Chapter 6

My adrenaline was on ten, but the world stopped when the little boy called me daddy. I knew he was mine the minute I looked at him, but how did I not know about him? He was a replica of me when I was younger, including the curly hair.

It was a good thing I put my gun away before addressing Wynter, and especially before addressing my son. My son. I had a whole son out here and had no clue about him.

I stared at Wynter as she bit her bottom lip. I wasn’t sure why she was stalling. We both knew the answer; I just needed to hear her say it.

“Do I need to ask the question again?” I felt anger brewing in my chest because why would she keep something like that from me? Granted, we hadn’t seen each other since I left school, but she could have found a way to tell me.

“Yes, Osiris, he’s yours.”

A knot formed in my stomach, and I stumbled back a little. Not that I was caught off guard at this point, but it was unreal hearing her confirm it.

I ran a hand down my face because what the fuck was I going to do with a kid? I didn’t even live here. Too many thoughts ran through my mind, and one of them was wrapping my hand around Wynter’s fucking neck. I wasn’t violent, especially toward women, but this was some other shit. I missed out on years of my son’s life.

“What’s his name, Wynter?” I asked through clenched teeth.

I didn’t want to talk to him just yet because I needed to get my anger under control. I would have hated to take my shit out on him. He was innocent and didn’t need to know his mother was on bullshit.

“Osiris.” Her voice was so damn low, I almost didn’t hear her.

I stepped closer and cupped my ear. “Say that shit again.”

“He’s named after you. Sometimes we call him Little O.”

I rubbed the top of my head. I glanced at my son.

“Daddy.” He said that shit again, so I moved closer. He tried to get out of his seat, so I helped him and picked him up.

I didn’t know he existed a minute ago, but I loved him the minute I held him in my arms. Tears filled my eyes when he wrapped his little arms around my neck and squeezed.

“Why you cry, Daddy?”

“Because daddy is happy to see you.” I kissed his cheek.

I glared at Wynter but couldn’t say anything because the sheriff had pulled up.

“Osiris, I didn’t know you were in town,” Sheriff Mills said as he walked up.

I took a deep breath, wiped my face, and held my boy close to my chest. He smelled like baby lotion. “Yeah, I’ve been here for a few days.”

Sheriff Mills and his brother, the mayor, were friends of my family.

“I was told there was an attempted robbery.”

“Yeah, this fool right here,” I said and tilted my head to the dude on the ground.

The dude groaned and rolled over, clutching his stomach. I didn’t remember hitting him in his stomach, but I was just throwing punches and not caring where they landed.

“Ah, shit.” He groaned again. “I want to press charges, Officer.”

The sheriff chuckled. “Yeah, okay. You can file a report after I take you down to the station.”

He bent down and cuffed the dude before reading him his rights. Once he got him on his feet, he addressed us.

“There was a report of the same thing happening the other day, and I tried to get someone over here, but one of the guys was out, and I was handling another call. I’ll come back through here after I get this fool down to the station. It’s normally a pretty peaceful area, but every once in a while, a knucklehead likes to come start some shit, but I’m not having it.”

“Hopefully, he didn’t have any accomplices,” I said.

“Let’s hope. If you see anything suspicious, let me know. I’m going to get this chump downtown. Y’all be safe.”

He walked away with the guy and put him in the back of the squad car.

My son was still hugging me, and I didn’t want to let him go. I couldn’t believe I had a son.

“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“We don’t have to talk about that right now. What were y’all getting ready to do?”

I chuckled when my son shouted, “Get ice cream!”

“Ice cream it is then.”

He clapped his hands.

“You don’t have to go with us if you have something to do.”

I cut my eyes at Wynter because she must have bumped her head if she thought I was going to let them out of my eyesight, especially without her explaining to me how I had a son I didn’t know about.

“Don’t play with me, Wyn.” I placed my son in his seat and buckled him in. “Get in the car, Wynter.”

She walked around to the driver’s side, and I entered the passenger side.

“Are you ready for ice cream?” I asked Osiris as I buckled my seat belt.

“Wait, you’re riding with us?” Wynter asked with her eyebrows raised.

I wasn’t sure why she asked that question, since I was clearly sitting in her truck.

“I’m in here, right?” I smiled widely at her.

She sucked her teeth but started her truck. I didn’t know what she was tripping for.

“Get used to my presence, baby.” I winked at her, and her cheeks reddened.

She pulled away from the curb, and I took that moment to admire her from the side. Wynter was still so damn beautiful to me with her chocolate skin. She reminded me of those big chocolate bunnies they only sold around Easter time. Her titties were bigger, and her hips had spread from the last time I saw her, more than likely a result of my son.

I peeked back at him, and he was in his own little world, so I took that time to ask Wynter a few questions about him.

“How old is he, and when is his birthday?”

“Three, and September second.”

“Damn. The day after mine.” She nodded. “You’ve been telling him about me?”

It was obvious she told him something about me if he knew who I was.

“I did. I mean, it’s not like I knew a whole lot since we weren’t messing around that long, but I told him what I knew. I also showed him pictures from the few pictures I had.”

I was grateful she told him about me because I would have hated for him to think I was a deadbeat.

“How come you didn’t tell me?”

We were supposed to wait to have that conversation, but I couldn’t. I needed to know why she would keep something like that from me. I thought she and I were better than that.

“I tried.”

I cut my eyes at her when she glanced at me. “I really did,” she continued. “I went to your apartment when I found out, but some lady told me you left, and she didn’t know where you were. I tried to call you, but your phone kept going to voicemail. I called a few times before I showed up. Hell, why didn’t you tell me you were leaving?”

I softened up when I heard the shakiness of her voice. I never thought my leaving the way I did would affect her, but knowing what I know now, I could see why it did.

We’d arrived at the ice cream place, and I wanted to get Osiris situated before we continued the conversation.

“How about we get some ice cream, then we can go somewhere and talk.”

“Yes, because he doesn’t need to hear our conversation.” She peeked at Osiris in the rearview mirror.

“I’ll get him out of his seat.”

I unbuckled my seat belt, then went to get Little O out.

The three of us walked into the ice cream parlor.

I put Little O down on his feet but grabbed his hand.

“Daddy, can I get sprinkles?” Osiris asked when we entered the ice cream parlor.

“You can get whatever you want.” I smiled down at him.

I knew this trip would be different, but I never would have thought it would have been this. I was a father now. Shit.

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