Chapter 4
4
“ W ilson—”
“I want to be called David,” Wilson said. “I know what my mom thinks about all that. But don’t you think it should be my decision?” He tugged at Hawke’s shirt.
Hawke leaned closer.
“Like it was yours.”
“All right. David, this is my buddy, Duncan.” Hawke pulled open the driver’s side rear door to his pickup. Screw what his given name was; if the boy wanted to be called David, then so be it. Calista was going to have to deal with it, much like his parents had when he decided Hawke was a much better name than David.
“Are you a firefighter too? Did you know my dad when he was in the Air Force?” David hopped up into the back seat with gusto, his little body bouncing up and down with excitement as he tugged at the seat belt.
Hawke’s breath stuck in his throat.
He had a son. A concept he still couldn’t fathom, even though his son was the spitting image of him.
“Yes to both questions,” Duncan said. “I also knew your mom, though not well.”
“Wow. That’s so cool,” David said.
Hawke laughed. “He’s not as cool as me. He’s just a firefighter. I’m also a paramedic. I get to drive the ambulance. Duncan here rides in the back of the fire engine.”
“That’s cool too,” David said. “Do you think I could get a ride in both someday?” David’s big, thick lashes fluttered over his bright-blue eyes like butterfly wings. So innocent and full of life.
Hawke couldn’t believe that the boy acted like they’d been old friends who just hadn’t had the chance to talk in years, while he, on the other hand, had no idea how to act or even what to say. “I think we can arrange that.”
“Oh. Oh. Oh. And we’re having a sort of show and tell about our parents and their jobs. Mom comes in every year at whatever school I’m at, but maybe this year you could come and present to my class?”
“I’d be honored.” Hawke glanced toward the house.
Calista stood on the front porch, leaning against the railing. One arm tucked across her midsection, the other held a mug. She brought the mug to her pink lips and blew before taking a sip. She waved with a slight smile.
You are his father.
The words still splashed about in his brain. She’d said them with authority. It was as if she been waiting all these years for him to show up. He had to give Calista credit. It couldn’t be easy for her to let her son go off with a stranger—no, he wasn’t a stranger.
He was a father.
But still. She didn’t have to let him have all this time with David. She could have been a bitch and told him no. While the Calista he remembered might have had a tough exterior, her heart was as soft as a puffy white cloud.
“But let’s check with your mom first. She might have her heart set on coming to speak to your friends.”
“Oh. Yeah. That’s a good idea,” David agreed as he raised his hand to his face, rubbing his chin. “Mom would be hurt since I already asked her to do it.”
“We don’t want to hurt your mom, so maybe next year.” Hawke slammed the gearshift into reverse and eased out of the driveway, heading north. The school was only a ten-minute drive, but Hawke drove a few miles slower than usual, wanting to soak in every second he could with his son. He loved the way his little voice tickled his ears. In an instant, the boy made Hawke want to be a better man. A happier man.
A whole man.
The butterflies in his stomach turned to rocks dropping heavy in his gut. He walked through the last ten years without even experiencing a single thing. Sure, he’d accomplished a lot in his career, but that’s all he had.
He thought it had been enough until he opened that first letter. Gripping the steering wheel, he pulled into the school's circle, following the line of cars dropping off students.
“I’ve got an idea,” Duncan said. “We could set it up with the school for our entire team to come on a separate day. We’ve done that with Arthur’s kids, our boss.”
“You could really do that?”
“We sure could,” Hawke said. “That way we won’t take anything away from your mom.”
“With the fire engine and the ambulance?” David leaned over the center console. “Could we go for rides?”
“We can’t take the entire school, but maybe we could take just your class,” Duncan said. “We’ve done that before for other family members on our team.”
“Do you have kids?” David asked with wide eyes.
“I’ve got a little girl and a baby boy, but they are too young yet to be interested in firefighting,” Duncan said.
“This is going to be great, Dad! I can’t wait to see the expression on Blaine’s face when he doesn’t get to go for a ride.”
“Who’s Blaine?” Hawke asked. Who the hell named their kid Blaine?
“He’s this jerk who thinks he’s better than everyone else. His dad’s a cop, and his class got to go to the police station for a special tour and ride in the cop cars and he’s even been on the back of a motorcycle. One time last year, they brought the K9 Unit. I didn’t live here then, but it did sound cool. I told Blaine all about you. Thing is, he doesn’t believe my father was in the Air Force or is a firefighter. He thinks I’m lying.”
“Well, you’re not. And you’ll get the chance to prove it.” Hawke’s heart expanded in his chest. He remembered being a little boy, about David’s age, when his own father came to school to talk about being a cop. He thought his dad had been the most incredible dad there until stupid little Jimmy Reed’s dad showed up in his SWAT vehicle. And not just one. He brought the entire team. No one cared about what his father did anymore.
Hawke had been devastated because Jimmy’s dad happened to pull into the school right in the middle of his father’s presentation. His father hadn’t cared at all. He said bravado would always be a man’s downfall.
“Be humble, son. Knowing in your heart that what you do is important and matters more than what others might think. And showing off, well, that is a sure sign of a man who doesn’t understand his own worth.”
His father’s words might be true, and they served him well as an adult.
But the little boy needed to show off.
“I better go before the bell rings.” David wrapped his arms around Hawke and kissed his cheek. “See you after school.”
“Later, little man.” Hawke reached around to ruffle the boy’s hair, but instead, he gave him a long hug. “Be good.”
“It was nice meeting you, Duncan,” the boy said.
“My pleasure, dude.” Duncan gave David a fist bump.
“Oh, no. That’s Blaine,” David said as he slipped from the cab of the truck.
Hawke, well aware he had on his fireman’s shirt, stepped from his pickup and rounded the hood. A young boy, dressed like he should be a mannequin in the front of some hipster store, stood on the sidewalk with his hands looped into his backpack straps. His blond hair was perfectly styled like the male models you see on billboards.
Hawke stood next to David, resting his hand on the boy’s shoulder.
David glanced up and covered his mouth with his hand. “I should probably tell you that Blaine’s parents are divorced, and his father has been trying to get Mom to go out to dinner ever since we moved here. I don’t think Mom likes him, but Blaine’s dad doesn’t seem to care.”
Hawke tried not to clench his fist, but it proved impossible.
“Hey. You’re holding up the line,” a man yelled from the shiny BMW that Blaine had stepped from. One more car was parked behind the BMW.
“Sorry. I haven’t seen my son in a while, and I just wanted to give him a proper goodbye. I’ll be out of your way in a second.” He took David by the shoulders and smiled. “That should take care of what Blaine thinks.”
“You’re Wilson’s father?” the same man asked as he made his way across the pavement. “We thought he was missing in action, or just plain missing from his kid’s life in general.”
Yeah, that last statement was just about right, something he wouldn’t ever let happen again. “I’m alive and well, thank you. And my son wants to be called David from now on.” Hawke stared at the man.
Fucking Wendel.
“I’ll try to remember that. I’m Wendel Lawrence.”
Of all the people in the world, he had to come face-to-face with this asshole. “I know who you are.” Hawke glanced at David, who stuck out his chest proudly.
Wendel looked him up and down, as if trying to place him. As if he didn’t know. Jerk. “I do believe we might have crossed paths. I’m a local police officer and ex-fighter pilot for the Air Force.”
“Can’t say I ever heard of you when I was in the Air Force.” He tapped his chest. “I’m a paramedic and firefighter here locally. I was at your house six months ago when?—”
“I’d rather not discuss that in front of the children,” Wendel said with a hushed tone.
David stared at him with wide eyes and a beaming smile.
“You best be on your way in, son,” Hawke said, much like his own father would have. “I’ll see you after school.” He gave David’s hair a good ruffle.
“Bye, Dad!” David took off running for the front door.
“Don’t you dare ever bring that up in front of those kids. It’s a bogus allegation that doesn’t even deserve my department’s attention. I’m the one who stepped back because it’s the right thing to do until all this is cleared. My son has no idea about the allegations, and I’d like to keep it that way because soon, it will disappear.”
Hawke raised his hands. “I wasn’t talking about that, but the fire, which is problematic at best. There’s a reason my department hasn’t closed that case.” Hawke folded his hands across his chest.
Nothing like a good pissing contest.
“Something else that doesn’t need to be discussed in front of my son,” Wendel said. “What I’d like to know is where on earth have you been for the last ten years? My son tells me that your boy hasn’t even met you, until now. That’s some real good parenting there.”
“What I’ve been doing is none of your business.”
“How is Calista?” Wendel asked. “What a fine woman, that one.” He brought his index finger and thumb to his lips and made a smacking noise. “Beautiful. Smart. I like her a lot. We went out once and I’m looking forward to taking her out again.”
Hawke clenched his hands into tight balls. If he wasn’t in a school parking lot, he’d not think twice about punching this guy right between the eyes. “Stay the fuck away from my son and Calista.”
“Or what?” Wendel asked. “Last I looked, Calista was single and free to be with any man she wanted, including me.”
“That’s not happening,” Hawke said. “I better not see you hanging around her or my kid.”
“Is that a threat?” Wendel asked. “Because if it is, I’ll have my buddies?—”
“No threat. And you’re not a cop right now.” Hawke shook his head. “But I will warn you that if you go anywhere near Calista, or my son, it won’t be Kaelie and her investigation you have to worry about.”
Wendel inched closer, their noses only a few inches from each other. “Kaelie needs to resign. She’s botched up too many investigations. It has gotten in the way of good police work. No woman, especially a pregnant woman with two other children at home, should be doing that job.”
Kaelie and Chastity took a lot of shit as working mothers and even more because they were first responders. They were both more qualified than most. Their gender or the fact they had children shouldn’t even be part of the conversation.
“And you tell that boss of yours, Arthur, yeah, I know him. Ran into him a few times in the Air Force a long time ago, that I want the arson report filed. I’ve waited too long. He’s stalling and there is no reason for it.” Wendel poked Hawke in the shoulder.
He glanced down, taking in a deep breath. “Touch me again and I’ll deck you.”
“Go ahead. I dare you.” Wendel had the nerve to give him a little shove. “Hit a cop and see what happens. Being a first responder doesn’t give you immunity.”
“Asshole,” Hawke muttered, cocking his fist.
“Don’t do it,” Duncan called from the truck. “Trust me, that prick’s not worth it.”
Wendel glanced over his shoulder. “Well, well. If it isn’t Duncan Booker. How’s that child bride of yours?”
“More woman than you’ll ever be a man,” Duncan said with venom in his tone.
Hawke shook out his hand. He had a tendency to use his fists instead of his mouth, and it got him in trouble more than once. “I’m walking away. Remember what I said.”
“You’re a pussy,” Wendel said. “Not man enough for a woman like Calista.”
“That’s it.” Hawke drew back his right arm and punched Wendel in the gut.
He doubled over laughing. “You hit like a girl.”
“Get in the truck,” Duncan yelled.
“You’re lucky my buddy was here to stop me from beating the shit out of you, because that’s what I really want to do.” Hawke jogged around the car, climbed in, and punched the gas.
“Kaelie’s not going to like you getting in his face like that. This case is hot enough as it is,” Duncan said. “He’s a decorated police officer. He has some metals from the Air Force, though his record isn’t that glowing. Those medals came out of combat, and while he deserved them, he was a hothead. Before you joined our team, we had a run-in with him on a mission. He’s cocky and his CO had written him up more than once. Rusty says he’s an arrogant fuck and hates working with him. But you didn’t need to haul off and hit him. Kaelie’s going to have your head on a platter for that one. So is Arthur and Rex.”
“And if that man had hit on Chastity or his kid was giving yours a hard time, what would you do?”
“I might have hit him,” Duncan said with a smile. “I’ve always known you were wired a little different than the rest of us, and that’s what we love about you, but you do have a wicked temper,” Duncan said. “I get you’re upset about Wendel. The guy’s a jerk and if the rumor mill is true, then he’s a criminal too. But we don’t need anyone slapping the cuffs on you.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time I spent the night in county lockup.” Hawk pounded the steering wheel. “That man is accused of raping women. I’m not letting him near my son and I certainly don’t want him trying to seduce Calista.”
“I wouldn’t either,” Duncan agreed. “I have to ask. That boy of yours certainly bonded with you real quick. How on earth did that happen?”
“I’m not totally sure about everything, but I think she’s been telling him I didn’t know he existed and she was searching for me all these years.”
“That’s either the cruelest thing anyone has ever done or the most genius, because that kid already idolizes you. Now, if I could get my little girl to feel the same way about me. It’s all, mommy this and mommy that. Mommy’s the best. And Mommy doesn’t even fight fires anymore, but she’s sooooo much better than Daddy. When she was an infant, she would light up like a Christmas tree when I walked in the room. She turned fifteen months, and we had a little boy, and everything is different. It’s like daddy’s so boring.”
Hawke burst out laughing. “You’ve got an infant boy at home to make into a little mini Duncan and he’ll follow you around like a lost puppy.”
“He’s only eight weeks old, but he’s already showing signs he prefers mommy. I mean, he’s stuck to her breast and won’t even let me give him a bottle.”
“You’re pathetic. Besides, isn’t your daughter the one who can’t go to sleep unless she says good night to daddy?”
Duncan shrugged. “I do give the best butterfly kisses.”
“This is a conversation I never thought I’d have.” He chuckled. “With anyone.”
Duncan’s hand came down on Hawke’s shoulder. “You’re taking all this quite well. Maybe a little too well?”
“I don’t think any of it has sunk in. It’s like I’m living in some crazy alternate universe. I’m waiting for someone to unplug me and tell me it’s all fake.” Hawke spent a lot of time with the men on his team while he was at the station. The ones who were married, he met their wives and all their children. While he avoided close emotional contact, he still considered them family.
He enjoyed experiencing these men’s bonds from a safe distance. He’d never been jealous of their tight friendships. He admired and respected them.
He didn’t want it for himself until now, but he wasn’t sure how to ask for it. “Do you know that tattoo place near the fire station?” Hawke asked.
“I have an appointment there in an hour. I’m adding my son’s name and birthdate to the heart I did when Laurie Ann was born.”
“Aw, that’s cute,” Hawke said. “Let’s go now. I want to add a couple of words to the one on my back.”
“Isn’t that the same tattoo you brother’s buddy, Peter, has?”
“I changed it up a bit, but now that I have a kid, I need to add to it.”
“And what are you planning to add?” Duncan asked.
“I want it to read:
I will honor my brothers-in-arms along with their loved ones.
Freedom isn’t free and I will defend it with my life.
It is the quiet professional that rules the day.
And family rules the heart.”
“Family is everything,” Duncan said. “And you’re as much a brother to me as my own flesh and blood. You aren’t in this alone.”
“Yeah. I know. That’s why you’re going to stick up for me when Arthur, Rex, and Kaelie find out I punched Wendel.”
“I heard the entire exchange, and Wendel kind of deserved it. I’ve got your six.”
“Thanks, man. Now, let’s go get some ink.” A little physical pain might give him a chance to clear his mind and figure out a way to deal with his emotions.
And Calista.
Calista sprinted down the hallway of the school toward the principal’s office. It wasn’t the first time her son had been in a fight, but it was the first time he’d been the one to do the punching.
“Wait up.”
She skidded to a stop and nearly fell over when she saw Hawke jogging in her direction. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“The school called me too.”
“Why did they do that?” She brushed her hair from her face and let out a long breath. “Oh. I added you as an emergency contact and also listed you as his father.”
“You did?”
She nodded. “I hope that’s okay. You said you wanted to be part of his life, and well, I thought since, um, well…”
His strong fingers curled around her biceps, and he tugged her closer. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“My last words to you ten years ago were I’m dead to you . Thanks for keeping me alive in his eyes. You didn’t have to do that.”
She covered her mouth, doing her best to keep Niagara Falls from taking off all her mascara and smudging it down her cheeks. “You were never dead to me. Or him. Not even when he asked me if it was possible you died in action or in a fire and trust me, I thought about telling him that every year.”
“You’re a good woman and a great mom. Now let’s go find out what our son did and why. But for the record, if he stood up for someone’s honor, he’s my kid. If it’s something else, he’s yours. ”
“Spoken like a true dad.” She swiped the tears away and stiffened her spine. No one would ever look at her with pity in their eyes again. Her son had a father who genuinely cared about Wilson’s—David’s well-being. That’s all she ever wanted.
“I might not have acted like one earlier,” Hawke said.
She glanced up at him with narrowed eyes.
He bit back a smile. That had always been her go-to disappointed look.
“What does that mean?” she asked with a tilt of her head.
“Once we bail our kid out and he’s out of earshot, I’ll fill you in. I just hope it wasn’t my actions that brought us here.”
Our kid.
That sounded and felt like she’d been tossed from a roller-coaster ride into deep space. Now, she floated above the Earth, looking down at the tiny dot and wondering how the hell she’d gotten there in the first place.
Of all the ways she imagined this going over the years, this wasn’t how she’d fantasized about it. She’d wanted to believe he’d make for a great dad. But as the years passed and he didn’t write, call, or show up, she figured if Hawke ever did meet his son, it would be awkward, clunky, and only out of obligation.
“I don’t like the sound of that.” She rounded the corner and stepped into the principal’s office, Hawke one pace behind. “What did you do?”
“Let’s just say some things about me haven’t changed.”
“Good grief,” she mumbled.
“Ms. Alba,” the principal greeted her with an outstretched arm. “And you must be Mr. Wilson.”
“I am.” Hawke shook the man’s hand. He stood tall, proud, and confident. “But please, call me Hawke.”
Her stomach flipped around like a fish out of water. “Where’s my son?”
“He’s in my office. I wanted to talk to you for a minute alone.”
“What happened?” Hawke rested his hands on his hips. His biceps bulged through the thin fabric of his shirt. “All I was told was that David got into a fistfight.”
“Fistfight? All you said was he and another boy got into a fight,” Calista said, keeping her frustration in check. It wouldn’t do her any good to fly off the handle.
“I apologize if I didn’t make that clear. It started when he told everyone he wanted to be called David, because that’s his father’s full first name.”
“David is my given name. When I was his age, my family teased me about having hawklike vision. It stuck. No one has called me David since. His name might be Wilson, my last name, but the boy would like to share in that now. So if he wants to be called David, I don’t see the problem. We will change it legally anyway when we change his last name.”
Calista swallowed her initial reaction. This wasn’t the time or place to get into all of that. And the principal didn’t need to hear it. But Hawke had gone and said it anyway. Nothing she could do about that but have a conversation with him about it later.
“It’s not a problem, I assure you,” the principal said. “I first want to tell you both that Wilson—I mean David—is a fine young man, so this little altercation shocked me,” the principal said. “Until I heard what a few other children had to say.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but could you please tell us what happened?” Calista asked.
The principal nodded. “David spent most of the day discussing how you’d finally tracked down his father. To be fair, you know as well as I do some of the children and their parents think that David has been making up stories about his father.”
Calista pursed her lips. “A few of the parents have made that very clear, and as I told you?—”
The principal raised his hand. “From the moment we met, Ms. Alba, I understood the situation. You made it clear that David had never met his father and that you had lost contact with him before David was born but were still searching for him. I have never once doubted or thought David was making anything up, and I’ve done what I can to squelch those rumors, but I have very little control over what goes on outside of these buildings. That said, I think you should know the other boy involved has been suspended for a week.”
“What about David? Will he be suspended?” she asked, mindlessly taking hold of the nearest object.
Which happened to be Hawke’s hand.
She half expected him to yank it away, but he clasped his firm fingers around her skin, wrapping it in comfort and warmth like a fleece blanket on a cool fall evening.
“No. But he will spend a few days in my office as punishment.”
“You still haven’t told us what happened,” Hawke interjected. “And I’d really like to know so we, as parents, can deal with it accordingly.”
“After lunch, Blaine Lawrence accused David of hiring someone to play his dad. David did what he always does and shrugged it off,” the principal said.
“He’s never been one to let that kind of stuff bother him,” she said. “But Blaine hasn’t been very nice to my son. We’ve had this conversation before and honestly, I’m tired of it. My son has only been in this school for two weeks and Blaine has constantly been picking on him.”
“Well, unfortunately, Blaine started calling you names, Ms. Alba, which escalated things quickly.”
“Me?” She glanced up at Hawke, who hadn’t said a single word in a while, but had started to squeeze her hand so hard it hurt. “What kind of names?” she asked, almost wishing she hadn’t. Not only did Hawke have a short fuse, but he could never tolerate anyone disrespecting another human, especially women.
What would he do when it came from a child?
“This is difficult for me even to say, especially when it came out of the mouth of a ten-year-old.” The principal’s forehead crinkled. “He said that you were his father’s whore. That you took money for sex acts from other fathers at the school. He told David he had pictures to prove it.”
“Jesus,” Hawke mumbled. “Did Blaine have any pictures?”
“What?” She yanked her arm, but he didn’t let go. “Why would you even ask such a question.”
“I don’t mean of you. I just mean any naughty pictures at all.” Hawke arched a brow. “That he could try to pass off as you. He might be a small boy, but having been ten once, and curious about such things, it’s possible he had something on his phone to share with other boys, if to do nothing other than show off.”
“They are in the fourth grade. Where the hell would they get pictures like that?” she asked, glaring.
“I got them from my older brother when I was that age.” Hawke rubbed the side of his face.
“We took his phone after we broke up the fight, but before we could make him show us the images on his phone, his father came in, and legally, we don’t have the right to force them to give us access, which his father reminded us of,” the principal said. “This isn’t the first time Blaine has said something like this to another child at school. He’s accused many mothers of being with his father. This is Blaine’s third fistfight this year, which is why we have suspended him, not something that happens often in elementary school. Actually, this is my first time having to do it. Lucky for David, he didn’t throw the first punch,” the principal said.
“Why is that lucky?” Hawke released her hand, flexing his fingers before folding his arms across his broad chest.
“Because all David really did was defend himself after Blaine hit him four times, according to one of the other students.”
“How did a boy manage to hit my kid that many times before someone intervened?” Hawke asked with a surprisingly calm voice. This wasn’t the man she remembered. The man she knew would have punched a hole in the wall.
The only time he could ever manage to keep his temper in check was when he had to deal with Courtney, only he’d always lose his shit after the fact.
Calista’s heart rate sped up as she watched and listened to Hawke handle the situation like a seasoned pro. She, on the other hand, was on the verge of losing her cool. She wanted to talk to David and hear his side of the story. Of course, she’d tell David he screwed up, though secretly she wished he hadn’t waited so long to punch back. She was tired of Blaine and his father. She’d barely lived here a month, and that family had become a thorn in her side.
“It happened on the playground around the side of the school. My staff was attending to a young girl who fell off the monkey bars and had the wind knocked out of her.” The principal held up his hand. “I know that’s no excuse for what happened, but as soon as they saw the boys fighting, they broke it up.” The principal’s lips curved upward. “But not until David managed to land one right here.” He pointed to his nose. “He didn’t break Blaine’s nose, but the blood might have ruined his very expensive shirt, which probably cost more than this fancy Target suit I’m wearing.”
Calista took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, grateful for the way the principal dealt with the situation.
“We do have a no tolerance policy at the school. That is why Wil—I mean David will have in-school detention.”
“I have no issue with that,” she said. “I’d like to see my son now.”
The principal nodded. “I think it would be a good idea to just take him home. There is only an hour left of school. I’ll go get him.”
Hawke leaned closer. His hot breath tickled her skin. “Sounds like he’s got my left jab, but I’m going to have to talk to him about letting someone hit him that many times before defending himself.”
“He’s got a lot of things from you,” she said with a smile. “But I can’t condone fighting, and you will do no such thing.”
“You can condone defending his mother’s honor and defending himself. He waited until the idiot hit him more than once. I wouldn’t have waited that long.”
“No. You would have thrown the first punch,” she said, letting out a small laugh.
“Just like I did this morning.”
“You did what?” she asked, not looking amused.
“Wendel got into my face. He said crap about you and about two of my female co-workers. One who happens to be Duncan’s wife. The other is married to Buddy.”
“Wow. Didn’t know either one of those guys got married.”
“The entire team is married. All with kids. Well, Garth’s wife is due next month with their first, but that’s not the point,” Hawke said. “I’ve had a few run-ins with Wendel and I don’t like the guy. Today, he pissed me off, so I popped him one.”
“Good grief,” she mumbled. “I’m going to need you to stop doing stuff like that, especially around our son.”
“If it makes you feel any better, that is the first punch I’ve thrown in about two years.”
“Not really.”
“Mom! Dad!” David came barreling out of the principal’s office with a black eye and a fat lip. He flung himself at her, wrapping his arms around her with all his might. His little shoulders bobbed up and down as he began to cry. “I tried to do what you said, Mom, but he wouldn’t stop.”
“You know how I feel about fighting,” she said softly, kissing his head. “Come on, let’s go home. We’ll talk about this there.”
“Can Dad come too?”
“Sure,” she said. If she was going to let him be a father, then she had to deal with the fact that he’d be spending time with them together, even if it broke her heart all over again.