Page 108 of Outback Reunion

Forgetting entirely about the mini golf scorecard, he grabbed his phone and called his mum.

‘Who was your flower girl?’ he asked the second she answered.

‘Oh, did you find the album? What was the score?’

‘Never mind the fucking score.’ His pulse was thumping. ‘Who’s the little girl with the red hair in your wedding photos?’

‘Language!’ Mum screeched, laughing. ‘That’s Aunty Carrots. And she was the worst flower girl ever. Did I ever tell you how she lifted my dress when—’

But Mark didn’t hear any of the story. His mind was exploding! His aunt Karen was fifteen years younger than his mum and had been a teenager when he was little, but he never remembered her being a redhead.

‘But she’s a brunette!’

Mum snorted in a way she’d consider impolite if she hadn’t had a few drinks. ‘That’s what she likes everyone to believe. Her hair was as orange as a carrot until she started dyeing it in her late teens. Why else do you think we call her Carrots?’

‘Because her name’s Karen! And Karen and Carrots kind of sound similar?’ He took a much-needed breath. ‘Where did the red hair come from? Did Gran or Pop have it when they were younger?’

‘Yes, your grandfather was a ginger. He came from a long line of redheads. I got lucky and I was surprised when you were born with a head of thick brown hair. What’s this about anyway? Why are you getting so worked up about Karen’s hair?’

‘Because...’

He could feel his heart flapping wildly as if a bird were trapped in his chest.Holy fucking shit.Could Luna—with her wild orange hair, prominent chin, cheeky smile, and feisty personality—actually behisdaughter?

Maybe he was going insane, clutching at ridiculous straws. Paternity tests were supposed to be pretty accurate. But as he scrutinised the photo, he knew something was very wrong. It wasn’t just Aunty Carrots’ red hair, her whole face resembled Luna’s. He and Karen had the same sticky-outy chin—everyone always made fun of them—which meant he and Luna also had the same chin, and Loud Mouth hadn’t been wrong about them both having bigger than average noses.

Not to mention she was a gun with a football. Just like him.

He should have realised when she executed an almost perfect kick. Hehad. But Gabriela had been so adamant that Luna was Dante’s and he’d accepted her word for it.

Dante!Mark had never known it was possible to hate someone you hadn’t met, but he loathed that man. The way he’d treated Gabriela was despicable enough, but the thought of what he’d stolen from Mark enraged him.

‘Mark! What’s going on?’ his mum demanded, but he couldn’t tell her his suspicions. She’d probably insist Dad sober up and drive them home immediately. She was going to go crazy if they found out she already had the grandchild she was desperate for, and she’d adore Luna. How could anyone not? She was bright and talented, confident, curious about the world and had a way with animals just like her grandmother.

Mark yanked the photo out of its plastic sleeve and stood so fast his head spun.

‘Sorry, Mum. I’ve gotta go.’

He disconnected before she could say anything else. He had to get to the circus and see this so-called paternity test.

And that’s when it hit him. Maybe there never even was a paternity test!

His chest tightened at the thought that maybeGabrielahad lied to him. It would certainly account for why she hadn’t mentioned having a daughter when they’d talked about almost everything else that night at The Palace. Her excuse about compartmentalising her life had sounded weak; maybe she and Dante had decided when she’d discovered she was pregnant that they would make it work even though Luna wasn’t his. She’d said he’d offered as much, and their lives were so entwined that maybe they’d chosen to stay together rather than blow everything up.

Whatever the truth, he would get to the bottom of it.

All he knew was that this wasn’t just about him and Gabriela now. If he was Luna’s father, then he’d already missed almost eight years of her life. There wasn’t a chance he was missing a moment longer. Luna was alreadyeverythingto him. He wanted the best for her. He wanted to give her the best. He wanted to give her everything he could.

He was almost at the ute, Rookie yapping at his heels wondering what all the excitement was about, when he realised he couldn’t drive anywhere thanks to the beers he’d been downing like water the last few hours.Dammit. He slammed his fists on the bonnet and kicked the tyre. No matter how desperate he was to confront Gabriela and see Luna, he wouldn’t risk driving drunk. Fathers—good fathers—didn’t do such things.

And he wanted to be a good father. He wanted to be the best.

He’d have to jog into town, or maybe he could call Adam and ask him for a lift? His phone was out of his pocket, and he was bringing up his neighbour’s number, when he had second thoughts. This conversation was too important to have when he was half-trolleyed. It would be sensible to calm down first. To have a shower, get a good night’s sleep—if that was even possible—and go see her first thing in the morning.

At least he’d made this discovery before the circus left town.

Chapter Twenty-nine

On Sunday morning, Gabi rose at the crack of dawn, brushed her teeth, scooped her hair up into a high, practical ponytail, put on her high-vis work clothes and boots, then gently shook Luna’s shoulder, and injected a chirpiness she didn’t feel into her voice. ‘Time to get up, Missy. It’s pull-down day.’

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