Page 16 of Fated Secret Baby

My heart trips. Does she have someone over? She never said she was here with another male, but I never asked.

“Mommy!” a voice shrieks.

I blink. Where is a kid’s voice coming from? There’s not another house nearby, and I don’t think the renters in the other unit have a kid…

Calista tucks her hair behind her ear, and my heart sinks.

“Calista?”

“Look, I didn’t tell you, but I have a daughter,” she says in a hushed voice. “I… I was going to tell you today.”

It takes a minute for the words to sink in. “A daughter?”

All I can do is repeat the words. They feel so strange on my tongue.

“Yeah. I didn’t want for you to find out like this?—”

“And her father?” I interrupt.

I can’t help it, and my tone is much sharper than I meant it to be.

Calista braces herself, her eyes hardening. “We aren’t together.”

Okay.

I tamp down the mistrust that’s racing through me. So, she didn’t tell me she had a kid. I haven’t exactly caught her up on the last five years, either.

“I… Amara was going to watch her, but something happened with the plumber, and now she can’t, so… I have to cancel,” she finishes. “I’m sorry. It’s okay if you don’t want us to stay here?—”

“Calista.” She looks up at me, eyes wide. I want to reach out and hold her hand or do something to just… touch her. To reassure her.

Instead, I speak. “I’m not upset. It’s been a long time. There’s… stuff that’s happened for both of us, in both of our lives, and that’s…” I stop.

I don’t want to lie and say that it doesn’t matter. I would have loved to know about her daughter. I would rather have stayed in touch than just have been strangers like this.

“It’s in the past,” I say. Calista is watching me closely, and I give her what I hope is a reassuring smile. “I just want to see you. If today doesn’t work, that’s okay. You and your daughter can stay here for as long as you need.”

She smooths her hair behind her ears. “Are you sure?”

I wish things were different, and I could tell her that I regret whatever happened to put this distance between us. But more than anything, I don’t want her to run again.

“I’m sure.” I nod. “And I’d love to meet her, if you?—”

“I don’t introduce her to males,” she says sharply.

I hold up my hands. “Okay. No problem. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll talk to you later, then.” I try to smile. Clearly, I overstepped, and I can take a hint.

This time, I’m not going to do anything that would make her run.

I step back, ready to turn, when I hear Calista sigh. “Wait.”

I turn.

She studies me, her dark brown eyes assessing. I stand still, trying to hold on to an easy, neutral stance. Don’t run, Calista. Please.

Finally, she gives me a brief nod. “Amara can watch her tonight. Can I raincheck you for then?”

My heart skips. “I will take any raincheck you want.”

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