Clear.
Direct.
Unmistakable.
Probability of paternity: 99.99%
I stare at the screen.
Emily.
My daughter.
25
Violet
“Coffee is beautiful.”
Five Days Before The Grand Opening
It’s been just over a week since he left my apartment after our date. One day since I sat in the new theater while he told me his entire world might be about to change.
One day since he said the words,I might have a daughter.And those words have been echoing around my brain ever since.
I stir the coffee in my mug, even though there is nothing in it to dissolve, watching the swirl slowly spin.
Three years old.
The number has stuck with me.
Three years of a little girl’s life that Everett didn’t even know existed.
I try to imagine what that must feel like from his perspective. Because Everett isn’t the kind of man who would shrug that off. If Emily turns out to be his, he would step up. He would figure it out. That is exactly the kind of man he is.
Now there is an Everett-shaped hole in my life.
A small, quiet void where he used to be.
And it is unsettling how much I feel it.
Which is exactly why I knew I needed to talk to someone.
Three someones, to be specific.
I grab my phone and open our group chat.
Me:
Emergency sister meeting tonight at my place.
Rose:
That sounds dramatic.
Daphne:
Should I bring wine?
