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“Of course.” Carly turns to me, and I see sympathy in her eyes. “I think anyone who finds out that there’s a chance of being a father and you were never told would react in the same way.”
I give her a sheepish smile and rub the back of my neck.
“It’s not something I’m used to. Being on the back foot. Has Elle ever said why she never told me?”
“Could she get hold of you?”
“I…no, she couldn’t. But she could have looked for me.”
Carly frowns and folds her arms.
“Elle was going through a lot back then. She was emotionally raw, and becoming pregnant just added to everything.”
“I could have helped her. I’m not a monster.”
“You knew her for a couple of hours, and I bet you didn’t talk much, did you?”
I wince. This woman is much younger than me, and she’s making me feel about two inches tall.
“Did she think I was going to not want anything to do with her and the baby?”
“Or that you would take the baby away from her or make life hell for her.”
“I would never do that.”
“But Elle didn’t know that. She didn’t really know you, so she was scared.” Carly sighs. “It should have been wise for her to find a way to contact you, but we made the best of it. She was never without any support. Amy’s not gone without.”
“Except a father,” I remind her.
“But until you can prove you are there for Amy and not for selfish means, we won’t add that. I know Elle won’t let you do anything to hurt her daughter.” Carly pauses. “Or her.”
The thought of hurting Elle doesn’t sit well with me. I hold up my hands.
“I promise that I won’t do anything to Elle. I would never be able to hurt her. We might not have known each other for long, but I actually liked her.”
“Seriously?” Carly gives my crotch a pointed look. “Are you just saying that because you could keep it up for a long time?”
“That’s not nice.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
I can see that while she’s softer than Ben, she’s going to be tough to win over. But I want to be honest with her.
“I did actually like Elle. There was something about her that I wanted to know more. In fact…” God, am I about to say this to someone? “I wanted to get to know her properly. Which I had been planning on doing before Elle ran away. I didn’t want to lose that spark we had.”
“Then she left.”
“She did. And I had no way of contacting her. She left no number, she quit at the restaurant, and I didn’t even know her last name. I had no choice but to give up.” I fix my gaze on Carly. “And I’m not going to leave until I know there’s nothing I can do. I can but try to be there for my kid.”
Carly is silent for a moment.
“You’ve not met her, and you believe that Amy is yours?”
“I’m certain about it. Given the timing, it’s going to come out that Amy is mine. I’ll still do the DNA test to make it official, but I’m not going anywhere.”
“Do you mean for Amy or for Elle?” Carly asks.
I hesitate. Had I been talking about my daughter or her mother? I’m not really sure anymore.
