Cuff Me

After she hung up I just looked at the phone, my confusion turning to suspicion.

I headed to the campus daycare, a feeling of foreboding making my stomach cramp.

What. The. Fuck.

Chapter Sixteen: Wyatt

This child was a spitting image of me.

I instantly knew he was mine.

He had the same sandy blond hair and light eyes. His chin jutted out in a stubborn tilt I remembered from pictures of me when I was his age. He even had the small dimple in the center.

Oh God, I have a son.

The words were repeatedly bouncing off the walls of my head, leaving no room for anything else. My mind was reeling and I froze. My limbs felt heavy and it was like I had lost all internal knowledge of how to control them.

I felt light headed and my vision dimmed. There was as loud roar in my ears and it became hard to breathe.

Holy shit. I was a father and all these years I had no idea.

I had missed so much.

Along with my shock and amazement, anger began to simmer in my mind.

“Hello Mr. Murphy, we spoke on the phone. I am Veronica March, the supervisor. Thank you for coming in so quickly. As you can see Noah is not very happy to be sick.”

The woman’s voice grounded me. It gave me something to concentrate on instead of what was going on in my head. I didn’t have time to dwell on my turbulent emotions because my son needed me. Right now he was fussing, demanding his mommy.

The little boy called Noah was wailing. Big fat tears were falling down his cheeks and he squirmed in the woman’s hold.

I held out my hand to catch him when he almost fell out of Veronica’s hold when he pushed hard at her chest. He registered my nearness and stilled, leaning into the middle-aged, brown-haired woman now as he watched me wearily.

Tears were still falling from his eyes but he had stopped letting out those gut-wrenching sobs.

“Come on, little guy, we need to get you home,” I said, my voice was croaked as if I hadn’t used it in years.

I reached for him, keeping my movements slow and deliberate.

Noah shook his head then hid his face against Veronica’s neck, stating, “I want my mommy. Where’s Mommy?”

“He doesn’t seem to be very comfortable with you,” the woman observed, bouncing Noah on her hip.

Maybe because he has no fucking clue who I am I thought angrily, the hot emotion surging in me.

I had to get myself under control though or they wouldn’t allow me to walk out of here with my own son.

I pulled my military training around me and suppressed the violent mix of emotions. There would be plenty of time to feel them later.

Right now, I had to be a father to Noah. He needed me and I wouldn’t fail him. I had already failed him for all these years by not being around.

To the woman, I summoned a charming smile and said, “I have only recently come back into his life and we are still adjusting to each other’s company. We’ll be fine though. He is completely safe with me.”

I watched her fall under my spell, a blush making her cheeks pink as she unconsciously patted her bob length hair back.

She nodded as if she completely understood what I was saying and said, “Ms. Clark has always had you as her emergency contact so I see no reason he can’t be released into your care. Just show me your ID so I can make a copy and you’ll be on your way.”

“No problem,” I pulled my license out of my wallet and she still held onto Noah as she walked over to the copy machine. So that’s why they called me, Hailey had me written down. Did that mean she had always thought I wou