AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Physical attraction definitely increases as you fall in love. Matt wasn’t at all my type when we first met—it wasn’t until I got to know him better that he started to ring my bell. But I suspect there might also be a Pavlovian element at work. When you’ve hadreallyexcellent sex with a particular penis, I think it can create a conditioned response, so the mere sight of it can blow your panties right off.” Her eyebrows waggled suggestively. “Even just looking at a picture.”
I snorted. “I’ll have to take your word for that.”
“Come on, Tess. You’ve had sex that’s rocked your world, right? I’m talking rattle the windows, break the bed, forget your own name kind of sex.”
“Sure.” There’d been a rare few men I considered gifted in the bedroom, though they’d been the exception and not the rule. “Just never with anyone who was interested in sticking around—or who I was interested in keeping around.”
Marie gave me a knowing nod. “Hot dirtbags, right? Great sex, but nothing at all going on between the ears?”
“Something like that.” I took another sip of my coffee as I thumbed my phone screen to open up my email.
“I’ll bet if you saw one of those window-rattling dicks again, it’d get your engine revving though.” Marie snapped her fingers. “Just like that. I’m telling you, your body has stored data on every great orgasm you’ve ever had.”
I nodded absently as my attention caught on an email from LineagePlus, the DNA testing service I’d used several years ago to learn more about my genetic health risks. Apparently, I had a new private message. A tremor of unease shot through me as I tapped to expand the email.
As I read the message, a band wrapped itself around my chest, and my extremities went numb. Distantly, I was aware of a loud crashing sound, but all I could focus on was what I’d just read in the email.
“Tess?” Marie’s face loomed in my field of vision. “Tess, what’s wrong?” She clamped onto my shoulders, shaking me out of my trance.
I opened my mouth to answer, but I couldn’t catch my breath to speak. Nothing came out but a choked wheezing sound.
“Breathe,” Marie said as I started to panic. “Come sit down.” She led me to a chair and I sank down on it, fighting to draw air into my lungs. “Here, bend over and put your head between your knees.”
I did as directed, and Marie laid her hand on the back of my neck, exerting steady but gentle pressure as she calmly instructed me to inhale and exhale. After a few moments, the painful band constricting my chest loosened enough that I was able to breathe normally again.
“I’m okay,” I said, pushing myself upright.
“Tess, you’re white as a sheet. What happened?” Marie’s concerned gaze shifted from my face to the phone still clutched in my hand. “Did you see something on your phone that upset you?”
I looked down at it, then quickly away again as my stomach clenched up. Coffee and shattered ceramic littered the floor where I’d been standing a minute ago. I’d dropped my favorite mug, shattering it to pieces.
Marie dragged a chair over next to mine. “What did you see that scared you so much? Was it a message on your dating app?”
I shook my head and swallowed. “No. Nothing like that.”
“Then what? You can talk to me.”
I hadn’t talked to a single living soul about this in almost thirty years. It hurt too much, even decades later. The grief and guilt had scabbed over with time, but if I poked at the wound, it still felt brand-new.
Now it had been ripped open again, and I didn’t know how to process the news I’d just gotten.
Marie was kind and sensible and one of the few friends I talked to regularly. I knew I could confide in her—and I should—but I couldn’t make the words come out.
With shaking hands, I unlocked my phone and silently passed it to her.
She took it and peered at the screen. As she scrolled through the message, I reread it over her shoulder.
Dear Teresa,
My name is Erin, and I hope this message is not too distressing for you.
I was born October 10, 1989, at Chicago General Hospital and put up for adoption. I’ve never known anything about my biological parents, so I signed up for LineagePlus to learn more about my ancestry and genetic health profile.
LineagePlus matched your profile to mine as a very close relative. According to our DNA test results, you and I share almost 50% of our DNA, which means there is a high probability you are my birth mother.
My apologies if this information comes as a shock. I don’t wish to disrupt your life, but I would very much like to know more about my family medical history. I would also be interested in learning more about you and my birth father if you’re willing to share that information with me.
I understand if you need time to process this news. If you’re open to communicating with me, you can send me a message through the LineagePlus app or contact me directly at the email address below.
