Page 5

FOUR

ELI

My eyes flick between Wrenly and the baby in her arms, then back to Wrenly’s as I stand in front of them, completely and totally speechless. I don’t know what to say. A million things start spinning in my head, but words escape me.

I even open my mouth, then snap it closed again. I want to ask her where the fuck she’s been. I want to ask her why she ignored me, and I want to demand to know why she never told me about this child.

This child who is supposed to be mine.

She says he’s mine.

However, I don’t know why she would lie now when she could have been collecting child support for over a year from me. If this was a money grab, she would have done this a long time ago.

Then I start wondering if this is all a lie. Maybe whoever the dad is stopped paying his child support, so now she’s going to come after me. But something niggles in the back of my mind, and that’s the fact that I doubt my shy little wallflower would do that.

Sure, I don’t know her, but the glow that surrounds her is definitely warm, not cold. I don’t get any malicious, manipulative vibes from her at all. And not that I’m some kind of master people reader, but I’ve been around women who want things and try to get them through any means possible enough to know what that feels like.

I open my mouth again to say something, to ask something, when I feel a hand clamp down on my shoulder. Turning my head, I see Daniel standing beside me. I close my mouth, then open it again as I try to speak, but my throat is dry, my hands are clammy, and my whole body feels like a gigantic ice block.

I’m so fucking shocked that I don’t know what to say and do to respond in this situation. I can, without a doubt, say that this has never happened to me before. Nobody has claimed to have my baby.

Thankfully, Daniel is more aware than I am and able to string together some words. Shifting my attention back to Wrenly, who is now wide-eyed, staring at Daniel, I watch her reaction as Daniel speaks. I’d like to know what she is thinking.

“I’m Daniel, and you are?” he asks.

Her tongue slips out, sliding across her bottom lip, and instinctually, I want to suck that now wet lip into my mouth, but I definitely decide against that because I don’t know what the fuck is going on with her—with this situation.

I need some explanations and clarity.

“I’m Wrenly,” she breathes.

Fuck. I want her to say my name just like that, all breathy and shit, when I’m inside of her. Closing my eyes in a slow blink, I internally shake off the thought of fucking her before I open them again.

“And this is?” Daniel asks, reaching out and gently tickling the little boy’s belly.

He giggles, and my eyes snap to him, watching him do that. I’m not sure why, but I feel something hearing that sweet little giggle. It is like a punch to the gut. It’s an amazing fucking sound.

“This is,” Wrenly begins, her eyes connecting with my own before she finishes, “Ryan Nicholas Foster.”

Nicholas.

That’s my fucking middle name.

Click. Click. Click.

That’s how my brain would sound right now, with everything clicking into place. Dadda, Nicholas, and the timing of it all. I mean, she said she was telling me something, but the words didn’t actually compute the way they are right now.

This is an ah-ha moment I’m experiencing, and it’s happening in slow motion. I don’t even have to ask how old he is. I bet if I did the math, he would be right around a year and a half. And when my gaze searches the boy’s features, I see myself in them.

Again, what the fuck ?

WRENLY

I can see everything falling into place as Eli starts to figure out what is happening. I think hearing Ryan’s middle name sealed the deal in his brain. His friend, Daniel, stands in front of me, his scrutinizing gaze sharp. He’s looking out for Eli, which is good.

I’m glad that people care about him. I won’t even be offended if he questions everything about this situation, either.

It’s why I’m here in person, to field and answer those questions—however and from whomever they come—because there are going to be a lot of uncomfortable questions. I have already gone through all the scenarios, from nasty name-calling to questioning my character and a million other things.

I’m under no illusion that Ryan’s paternal DNA will be taken at face value. I am also willing and ready to submit samples for a test to prove that Eli is his father. I know it could only be him, but he literally doesn’t know me, so I won’t be offended if he asks.

“He has my middle name,” Eli murmurs.

“I looked it up one night when I couldn’t sleep,” I confess. “Ryan is my father’s name. That’s who we live with, in Texas.”

Daniel lets out a whistle, but I ignore him, mainly because I don’t know him and don’t care about his reaction right now. The only person I’m focused on is Eli. We watch one another for a long moment in silence.

“Fuck,” Eli hisses.

He doesn’t say the word in anger, or at least I don’t feel like that’s how he meant it. Daniel whistles again. My eyes slide to him for a moment, but I watch as he backs away, his brows lifted to his hairline. It would be funny if this were a funny moment. The weight of the seriousness sits heavy on my shoulders.

The ramifications of my secret are something that I have to face, and this is the moment of truth. I have no idea how Eli is going to react, not truly, not once everything sinks in, mainly because I don’t know him.

“We need to talk,” Eli announces.

Ryan chooses that moment to start blowing raspberries, something he does when he’s about to pass out. Turning to him, I dip my chin in a single nod and give him a smile as I pat his back and gently guide his head to my shoulder.

Shifting my attention back to Eli, I keep my smile plastered on my lips before I speak. “I’m staying across the street at the hotel. I’d like to put him in bed. He’s not used to being up this late, but yes, we need to talk. I would like that.”

Eli’s brows snap together, and he looks at Ryan again before he turns his head and looks over his shoulder at the hotel in the distance. When he brings his attention back, his eyes connect to my own.

“You walked here alone?”

“It was daylight. We had tickets to the game and watched it.”

Eli’s brows snap together. “You watched the game?” he asks.

“Playoffs,” I say. “This is really exciting. I don’t know a lot about hockey, but I know enough to realize that this is a big deal.”

“It is,” he confirms. “We’re one step closer.”

My lips curve up into a smile. I’m trying hard to keep this light and airy, but I want to cry, apologize, and beg for forgiveness.

“You’re going to get it.”

He shakes his head, then lifts his arm to slide his fingers through his hair, tugging on the ends before he clears his throat. “I’m going to give you a ride to the hotel.”

“Then we can talk,” I whisper.

He hums but doesn’t say anything. I decide to climb into the back seat of his pickup because I don’t have a car seat for Ryan. I know it’s unsafe, but we aren’t going on any main roads. The hotel is literally in the same parking lot as the convention center arena, which is why my dad booked it for me.

Eli doesn’t say anything as he pulls into the guest parking spot next to the main door of the hotel. He shifts the pickup truck into Park before telling me to sit tight. I try to hide my smile, but I’m not sure I succeed.

This feels very much like a date and less like I’m telling this man about his secret baby. I should not be this giddy over him. I try to tell myself that it’s just because I’ve lived that night with him a million times in my head, and I loved every second of it so much that I’ve built it up to this fantasy.

But then I remember how I felt when I woke up the next morning, and he was gone. He didn’t even tell me that he was leaving—no note, no text, nothing. I mean, a few days later, he tried to contact me, but I was already lost inside of my own head by that point.

I know I was bad. There’s no other explanation for it other than extreme embarrassment. And even though I know that I need to have this talk with him tonight, I really hope he doesn’t bring up our one night together. Because no matter how horrible I was in bed, this baby came from it, and I can’t even regret a moment.

Not a single second.

Eli opens the pickup truck door for me and helps me out and onto my feet. I can tell he’s not sure how to navigate helping me with a long and lanky toddler in my arms, but I’ve been doing this for a while, and I can handle it myself.

“I have a mini-suite, so he can go down on the bed, and we can talk in the living room area,” I say.

He doesn’t reply. A single nod is all I get as we make our way to the elevator bank. Touching the fourth-floor button, I wait for the doors to open. Looking over at him, I give him a small smile. He lifts his hand to his mouth and lets out a long yawn.

“If you’re too tired from the game, we can meet for lunch tomorrow,” I offer.

It’s late. I didn’t even think about how exhausted he must be from playing that game for hours. I watched how much they sweat. He’s probably completely depleted and exhausted. Eli snorts, then shakes his head.

“Baby, I couldn’t sleep right now even if I were completely dead on my feet.”

Well then.

At that, the elevator car doors open, and the three of us step inside right before a woman calls out for us to hold the doors. Eli reaches out, placing his hand against them right before she slips inside.

She lets out a huff of air, her eyes looking back at us.

“Thank you so much,” she says. Then, in the next breath, she speaks again, and when she does, my heart completely stops beating inside my chest. “What a beautiful family you are.”