by the dinner table last night and says ‘Kat slept with Jackson Whittmore over the summer,’ and then walks away as if nothing happened.” I complain. “I got a two-hour lecture!”
“You deserved that.” Stiles plops down next to Lydia. “It was payback for what you said about Erica.”
“What happened with Erica?” Allison smirks.
“Do not–”
“He had a friend with benefits relationship with her last year.”
“For several months, as I recall, right?” Scott sits next to me.
“You’re welcome for that information, McCall.” I glare at him.
“Please don’t argue,” Stiles begs me. “One day, please?”
“Tell her!!” I ignore the conversation around me as I eat my pasta. I finish eating and as I’m packing up my leftovers Scott interrupts me. “You’re not going to eat all of that?”
“No.”
“Can I have–”
“No.”
“Why are you so mean to me, Ekaterina? What did I do?” Scott whines.
“Figure it out yourself Scott,” I walk off.
“Kat!” Allison runs up to me.
“Sorry. I just can’t sit there with my brother and Scott,” I sigh leaning against my locker. “They treat me like I’m five!”
“What happened between you and Scott? You guys used to be so close?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
FLASHBACK
“Why him?” Scott shouts. “It’s always about Isaac!”
I sigh. “Scott. That’s not fair and you know it.” I sit on the bench.
“Sit, please? And just listen, alright?”
“Fine,” Scott sits next to me. “What did Isaac say?”
“He didn’t say anything! I broke up with him, okay? We aren’t dating!
We were never dating, I don’t even know what we were, but whatever
it was, it’s over.”
“What? Why? I thought you really liked him?”
“As a friend. I have feelings for someone else.”
“Who?”
I shake my head. “Never mind, I shouldn’t have brought it up.” I stand.
“Katya.” Scott grabs my hand. “Talk to me.”
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, Scott. Just let it go, please.”
“Not a chance.” Scott crosses his arms. “Liam? Jackson? Theo?” He huffs.
“I really hope it’s not Theo. Aiden? Derek? Diaz? Brett?” He pauses.
“Is it Parrish?”
“Scott.” I stop him. “It’s you. Always has been.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, you.” I sit there, waiting for him to answer.
“Oh.”
I run off as he calls after me.
END FLASHBACK