Page 118 of Slayin Villain
My daughter.
I didn’t shed a tear though I was shaking like a leaf.
I just sat there for a while, listening to the baby monitor like it might save me from the truth.
There were two little girls in this world now with my blood running through their veins.
And I didn’t know how to be a father to one, let alone two.
I waited until the sun came up.
Rachel was in the nursery, rocking our girl when I walked in.She looked tired but beautiful, barefoot, messy hair, the soft cotton of her tank clinging to her curves in all the right places.She looked like home.
“Hey,” I said.
She looked up, saw the envelope in my hand, and stilled.“You opened it.”
“Yeah.”
Her eyes searched mine, even though she already knew.
I nodded once.“She’s mine.”
Rachel looked down at our baby girl, then kissed the top of her tiny head.“Okay.”
“Okay?”I echoed, not daring to believe it.
Rachel’s voice was soft but steady.“I knew it might be.I made my peace with that when you went to the hospital that night.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I know you are.”
I stepped closer, hand reaching for hers.“I don’t want to lose what we have, Red.”
“You won’t,” she said.“But we need to be honest about what that means now.”
I nodded, throat thick.“I will take care of her.Ember’s baby.But I’m here.With you.For us.For this girl right here.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” I said.“I spent months chasing the wrong things.And I know now, I don’t want a second chance with Ember.I want a real life with you.”
Rachel blinked fast and smiled.
Later that afternoon, Kingpin called a meeting in the back room.Just the inner circle, him, Pagan, Irish, and me.Ember sat there too, still bruised, still fierce, holding her baby with that mix of pride and pain only a woman like her could carry.
She didn’t look at me when I sat across from her.
Kingpin leaned forward, voice low.“We got the results.Villain’s the father.”
Ember finally met my eyes, and for a second, I saw it, the flicker of old hurt, old want.But it faded quick.
“I don’t want him,” she said plainly.
I almost laughed in relief.
“I never did.Not like that,” she added.“It was a mistake.And I know that now.”
