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I look back at Amelia, who seems to have grown even wearier by my obvious change in demeanor. She’s shifting foot to foot. I take a deep breath, trying to temper my anger. The little girl is innocent and has been through enough—more than enough—and I refuse to put her through any more.
“Hey, Amelia.” She lifts her head slightly as she gazes at me with big green eyes. “My neighbor brought me some cookies earlier today. They’re in the kitchen. Want to go grab one?”
Amelia looks to her grandmother for permission. Dorothy nods, and I give an excited Amelia directions to the kitchen. With Amelia out of earshot, I turn my attention back to Dorothy.
“Listen, I’m not trying to insinuate you’re lying, but there are things you don’t know. Norah cheated on me. There’s a better chance of her being—”
“Eric’s?”
My mouth drops.
“I know more than you think I do, Ryder, and believe me, I checked. She isn’t Eric’s.” She pulls an envelope out of her purse and hands it to me.
I glance at the document. Eric isn’t the father.
“There must have been someone else then… another man. I just know…” I run my hand through my dark hair. Now I know why the little girl looks so familiar. The resemblance I was trying to figure out was my own—the dark hair, green eyes, and dimples. “Fuck.”
Norah was a lot of things—wild, independent, full of life. Even with all that, I can’t seem to grasp that she willingly left her daughter. Even harder to digest is that Dorothy is here because she believes Amelia’s my daughter.
“I know this must all come as a shock, and I’m so sorry to spring this on you.”
“Why didn’t you reach me sooner? Amelia has to be what? Nearly five?”
“She’s four. She’ll be five in a few weeks. I wish I could have. Unfortunately, I had no idea how to reach you.”
“I need proof,” I tell her.
“Of course, I would expect no less. In fact, I took the liberty of making you an appointment for Monday.” She hands me a card with a date, time, and location on it.
“Thank you.”
“I’m so sorry to do this to you, but there’s another reason why I’m reaching out. Why the sudden urgency?” Tears well in her eyes, and my stomach sinks. “I’m sick, Ryder. In fact, I don’t have much time left. That’s why I needed to bring Amelia here. That’s why…”
“God, Dorothy, I’m so sorry.”
“I’m at peace with it.” She dabs her eyes to dry the tears. “But I won’t be able to rest until I know Amelia’s going to be cared for.”
I know the feeling all too well. I watched my grandmother go through it when my parents died. Her sole purpose was to ensure that I was taken care of—just like Dorothy with Amelia.
“Whether or not I’m her father, I promise to make sure she’s taken care of.” I have no clue what that means or what I’d do, but I won’t let this little girl suffer another moment. I’ll never let her feel like I did as a kid—alone. “I need to be certain, though, so I can do right by her.”
What is the right thing? Even if I am her father, I don’t know a damn thing about kids, especially little girls.
Amelia reemerges in the living room, and I’m immediately drawn to her. Those eyes and that soft smile pull me in and tug at my heartstrings. Even through the beautiful smile, I can see the pain and sadness. I know it well. Slowly, I make my way over to her. Kneeling, I make an exaggerated inspection of her face and the cookie crumbs still on it. The sight of her brings a smile to my cold heart.
“How many cookies did you have?”
“Uh… three?”
“Are you asking or telling?” I bite back my laughter.
“Telling?”
“That’s a lot of cookies, Ms. Amelia.” Her head hangs as she looks down at the floor. “And you didn’t even bring me one?”
She must have heard the amusement in my voice because her head pops up.
“But I did.” From behind her back, she pulls out two cookies. “One for you and one for Grandma.”
