Page 14 of Sven

“Back at my house?”

“They are staying with you?”

“Yeah... They were staying at a filthy motel down on Fifth Street... I couldn’t leave them there.”

Sasha’s eyes softened. “Do you think it’s smart to let them move in?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry... I don’t know if it’s a good idea or not, but she’s my kid.”

“And you know this for sure?”

“I’m planning on calling my lawyer and getting a paternity test, but, yeah... she’s mine. She looks like me but with brown hair.”

Just thinking about her little baby face and her little, tiny baby fingers made him smile.

“Okay, I think that’s smart. I won’t tell Hillary yet, but we’re going to have to tell her. We just need a plan on what to do should this break or go sideways,” she said, taking notes.

He was a mix of emotions. He was angry Sasha was treating this like a problem to solve, but he got it. Because she was right—he was nervous. Even though he thought things would be fine, they could go sideways fast. Even despite all that, he was defensive, and this was his baby.

Sasha peered at him and must have been able to tell how confused he was because she gave him a small smile. “Do you have a picture of her?”

Sven shook his head. “I’ll get one, though. She’s fucking perfect.”

“How are you handling all of it?”

He took a deep breath. “I mean... I’m shocked but also not really. I’m nervous, but I’m just trying to figure out the right thing to do.”

“I know you’ll do the right thing. You’re a good guy. Keep me posted. I won’t tell Conner anything, and we can figure out how and when to tell Hillary.”

Sven nodded and stood. “I’m heading home. Thank you, Sasha.”

She came around, gave him a hug, then whispered, “It’s all going to be okay.”

He was almost embarrassed at how he melted into her hug and pulled her close. He needed this lifeline more than he thought he did.

When he got home, he didn’t see Stacie or Winnie anywhere, so he went up to find them. There was no sign of Stacie, but Winnie was asleep in her crib. He walked over to the crib and peered down at her peacefully sleeping. Fighting the urge to pick her up, he turned and made his way down into his room. As he turned the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks.

There, sitting on his bed, was Stacie. Naked.

“What are you doing?” he said, averting his eyes.

“You can look at me, Sven. It’s not like you’ve never seen me naked before,” she said, standing in front of him.

“Stacie, I don’t think this is a good idea,” he said, looking her in the eye, making sure to keep his focus at eye level.

“Why? We could be a family?” She rested her hand on his chest.

“Let’s just take this one step at a time. I just want to get to know you and Winnie. Let’s do that first.”

His phone rang in his pocket.Saved by the bell.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to take this.”

“Okay, but think about it,” she said as she dragged her hand over his chest and sauntered out of his room.

He sat on his bed and answered his phone without even checking the caller ID, which he immediately regretted. “Hello.”

“Sven, I’ve been trying to call you,” his dad said over the phone.

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