Page 13 of The Sweetest Chirp

That one day, she’d be mine.

And that the child who sits on the hip of the lady before me is mine.

I had felt such peace when I held Audrina close. When her scent had all but consumed me, but as quickly as she moved away was how quickly that peace was replaced by emotions I didn’t know I’d be feeling when I finally found her.

Panic.

Fear.

Confusion.

Shock.

Anger.

All of them, slamming into me all at once. I brace my hand on the table, my heart crashing into my ribs like I’ve skated twenty-nine minutes with no rest whatsoever. My body has gone cold, my stomach feels as if it’s falling out of my dick, and all I can do is stare at the toddler in the arms of an older lady who is still watching me as curiously as I do her. The older lady has her brows pinched, her eyes sharp as she looks between Audrina and me.

She knows she’s just seen the father of the child she holds.

The child she has gotten to love, when I had no clue she existed.

“Damn, that kid looks like your sister,” Owen blurts, but I already know that.

The child is Ingrid’s twin, wild, curly dark hair that tumbles below her chin, dark-brown eyes with her mother’s upturned nose. Looking like a goth Anna fromFrozen. Unlike my sister’s porcelain skin, though, this little girl has a dusting of freckles along her cheeks and nose. Her eyes are wide, doe-like that mirror Audrina’s. Her lashes are long, thick, and even though she looks as if she is about to pass out from whatever is ailing her, she is the most beautiful child I’ve ever seen.

She’s a perfect mix of Audrina and me.

She’s mine.

Mine.

But what really kicks me in the groin and lets me know she is mine without even asking? She has a bright-pink headband that is holding her hearing aids in place on her ears. Just like my father and my sister. Tears burn my eyes, a ball of emotion lodges in my throat, and I’m unable to look away. I can only stare at the little person who has lived her whole life without me.

When the child signsMommy, I have to hold back the sob that wants to break free. Instead, I grunt like she didn’t just sign for Audrina but rather kicked me square in the balls.

I tear my gaze from her to look at her mother, but Audrina is moving, just as fast as her hands.Oh, my poor girl. Do you not feel well?

I think I might pass out.

Seeing Audrina sign takes me back to all the classes we took when we found out Ingrid was hard of hearing. We learned that my father’s condition was hereditary and had been passed down to his daughter—and now, to mine. I can’t swallow past the lumpin my throat as I watch Audrina tend to our child. She brushes her hair out of her face, feeling her cheeks then her head.

The older lady says something, but Audrina only shakes her head. She then takes the girl, gathering her in her arms. Without a backward glance or even a word to me, she walks away from me. The little girl looks over her shoulder at me, her brown eyes, the same color I see when I look in a mirror, burning into mine as if she knows me.

That can’t be, though.

But then she raises her little hand, wiggling her fingers at me, and my legs lock underneath me. I collapse into the booth, leaning on it as I watch Audrina carry the child up the side stairs, leaving the older lady behind. My chest aches from how hard my heart is beating. I feel eyes on me. I know Owen and Telly are speaking, but all I can see is Audrina going up the stairs. Surely I’m dreaming. This can’t be real. But I can still feel Audrina in my arms; I can feel her skin against my lips. Most of all, I know that little girl was looking into my eyes like she knew me.

Holy shit.

Once she’s gone, I look up to find the older lady watching me, her eyes sharper than a tack, before taking Audrina’s place, getting customers what they need.

“Um, Orlov…you good?” Telly asks, but I can’t answer him. I’m too busy willing my legs to work so I can chase after them.

“Dude, what the hell just happened?” Owen asks, but all I can do is shake my head. “Are you sure that’s Audrina?”

“Is that your kid?” Telly asks, but still, words elude me. All I can hear is the roar of my blood, and I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience. This can’t be. Audrina didn’t just run away from me…she hid my kid? How could she do this? I get that I hurt her, but to hide a child from me? Her parents? Mine? Ingrid?

What the fuck was she thinking?

---