7

04: a safe place

      "What the hell is going on? Your text scared the shit out of me!" Keaton is worried and upset as she slams her car door shut and storms over to us. I move swiftly to cover the back door window, my heart racing as she knits her brows together.

"Hello? Did you not hear me? What's going on?" She stammers crossing her arms across her chest as Niall slides in next to me. Looking at me for a response to Keaton since she seemed flustered with her flushed cheeks and seat collecting above her brows.

"I...uh.." I stumble and feel like blood rush through my veins, I can feel every bead of sweat form on my forehead as I try to come up with a way to introduce what was happening. "So I got a call the other day telling me that I had an inheritance and well we went this morning to pick up that inheritance,"

"An inheritance? You mean to tell me you did all this and had me leave class because you added a few more zeros to your bank account?" Keaton is frustrated as she sighs out, running her hand through her golden beach lightened hair.

"That's the thing, I thought the same thing but uh, well," I move away from the door and open the door seeing Lilah kick with agitation in her car seat. I move to see Keaton's reaction and it was nothing short of the imagination. Her jaw slacked when she saw the baby beginning to kick and cry from frustration.

"Harry...." She was speechless and I didn't blame her, we had all had the same variety of reactions. What was there to say really? "What the hell? You could have killed her, you can't buckle the car seat front facing!" She scolds the two of us reaching into the car to unbuckle Lilah.

"How were we supposed to know? It's not something they teach you in school or... really anywhere come to think of it!" I defend as Niall shrugs his shoulders back to me.

"Hey, it's okay baby," Keaton cradles Lilah as she stirs and cries. "What's her name?" she asks bouncing up and down trying her best to calm down the crying baby.

"Lilah Jane Styles," I saw as Keaton tries to wrap her mind around the whole thing. She smiles down at the distressed baby caressing her rosy cheeks.

"Hi Lilah, I'm Keaton I'm your daddy's friend! I'm going to make sure you are taken care of," Keaton introduces herself walking up to the apartment. Niall and I follow behind her as she makes small talk that was calming down Lilah.

"So first things first, has she been fed?" Keaton asks as Lilah's cries become quiet pouts. I shut the door behind me and shrug feeling out of my league in all aspects.

"No?" I respond.

"Has she been changed?" Keaton follows up with another daunting question that I didn't have the answer to.

"No...." I said hesitantly as she gives me a look of disappointment.

"Okay well no wonder she is upset, she's probably hungry huh?" Keaton frowns and rubs her little belly as she whines in reply. "Did she come with a bag or anything?"

"No just the car seat, we should probably go to the store right?" I smirk feeling like I knew the answer to this one.

"Good one!" Niall says giving me a thumbs up for the effort of my answer. I give him a thumbs-up back on the side with a crooked smile.

"How about we go get a few things for the baby while she is with us and you and Lily was it? Can have a little girl time together!" Niall suggests grabbing his keys from his pocket. "Come on Harry let's go!" He grabs my upper arm but Keaton raises her voice to object.

"Oh no! I don't trust you two to shop for yourselves
let alone a baby! I will go and Harry will watch the baby. Some bonding time if you will," Keaton says walking towards me with an agitated baby. "Well go on daddy," She coaxes with a sarcastic smile holding Lilah out to me while she cries in low whines.