Page 13 of Born To Be My Baby

She blew out a deep breath and stood. Her knees shook slightly, so she didn't take a step just yet, waiting a moment for her body to settle. A large commotion sounded outside, and she turned to Mina. Mina flipped the lights on in the sitting room and hurried to the window. She pulled back the curtains slightly.

"There's a crowd gathering outside." She turned to Sean. "Do people know you're here?"

He shrugged. "I didn't tell anyone except Jami. He wouldn't have told anyone else. Why?"

"Well, what else would they be doing out there? I can't figure it out. Is there anyone else staying here that you're aware of that's famous?"

Sean shook his head. "I mean, I don't know."

Mina said, "Stay here. I'm going to go and see if I can find out what's going on."

Gloria took a deep breath, "Mina, don't go out by yourself. Take Boon with you."

She looked at Boon. "Will you go with her and keep her safe?"

Boon nodded, "Of course." He was a big, tall man, six foot five or so, and burly. It would take a lot to get through him. And he'd been with them forever, so he'd protect Mina for sure.

Gloria glanced at Sean and then back out the window. Boon and Mina left the room. And that's when she saw her. "Son of a bitch." She hissed.

Sean looked at her. "What?"

She pointed. "That makeup girl, Debbie." She gritted her teeth. "She was sitting quiet as a mouse in the dark corner while we were talking about Mina and her parentage. She sat there and listened to everything. And then that little bitch snuck out. She must have posted on social media or called her friends or something. And now the crowd is out there wanting to see..."

She froze, her eyes grew big. "Oh, my God, Mina."

She ran toward the door, Sean with her. Just as they entered the hall, Boon pulled Mina through the door by her arm. Boon slammed the door as Mina ran towards her and pushed his back against the door. Sean moved to barricade the door with Boon, the two of them with their backs at the door. Gloria grabbed Mina by the hand and pulled her into the sitting room. "Stay here." She closed the door and called down the hallway for the manager. "Hello, anybody here?"

A woman stepped out of the kitchen and Gloria yelled. "Call the police. Please call 911."

The crowd's volume grew loud. They pounded on the door, tapped on the windows, and yelled various things. Sammy Fender has a daughter. Are you Sammy Fender's daughter? Are you the one? Come and let us look at you.

Gloria pulled up social media right away on her phone and typed in Sammy Fender. And there it was, pictures of this B and B, pictures of Sammy. They were posting everywhere. Old pictures of Sammy with women at nightclubs and bars. On stage as they climbed up to get closer to him. Headlines blared, Sammy Fender has a daughter. One ugly headline yelled in bold, Sammy's illegitimate daughter! It was ugly, and her stomach quelled. She reached for a garbage can in the corner and retched into it.

Sirens grew louder, and Gloria’s ears rang. It was hard for her to see. Her vision, everything, was blurry and dark. All she could think of was, what was this going to do to Mina? She stood and braced herself against the wall. She turned and looked at Boon and Sean standing side by side, their backs against the front door as people pounded on it. Her eyes and Sean's locked together. Oh, what a mess she'd made of everything. What a mess.

She slowly walked to the sitting room and opened the door. Mina stood peering through the curtains trying not to be seen.

Gloria said, "Mina, come sit with me." There was a small little settee they had moved against the wall for the two interview chairs. They both sat on the settee side by side. She took Mina's hand and held tight. "I hear the sirens. The police are coming."

Mina's voice was soft. "Yeah."

"Are you hurt?"

"No. Not physically, anyway."

"We'll get through this, Mina.”

"I don't want to hear anything from you right now, Mom. This has been a shit storm of epic proportions. I begged you over the years to know who my father was. I begged you! If you had just told me, this wouldn't have happened and maybe I would have had him in my life for the important things, the things that my friends all had dads for. I had one, and you didn't let him be part of my life. And now this weird, stupid, strange turn of events has us all in this situation, all of us. What if it ruins his career? What if it ruins ours? This is just awful. My stomach is in knots. But what I don't want to hear from you is how you think we will get through this."

Gloria let the tears slide down her cheeks. The sirens grew louder and stopped just outside. She could hear the police officers telling people to get back, move on, back off. The crowds quieted somewhat, but she was afraid to look out the window. Mina pulled her hand away from hers, and cold dread filled her heart. How on earth could she ever make this right?

It escaped her. She stood and laid her hand over her stomach, pressing in slightly so she didn't throw up again. There was a cooler in the corner with water bottles in it. She pulled one out, plopped down on the cooler, unscrewed the cap to the water and took a drink. The door to the sitting room opened and Sean, Boon, and Dylan walked in. Sean looked at Mina and then searched around for her. He saw her sitting on the cooler against the wall.

He nodded, but walked to Mina. He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. Mina started crying. Sean kissed the top of her head. "It's going to be alright, baby girl. It's going to be alright." He was quiet for a minute, then said, "Hell, I'm just going to tell you the truth a little bit here. I'm not embarrassed that you're my daughter. I'm happier than shit that I have you. I have a daughter. I'm sorry it came out this way. Certainly not what I intended. This day certainly wasn't anything I expected. I had hoped we could talk tonight about how we would dole the news out little by little, or not at all, even, if you didn't want to. But now the cat's out of the bag and we're going to deal."

Gloria stared at the two of them sitting side by side. She saw the similarities she'd always noticed in Mina. But, seeing them together, those same green eyes and dark hair. Mina's lips were shaped like Sean’s. Her heart beat so hard it was slightly painful. Her mind raced as she watched them together. What could have been will never be known. But what will be laid before them. She had to remember that. Of all the things her parents taught her, practicality was the biggest. She'd always been practical. It's how she made it so far in her life. It's how she managed a new baby and interviewing musicians in smoky bars and nightclubs, late nights, all of it.

She inhaled deeply and walked to the settee where Mina and Sean sat. "We need to head this off and make a statement. How do you want it to read? I'll get working on it right now."

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