Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 32140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32140 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
“My husband hired a private investigator and well, he retrieved your DNA somehow and here we are.” He takes a breath and says nothing which makes the regret in my stomach prevalent and alive. Realizing I made a mistake doing this, I immediately apologize. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dump this on you. It’s obvious you didn’t know I existed. Please forget about this call. I wish you all the best.” Removing the phone from my ear I am about to turn it off when I hear his voice call out.
“Wait a minute.” Trepidatiously, I bring the phone back up to my ear. “I most definitely didn’t know you existed. There is no way I would have left my flesh and blood out there in the world without my protection. Thing is she knew how to reach me. So why didn’t she?” My skin begins to singe at his words. She knew all this time? She knew where he was?
“I really can’t tell you why she did anything she did. When her father found out she was pregnant at sixteen…”
“Sixteen?! She told me she was nineteen.” Figures she would lie. “What the fuck?“ he whispers.
“Yeah. He asked her who the father was, and she said she didn't know. He forced her to marry another man and well… there you have it.” He is eerily quiet which sends chills up my spine.
“Why the fuck would she lie? I would have provided for you and her. She knows this. She kept you from me because I wouldn't take her with me and marry her?” Okay now it is all making sense.
“Maybe. Anyway, I don’t want anything from you. I just… I have been searching for you in a way my entire life and I just wanted to talk to you at least once and see if you knew about me. Now that I know you didn't, I can move on. It was nice to speak with you. Have a nice day.”
With that I was done. I spoke with him. I found out he didn’t abandon me and now I can let it go. However, a few days later he called me. He apologized for allowing me to hang up that way, but he said he was shocked and asked me if he could call me every day. I told him sure and that is how our relationship began.
A week ago he asked me if he sent for me and my family if we would come to him. I spoke with Royce about it, and he said it was up to me. So that is how we are driving to his home. From what I know he is engaged to a woman named Fleur and he is impatient to be married.
“Are you alright baby?” Turning I smile to my husband and nod.
“Yeah, just nervous but also grateful our daughter loves cars.” I turn and check on her and she is sound asleep. She didn’t sleep on the private plane, but she also didn’t cry. She played cooing games with her daddy and came to me only to eat.
We have yet to see one another my father and me. We decided early on to not exchange photos, both of us wanting to wait until we could meet in person. I could have googled him and trust me the temptation was there. In the end I respected the decision we both made.
“Do you think you look like him?” Royce asks, looking at the GPS which says we are pulling into the right subdivision. He squeezes my hand as we pull into the driveway.
“I don’t know. I never thought I looked like my mom.” He nods and stops the car. I look around and only one word comes to mind.
“Whoa!”
“Yeah. seriously,” Royce agrees. We both get out of the car once he turns it off. I lean over the back, unbuckle Rae while Royce grabs the diaper bag. We barely make it up the spiral stairs when the door opens, and he steps outside. The air is taken from my lungs. I could be looking at the male version of myself.
“Wow. You look just like my mother,” he says walking closer to me. “May I hug you?” I swallow and take a second to get myself together before nodding my head. He wraps me in his wide embrace, and I can’t help but drop a few tears. Sniffling, I close my eyes and imagine what it would have been like to have this growing up. Finally, he pulls back and cradles my face in his hands. “My first born. How much I have missed.” Smiling, I lean into his touch before stepping back.
“Speaking of first born’s, this is my husband, Royce, and our daughter, Rae." He and Royce shake hands and then he rubs Rae’s cheeks.