“So, what now?” he asked.
“She wants us to get a DNA test.”
That was what I said, but my honest answer was that I didn’t know what the hell was next. Everything in me was screaming for me to go back and get my damn family. Only the smallest part of me realized that I had to give Faith a little time. Just storming into my little girl’s life like a hurricane would only complicate things more. I thought Darius getting busted was a shit show. This was some whole other bullshit.
“When do y’all plan on doing the test?”
“I don’t know. I just found out right before I came here.”
The doors to my office flew open, and Paula strutted in carrying her tablet and my morning coffee. She stopped dead in her tracks, obviously sensing the tension in the air.
“Did someone die?” she asked, looking between me and Sawyer.
“Reed just found out he got a kid.”
“A what?” she screeched, nearly dropping my coffee.
“Can we not do this right now?” I requested.
Paula’s eyes doubled in size. “Oh my God, he’s serious!”
“I need you to schedule a DNA test as soon as possible. Find someone who can administer the test ASAP. I’ll pay whatever is necessary to put a rush on it.”
“Reed, you know better. You know how many floozies want to sink their claws into you just because of who you are,” Paula replied.
“I’m well aware of who I am. Can you please make those arrangements for me?”
“When did this even happen? How old is this baby?” she questioned.
“She’s not a baby. She’s six years old.”
“Don’t tell me that little journalist girlfriend of yours has you convinced that her daughter is yours. You know better than to go for that. Just because she has light brown eyes doesn’t make her your child.”
That was a weird thing to say. I frowned as Paula’s words sank in. “Wait, when did you see her?”
“When your friend started sniffing around here, I did a little research of my own. It’s not that hard to find out where people live these days. I saw the little girl with her and put two and two together. The kid is cute and all, but you can’t be swayed by that. I say, don’t get too attached. If I were you, I would keep her at bay until you know for sure.”
“It’s a good thing you’re not me.”
“You already know the only reason they haven’t moved in with him already is because her mother hates him,” Sawyer stated.
“She doesn’t hate me,”I challenged.
Paula cackled. “She most definitely hates you.”
“This shit is crazy, man,” Sawyer said, as if that were breaking news.
Crazy didn’t even begin to describe the situation. I didn’t need to explain our dynamic to them. I understood that Faith thought I’d let her down. She was hurt and angry. I couldn’t blame her for hating me, but now it was time for my family to come home.
Forget the DNA test. I wanted Faith in my life even before I knew we had a child. Knowing that we shared a beautiful baby girl only made things more urgent. There wasn’t any time left to waste. Snatching my keys up, I jumped up from my desk and headed for the door.
“Where the hell you going?” Sawyer asked.
“To get my babies.”
It was a good thing that Grace kept Jada out for a few hours because once Reed was gone, I fell apart again. For the first few years of her life, I used to wonder what I would do if Reed ever came back into our lives. Eventually, I learned to live without thinking about his return.
Jada had been my number one concern. Being a single mother was a hard job. Thankfully, I had my sisters and Granny to help pick up the slack. By the time my daughter made it home, I had shoved my feelings down and went into mommy mode.
