Page 103 of Who's Your Daddy?

23. Peter

Ishut my eyes andlisten as Carl rambles on. At one point, I even pull the phone away from my ear to give it a break, but he’s still talking when I lift it up again.

“It’s the Watson Building on Park Avenue. We’ve been having recurring plumbing issues that are affecting not just one tenant but several on the same floor. It's causing quite a disruption.”

“So, get some plumbers in to fix it,” I reply irritably. “This is what I pay you for, Carl. To manage these problems effectively. This is an inconvenience that you can handle on your own without any involvement from me.”

“I know. But we’ve sent plumbers in multiple times to address the issue, but it keeps resurfacing. It's not just the inconvenience; it’s also affecting the reputation of the property. I’m calling you because I think we might need to consider a more permanent solution here. Repairs can become costly in the long run.”

The doorbell rings, but I ignore it. It’s Wednesday, so it’s Isabella’s turn to check on me. Why she’s ringing the bell is beyond me because she knows she can just walk in.

“So, what do you propose?” I ask Carl.

“Given the nature of the problem, it might be time to invest in a comprehensive plumbing overhaul for that building. Fixing the root cause can prevent these issues from recurring and improve the overall living conditions.”

Shit, that’s going to cost me a pretty penny, but I don’t care right now. I just want this conversation to end. “Fine. Just get it done.” The doorbell rings again, and I grit my teeth to not take out my growing frustration on Carl. “Make sure you vet the company first because I don’t want overruns or sloppy workmanship. If we’re gonna spend on this, let’s do it right the first time.” The doorbell rings again. “Listen, Carl, I gotta go. Call me when you have a few quotes so we can see which one is most beneficial to us.”

“No problem, Mr. Danahay. Have a good afternoon.”

I hang up the phone and walk downstairs. I’m not going to snap at her. I’m just going to tell her very politely that I’m fine, and they all need to back off and stop coming to check on me because this is getting ridiculous now.

I swing the door open and see...nothing. She’s gone. The bell rang just a few seconds ago. How did she disappear so fast?

“Isa,” I call out and get no response. I step outside, looking right, then left, and she’s nowhere to be seen. “Weird.”

I’m about to go back in when my shoe taps against something. I look down and my heart jumps into my throat.

“No.” My hands find their way into my hair as my blood pressure shoots through the roof. “No way.”

It must be the lack of sleep that’s making me hallucinate because I know for damn sure that’s not a cardboard box on my front step with a fucking baby sleeping in it. I turn around and face the foyer, inhaling deep breaths to center myself.

“It’s not real. It’s just your imagination. It’s not real.”

I turn back, and yeah, there’s a box there...with a baby in it. He’s swaddled tightly in a blanket and nestled comfortably in a pile of her old maternity clothes. Right next to it is a small backpack, and I’m too scared to look inside. The only person I know who’d have a baby this small is Lia. And she wouldn’t just leave him on my doorstep here, right? She has to be around here somewhere. I rush down the driveway and she’s not there. I check around the side of the house, and she’s not there. Where the hell is she?

I grab the backpack first, then as gently as I can, I lift the box, take it into the living room, and slowly place it on the floor. He’s still asleep, so I race upstairs to get my phone. My fingers fumble to get into the security app. I pull up the footage and scroll back until I spot her.

She walks up to the house, rings the bell a few times, then runs to hide behind a hedge. The second I open the door, she bolts, running at the speed of light. I swap cameras and watch her bullet through the complex before stopping at the security gate to chat with the guard. He opens the gate, and she runs out. Did they not think that was suspicious? Did they not ask her why she came in with a box and left without it? They’re fired. All of them are fucking fired!

I take a moment to collect myself. It wasn’t that long ago. I’m sure I can catch up to her. I race down the stairs and out the front door, but as I get to the end of my driveway, I hear a wail.

“Shit!”

My feet stumble to a halt. There’s a fricken baby in my house. I can’t leave him alone to chase her down. I call the guard house and tell them to go out and find her before I rush back inside.

There’s no sound when I shut the door, and I approach the box slowly, cautiously. He’s still sleeping. Maybe he was just having a bad dream. I know I’m living through one right now and I want to scream, too.

Maybe she didn’t leave him here. Maybe she just needed something from the store, and she was running because...because she needed to get it before he woke up. And she didn’t wait for me to answer the door because there’s still that underlying tension between us, and she didn’t have time to get into it with me because she knew we’d probably have an argument and that would delay her from getting to the store.

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