Page 153 of When We Were Young

I feel a hand on my shoulder.

Dad looks serious, so I remove my earphones. ‘What’s up?’

He’s holding a letter.

Panic rises in my chest. ‘Are those the results of the paternity test?’

‘Yes.’

‘What does it say?’

‘Read it yourself – you’re the one who wanted this.’

I practically snatch it from him. The page is a confusing jumble of numbers that means nothing to me. My eyes latch onto the word ‘Summary’ at the bottom of the page and I read the paragraph below it:

The alleged father is not excluded as the biological father of the tested child.

What the hell does that mean?

Based on the analysis of the STR loci listed above, the probability of paternity is 99.9998%.

Tears fill my eyes as I look at Dad.

He smiles. ‘Told you.’

But something in his expression tells me he’s as relieved as I am.

Chapter 73

August 1999

‘Promise me you’ll look after her,’ said Miranda.

‘I told you I will,’ said Scott.

‘Don’t leave her on her own.’

‘I won’t.’

‘Don’t let her drink too much.’

‘Okay.’

‘Encourage her to get some fresh air. Go for a walk or something.’

‘Stop worrying. I’ve got this. It’s less than twenty-four hours. You’ll be back before you know it. Go be an aunt.’

‘Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m an aunty! You’ve got my parents’ number. Call if you need to – any time. Right, I’m off.’

‘Bye, Aunt Miranda.’

He closed the door, wandered down the hall and hovered by Emily’s doorway. It was still ajar, as per Miranda’s instructions.

‘You okay, Em?’

‘No.’

‘Can I get you anything?’