Page 61 of Surprise Baby for Daddy's Best Friend

"I don't think my genes are all that strong, given how Mandy looks more like her mom." I tried to formulate what I wanted to say. It was falling out of my mouth faster than I could think of the words. "They're probably going to look like you more than me, and I'm ok with that."

She sucked on the inside of her cheek and folded her legs under her, "That'll be interesting if it's a boy and is as pretty as I am."

"As opposed to?"

She shrugged, "I mean, could you imagine me having a daughter and her looking more like you? She'd be handsome, that's for sure."

I couldn't imagine anyone looking like me that wasn't my father. I scrunched my nose. "No, better for either of them to look like you."

"And what about the name? Will you be upset if they take my last name?"

I hadn't thought about that. Mandy had my last name, but I had been married to her mom at the time. I wasn't married to Kim. It was her choice how she wanted to name our child.

"While it would be nice, I understand if you don't want to."

"Then you should not make it a choice," she muttered.

"What?" I raised a brow, trying to comprehend what she had said.

"Nothing!" She turned back to her phone, "We'll figure out names after I know the gender."

I shook my head and looked out the window, "You truly are a strange one."

While Kim was imagining how she would decorate the apartment, I wasn't sure how comfortable I was with her being here. It wasn't a bad neighborhood, but it wasn't the best either. I could easily find something better for her elsewhere or move her into my condo. I couldn't offer either option to her yet. She would outright refuse. Not to mention I wasn't sure how Maurice would take it if he learned that his daughter had randomly moved in with me without explaining why.

Dinner was quiet, except for the TV playing the news. Nothing important was being discussed outside of a few story continuations from the last several days. I wasn't interested in any of them and Kim didn't seem enthralled by it either. That was another piece of the puzzle I didn't know about her. There was too much about her I still didn't know, and yet I was ready to claim this child as my own, without hesitation.

As if a spark had illuminated the darkness of my mind, I accepted what I was missing out on. It wasn't just that I needed to be a good father for this future child, I needed to be a good man for Kim too. She needed someone who understood her, not just someone that lusted over her constantly. I wanted to know what her interests were. What foods she liked and didn't like. Did she have a favorite color? I couldn't determine any of that just by looking around her apartment. It was too generic to see any personality.

Mandy was different. I remembered before she moved out of the apartment how her room had been constantly repainted in different colors. She always had pictures and the latest film posters hanging up on her walls. At her new home, she had added figurines related to her interests in different places. If anyone walked into Mandy's house, they would know who she was instantly. Kim wasn't so easy.

"Do you have any plans this week?" I asked to break the silence between us.

"Not after that hospital visit. That's going to cost me way too much. Diet of beans and rice for a while."

"And I said I'd cover the hospital visit."

She turned quiet again. I cussed myself out. Of course, I managed to mess up trying to learn more about her by shutting down the conversation.

"I heard there are some interesting movies playing right now."

She looked up at me as if confused by what I had said, "I didn't think you were interested in watching films at the theater."

"And what did you expect I did?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe a personal theater at your house."

I used to have one of those when I lived just outside the city. It didn't exactly play the current movies at theaters, but it sat six people in recliners and was comfortable. I still preferred the idea of going to a theater.

"In the dark, everyone is equal. There's no imbalance of social structure or anything."

She watched me with intent curiosity.

"In a way, I feel like I'm back in my younger years. On the old school dates, you could go on and enjoy the company of others, or just get a good scare with some friends."

"I can understand that," she turned back to her phone. "There's this new superhero film that was released a week ago. We could watch that if you want."

"Yeah, we can do that as long as nothing comes up," she popped a pepperoni into her mouth. "So, who should we tell first?"

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