“She called me the next day,” he goes on. “She wanted to get together, but I shot her down. I told her I loved you, and that it was just sex, and I never wanted to talk to her again.”
“Harsh.”
“It was. I was just so mad at her.”
“Mad ather? It takes two to tango, Brian.”
“Yeah, well you don’t know her. She’s a seductress. There was just something about her. I get the feeling that she’s one of those women who likes to sink her claws in and get what she wants.”
I get that feeling too. And Idoknow her. Better than you can imagine.
“What happened next?” I ask, curiosity getting the best of me. “When did you find out she was pregnant?”
“That’s the thing, Mischa… I didn’t know for ten years.”
“What? How can that be?”
“She hid it from me. She never intended on telling me.”
“So how did you eventually find out?” I ask, eager. I can’t ask the questions swiftly enough, can’t get the answers quickly enough.
“I ran into her. Remember when I won those tickets to the Cubs game, and I took the boys?”
I nod. “Yes, I remember… Tristan was so excited.”
He grins. “Yes, Trevor not so much… I think he read a comic book the whole time.”
My smile fades when I ask him what happened.
“Hard to believe… in a crowd of about thirty thousand people, I saw her at the concession stand, getting some hot dogs. We were sitting near each other. She acted like she’s seen a ghost, and so did I. I introduced her to the boys, and she just froze when I asked her about the girl standing next to her.”
I’m speechless as I listen intently to his story.
30
“She was there with a man, her boyfriend or husband, I figured.”
“Was he tall, handsome and light-haired?” I ask.
Brian cocks a brow, taken aback. He studies me for a long beat.
“I’ve been doing a little research,” I confess. “I know about Ava’s parents.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Anyway… yes, Joel… she introduced us.”
“I see.”
“I said hello to Ava… she was so small and cute. I assumed she was about seven or eight. and when I asked her how old she was, I was shocked.” He stares down at the heap of clothes. “I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She had my eyes, my features, my hairline.”
“Yes… I know,” I say. “The widow’s peak.”
He nods slowly, still not looking at me. “I wanted to tell you, but I wasn’t sure how you’d react… with your…” His words trail off.
“With my issues,” I finish his sentence. “You thought I couldn’t deal because I’m crazy, right?”
