Page 86 of Reckless Goals

“If the baby is mine, Mel, I will be the best dad there ever was. But I’m going to tell you again that I am with Ash, not you. There will not be a happy ever after between us.”

She started to roll her eyes, but stopped and pretended she had something in her eye. She nodded and waved towards the results, letting her lawyer open them up.

“Okay,” he sighed. Reading the paper, he shook his head, and then set one paper in front of me and one in front of Melanie. “You are not the father.”

His Maury impression didn’t make me feel the relief I thought I would feel. Unlike on the show, I didn’t jump around and cheer like those guys. Nor did I feel the need to tell Melanie that I told her so. I just nodded and bowed my head as Melanie stood up to run from the room.

“Wait!” I yelled, making Melanie stop in the doorway and turn around. She had a small glimmer of hope in her eye, but hope was not something I could give her. I just had one thing to say to her.

“Thank you,” I said sincerely. “I know you were young when you had Ash, and I know it was scary and hard. But you brought her into the world, and I’ll be forever thankful for that. Now you’re getting a second chance and I hope you make the most of it.”

She didn’t answer me, just huffed and continued her dramatic exit from the room. Her lawyer left behind her, and Rick stood to leave as well. “I’ll let you two have a minute to process this. I’ll be in the hallway.”

“Thank you,” Ash answered for me and waited until Rick was out of the door. “Rhys?” Her fingers were still entwined with mine. She turned her chair to face me and took her other hand to my cheek.

“I’m sorry.” Clearing my throat, I tried to show her I was fine.

“This was a chance you didn’t think you would get, Rhys. I wanted this for you, even if it was with Melanie because I know you would be an amazing dad. And what you just said to her was more than she deserved.”

“Let’s go,” I stood, not wanting to talk about it anymore. She had two hours before she had to be on a flight back to Atlanta and I didn’t want to spend that time sitting there.

We opened the door and Rick was standing in the hallway, his eyes going between me and the closed door down the hall. “Hey, I need to tell you something.”

He led us to the elevator, and when we were alone inside the small space, he sighed. “I just overheard Melanie yelling at her lawyer that the results were supposed to be changed. She knew all along it wasn’t yours. Of course, that is a conversation I wasn’t supposed to hear, but her voice carries.”

“Why would she do this to him?” Ash wailed. “I just never understood how she could be so selfish and cold.”

“Based on what I’ve learned and what I’ve dug up, I think she wanted her freedom and her career. But when she came up pregnant, being with Rhys was better than being alone.” He turned to me, finishing his thought. “She didn’t anticipate you having moved on, and not interested in rekindling your relationship. Especially if she was able to give you a child. She seems like the kind of woman that gets her way and doesn’t accept anything else.”

“She is,” Ash and I both answered together.

When we exited the elevator and walked outside, I took a deep breath, wanting to leave all my feelings about Melanie there on that sidewalk. Ash rubbed my back gently and Rick turned to shake my hand goodbye.

“Rick?” Ash asked. “What happens to the baby if Melanie doesn’t keep it? Does she know who the father is?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “But I will keep my ears to the ground, and keep an eye on what happens.”

“I am blood related to that baby. That is my sibling no matter who the father is. If Melanie decides she doesn’t want to be a mother like she did when she had me, then I want to step in.”

I nodded at Rick, telling him that I agreed. It was important to Ash, and therefore it was important to me. And regardless of how things turned out for the two of us, I would help her and pay for Rick to help her. He would keep us posted, and if we needed to, we would step in and file whatever we had to in order to ensure Ash was given the chance to give Melanie’s baby the same love her grandparents gave her.

When we returned to my apartment, Ash took a call from Erin and I waved, telling her quietly that I would be in the bathroom. I shut myself in for a minute, just needing to be alone and process everything.

I must have taken longer than I thought, because Ash started tapping on the door and easing it open to peek in. “You okay?”

I lifted my head and smiled at her as I sat on the edge of my tub. “Yeah, of course.”

She had taken her shoes off and walked across the tile quietly, kneeing between my legs on the floor. Taking her hands to my chest, she looked up at me and gave me a sad smile. “This hurts, and I know it hurts you more. I’m here, though. Okay?”

Smiling, I grabbed her neck and leaned down to kiss her. “I’m thankful for Melanie. She gave you those eyes.”

“I just hope you never look at them and wish they were hers. Or worse, look at them and resent them because of her.”

My stomach twisted, scared she actually believed that would ever happen. “Melanie was nothing more than a lesson in my life. A hint at what I should have been looking for all along instead of focusing on one goal. Her eyes were just an arrow to make sure I found you. It was always supposed to be you, Ash.”

“You will still reach that goal, Rhys. I know you will.”

“But it no longer controls me. I just want to enjoy being in love with you. I want to be glad you entered my life when I needed someone, and allowed me the chance to be more than a fling.”

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