Page 86
I take my time walking over to where I know Laney will be with the girls. I spot the girls right away, but once I see them both standing there frozen while the kids around them continued to play, I know something's was wrong. I follow where they're walking, I saw Michael, standing too close to my wife. As I walked closer, I heard his accusations. I heard him accuse my wife of being pregnant with his child. But worst of all, it was him who told our girls the news. He took something so special away from us. I had it all planned out. The night of Addie getting her walking cast off we were going to take them to dinner. That was when we would tell them they were going to be big sisters. We’d planned on taking them to watch Beauty and the Beast on Broadway afterwards. But that fucking little pest ruined it all. Now the girls looked crushed because they had no idea their mommy was going to have a baby.
When he takes another step closer to my wife, I almost lose it. The look on her face was one of anger and confusion. She slowly moves the kids, so they're standing behind her, protecting them. By the time I get to them, I hear him call her out. “I suggest you take a step back away from my wife and my daughters.”
“Fuck you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nathan. Please.” I look at Laney, and the girls are cowering behind her.
“Laney, why don’t you take the girls back home?”
“No, Laney needs to stay here and explain herself. I have the right to know. She owes this to me for keeping it from me for over two months now.”
“She doesn’t owe you shit. Over two months? Sorry, buddy, but she isn’t that far along.”
“Bullshit. You expect me to believe you. I don’t believe the shit that comes out of your mouth. I want proof. Until I get that, then I expect to be involved in every aspect of my child’s life.”
“Laney, you need to go.” The anger is pulsing through me. How the fuck he thinks he has any right to come over here and threaten her is beyond me.
“Nathan.” I feel her hand wrap around my arm. “Michael. If you want honesty, then I’ll give you honesty. Stella has run every test and ultrasound known to man. This baby is Nathan’s, not yours, and I’m not that type of person who would ever hide my pregnancy or a child from its father. I don’t know where you got your information from, but they were wrong. You are wrong.”
“I don’t believe you. I still want proof.”
“Do you honestly think I would do that to you? Do you honestly think I’m the type of person who keeps a child from their parent? You know me, Michael.”
“Yes, Laney, but I don’t know him.”
“Are you fucking serious?” I spit out.
“Well, you sure are taking Brad’s spot when it comes to them.” He points to the girls. “Why wouldn’t I think you would do the same when it comes to my child?”
“For Christ’s sake, Michael, I am not carrying your child.”
“I’m still entitled to proof. If there is any doubt that I may be the father, then I want proof.”
“Michael, there is no doubt.” Laney says, tearfully.
“I’ll be in touch, Laney. You better answer your phone when I call.” He turns and walks away. I look over at Laney, and tears are rolling down her cheeks.
“Come here, love.” I take her in my arms, pulling her close. Her body is shaking as her emotions roll through her. “Girls, go play for a bit more. I’ll call you when we're ready to go home.”
They nod their heads and walk solemnly back to the playground. “Sweet girl, look at me.” She brings her head up to meet my eyes. “It’s going to be okay. I know the truth, you know the truth and now we need to make sure that Michael knows the truth.”
“How? How am I supposed get him to understand?”
“Give him what he wants. Call Stella and make the arrangements. I'll do whatever I need to do to get him to see that this baby is not his.”
“Okay. I’ll call her now.”
Laney straightens her back and walks away to call Stella. There’s no doubt in my mind this child is mine. I never doubted it. If there was a chance this child might be Michael’s, then I trust that Laney would have told me from the beginning. We would’ve worked through it all if that would have been the case, but it’s not, and now all we have to do it take a little test and all the accusations will be gone. That fact can't come any sooner, that’s for sure.
