Page 13 of Silver Player

“True, true,” I mutter, patting Clyde on the shoulder and excusing myself for my office. Maybe a little bit of family will be okay.

+ + +

“You got a girl pregnant?” My twenty-seven-year-old nephew stares at me over the edge of his tortoiseshell glasses like he’s the judge and jury on my sex life.

“Yeah, well, maybe. Sixteen years ago,” I emphasize with a smirk, failing to find humor in the situation which matches the gaze he’s giving me. Suddenly, his shoulders fall, and he glances in the direction of a picture on his desk. His wife, Maggie, is a pretty brunette with sad eyes. Jordan shakes his head and then squeezes his forehead, pressing his thumb and forefinger into his skin. “It’s raining babies,” he mutters, and I question what he means. His brother’s having one, but I’m certainly not.

“She’s sixteen, so that hardly qualifies as an infant.”

Jordan releases his forehead and presses his glasses up the center of his nose. “And you don’t want anyone to know?”

“I don’t even know for certain. That’s why I’m here. I need a paternity test.”

Jordan turns to his computer and taps away at the keys. “I can order something at the local clinic that will need to be sent to Atlanta. If you test positive, we go from there. Where’s the mother?”

“She passed away.” It’s difficult to consider Trixie kept the truth from me. She should have told me. I’ve struggled with my anger for the past few days, but I can’t do anything about what I didn’t know. There’s no way to confront her now, so I’m equally sad to be swimming through this mess alone. I just need the truth.

“Right. So we file a Paternity Acknowledgment Form and then file for custodial rights.”

“What does that mean?” I question. I’m sketchy on family law, but the word custody has me bristling.

“Meaning, as her father, you have the right for visitation or, in this case, for her to reside with you. But you’ll also have some financial responsibility.”

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop the scenic train. Live with me? I swallow loud enough Jordan gives me another judge-y glare.

“That’s what you want, right? To see her? Have her live with you?”

“What about Roxanne?” I’m a little surprised she’s my first thought, but it’s evident she’s close to her niece, not to mention Sadie knows her aunt better than she knows me.

“Roxanne is her aunt and has no legal claim to her unless specified in a will. Was there a will? Did she file for guardianship? Was CPS involved?”

Child Protective Services. “I have no idea.” I sigh, growing frustrated with my lack of legal knowledge. “Look, I don’t want her going to some random home or something. She has family.”

Jordan sighs, ignoring my rant. “Even if a will specifies Roxanne as guardian, you trump her. You have rights as her father.”

“If I’m her father.”

“Do you want to be her father?” The question doesn’t stump me since Clyde’s already asked me. I’ve been asking myself the same thing, but I still pause before I answer.

“I want to do what’s right.” I nod, as if I’m making a grown-up decision as a grown-up.

“You know, Uncle Billy, there are people who desperately want children and can’t have them. A case like yours makes people almost envious.” He glares at me once again, acting as if he’s the only adult in the room.

“Meaning?”

“Maggie and I have been trying to have children for years. Jaxson has a one-night stand and gets a girl pregnant, and still isn’t certain he wants to marry her. You…” He waves a hand toward me. “Practically the same thing happened. My mother when she first had sex—”

I hold up a hand to stop him. I don’t need the sexual history of my younger sister although I’ve overshared mine with her plenty of times. Still, I already know Mati got pregnant on one of the first few times she had sex with Chris, who had the sense to wait until they graduated high school before doing the deed with her.

“It just isn’t fair.” Jordan’s words bring me up short, and I sit taller in my seat.

“I’m not shirking my responsibility or treating this lightly. I just don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’m not certain I’m the father, and I think it’s important to establish one thing at a time.”

Jordan nods in agreement, his shoulders falling in relief as he returns to his computer. “I’ll need to schedule an appointment for Sadie, too.”

I exhale in relief myself but need to break the tension between us.

“Looks like I’ll be having my first father-daughter date.” At a medical clinic for a paternity test.