That hits me hard. I never wanted her to feel like this.
“I know,” I say.
“I’m not upset about you having a daughter,” she says. “Not really.”
Her shoulders lift slightly in a small shrug.
“I’ve accepted that kids might not be in my future, but that doesn’t mean I’ve completely written them off…” She pauses. “What I’m struggling with is the communication part. I could tell something was wrong, and instead of talking to me about it, you left me in the dark. I understand needing time to process, everyone does. I’m not upset about the space. I just wish you would’ve told me the news and said you weren’t ready to talk about it yet. I would have respected that. Because then I wouldn’t have been sitting there wondering what was going on,wondering if it was me, or us. This, between us, is still new. And new means vulnerable. Trust and communication matter, and they were missing.”
I open my mouth to say something and drag a hand over the back of my neck. “You’re right. I told you when I get overwhelmed I shut down and pull away. I wanted you to understand me, but somewhere along the way I think I used that as a pass instead of thinking about how it would affect you. And that’s not fair to you. You shouldn’t have to sit there wondering if it was you or us. You deserve better than silence. I was overwhelmed and I handled it badly. And I really am sorry, Violet. I am sorry that I hurt you. I can’t promise I’ll never shut down again, but I do promise to work on it and let you in. I can promise I’ll do better and you won’t ever have to fill in the blanks again.”
Violet takes a deep breath in and I see a small smile across her face. “Thank you, that really means a lot. What happens now?” she asks.
“The test results should be back any day.”
“And if she’s yours?”
I take a breath.
“Then I’m meeting her.”
Violet adjusts in her seat. “I think I need some time,” she says gently.
“Of course, I understand,” I say. And I do, I had my time, it only makes sense that she has time to process things, too.
“This is a lot to absorb,” she says, her eyes softening slightly. “I appreciate that you told me.”
“I should have done it sooner.”
She gives a small nod. “Yeah. You should have.”
Then she stands up. I stand too. When we reach the aisle, she pauses.
“The grand opening is in six days, right?”
“Yeah, I really hope you are going to be there, but I understand if it is too much.”
She holds my gaze for a moment.
“I want to be,” she says. “But I need a little time to get my head around this first.”
“That’s fair.”
She nodded once more. Then she walked toward the exit.
The theater door closed behind her with a soft click.
That evening, I am back in my office at the theater, finishing paperwork when my laptop chimes.
A new email notification appears. The sender’s name makes me catch my breath.
Law Office of Bennett & Cole
I stare at the subject line.
Paternity Test Results.
My heart starts beating harder. Slowly, I open the email. A document is attached. I click it. The results are only a few lines long.
