Either way, my problems are still here, but that conversation was the first step in figuring things out. Adding to my optimism, it’s been a productive day. Got my books, confirmed my money for school is on the way, and I’ve got a daycare to look after Fia until that situation sorts itself out.
Not bad for day four of daddying.
I’m even making headway with deeper issues—such as trying to separate myself from the pressures of winning races. I mean playing football. Now that I’m beginning to understand my triggers, I have a shot at conquering my pedestal hang-up. I don’t need to be the perfect man. I just need to be a good one.
Speaking of good, I need to step it up in the brotherly support department with Flip.
I hit the speaker on my phone to finally call him, but Nina’s voice comes on. Her call must’ve been coming in at the same moment.
“Dean?”
“Hey, Nina. You still coming over to help with Fia tonight?”
“Um, Dean. Are you sitting down?”
“I’m driving, so yeah.”
“You might want to pull over.”
My stomach rolls and tightens into a brick. It’s the feeling I get when I know something bad’s about to happen. “Please don’t tell me another baby just showed up at my apartment?” Or maybe it’s news about Flip?
No, the rehab center would call if something were the matter.
“Just pull over,” she says.
“Fucking hell.” I swear, if this whole #Hotdaddydean thing turns into random women with paternity suits, I’m going to move to Mars.
I flip on my signal and pull into the parking lot of a grocery store I was about to pass. “Okay. I’m parked. What’s wrong?”
“I, uh, just got wind of something trending on social media. A friend of a friend tagged me on it.”
“Okay. What now?”
“Um, um…”
She’s making me nervous. “Spit it out.”
“That daycare place, Green Babies, is saying Fia is stolen, that you took her from her mother as a PR stunt to help your career and get people to notice you.”
What the fuck? There has to be a mistake. “Why would they say that?” Dannie was just offering me a spokesperson deal.
“I don’t know, Dean. But they posted it. I checked on Twitter myself.”
My heart starts to race. I’m furious. Who would do such a fucked-up thing? “I need to go. I need to get Fia.”
“The police already took her.”
“What? Without calling me? I’m the father.” Don’t they have to contact me by law or something?
“Are you, though?” Nina pushes back.
“The mother says I am.”
“Then I’m sure this is just some mix-up,” Nina says, not sounding the least bit confident. “Maybe she’ll see the story, or the police can track her down and set everything straight.”
Fuck. How’s this happening? There are no words for how I feel right now. Someone took my baby!
“Or,” Nina adds, “maybe the baby is stolen. Maybe the mother is crazy and took Fia from someone and left her with you until things are quiet enough to retrieve her. Yanno?”
That would be insane. Then again, I keep telling myself that something is really wrong with Marli. Why would she just pop into my life and leave her baby with me?
And here I am, trying to be the good guy, putting Fia first. I never even questioned all the other stuff.
“Crap,” I groan. “I knew I should have called Child Services.” Of course, I’m only saying that because I feel like an idiot for being sucked into a scandal and possibly being duped. The truth is I didn’t hand Fia over because it wasn’t the right thing to do. Not in my gut.
“What can I do to help?” Nina asks.
“I have no idea, but I’m fucked. No pro team will want me. The university’ll probably suspend me, pending an investigation. And how will I show my face in public? Dean Norland, baby thief.”
“Just tell the police exactly what happened. Mike was there, right? He’ll back up your story.”
That’s right. Mike. Mike will tell them everything Marli said. Then the truth will get out. “I gotta go. I need to call him.” I’ll have him meet me at the police station.
“Dean, I just want to say that right now the most important thing is doing damage control. Your career, your future, everything’s on the line. Let me call my old PR manager. She might have some advice on how to counteract the tsunami of bad press.”
“Thanks, but what I really need is to find Fia’s mom.” She can put any questions to rest and get my baby back.
“Maybe this is a sign.”
“What do you mean?” Because I’m really not following. Unless Nina means the world is a cruel place.
“Maybe you should distance yourself from this whole thing. It was never going to work out anyway, right? College, your pro career, and a baby? And what about having time for love, for a woman—someone to support you on your rise to stardom? You were always going to have to choose, Dean.”