“So great. He really pulled out all the stops with this one.”
“Ten years! Damn, where has the time gone?”
“Hell if I know.”
“Just think, if I hadn’t forced him to talk to you in the subway that day, you wouldn’t be in this marital bliss. Where’s my damn present? I should be the one who gets a gift on your anniversary.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The house phone started ringing.
“Who the hell calls on a house phone these days?” I remarked as the answering machine picked up.
“So strange. I don’t know why you still have one, to be honest.”
“Cason thinks it’s the grownup thing to do.” I rolled my eyes even though no one was there to see it. I had been telling him to get rid of the damn thing for years, but it wasn’t a sword I wanted to fall on.
Just as I was about to continue the conversation, a woman’s voice started leaving a message. “Cason Bennett, this is Cindy Hughes from the Office of Children and Family Services. Please give us a call back…”
“Stormi? Earth to Stormi?” Cierra’s voice broke into my shock as the woman left the phone number and her direct extension.
“Cierra, I’m going to have to call you back.” I was frozen. Why in the world would the Office of Children and Family Services be calling for Cason? To my knowledge and his, he was not a father—neither of us had hardly any family.
“Stormi? Are you all right?”
“I think so. Love you, sis. Talk soon.”
I hung up the phone and just sat on the balcony for what felt like hours. I knew I needed to call Cason, but I didn’t want to fuck up his day with worrying when he was going to be in meetings for hours on end.
It can wait.
It has to wait.
Chapter 5
Cason
A few days later
“Mr. Bennett, are you okay?” Cindy Hughes asked from the other side of her desk.
I ran my hand over my face as disbelief took over. “I’m sorry, I just don’t understand. I cannot possibly be that boy’s father.”
“Natty Fitton claims you are, and you’re his only living relative,” the woman explained again.
My mind raced back to twelve years earlier. I hadn’t thought of the one night-stand with the bartender in forever. The sensible side of my brain knew it was possible, knew it only takes one time to produce a child, but I couldn’t believe Natty had gone twelve years without telling me.
Cindy continued, “We will be conducting a blood test to confirm paternity, but sir, you’re all this child has right now if you are in fact his father.”
“What’s his name?” I finally choked out.
“Jacob. He’s a very sweet boy. Would you like to meet him?”
My eyes grew ten times. “He’s here?”
She nodded.
“Wouldn’t it be better to wait for the test?” My heart raced. My palms were clammy. My mouth instantly dried out.