Page 101 of Who's Your Daddy?

I throw out the first thing that comes to mind. “Cam.”

“That’s not a real name.”

I meant to say Sam, but I guess I have to work with this now. “It’s short for Camryn. And she’s a delight. We went back to her place for some dessert after dinner, then humped like rabbits all night. I mean, we burned up the sheets. It was incredible. I don’t smoke, but I felt like I needed a cigarette after.”

She glares at me, resting bitch face on full display. “What a crock of shit.”

Well, I tried.

“Do you know how dire the situation is if I’m secretly wishing that were true?” she continues. “Like, I just want you to go out and be a manwhore again.That’sthe better alternative here. I’d prefer that to you wallowing in depression all the time.”

“I’m not depressed. I’m...I’m grieving. I’m grieving the loss of my baby.” It takes everything in me to not cringe as I say that. “I’m grieving the loss of a woman who...I loved and trusted. And it’s a bit of a mind fuck because how can you grieve someone who never existed? She wasn’t who I thought she was. Everything about her was a lie. It’s a little hard to come to terms with all that, Cat.” And because I got nothing from my mystical fridge, I turn to her for answers. “Why would she do that to me?”

Cat remains silent for a long time, giving careful thought to her answer. While she mulls it over, she fixes two cups of coffee for us. “I know she lied about a lot of things, but I don’t think she was...malicious in her intent. She just doesn’t strike me as the type. I don’t think she did it for financial gain. I just think she was...stupid. She’s young, Peter. Do you know how many stupid decisions I made when I was her age?” She hands me a cup before walking around the island to sit down on the stool beside me. “One of them led to Scott and I breaking up forfiveyears. When you’re young, you’re trying to find your feet, find your place in this world, and sometimes you’re self-focused because you’re findingyourself. And that can blind you to the consequences of your actions. You make bad calls because it’s beneficial in the short term, and you have no idea how you’ve just fucked yourself over in the long term. That’s what growing up is about. And when it comes to Lia, I think she was alone and in survival mode, and she said and did what she needed to...I don’t know...hide her vulnerability, I guess. But that doesn’t mean she’s a bad person.”

I shrug, shaking my head because I don’t necessarily see it that way. “I just don’t know what to believe anymore. She lied to me about so many things. Stupid thingsandimportant things. So, I don’t know if she genuinely believed the baby was mine or...if she knew the truth all along and seized the opportunity when I assumed I was the father. Her ex didn’t want to have anything to do with her, and I was there, ready and willing to take on this responsibility. Of course, she’s gonna jump at the chance. What would you do, Cat?”

She slowly sips her coffee, still carefully choosing her words. “I think it kinda looks like that, but I don’t think that’s what happened. She genuinely cared about you. You guys were already living together, so I’m sure it was just the next logical step in your relationship.”

She’s saying that because I didn’t tell anyone that Lia just up and left after Dylan’s wedding.

“But we weren’t together,” I say. “When we found out, she didn’t want a relationship. She even told me we should go on living our own separate lives, and she’d call me if she needed something for the baby.” I scoff. “She just wanted the money, but I...I insisted that she move in with me...and now I’m not sure if anything that happened between us after that point was even real. I don’t know if she really wanted to be with me...or if she thought it’d be easier to...dupe me if we were together.”

“If that was her plan all along, why did she come out and tell you everything a few weeks before the baby was due?”

“Maybe she felt guilty. Maybe her ex called and wanted to give it another try, and she—” I drop my head, trying to recover from the dizzying blow of being flung into that cesspit of jealousy again. “Aaah...my brain hurts.” I rake a heavy hand through my hair before looking up at her again. “I blame Dylan for this. This whole sordid mess is his fault. He was in my ear, talking shit about how I should do this properly, and I was already committing, so why not cash in on the good stuff, too? Why did I listen to him?”

She giggles at my exasperation.

“Cat, you don’t understand. Scott told me not to trust her. Dylan told me to put a ring on it. I went with the latter option. I took relationship advice from the most sentimental fool on the planet. You know the one who’s still sad about Justin and Selena breaking up, the same one who’s now in hissecondmarriage? Yeah, that one. I listened tohim.” I groan, shaking my head at my own stupid choices. “Where the hell is he, anyway? It’s his turn, and I want to give him a piece of my mind.”

“He’s babysitting Neymar again.”

“This seems like it’s becoming a habit.”

“Yeah. Neymar’s mom is really struggling. She’s only fifteen, and Dylan’s parents gave her a job at the restaurant, but it’s still hard for her to make ends meet. Dylan and Isa try to help where they can, but she’s taking so much strain that she’s thinking about putting Neymar up for adoption to—”

“Please stop talking,” I interject, my elevated breathing doing nothing to hide my panic.

“Are you okay?” she asks, studying me with concern.

“No. That statement hit too close to home, and I...uh...I’m just not coping with that possibility.” I stand up, rubbing a hard hand over my jaw. “Cat, thanks for stopping by. I appreciate you coming over to check on me and...for the chat, but I really want to be alone right now.”

“Are you sure? Can I do anything?”

“No. I just need some time...please.”

“Okay.”

She stands up, but she’s hesitant to leave me like this. I assure her I’ll be fine, and after a quick hug, she grabs her handbag and exits the kitchen.

Not for one single second did I ever consider the possibility that she would give him up. She wouldn’t, right? No matter how desperate she got, she wouldn’t do that. I console myself with the fact that she loves this kid more than anything, and she always wanted a family. But that does nothing to settle me because love takes a back seat if she doesn’t have a proper support structure to help her look after him.

That was me. I was supposed to provide that...and I failed.

What the hell have I done?

It was a stupid knee-jerk reaction, and I should’ve thought about it before I opened my mouth. I used to pride myself on being composed, remaining cool under pressure. I kept my anger in check, kept my temper under control. There’s a reason why I did that. Because words spoken in anger can’t be taken back. And that’s exactly the situation I now find myself in.

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