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She rests her head on my shoulder and I rest my hand on her thigh since she’s sitting sideways in the seat. I can’t believe my mom is going to bitch at me for doing exactly what her husband does for her and he shouldn’t, if only because she takes advantage of it! She left us for his money. She might love him, but her greed is ultimately what led her away. And now, she’s going to say that I shouldn’t provide for my own family in whatever way I see fit?
“Do you want a test?” she whispers. “I mean, I did lie to you, so—”
“Stop it. That’s not the first time I’ve been asked. The teammate who recommended the lawyer? He asked me if I was sure and I interrupted him. Told him I trusted you more than anyone else in my life. I don’t need a test to prove you’re telling the truth when you’ve told me she’s mine.” I do trust Sydney. Not to mention, she’s said that I’m the only person she’s ever been with. That leaves only me to be Savannah’s father. That little girl is mine.
“Sorry. I guess I never expected anyone to ever question me about it.”
“Don’t worry about it, okay? That’s not an issue.”
She nods. “Your mom is kind of a bitch.”
I laugh. “Yeah. Don’t let what she said bother you. I’m happy with our arrangements, and what she says doesn’t matter. The only people that matter are you, me, and Savannah.”
“I love you,” she says with a smile.
“Love you too, babe.”
Sydney rests her head on my shoulder again. “I hate that you don’t have a good relationship with your parents. Can you at least think about talking to your dad soon? Let him fix things.”
“Why?”
“Because he and I both made mistakes. You forgave me. Why can’t you forgive him, Ian?” She’s looking at me now with those pleading brown eyes. Why is this so important for her? It’s not her dad. Why does it matter? It’s not bothering me as long as I don’t think about it.
“He wasn’t going to tell me, Sydney. Ever. That’s why.”
“But what if he was, but he wasn’t sure how?”
“Babe,” I start to shut this shit down, but she interrupts me.
“Talk to him, Ian. For Savannah. Your dad is a good man, over all, right? Don’t you want her to meet her grandfather? To meet at least one person in your family? Don’t you miss him?”
I stare at her for so long, I wonder when it’ll turn awkward. I hear what she’s saying. I don’t like it, but I hear her. “Fine,” I mutter. “For you and for Savannah, I’ll call him by the end of the week. No promises.”
“That doesn’
t sound like you’ll have an open mind.”
“Don’t push it, gorgeous.”
She smiles and kisses my cheek. “Thanks. I’m going to bed; I’m exhausted.” She stands and walks slowly down the hallway, one hand on the wall as if she needs help. When I hear her retching, I turn off the TV, lock up, and follow after her. I need to do what I can to take care of her before I leave tomorrow.
For some reason, we’re called to the practice facility in the morning. Our flight leaves soon, but we’re being told to come in first. When I get to the conference room we were told to meet in, there’s only EJ in the room. On the table is a sleeping baby in a car seat.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
EJ turns, looking rough as hell. “Hey.”
“Are you okay?”
“Not really.” The baby startles, waking herself up, and she starts crying. EJ seems frozen for a few seconds before he carefully picks her up.
Marc, Noah, Scott, and a few other guys enter the room, stopping short when they see EJ and the baby.
“What’s going on?” I ask again.
“Um, so apparently, this might be my kid. I woke up yesterday and she was on my doorstep. Vicky, the girl I was seeing? She stopped talking to me, remember? She was pregnant, had the baby. She dropped her off at my house with a birth certificate, a note that said she was mine, she was sorry, and to take good care of her. Then, when I go to her house to figure out what the fuck is happening, I…” EJ chokes up and shakes his head. “Paramedics were there. One of her friends found her dead. They think she overdosed. She was a drug addict. Didn’t even know.”
Marc stands next to him and places a hand on his shoulder. “Shit, man. That’s fucked up.”
