Page 117 of Haunted

His question is directed at Jules, and it reminds me I need to be the strong one here. She’s just gone through a traumatic experience, and I need to buck the fuck up and stop being a pussy. But fuck me, the thought of being a dad, one to a child I’ve known since she was only days old, scares me shitless. It also makes me incredibly fucking happy.

“No,” Jules answers, her voice cracking. “Please, just tell us.”

He nods in understanding, opens the folder, and looks down. “When you were admitted into Silver United Memorial in May of 2010, you were four weeks pregnant. On February 1, 2011 at thirty-eight weeks, you delivered, by C-section, a healthy little girl. She weighed six pounds, seven ounces, and was eighteen and a half inches long.”

“Oh, God,” Jules whispers, her legs giving out. I catch her before she hits the floor, but my legs are too weak to hold us up. I manage to ease us both down with her ass in my lap. She’s sobbing, clinging to my shoulders, her head buried in my neck.

I told myself I would be strong no matter what, but that’s out the fucking window with the doctor’s words. I’m a fucking dad. The date the doc just gave us is Aria’s birthday.

Fuck me.

I’m a dad. My niece is actually my baby.

Tears pool in my eyes and trickle down my cheeks, landing in Jules’s hair. So many emotions run through me, one after the other, but there’re two that stand out the most; pure and unadulterated hatred for my brother and absolute love for… my daughter. I’ve always felt a strong bond with Aria, always held an unsurmountable amount of love for her, but that love has multiplied a thousand times over. It’s infinite, has no beginning or no end, and is without reservation.

“It has to be her,” Jules cries in my shoulder. She lifts her head and gazes at me with red eyes. “It has to be her, right?”

My heart squeezes in my chest, because she’s right, I have no doubt in my mind, Aria is the missing baby we created together.

“I’ve placed a copy of the birth certificate in the folder I put together for you,” the doctor speaks quietly. “Both yours and Theodore Hendrix name is on the certificate. Your records do show you were sexually assaulted when you were admitted. Why the police were never notified,I do not know. However, if what you told me is true and Mr. Hendrix was the one to assault you, there’s no way he could be the father, as you were already pregnant.”

She hiccoughs on a sob. “How could he do that to us?” she cries.

“I don’t know, baby.” I kiss her forehead and push her face back into my neck.

I plan to pay Theo a little visit in jail to get some answers. I just hope there will be glass between us, because if he’s made accessible to me, there’s nothing that will hold me back from exacting retribution.

“Is it possible to perform a DNA test to know for sure if Luca is Aria’s father?” Jules asks the doctor.

“Unfortunately, since they’re twins their DNA would match, so the test would be inconclusive.”

Jules nods and burrows deeper against me.

“I’m leaving her records on the bed. A nurse will be in in a few minutes with her release papers. I know this must be hard on you both, so take as much time as you need.”

With a look of sympathy toward Jules’s bent head, he leaves us alone. I don’t know how long we stay on the floor, but it’s a while before I get us both to our feet. I cradle her against me and sit on the bed. I have no idea what to do except sit there and hold her, my own mind racing with thoughts.

“I want her to be ours so much,” Jules says, then lifts her head to peek up at me. “I know it’s going to hurt her, but God, Luca, I want her to belong to us.”

“So do I.”

“You do?” she asks, a look of surprise on her face.

“Yes. I’ve always loved Aria like she was my daughter anyway, so if she is, it’ll make me very fucking happy.”

For the first time today, Jules smiles. It’s a smile I’ll hold as one of my favorites for the rest of my life.

MY PARENTS ARE WAITING for us at home when we pull into the driveway. I wanted to wait to tell them the news about Aria until we’ve had time to process it more, but Jules wanted to tell them as soon as possible. She needs rest, not more stress, but she was adamant. We’re also going to tell them about Theo’s deception. I was in no frame of mind to explain to them in the waiting room yesterday what happened. All they know is he attacked her again, and I beat the shit out of him. This is going to fucking kill them, especially Mom.

I didn’t expect to see Ella and Vicki when we walk through the door. Not that I planned to keep it from them, I just assumed Ella would be at the shop and she’d be coming by or calling later.

“Jazz is watching over the shop,” she explains when I look at her with questioning eyes.

Truth be told, I wouldn’t have blamed her if she had closed down Ink Me for the day. She knows something big went down between Jules, Theo, and me and would want to know the news.

Mom comes rushing around the corner of the kitchen then screeches to a halt, her hands flying to her mouth and tears springing to her eyes when she sees Jules’s face. A soft sob escapes her mouth, the sound muffled by her trembling hands. Dad walks out behind Mom, his hands going to her shoulders. His face takes on a savage look when he takes in Jules’s appearance.

“Oh, God,” Mom whispers with a cracked voice. She slowly makes her way over to us and grabs one of Jules’s hands. “You poor baby.”

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