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“Listen man. I know how much you love my cousin, but maybe you did something you shouldn’t have. Don’t paint yourself into a corner.”

Frank’s tone was measured and so full of censor it pissed Emmanuel off. Other than Ivy, Frank knew him best. Or so he thought.

“I’m not painting myself into anything. There is no way I am that woman’s baby’s father. Does it say how old the child is?”

Frank was quiet as he scanned the document. “The child in question is twenty months old.”

Quick math told him the child would have been conceived about two and a half years ago.What was going on back then?Oh, Emmanuel had experienced a cancer scare. It had been a difficult time. When examined, a lump was found in his left testicle, which had started with a pain in his right testicle. It turned out to be a benign tumour. The result was life changes. Emmanuel prioritised a healthier lifestyle, cut back on red meat and increased his plant base intake. He also made sure that both he and Ivy cut back on their hours. If anything, they spent more time together.

So, no, he wasn’t screwing around on his wife. Or making babies he refused to take care of. Emmanuel tried to explain that to Frank.

“I remember what you were going through. Your emotions were all over the place. Maybe the ordeal made you act out of character, give in to a moment of weakness?”

What the fuck?“No, it didn’t drive me away from my wife. It drew us closer. In the middle of a crisis, I didn’t think… mmm, how do I fuck my life up while facing my mortality? Seriously, are you crazy?”

“What about after? When you were in the clear. Maybe that’s when you slipped up. Had a celebration that you shouldn’t have.”

“There was no celebration!” Emmanuel’s voice carried in the small space. “Unfucking believable. Do you hear how condescending you sound right now? When have I ever treated you this way? Doubted your word? Even when you were clearly in the wrong.”

That got Frank’s back up. “When was I clearly in the wrong?”

Emmanuel scoffed and gave him a look as if to say, are you kidding me?

“That whole thing with that married guy.”

“It was one time. …And I didn’t know he was married… at first,” Frank countered.

“Didn’t stop you, though. Had the man’s husband showing up at the office. Who stepped in and stopped him from knocking your block off?”

“Listen, you know I was having a hard time.” Frank narrowed his eyes at his best friend. “Yeah, you were a good friend to me. Had my back. That doesn’t mean I’m going to look the other way while you hurt my cousin. Have you thought about what this would do to her?”

“You suggesting I don’t put Ivy first?” Questioning his loyalty to Ivy was the ultimate no-no. Doc was his world. Frank had a point, though. This might be hurtful to his wife. Even if she knew him as well as he knew, she did. This whole situation could be embarrassing. He huffed in frustration. What about the kids?

“You usually do, but if you had in this situation, you wouldn’t be staring down the barrel of a paternity test.”

That was it. Emmanuel had had enough of Frank’s shit. The two had never gotten in each other’s face, but Emmanuel was furious. The disrespect. From a man who should know better! He took menacing steps towards Frank.

Chapter Four

I KNOW MY HUSBAND

Emmanuel and Frank had been gone for a while. Those two would get caught up with business and be gone forever. So, Ivy volunteered to find them. It was a surprise to discover as she got closer that their voices were escalated. The two men had been friends for over thirty years. The only time they had ever gotten into it was when Frank discovered Emmanuel was dating Ivy. He hadn’t been on board with his best friend dating his little cousin. Well, it had more to do with Frank finding Emmanuel and Ivy in bed. They hadn’t gotten around to telling Frank their relationship had moved from adversaries to lovers.

The surprise wasn’t over. When she finally glimpsed the two men, they were squared up. Both were in each other’s space. Their shoulders tense, hands balled into fists. Frank was slightly shorter but made up for it with his bulk. After all these years of being out of the league, he maintained his playing physique. Emmanuel didn’t carry as much weight as he used to, but he was in insane shape. They could both cause a lot of damage to the other.

“Hey, what’s going on?” Ivy interrupted.

Both instantly took a step back from each other. Frank turned towards her, a myriad of expressions crossing his features. He was angry about something, but also… Hurt? His expression finally settled on shocked. It filtered into his tone. “Ivy!”

Hostility was heavy in the air. If she was being honest, it was killing the warm and fuzzies her Mimosa and being surrounded by her loved ones had produced. “What’s going on between you two?”

“Nothing,” Frank responded quickly.

Too quickly. She couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t make eye contact with her. That wasn’t the case with her husband, his eyes were trained on her.

Emmanuel walked towards her as he explained, “it is most definitely something. Some woman is claiming I’m the father of her child.”

Well, that was certainly the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

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