Page 4 of Who’s Your Daddy (Dadcoms #1)

Cal

I pace back and forth in the conference room trying to wrap my head around this bloody situation. I have a son. I’m a father. No matter how many times I say it, the words don’t make anymore sense than they did when Sully talked me through all of it.

And then they sent me in here while they did some research. Because their first instinct was to prove it wasn’t true.

“We should require a blood test, make sure he’s actually a Murphy,” was my brother’s suggestion.

“Definitely a DNA test, this isn’t the first time someone has claimed you’ve fathered their child, I’m sure.” That was Brian.

I scoffed at his assertion.

It absolutely was the first time anyone had suggested I was a father, and I didn’t need a bloody test to tell me what I already knew. Murphy Macallister was my son. One look at him and it was clear as day.

And I could feel it. This strong unfamiliar need to comfort him.

This overwhelming pull to race down the street after him and Lola.

He was mine and I wasn’t going to play their games.

So waiting in here for Lola to return with Murphy seems like the best option.

But it’s been a while, and not only am I wondering what’s taking them so long, I’m figuring the slushie will be melted by the time they return.

I shake my head. There’s no way I could even contemplate eating or slurping right now.

I have a son.

A smile tilts my lips as I imagine how much fun we’ll have.

Unlike Sully, I’m going to be the fun dad.

I’m already the fun uncle. I straighten my suit jacket, determined to stalk back into the office to tell my brother just that, and to tell Brian to forget all his silly concerns, when instead I find Murphy standing at the door, staring over at me.

All my grand plans go out the window when I see the uncertainty in his blue eyes. Eyes that are the exact shade of mine. Eyes that give off the impression that he’s unaffected, just like I so often act, but I imagine beneath the exterior he’s probably scared and nervous. Just like me.

“Murphy, right?” I say casually, trying not to rush at him and pull him to my chest. I’ve never so much as been introduced to my own son, let alone gotten the chance to hold him.

He nods and arches a brow. “Coming to terms with it all?”

His candor and delivery surprise me. My eyes widen, unable to hide my shock. “Yes.” If he can be honest, so can I.

He nods like he appreciates that. “It’s a lot. Don’t worry, I heard they’re figuring it all out in there.” He thumbs over his shoulder toward Brian’s office and I can’t help my scowl.

“There’s nothing to figure out. Can I—” Before I’ve even started speaking, I’m walking toward him and am about to drop to my knees to hug him when he seems to take a step back.

I hold up a hand realizing he may seem older, but he’s young, and despite the fact that I’m his father, he doesn’t know me.

“Sorry, I just wanted—” I shake my head. “Never mind.”

What I want is to hug him, but what he apparently needs is space. For once in my life I’m worried about someone else’s wants over my own, so I stay put .

He shrugs. “I'm sure Mom will be back in a few weeks. I know it will probably cramp your style, but I won’t get in the way. I’m pretty good at taking care of myself. I can do a lot with twenty dollars a day.” He holds out a hand like he’s waiting for me to hand him some money.

I’m not sure what to make of any of it. He’s only a boy but he’s clearly not been given the chance to be a child.

That ends today. I just don’t exactly know how to accomplish that yet, so I reach into my wallet and pull out a twenty.

Murphy seems to nod as I set it in his palm and then he slips it into his pocket. “Thanks.”

“I know this is strange,” I start, but I keep my hand held out. “But I’m Callahan. Most people call me Cal, but since you're my son, you can call me?—”

“Cal.” The kid gives me a placating nod. “I’ll call you Cal.”

Right.

He doesn’t take my hand so I pull it back, slipping both into my pockets, and rock back and forth on the balls of my feet. “Well, you arrived at the perfect time. We’ll be moving in with your Uncle Sully, your cousin T. J., and Brian.”

“Do I get my own room?”

I don’t actually know what the living situation is in the New Jersey office but I nod because he seems keen to move in with us if that’s the case. “Of course.”

“Great. Well, I can go hang out on the couch while everyone works out what happens next.” The shrill sound of Lola’s voice from the other room has both of us looking in that direction. “Seems like they might need some help.”

I shrug. “Probably not from me.”

He nods again. “Probably.” Then he turns to leave, but I can’t have us leaving it like this.

“Murphy?”

He looks up at me and I think maybe I took him by surprise because the mask he’s been wearing the entire time slips and I see the smallest amount of vulnerability in his gaze. And maybe hope .

“I’m really happy to meet you.”

He’s quiet for a moment and I take the opportunity to take another step closer. “And I’m really excited to get to know you better. I know this is awkward, and I’m sure you're expecting that I’ve got no idea what I’m doing, but I’d really like us to be friends.”

Murphy adjusts the backpack he’s holding to one shoulder and nods. “Yeah, we could try that.”

I can’t stop the smile from moving across my face.

Nor can I stop myself from kneeling down and reaching for him.

This time, though, he doesn’t step back, and though he doesn’t hug me, he allows me to pull him into my chest and squeeze him tight.

This feeling settles in my chest, making it hard to catch my breath.

“Oh, um, sorry for interrupting,” I hear Lola say as I try like hell to get myself to release Murphy. With my head still on his shoulder, I catch the expression of surprise on her face. She’s clutching a stack of papers but her head is tilted like she’s trying to figure out what’s happening.

I let Murphy go finally and smile at him, not wanting her interruption to mess up the little ground I’ve made with him. “Murphy and I were just acquainting ourselves.”

I lean an arm against the conference table and stand up, then brush off my trousers. “What happens now?”

Lola seems to look back and forth between Murphy and me. “Well, um, Murphy, you’ll be coming with me.”

“What?”

The panic in my tone must be evident because Lola offers a tentative smile.

“It’s typical. I’m an emergency guardian,” she explains to Murphy.

He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “So, until the court signs off on Cal’s um—” She glances back and forth again like she’s uncomfortable.

“Paternity,” She finally settles on the word.

“I’m Murphy’s father,” I grind out. “If they?—”

She shakes her head. “We know you’re Murphy’s father. Murphy had the birth certificate with your name on it.”

“We can do a test if you need,” Murphy offers.

I glare at the question. “There will be no tests.”

Lola sighs heavily. “I wasn’t suggesting that.”

“Good.”

She straightens. “As I was saying, Murphy will come with me. Just give me a few hours to get it sorted with the court. Do you mind hanging here for a bit? There’s a television in the other room. I could set you up in there?” she offers.

I hate how Murphy nods like he’s completely comfortable with the idea and how Lola is the one taking charge. I should be doing something but the truth is I have no idea what to do.

“I could watch TV with you,” I say right as Murphy is about to disappear.

“We need your help filling out some of these forms,” Lola says, waving the papers in her hand like she wants us to see proof of the reason she’s asking me to stay behind to spend time with her.

Obviously, she doesn’t want to spend time with me, but this is her job , is what her gesture clearly says.

“Right, well, I’ll be here if you need me,” I tell Murphy.

He nods. “Okay, Cal, I’ll see you later.”

And then my son disappears with Lola again, and even though I’ve only just met him, I feel like a piece of me is walking away.