SIX
Hannah
That wasn't how I wanted Luka to discover that I have a daughter, or rather that we have a child together.
Although it's unlikely he realizes that Bay is his child. I shuffle inside to deal with Bay while Mark closes the door and locks it.
Luka is gone.
I should be relieved, but I'm not the least bit happy, other than that I saw him tonight. And it's a mixed bag of emotions—everything from excitement to anger courses through me when I think about Luka Ivanov.
Bay is already in my bed, buried under a quilt. She doesn't feel feverish, and I grab the thermometer to get a quick reading of her temperature.
No fever.
I lift Bay into my arms and put her into her bed for the night before closing her bedroom door.
"Bay's fever broke," I say. Whatever Mark did must have helped. "You could have called me. I'd have come home early if I knew she was sick."
"I didn't want to bother you," Mark says and plops down on the sofa. "I gave her a popsicle and some children's Tylenol. It seems to have done the trick."
"Thank you," I say and grab a seat next to him on the sofa.
He reaches for the remote, turning on the television. I seem to be the furthest thought from his mind.
"Can we talk?" I ask, pulling my legs up on the sofa. I grab the blue and purple throw blanket and drape it over my lap.
"About what?" Mark has barely glanced in my direction, his attention on the screen.
"Luka," I say.
"Who?" Mark glances at me.
"The guy who brought me home." It's like a band-aid that I have to rip off. Mark needs to know that Luka may end up in our lives, in Bay's life.
His brow furrows and his shoulders tense. "What about him?"
Is it jealousy that's gotten into him? I've never known Mark to be jealous.
"He's Bay's father," I say.
Mark turns his attention from the television and pauses the live feed with the DVR remote. "That's not funny."
"I'm not joking."
Mark deserves the truth. So does Luka. I just need to find the strength to tell Luka that he's Bay's father.
"What are you trying to say, Hannah? Because that guy, he's definitely not your type."
"Well, he was when I brought him home three years ago." I wince at my words. I didn't intend it to become a fight. That's the last thing that I want. Mark is good to me. He's good for Bay, and he's stable. He'll be there for us through anything.
"Does he know he's Bay's biological donation?" Mark asks.
The way he says it makes me feel dirty and ashamed of what transpired between Luka and me. "I haven't told him yet. But I intend to."
"Don't." Mark stands and paces the length of the living room. The apartment isn't huge. It's a two-bedroom and the same home that I've had since I got a job at Steele Concierge Medical. It's not too far from work, and the building is kept up. I can also swing the rent, which isn't easy considering the cost of living in the city.
"I would have told him sooner if I could have tracked him down," I say. I plant my feet firmly on the ground, the blanket falling to the floor, and I don't bother to pick it up. "He deserves to know the truth, that he has a daughter."
"You don't even know the guy. You don't know anything about him!"
I grimace and fold my arms across my chest. "It's not your decision to make." I'm trying to do what's best for my daughter.
"The hell it isn't!" Mark stops and turns to face me. "You're marrying me. Bay will be my daughter. I'm the one raising her, not that—thug!"
I pinch the bridge of my nose and try and take a few calming breaths. I don't want to say anything that I might regret.
"We'll talk about this tomorrow. I'm going to bed." I stand and brush past Mark, heading for the bedroom.
Mark stomps his foot, and I swear he's about to have a temper tantrum. "I'm not done talking about it."
Why is he this way?
Difficult.
We've never fought about anything before today.
I run a hand through my hair and spin around to face him. "Fine. What if the situation were reversed and you had a kid out there? Are you telling me that you wouldn't want to know about it?"
There's no way he'd be happy with being kept in the dark.
"If it's what's best for my child, yes."
I take a step closer to Mark. "If this is about what's best for Bay, then having her father in her life seems like the answer."
He's fuming. "Don't go turning this around, Hannah. She has me. I'm the only father she needs. Not some deadbeat, scruffy bastard who probably can't keep a job."
He gets all that from one glance at Luka? "You're making a lot of assumptions."
"And you're making the biggest mistake regarding Bay."
My hands bunch into fists. The nerve of him, to think that he knows what's best. "Don't tell me how to raise my daughter."
"Our daughter," Mark corrects me.
I bite my tongue. She's not his, not yet.