Page 61 of His Long-Lost Baby

A new curiosity. Billie has woken something up in me. Hearing about the good life she’s given her daughter, I can’t help but wonder about my family.

What if there’s more to my story than I know? What if I have siblings out there somewhere? What if my birth parents are still alive and want to connect with me?

Before I can talk myself out of it, I click on the link Richard sent and download the latest version of DNAU. Once in the app, I enter my login information and navigate to the family tree section.

My heart races as I click through the pages, looking for any hint of a match.

But then I see it. A match. Someone in the DNAU database is a relative of mine.

I feel a surge of emotions — fear, excitement, and curiosity all mixed together. I wonder who this person is and what they could tell me about my family.

There’s something else: a small green leaf next to a blank spot that reads “Possible Child Match”.

I freeze, struggling to process what I’m seeing. What does that mean? That I… that I have…

My mind races as I try to make sense of the situation. Could it be possible that I have a child out there somewhere?

How is this even possible? What woman in my past would have hidden her pregnancy from me? What woman would have hidden my own child from me?

It’s there, though. Clear as day. There’s no name listed, since the child must be a minor, but he or she is right under my own name.

I slump against the wall, my heart and mind racing.

I’m a father.

CHAPTER21

BILLIE

My shoulders back and my head held high, I walk down the hallway, searching for James.

He’s not where I left him, and my stomach drops. Has he taken off without me? Decided this is a bad idea after all?

But then I spot him. He’s in an armchair between two potted plants, staring at his clasped hands.

I freeze. From his body language, it’s clear something is the matter.

“James?” I call out softly, approaching him. “What’s wrong?”

He looks up at me, his eyes wide and filled with disbelief. “I have a child,” he says, his voice barely above a whisper.

My heart drops as I understand the weight of his words.

“I didn’t know,” he says, his voice shaking. “I don’t know who… I don’t know anything.”

Oh my God. He doesn’t know. He has no idea about Quinn.

It makes so much sense now. I could never understand why he abandoned her. Him not knowing about her existence is a whole different matter.

My gaze drops to the floor, and I feel queasy. Where do we go from here? How will I tell him about Quinn?

I sit down next to him, wanting to touch him but feeling like I don’t have the right. I’ve kept this secret from him, and now he’s found out on his own.

And I look like a vile person.

He blinks, still looking dazed. “I don’t even know if it’s a boy or a girl… how old they are… who their mother is.”

I take a deep breath. “James. Remember I said I needed to talk to you about something?”

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