I’d intended to hang with Katty so Mazz could get some schoolwork done, but the three of us ended up hanging out instead. Maybe because she didn’t quite trust giving it all over to me yet—which, fair—but I got the sense she’d been enjoying herself too much to lock herself in her room with her books, and that was another ten-feet-tall moment.
Now, though, Mazzy seemed braced for disaster. The tightness in her shoulders, her hands bunched in her lap, the way her eyes kept straying toward her door. That was what had done it for me—the push I’d needed to open my mouth. I wouldn’t let this woman down, not one more time.
I dropped to my knees in front of my daughter, snuggled beside her mom on their diminutive couch in their cozy little living room. I pulled in a breath, catching a whiff of Katty’s strawberry shampoo and underlying scent—all little girl sweetness and sunshine. It gave me the final shove.
“I found out something really exciting recently I wanted to tell you,” I started.
Katty’s eyebrows popped up over her glasses. “What did you find out?”
“Well, it’s really incredible.” My heart thundered in my ears, and the world tilted, but I kept going. “I found out I’m your dad. You’re my little girl.”
“I’m your little girl?” she repeated, turning to her mom. “I don’t have a dad.”
Mazzy made a choking sound and shook her head. “You do, baby. Things got mixed up a long time ago, when you were still in my tummy, but we got it straightened out. Ben is your dad, Kateryna.”
Katty’s brow was pinched as she swiveled to face me again, her eyes bouncing over my face.
“You can still call me Benny,” I said. “You can call me whatever you want. I just want you to know I’m not going anywhere. I’m your dad from now on.”
“Forever?” she asked, every shred of doubt threaded in that one word.
“Yes.” There was no doubt in my answer, and I hoped she heard it. “I was so happy when I found out about you. I’m so lucky you’re my daughter.”
Her rosebud mouth twisted in consternation. “I’m Mommy’s daughter.”
“You are,” Mazzy assured her. “You’re my daughter, and Benny’s too. We share you now.”
“Hunh.” She glanced from me to her mom. “Okay. I like when you share me.”
“I like it too,” I replied.
“Are you going to live at my house?” she asked.
“No, I’m not.” I held out my hand, and she slid her tiny palm along mine. When I closed my fingers, her whole hand and half her arm were engulfed—a reminder of just how delicate she was, inside and out. “But I’d like to keep spending as much time with you guys as I can. And maybe you and Mommy could come to my house too.”
Her eyes lit. “Can we spend the night at your house?”
“Sure you can.” I probably should have consulted Mazzy, but…well, this was my kid too, and I wanted her to know my house was hers. “Your mom and I will pick a day that works for you guys.”
“Tomorrow?” Katty offered.
Mazzy snorted and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “Tomorrow might not work. Maybe this weekend?”
The sharp band wrapped around my chest loosened. “This weekend would be perfect. You guys could come to my match Saturday.”
Katty bounced. “We’re gonna watch rugby and have a sleepover.”
I thought I was in the all clear. This had gone so much better than I expected. But Katty stopped bouncing and went utterly still. She looked at Mazzy, then back at me, her little mouth turning down.
She took a gasping breath. And then…
And then, and then, and then…burst into tears. An avalanche, a flood, a tumult of big, fat teardrops raining down from her eyes.
My heart stopped. Panic slashed me like a whip, so hard and painful, I jerked forward. Katty scrambled into Mazzy’s lap, clinging to her mother as she sobbed.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Mazzy cooed. “You’re okay. It’s okay.”
“What’s happening?” I rasped, stunned and at a loss for what to do. I needed to do something. I’d made my little girl cry. I had to fix this.
