๐๐ง ๐๐ฑ๐๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐
๐๐๐ซ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฑ ๐ฌ๐๐ญ (๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ!)
๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐: ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐, ๐๐๐๐
He rose from the crouched position and looked down at her upturned face. She was a cute little replica of her mother, with the same complexion and a pair of sparkling brown eyes. Sheโd only been briefly mentioned in an article heโd read online about Ivy about how she managed her career as an executive while being a mother. There hadnโt been a single photo of her daughter anywhere, though. Ivy had done a good job of keeping her out of the media spotlight.
โIt was nice talking to you,โ Lucas said. He suddenly realized he didnโt know her name. โWhatโs your name, darlinโ?โ
โKatie. Well, itโs actually Katherine, but everybody calls me Katie.โ
โThatโs a pretty name. My motherโs name is Katherine, too.โ
โIt is?โ
โSure is. Well, it was nice to meet you, Katie.โ He paused, struck by a random thought. Katherine? Why would Ivy give her daughter his motherโs name?
Probably just a coincidence. After all, his mother and Ivy had been close during the time she and he were involved, and he could tell his mother had been disappointed when their relationship had ended. Maybe Ivy just liked the name Katherine.
His brow furrowed. Surely it was also a coincidence that Katie happened to enjoy writing, like he did.
Writing is my hobby, and I love it. My mom said Iโm like my dad in that way.
Mommy said his words were like magic.
โMister, are you okay?โ
Sweat broke out on his forehead and he swiped it away. He looked more closely at Katie and noticed things he hadnโt before. He couldnโt honestly say he saw a resemblance to him in her face. She resembled her mother, but where Ivy had a rounded tip to her nose, Katieโs was flatter and broader, similar to his. And her eyelashes reminded him of his own.
No big deal. Lots of people had broad noses and long lashes, right?
He swallowed. He couldnโt shake his crazy idea. It took root and germinated.
Could she be his daughter? Was that why he felt inexplicably drawn to her?
No, none of his musings made sense. He shook his head. Katie was too young, clearly only about six or seven years old. He and Ivy would have been broken up long before her conception. She would have been happily married to Winston Whats-His-Face during the time Katie was conceived.
โYes, Iโm fine,โ he said, his voice thick, his mind still racing. โHow old are you, Katie?โ he asked.
โI turned eight in April, but I canโt wait until I turn nine, because my Uncle Cyrus said heโs going to buy me a gold-plated cell phone. Mommy says Iโm too young, but Uncle Cyrus says all the kids have cell phones, so why shouldnโt I. My mom worries a lot.โ
He barely heard the last part of what she said. His brain quickly did the math. If her birthday was in April, that meant Ivy had probably gotten pregnant the summer theyโd spent together.
The direction of his thoughts sent his mind reeling. His heartbeat tripled, the pounding echoing in his head. He recalled a broken condom, his panic, and her promise to take the morning after pill. Theyโd had an agreement. Surely she would have told him if she was pregnant.
He spun around when he heard a soft noise behind him. Ivy stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with apprehension.
โMommy, Mr., um, I donโt know his name, but heโs a writer, tooโโ
โGo to my office and wait for me in there, please,โ Ivy said, her voice tight.
โOkay.โ Katie picked up her pencil and notebook. She paused at the door. โBye, mister.โ
She slipped from the room and Ivy and Lucas stared at each other in silence. He was still processing his thoughts.
โI thought youโd gone.โ Underneath the stiff tone, there was an odd note to her voiceโa sort of breathlessness.
โIโm still here.โ He watched her closely. โGetting to know Katherine.โ
He didnโt hear her indrawn breath, but he saw the way her chest hitched. He stepped closer.
โFunny how you gave her the same name as my mother.โ
โYou think so? Iโve always loved the name Katherine.โ She tried to appear calm but didnโt quite pull it off. Not when the pulse at her throat was beating out of control.
โAnd she loves to write, just like her father. Isnโt that something?โ
She licked her lips. โNothing special about it. Lots of kids take after their parents. Some children develop a love of sports. She happens to love writing.โ
โWhat did your husband write?โ
โA lot of things. A little bit of this and that.โ She obviously couldnโt think of a lie fast enough.
โInteresting.โ Lucas slowly rubbed his jaw. โYou know what else is interesting? She told me sheโs eight years old.โ
Raw panic flashed in her eyes. Bolstered with confidence, Lucas continued. โShe said her birthdayโs in April,โ he said through gritted teeth. Anger and disbelief billowed in his blood. โIsnโt that interesting?โ
There was no mistaking the anxiety in Ivyโs face.
โI donโt know why her birthday would be interesting.โ She glanced at the gold and diamond encrusted Cartier watch on her wrist. โYou know what, I better go. As I mentioned, I have a lunch date.โ
โNot so fast!โ She half-turned when his voice whipped out to stop her.
Lucas slammed the door shut before she could escape and moved into her personal space, so close he saw the different colors in her pupilsโa dark chestnut and a smattering of lighter brown specks.
โCounting backward nine monthsโโ
โWhatever it is youโre thinkingโโ
โLook me in the eye and tell me Iโm wrong, Ivy,โ he snarled. โTell me!โ
She pressed back into the wall and a trembling overtook her shoulders. He moved closer, crowding her.
โTell me the truth,โ Lucas said, clenching his fingers into tightly balled fists. โTell me the truth, goddammit!โ His voice had risen louder and his words came out harsher than heโd intended, but he couldnโt suppress the emotion overtaking him.
Ivy shook her head slowly, but she didnโt respond. She didnโt have to, because he saw the answer in her eyes.
โJesus,โ Lucas muttered, taking two steps back. His legs became unsteady, and his heart thundered beneath his ribs. โIvyโฆโ He swallowed, at a loss for words and overwhelmed by the burning in his chest that made it hard to breathe. โSheโs my daughter, isnโt she?โ
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