AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Iwas in awe of this incredible woman. I sat beside her, holding a little bundle of joy who hadn’t so much as cried longer than the three seconds it took for the nurse to soothe her. After that, she remained contently swaddled in a blue and pink striped cotton blanket, lying in my arms.
I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but it wasn’t lost to me that her skin tone was a tad darker than I would’ve expected for a child belonging to Skye and Roman. It was dark enough to suggest that maybe—just maybe—my hunch was right.
As if the universe knew I was longing for an answer, my phone rang, and I rose to put her back in her bassinet before grabbing it and answering it on speakerphone.
“Hello, this is Cash.”
“Hello, Mr. Savage. I’m calling with the results of your DNA test. The second sample you provided is a match, and like the first, we ran them twice to be sure. Comparing the samples, the first was no relation and the second one is 100% paternity.”
A massive grin split my face as I glanced at Skye. “Thank you so much. That’s amazing news. I appreciate it.” I hung up and turned to her slowly.
She frowned. “What second sample?”
I reached out, taking her hand and holding it tightly as I brushed my thumb along the back. “Mine,” I said simply.
She looked at me in surprise. “That’s not possible. We didn’t sleep together until two days ago.”
I shook my head. “No, we slept together eight months ago, and now we have a beautiful baby girl to show for it. It’s not often I get souvenirs from one-night stands, but this one’s pretty fucking incredible.”
Skye let out a snort of laughter before shaking her head. “I still don’t understand.”
I nodded in understanding. “When we had sex a couple of days ago, I noticed the birthmark on your ass. I couldn’t get it out of my head after I slapped it. It wasn’t because you have an incredible ass, but because I’d seen it before and couldn’t place it. I told you how months ago I got sober. One night, I’d gotten too drunk and took advantage of this girl. At least that’s what I thought. The only thing I could remember was bits and pieces of having sex with this person. But the one thing that stood out was how high she was too, and I couldn’t forgive myself. It’s what drove me to AA in the first place. I didn’t want to be that person. I didn’t want to be somebody who took advantage of somebody else because their senses were impaired. It wasn’t an excuse. So, I’ve been going to hypnotherapy to try and recover the memories. It wasn’t until I saw the birthmark that I finally put it all together.”
Skye thoughtfully scraped her bottom lip with her teeth and squeezed her fingers around mine. “You didn’t take advantage of me. We talked about consent before we had sex. I guess you don’t remember you said, ‘do you consent to this?’ And of course, I was out of it, so maybe it wasn’t true consent at the time, but you weren’t rough or inappropriate with me. What I remember is it was incredible, albeit a little bit confusing. I remember the hair on your chest, and it didn’t make sense because Roman’s chest was smooth whenever he was on stage. I remembered tattoos, but they were different from Roman’s—tribal, like yours. Now knowing it was you all along, it makes sense. And fuck if I’m not glad that this baby isn’t Roman’s. I know you would’ve been her daddy regardless, but knowing she’s truly yours makes everything finally feel complete.”
I leaned in and kissed her forehead, giving her a soft smile. It was uncharacteristic of me, but I reserved it only for her. “You’re right. It wouldn’t have mattered. I honestly wouldn’t have done the DNA test if not for the fact that I couldn’t get that damn birthmark out of my head. It was niggling in my mind like I was missing something. The DNA test was the piece I needed; finally, everything makes sense again. Either way, I’m glad I got sober. In a way, I did it because of you, but I would’ve done it for you if I hadn’t done it then.”
She smiled as she cupped my cheek, pulling my mouth to hers, softly mumbling, “I love you.”
I let my tongue sweep her mouth, intoxicating myself with her taste. This was the only inebriant I needed. It was Skye and only Skye. Beside us, our baby girl let out a small cry. I turned and lifted her, gently brushing my finger down her nose. My heart raced at the idea that this tiny creature was so dependent on me. God, I hoped I didn’t break her.
With a soft kiss, I held her out to Skye’s waiting arms, and I sat back as she brought her to her chest. She stared at the infant adoringly, making my heart burst with love. Nine months ago, I could’ve never imagined this would be my future. Hell, six months ago, I would’ve never believed I wanted this. I was now immersed in, not only a relationship, but a family. I wasn’t sure it was something my sponsor would approve of, but it would be the thing that kept me on the straight and narrow. Our little trio was the gravity that would hold me altogether. I didn’t need anything else but this.
“Have you finally picked a name?” I asked.
Skye looked up from a little bundle of joy with a grin and stroked her finger softly across her forehead. “I was thinking Honey. So, she can be your sweetie, too.”
I laughed. Honey Savage did have a nice ring to it. An oxymoron since I had no doubt my little girl would be a kitten with claws when she grew up—just like her mama.
I wouldn’t have it any other way.
FOURTEEN
SKYE
This world Cash lived in was insane. I couldn’t wrap my head around a magazine paying us for the official portraits of Cash and I with the baby. The news of her arrival would break tomorrow, after the show.
The late-night show I was about to walk on stage for. The same show Cash was supposed to be on the night I gave birth. They’d scheduled us a few weeks later to finally address all the rumors and tell our story. It was my coming out, so to speak, considering, for a long time, I had been Mystery Girl.
I was nervous as hell. Cash squeezed my hand as the talk show host led with witty banter into our introduction. The music began, queueing our entrance, and a production member nodded our way.
With my fingers threaded through his, Cash guided me onto the stage, waving and smiling jovially at the audience. This was the side of him I was unused to, he’d told me he didn’t love this part of his fame, yet it seemed so natural for him. I guess he’d been in it long enough to develop the persona for these things.
He helped me sit, causing an ‘ooh’ from the audience, before sitting beside me on the couch. He curled his arm productively around my waist as I snuggled next to his warmth.
“So glad you two could finally make it. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, hasn’t it?” The talk show host began with a smile.
Cash nodded and took the lead. “Yeah, it has. Obviously, I’m speaking for Skye here, but the last couple of months alone have been a little crazy.”
