AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Eighteen
Dean
My daughter comes bouncing in, wide toothless grin plastered across her face, and all I can think is shit! Mostly because I’ve barely gotten my pants secure before she came busting in here. Also not exactly how I wanted to break it to Payton that I have a child. And if by the look on her face is any indication, I’d say she definitely wasn’t prepared for that little nugget of information.
I glance quickly over at Payton who looks like she’s seen a ghost. Her face is pale and her eyes wide. Her fingers, which moments ago were gripping a hold of my thighs, are stalled on her own pants. No one says anything, no one really moves as we all gape at each other, waiting on someone to speak.
I don’t have the opportunity to, however, because my mom walks in. “Sweetie, you have to wait to make sure Daddy isn’t in a meet—” The words die a cold death on her lips as she takes in our mostly put-together appearance. Mom’s not dumb. I’m sure the guilty I just had sex look on my face is the same one I wore the day my freshman year I skipped school to watch a Rocky marathon with my buddy, Justin. Mom arrived home from work, and without saying a word, went about her day as if nothing happened. But I knew. She knew. I could feel it in my bones.
Here we are, seventeen years later, and I believe my face to show my guilt as easily as it did that day.
And to make it worse, Cora follows my mom into my office. “I’m so sorry, Mr. McIntire. I was in the restroom when…”
Our office secretary’s round eyes bounce back and forth between Payton and myself, making me well aware that my hands are still firmly holding the two ends of my belt buckle.
“Oh, dear,” Mom says at the same time Payton whispers, “Fricking hell.”
Words seem to be stuck in my throat, however, and I’m unable to respond to anyone or anything. So we basically just stare at each other, all of us as uncomfortable as a prostitute in church on a Sunday morning.
“Daddy, Mimi has to go!” Brielle exclaims. Leave it to a child to break the tension with a sledgehammer.
“Go?” I ask when my belt buckle is finally secured and I’m able to face my family, albeit red-faced. “Where does Mimi have to go?” I ask my daughter as I pick her up and place a kiss on her forehead.
Mom steps forward, still slightly averting her eyes. “Aunt Kate called. She fell at home and believes she broke her hip. The ambulance was taking her to the hospital, and since I’m her power of attorney, I need to meet her there. I’m sure I’m going to be at the hospital for a while, so I didn’t want to take Bri, and then have her stuck in a waiting room.”
My aunt Kate is Mom’s oldest sister. She became a widow about five years ago, and has been on her own since Uncle Frank died. With no kids of their own, my mom has stepped up and helped care for her sister when her health hasn’t been the best. She has periods of weakness and shortness of breath, and I’m sure it’s weighing heavily on Mom’s mind that she fell when she wasn’t around to help.
“I tried to call your phone, but it went to voicemail, so I thought we’d stop by and see if you were busy. When we came in, Cora wasn’t at the desk. Before I could stop little miss anxious, she ran back here and just threw open the door.” Mom gestures with her hand between Payton and me, as if we need a not-so-subtle reminder of the elephant in the room.
“It’s fine. You should go be with Aunt Kate. Are you okay to drive? Do you want me to take you?”
“No, no,” she says, turning and smiling at Payton. “I’ll be fine. I’m sure Kate’s going to be just fine, but I do need to be there.”
“Go, Mom. We’ll be fine.”
“I didn’t get dinner started,” she hedges.
“We’ll grab something on the ride home.” Bri cheers in my arms.
Cora excuses herself back to the front as Mom heads towards the door. Before she vacates my office, she turns back towards Payton, who has yet to say anything. “I take it you must be Payton, dear. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” she says as she retracts her steps and walks over to the woman I’ve only begun to see.
“You too, Mrs. McIntire.”
“Gretchen, please. I was never a McIntire. That was Dean’s father’s name. Anyway, I hope to have the chance to see you again soon.”
“Likewise,” Payton replies with a tentative smile.
“Be sure to let me know how Aunt Kate is doing,” I add before Mom leaves.
It’s just us in the room. Payton, me, and the daughter I have yet to tell her about. I’ve been trying to figure out the right way to tell her, but nothing has magically popped in my head. Not to mention the fact that every time I’ve attempted to tell her, we’ve been interrupted. Throw in the fact that when we’re together, we’re more interested in ripping each other’s clothes off, and you have a recipe for lack-of-info disaster.
“So, this is Brielle, my daughter. Bri, this is my friend Payton. Can you say hi?”
“Hi,” Bri replies, shying away from the other adult in the room, yet curiously keeping her eyes on her.
“H-hi, Brielle. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I like to draw cats. Do you like cats?”
