Deserve [H.S.]

Chapter 59

HERE

Everyone was all over Noah.

The news of the pregnancy brought cheers and tears from everyone. Colette practically screamed and engulfed the couple in a giant hug each, instantly crying and fawning all over her best friend. Deon teared up a little, offering them a heartfelt congratulations and giving them bear hugs. Ray cried, too, absolutely overcome with pride over the fact that Harry had come so far.

Noah's mom, Elise, practically squealed her head off and nearly suffocated them with her bone-crushing hugs. Harry's mom, Evelyn, squealed loudly through FaceTime when they told her the news, insisting that she would fly over as soon as possible after the birth, no matter what.

Everyone else they told was very excited, including Noah's dad and step-dad, and Noah and Harry were very grateful that they had such an amazing group of people around them for things like this. Things were going incredibly well, and Harry just had to put the Jonah thing behind him. If he dwelled on it too much, he would have gone insane.

When they told Harry's dad, Ian, about the pregnancy, he was very excited for his son. They weren't extremely close or anything - they didn't talk very often or see each other much - but that was mainly because Ian was a very busy man. After all, he ran a very big company that was very time-consuming and quite a ways away from where Harry and Noah lived.

Despite that, though, the fact that he was going to be a grandfather made Ian want to put more effort into Harry's life. That was exactly why he asked Harry to go out to lunch with him one day, which Harry agreed to.

By the time the lunch rolled around, Harry and his father were sitting in an upscale restaurant finishing up ordering their meals with the waiter. After the waiter took their menus and walked away, Ian clasped his hands together and rested the side of his forearms on the table, glancing at Harry.

"So, what's Noah up to today?" Ian asked. It was a Saturday, after all, and he knew that Harry was very protective over her and usually went wherever she was.

"Some of her friends wanted to take her shopping for baby stuff," Harry smiled slightly as he answered, loving how things like that made it feel more real.

Ian smiled and took a sip of his drink before replying with, "how far along is she now?"

"About 15 weeks." Harry's smile was obviously contagious, as Ian smiled back even more at his son's excitement.

"Is she showing yet?"

Shaking his head, Harry said, "not exactly. She has, like, a tiny bump but it's not noticeable at all. She's convinced her bump is gonna pop out in the next couple weeks, though."

"You must be so excited," Ian said, carefully studying the overall elation that was naturally present throughout Harry's features.

Releasing a deep breath, Harry answered with, "I am. So excited. It's just a little overwhelming to work out all the details, you know?"

"Yes, I'm sure. That's actually why I wanted to have lunch with you today." The confused look on Harry's face made Ian continue to talk, "the other week you mentioned the stress of deciding whether to buy a house or find a retail place to build your store in."

Harry nodded, still unsure as to what the point his father was making was. "Yeah..."

Taking a moment to let silence linger, knowing what Harry's immediate reaction would have been, Ian finally spoke to say, "I want to buy your retail space for you, so you can focus on buying a house for your family."

"No-" Harry immediately started, stunned that his dad would ever offer such a thing.

"Hear me out," Ian interrupted. "It's an investment for me. An investment into my son's future. Money is not an issue for me, okay? But you're just starting a family and you're going to need a steady income with that. Having your own store will get you that and more, I'm certain. So, before you say no for your own pride, think about your growing family and how much it would benefit them. Think about the college funds you would be able to save for."