Chapter 48 Nyree
Time to rip off the Band-Aid. Sitting in my car outside the studio where I had a photoshoot scheduled, I pulled out my phone and messaged Isis.
We need to set up that DNA test ASAP. Let me know when and where.
Short, direct, no bullshit. I put my phone away and headed into the studio, trying to focus on the job ahead of me. This client was paying good money, and I needed to deliver my best work, regardless of the chaos in my personal life.
Throughout the shoot, I kept checking my phone during breaks. Isis had seen my message—the read receipt confirmed that—but she hadn't responded. By the time I wrapped up four hours later, there was still nothing from her.
I sat in my car, staring at my phone, anger building in my chest. She was playing games. First, she blindsided me with a child I never knew about, then went to my mother behind my back, and now she was ignoring my request for a DNA test? Hell no.
I tapped on the messenger app and hit the call button next to her name. It rang and rang. I tried again. Same result.
"Fuck this," I muttered, then scrolled to my mother's contact and called her instead.
Ma answered on the second ring. "Hello?"
"Can you call Isis on three-way?" I asked, not bothering with pleasantries.
"Why?" Ma sounded confused.
"Because I've been trying to reach her about setting up the DNA test, and she's not answering me. But I bet she'll answer you."
"I don't want to be in the middle of any drama, Nyree," Ma warned.
I couldn't help the sarcastic reply that came next. "Well, you already are in the middle of it, Ma, seeing that you never told me about the baby when you found out either."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, and I could almost hear Ma's internal struggle. She sighed. "Fine. Hold on."
I heard the beeps as she set up the three-way call, then the ringing as she called Isis. Of course, Isis answered on the first ring.
"Hello?" Her voice was cheerful, different from the last time we'd spoken.
"Isis, it's Barbara," Ma said. "I've got Nyree on the line too."
"Oh." Isis's tone changed, turning guarded.
I jumped in, not wanting to waste time. "Isis, I've been trying to reach you about setting up the DNA test. I messaged you hours ago, and I know you saw it."
"I was going to respond," she said defensively. "I've been busy with my son."
"Right," I said, not hiding my skepticism. "So, can we set this up? The sooner we get this done, the sooner we know for sure."
"I mean, I don't know how to set that up," Isis replied, her voice hesitant. "I've never done a DNA test before."
Something about her response stood out to me. "I thought you said you tested all the other guys and none of them were the father?"
There was a telling silence on the line.
"Isis?" I pressed.
"I... well..." she stammered.
I was getting frustrated and struggling to hold my temper. "Isis, did you test the other guys or did you not?"
She didn't respond, and my anger threatened to boil over.
Ma cut in, her voice stern. "Come on, girl. Let's stop playing on the phone and put your big girl panties on. Did you test the other men or not?"
Isis's voice was small when she answered. "No. I didn't."
I couldn't believe my ears. So she had lied about testing all the other guys. This was some bullshit.
"So you've been telling me, and my mother, and who knows who else that I'm the father, but you never confirmed it with anyone?" I asked, my voice rising despite my efforts to stay calm.
"He looks just like you," Isis insisted. "I just know—"
"That's not how this works," I interrupted. "Look, I'll step up if he's mine, but I need to know for sure. So can we please set up this test?"
"I'll look up how to do it.”
Ma cut in again, her tone no-nonsense. "I'll set up the test. You two give me your information and the best day and time to get it done. This is not a situation where you wanna play around. That baby needs a father, and if he is my grandchild, I want to be in his life."
Once again, I was glad Ma was on the phone because I was about to go off on Isis. We started discussing schedules, but Isis kept finding reasons to delay. First, she claimed the boy was sick, then she said she had to work.
"Isis," I said, cutting through her excuses, "either we do this test, or I'm going to assume you're lying about the whole thing. Your choice."
Ma backed me up. "Isis, honey, this isn't fair to Nyree or to your son. If Nyree is the father, don't you want that relationship established properly?"
Thankfully, Isis stopped stalling and agreed to a date the following week. I hung up the phone feeling drained but relieved that we were making progress.
The days leading up to the test were tense. Asia and I talked about it extensively, trying to prepare for either outcome. She remained supportive, though I could tell she was worried. I reassured her repeatedly that no matter what, she was my priority, my wife, my future.
When the day of the test arrived, I met Isis and the little boy—Jayden—at the testing facility.
Ma came too, despite my insistence that she didn't need to.
Looking at Jayden was surreal. He did look like me around the eyes and mouth.
But I'd been lied to enough that I wasn't ready to accept anything without proof.
The test itself was simple—just a cheek swab for both Jayden and me. Isis watched nervously as they collected our samples, and I caught her glancing at Ma several times, as if seeking reassurance.
Then we waited. They told us it would be about two weeks for the results.
Those two weeks were some of the longest of my life.
Asia and I tried to go about our normal routines, but the pending results hung over us, causing tension that we didn’t speak on, but both of us felt it.
Then, just to add another layer to the situation, Asia started feeling sick in the mornings.
At first, we thought it was just stress, but after a few days, she took a pregnancy test.
Positive.
The mix of emotions I felt was indescribable—joy at the thought of having a baby with Asia, fear about the complications with Jayden, and anxiety about how we would manage if I suddenly had two children to care for.
The day the DNA results were due, I was scheduled to take photos for an important client. I almost canceled, but Asia urged me to go.
"You need the distraction," she said. "Besides, I need to talk to my mom about all of this anyway."
I went. The shoot went well, though my mind wasn't in it. As soon as I finished, I checked my phone. There was an email notification from the testing facility. With my heart pounding, I opened it.
The probability of paternity: 99.99%.
Jayden was my son.
I sat in my car for a long time, staring at the screen, emotions washing over me in waves.
I had a son. A four-year-old son I hadn't known about until a few weeks ago.
A son who had been growing up without me, who didn't know me.
I felt grief for the time lost, anger at Isis for keeping him from me, and a strange, unexpected surge of love for this little boy I barely knew.
My phone rang, startling me out of my thoughts. It was Asia.
"Hey," I answered.
"Did you get the results?" she asked, her voice gentle.
"Yeah. He's mine."
"I thought he might be," she said. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "I'm... a lot of things right now."
"Come home when you're ready. I'm here for you."
I thanked her, promising to be home soon, and we hung up. Before I could start the car, my phone rang again. This time, it was Isis.
I hesitated before answering but knew I couldn't avoid this conversation forever. "Hello?"
"I got the results," she said without preamble.
"Yeah, me too."
"So now you know I wasn't lying." Her tone was defensive.
"About him being mine, no. But you did lie about testing other men, and you lied by omission for four years by not telling me I had a son."
There was a pause. "I know. I'm sorry, Nyree. I am. I was scared and confused, and then time just kept passing..."
I sighed, not wanting to rehash it all again. "Look, we need to figure out how to move forward from here. For Jayden's sake."
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Isis said, her voice taking on a hopeful tone. "Now that we know for sure he's yours, I was thinking maybe we could try to be a family. You know, for Jayden's sake."
I was stunned by her audacity. "Isis, I'm married. To Asia."
There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line. "Married? Already? But I thought—"
"We eloped before all of this happened," I explained. "We were just planning the big ceremony for everyone else."
"Oh." Her voice was small. "I didn't realize."
"What did you think was going to happen here? That I'd just leave Asia because you showed up with a child I never knew about?"
"I just... I always had feelings for you, Nyree," she admitted, her voice catching. "Even back then. But you never seemed interested in anything more than hooking up."
I didn't have an answer for that. Maybe I should have noticed, maybe I should have been clearer about what our relationship was. But that was the past, and we couldn't change it.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you back then," I said, trying to be mature about the situation. "But I'm not leaving my wife. I want to be a father to Jayden, I want to co-parent with you, but that's it."
"And your wife is okay with this?" Isis asked, a hint of bitterness in her tone.
"Asia and I are figuring it out," I said firmly. "And we just found out she's pregnant too."
Another pause, longer this time. "Wow. So Jayden's going to have a half-sibling."
"Yeah, he is."
I heard her take a deep breath. "I hope you don't expect me to be happy for you."
"I don't expect anything from you except to be a good co-parent," I replied. "I hope you won't try to use Jayden against me, because that will only hurt him in the long run."
Isis was quiet for a moment. "I wouldn't do that," she said. "Despite what you might think of me, I want what's best for Jayden. And he needs his father."
"Good. Then we're on the same page." I paused, then added, "I'd like to start spending time with him, getting to know him. Can we set up something regular?"
"Yeah," Isis agreed, sounding resigned but not hostile. "We can figure something out."
We talked for a few more minutes, discussing logistics and how to introduce the idea to Jayden. It was strained, but civil. When we hung up, I felt like we'd at least laid a foundation for a working relationship, for Jayden's sake.
I drove home, my mind racing with everything that had happened. Two major life changes back to back—confirmation that I was a father to a four-year-old boy, and the knowledge that Asia was pregnant with our child. It was overwhelming.
When I got home, Asia was waiting for me on the couch, a cup of tea in her hands. She looked up as I entered, her eyes searching my face.
"Hey.”
"Hey." I dropped my bag and sat beside her, pulling her into my arms. "How are you feeling?"
"Physically, a little queasy. Emotionally... I'm not sure yet." She looked up at me. "How about you?"
"Same," I admitted. "It's a lot to process."
She nodded, leaning her head against my chest. "So what happens now?"
"Now we figure out how to be a family," I said, placing my hand on her stomach. "All of us."
It wasn't going to be easy. There would be challenges, conflicts, difficult conversations. Isis would always be a part of our lives now, for better or worse. But as I held Asia in my arms, feeling the warmth of her body against mine, I knew we would get through it together.
"I love you," I whispered against her hair.
"I love you too," she replied. "We got this."
And in that moment, despite all the uncertainty ahead, I believed her.