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I wince at his words that come out harsher than he probably intended. “No, I don’t.”

“Well, then I guess it depends on whether or not you want to take the word of a stranger or get a definitive answer.” He closes his eyes, rubbing his temple like this is stressing him out. “If it were me, I would want a paternity test. You have to think about custody and child support and all the messy things that come along with having a child with someone you aren’t with.”

He shrugs his shoulders, an apologetic look washing over his expression. “You have to be smart about it and not be emotional. You don’t know this woman and she could easily be trying to trap you for money or god knows what, especially with you being a professional athlete.”

“If it had to do with money, don’t you think she would have shown up sooner?”

Caleb raises an eyebrow at me. “Remember, you don’t know her, Carson. You don’t know what her motives are.”

“So, I need to assume the worst until I’m proven otherwise?”

I don’t like the way that sounds. It’s not how I operate, but I know it’s how my brother does. If I just assume that she’s out to get me in some way, this won’t go well at all. He’s right with being smart and not acting from emotion, but I have to give her some benefit of the doubt.

“Not necessarily,” he tells me, lifting his shoulders again. “Just stay vigilant and guarded.” He shakes his head at me, snorting with disbelief as he stares at me. “And get a goddamn paternity test, for fuck’s sake.”

“I’m supposed to go over to her place now to talk to her about everything,” I tell him as I unlace my hands and let them sitloosely in my lap. “How the hell do I bring something like that up?”

Caleb stares at me for a second before his face cracks. It isn’t often that he laughs like this and I revel in the moment and the sound coming from my brother, even if he is laughing at my expense. “You have to tell her you want one.” His face settles back into his stern, older brother look. “I know you, Carson. I know you don’t like to be in uncomfortable and confrontational situations like this, but you should have thought about that when you decided to sleep with someone without using a condom.”

“You don’t know that,” I argue, even though I don’t have a damn leg to stand on. “Maybe we did use a condom and it broke.”

He raises an eyebrow. “Did you?”

My mouth twitches. “No.”

He lets out a breath that transforms into a laugh and he pushes the heel of his palm against my shoulder, pushing me toward the door. “Get the hell out of my car and go deal with the mess you’ve made.”

My body shifts back into the center of the seat and I slowly open the door, both of us laughing as I begin to climb out of his SUV. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Cars,” my brother says, his voice making me stop before closing the door. I lean forward, looking through the opening at him. “I might give you shit, but I love you, bro. You’re a good guy and I know you’ll do the right thing.” A slow smile creeps across his lips. “And I know if the kid is yours, you’ll be the best damn father he could ask for.”

My heart grows in my chest and a warmth washes over me as I smile back at him. “Thanks, Cale. I love you, too.”

“Okay, you can go now.”

Laughing at my brother and his apparent allergy to emotion, I let the door shut and step away, turning around to walk over tomy car. My heart crawls into my throat and anxiety settles in my bones as I climb into the driver’s seat. Sweat builds on my palms and I turn on the engine before reaching to buckle my seatbelt.

As much as I hate to admit it, Caleb is right.

This is my mess and I have to deal with it without taking the easy way out. This is uncomfortable as hell, but I need to know the truth. I have to confront my mistakes and take responsibility for them.

And if Matteo is mine, he’s my responsibility now.

CHAPTER SIX

ANDI

The last time I was here, she was still alive.

It’s been a few months since my Aunt Bella passed, yet it feels so strange to be back at her house without her here. When she took a turn for the worst, she came to Starling Ridge and left her house unoccupied. The place has remained untouched for the last six months, until now.

I’m not sure what Matteo and I are walking into here, but I do know that it’s livable conditions. The house isn’t in poor shape, it just needs some love and updating to get it ready to go on the market. My parents suggested doing some remodeling, although I won’t know for sure what all needs to be done until I look things over and get a contractor involved.

Matteo runs ahead of me, his footsteps light on the front porch as he makes his way to the door. He shifts his weight from foot to foot, unable to contain his anticipation and excitement any longer, as I catch up to him. He’s pretending this is all a grand adventure we’re on, so I want to make it as pleasant and as enjoyable as possible for him.

Thankfully, Matteo is well adjusted and always goes with the flow. He’s always been more advanced for his age, with his language and understanding of things. However, I was afraid todisrupt him and bring him away from everything he’s used to. He’s not being uprooted from his life completely, although this is a change of scenery for the next few months for both of us. We’ll be going home as soon as we get the house listed for sale and then our lives can return to normal.

I slide the key into the hole of the deadbolt, slowly turning it until I hear the click inside the locking mechanism. I unlock both of the locks before reaching for the door handle. With a twist of my wrist, I push open the door. There’s an eeriness to the silence as I step inside the foyer, but it vanishes as soon as I see that everything is just the way Aunt Bella left it.