Wow, that was a first. I had to admit, Danielle always knew how to keep me on my toes, but that wasn't always a good thing.
“Stop wasting my time, Danielle,” I said. “I'm not going to talk to your lover. What could he possibly tell me that I'd even come remotely close to believing?”
“That we've never been together in that way,” she said. “Don't you think if this might be his child, he'd want to claim it? He can't because he knows it can't be his either. And he's mad at me too.”
“Oh, you poor thing,” I said dryly. “My heart aches for you.”
“Please, Malcolm. Talk to him. For our child? For us?”
Her eyes were wide and shimmered with unshed tears. Her lower lip trembled, and she had the most pitiful expression on her face. Even I had a hard time not softening up under that kind of pressure.
“There is no us,” I mumbled.
“Fine,” she sighed, closing her eyes just as a tear fell down her cheek. “Then do it for the baby.”
The baby. Possibly my baby. If she were carrying my child, I wanted to know. I'd want to be in the kid's life. I wanted to be a father to him or her. It wasn't even about the inheritance at that point, but about the child.
I thought back to Adam, and how bitter he was about being excluded from our father's life until he was older. I thought about the kind of person he was and knew I didn't want that for a child that could be mine. If Danielle was indeed pregnant with my child, I didn't want him or her to experience the same thing. I certainly didn't want them to turn out to be like Adam.
“I don't need to talk to Tyler, Danielle,” I sighed.
My head was killing me, and I rubbed at my temples.
“If we determine the baby is mine,” I started. “I'll be the father he or she deserves. We'll make it work.”
Danielle sucked on her lower lip, as if contemplating her next move. Eventually, she had to admit defeat, and she nodded her head slowly.
“I guess that's the best I can hope for then,” she said, her voice colored with resignation. “But please, Malcolm, I'd very much like to be part of your family. Since we're having a child together, it seems only right that we all get along.”
“Fine,” I said. “You're welcome to s
pend time with my family, and I'll keep my thoughts to myself.
“Thank you,” she said, reaching out for my hand.
She squeezed it, and for a moment, I wanted to believe she'd changed. That maybe her affair was just a fluke. A situation brought on because I was working too much. After all, my own father had hardly been around, and I remembered the toll it took on my mother. Being with someone who worked constantly was a challenge a lot of women couldn't handle.
As much as some small part of me wanted to forgive her though, to go back to the way we were was just not possible. I didn't love her. Not anymore. There was someone else that I'd prefer to spend my time with now. Somebody who made me feel happy and carefree. Somebody who made me feel like it was okay to be me and that I was good enough.
There was someone else who'd had hold of my heart. If we were lucky, she'd also be having my baby, and with Casey, I'd never have any question it was mine.
~ooo000ooo~
My phone rang while I was getting ready for bed, and Casey's name popped up on the caller ID. My heart raced, and I answered right away, a little jolt of fear and adrenaline pumping through my veins. She wasn't one to call – especially not late. So, seeing that he was calling me made me think something had happened.
“Casey?” I asked. “What's wrong? Are you alright?”
“I'm fine,” she said. “I just hadn't heard from you since our little run-in yesterday.”
“Yeah, I'm sorry,” I said, collapsing on my bed, a feeling of relief washing through me.
I usually checked in with her every single day, asking her if she had any news and just generally making sure she was okay.
“I've had a lot going on here at home, unfortunately,” I said. “How are you?”
“I'm good,” she said. “I took a test this morning, even though it's probably too early.”
“And?” I sat up on the bed.