Page 6 of Grumpy Orc Daddy

“What’s this?” he asks, his brow raised and his hazel eyes wide with surprise.

“I was hoping you could tell me,” I demand, my voice shaking.

He narrows his eyes at me and grunts as he turns the letter over in his large hands. I watch as his expression shifts from confusion to shock.

“Wha—?” He turns the paper over. “Where did you find this?” he demands. His eyes are hard as he stares at me.

“I was going through a box of Ashley’s things, and it was at the bottom. So, is it true?” I ask, my hands on my hips as I wait for Janta to make it all make sense.

“I need to do a paternity test,” he says. He’s insistent in his demeanor, but disbelief tinges his tone.

“That’s all you have to say?” My hands are shaking, and I hate the way my voice cracks. “Were you with Ashley or not?”

“I never said I wasn’t,” he grunts. “But it was so brief that I need to see it confirmed if I’m to believe what this letter says.”

His answer annoys me. Because why would Ashley lie about something as serious as this? With a huffy sigh, I turn on my heel and march back over to my house.

“Rayna, wait!” Janta calls, but I keep moving, crossing the lawn with purpose until I’m back at my house. I shut the door and lean against it, taking a deep, shaky breath.

Janta is right. We need to have a paternity test done. It’s the only way to truly prove that he is Lily’s father. A confusing flux of emotion rises within me. But before I have time to make sense of things, a knock reverberates through the door.

I turn and open it to find Janta on the porch, letter in hand. His hazel eyes look troubled, yet his commanding presence is still front and center.

I sigh again, swallowing my confusion over the trajectory of my life and gesture to the kitchen. “Come in, we can arrange for the test,” I say, throwing out an olive branch.

“Thank you,” he says in his quiet grumble and steps inside.

“Do you want anything to drink? Coffee?” I ask as he takes a seat in the kitchen. “Lily will be awake soon.”

“I’m okay, thanks.” His usual sense of put togetherness seems off today, no doubt from the news of his impending fatherhood, should the test prove Ashley right. Though I don’t see why she wouldn’t be.

I pull my phone out, sit across from him, and start looking for a lab that can perform the test. “It says here that they’re open tomorrow. Lily and I can come with you if you’d like?”

He stares thoughtfully before giving a terse nod. “That’s fine.”

“They open at 9 tomorrow morning.” I raise my eyes, meeting his for a moment, and a prickling of something ripples through me.

As if on cue, Lily’s cries rise from her room before I have time to process what any of it means.

I give Janta a forced smile. “I’ll be right back,” I say and leave to grab Lily from her crib. Grabbing a diaper and an outfit for her from the closet, I lay her on the changing table.

My thoughts wander back to Janta and what it means for Lily if he turns out to be her father. The array of tumultuous feelings running through me are heightened when I return to the kitchen with Lily in my arms.

How will he react if Ashley’s claims turn out to be true? And what does that mean for me? I’m still certain I’m nowhere near ready for parenthood, but if Janta steps in, how will this change for Lily?

I watch as Janta’s eyes travel over her and his gaze locks on her tiny form. Something crosses his face, so fast I almost miss it, but I could have sworn I saw him slightly soften at the sight of her.

All things considered, there’s a sense of relief knowing that the secret is out and it’s not one I have to keep. Though, that relief is still mixed with a sense of fear for what the future may hold for Lily and me, and how things might change if Janta steps in.

“I should go,” he says suddenly and stands from the table.

“Oh, alright,” I reply, both disappointed and relieved.

“I need to get ready for work,” he says gruffly, but he pauses as his gaze stays glued to the cheerful baby wiggling in my arms.

“What do you do?”

“I’m the CEO at OrcTech.”

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