I fucking know it. In the heat of the moment, we never used a condom. I remember Jodie’s fumbling hands on my cock. She was inexperienced, maybe even a virgin. There’s no way she was doing what we did with other guys. I know it. I know it in my heart that the baby is mine.
I grab my keys off the table and head out of the room.
“Whoa, where you going?”
Seth catches my shoulder.
“I’m going to claim my family.”
He gives me the patient dad look again.
“It’s two in the morning and you stink like a brewery. I’m not letting you drive, and you’re not doing yourself any favors going around there now anyway.”
He’s right, as always.
“Fine. I’ll stay here tonight, but tomorrow, when I’m clean and un-stinky, I’m going to get my family back.”
12
JODIE
It’s lucky that Layla is an early riser because someone’s banging on my door at seven in the morning.
I carry her, bouncing on my hip, to the front door, wondering who the hell thinks it’s okay to knock on a door so early.
Kieren. That’s who.
He’s unshaven and his hair is a mess, but there’s a new spark in his eyes when he sees me. Then his eyes travel to Layla, and he looks at her long and hard, delight and curiosity dancing across his face.
“She’s mine, isn’t she?”
My stomach lurches. He knows. Somehow, he knows.
There’s excitement in his voice, and the way he’s looking at her makes it impossible to deny his rights as a father.
I bite my lower lip and suck in my breath as I prepare to tell him the truth.
“Yes.”
It feels good to say it. My chest feels lighter. “Yes, Kieren. Layla is your daughter.”
The grin that spreads across his face is a wonderful sight to see. I suddenly realize how stupid it was not to tell him, to deny him the opportunity to know his daughter.
“Layla,” he says slowly. “It’s a nice name.”
His gaze goes back to mine, and there’s such wonder in his look that I feel my heart softening.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you, Jodie. No wonder you hate me.”
Something inside me melts at the words. Maybe that’s all I needed to hear, an apology for something that I know couldn’t be helped.
“I don’t hate you, Kieren.” Because the opposite is true. I love him. I’ve loved him since that amazing weekend we spent together.
“Can I come in?”
I hesitate. Telling him the truth about Layla is one thing. Inviting him into my life is quite another.
“I know there’s no boyfriend.” My cheeks turn crimson at the reminder of the lie I told him last night.