Chapter 7
I was on the phone with my girls when I got a text from Genesis.
I still couldn’t believe that out of all the men in Sunrise Valley and the surrounding areas, I was set up on a date with my child’s father. He reached out to me sooner than I expected, and I was curious about what he wanted to discuss.
I picked up my phone and responded to Genesis, telling him that I was free.
My parents had taken Paris to church with them, and she wouldn’t be home for at least an hour, so it was a good time for us to talk.
A few seconds later, he said he was free and asked where I wanted to meet.
I really didn’t feel like going anywhere, so I told him to just come to my house.
When he agreed, I sent him my address. I informed the girls of the plans and told them I would let them know what happened, then hung up the phone.
Genesis told me it would take him about twenty minutes to get to me, so I went downstairs. I was anxious, so I spent that time cleaning up, even though I didn’t need to. I just needed to keep myself occupied so I didn’t overthink.
By the time I washed a few bottles and dishes in the sink, my doorbell rang.
Genesis stood on my porch with his hands in the pocket of his hoodie. He smiled when he looked at me, and my heart thumped.
“Hey. Come in.” I stepped back to give him space to enter the house.
His spicy scent engulfed me and transported me back to that night in the hotel room.
“Hey. Thanks for letting me come by.”
We walked to the living room, and he sat on the couch. I decided to sit at the other end of the couch instead of across from him.
“No problem. Do you want something to drink?”
“Nah. I’m good. Is Paris here?”
He glanced around the living room. His eyes paused when he spotted one of my maternity pictures on the wall.
“Not yet. You said you wanted to talk first.”
When his gaze landed back on me, he let his eyes roam my body. I had on a T-shirt and a pair of shorts and ankle socks. He licked his lips once he reached my eyes again.
He cleared his throat and placed his hands on his knees.
“Yeah, I wanted to see about getting a DNA test. My gut tells me that Paris is mine, and I can’t even explain why, but I just feel it. I would like to be totally sure, though, if that’s okay with you.”
“That makes perfect sense, and I don’t have a problem with that. I would have questioned you if you didn’t ask, to be honest.” I chuckled. He looked shocked by what I said, so I clarified what I meant. “What I mean by that is, we don’t know each other, and I could have lied. I didn’t but still.”
“Thank you.” He released a breath. “I wasn’t sure how you would take that. I was hoping I didn’t offend you.”
I wasn’t the type of person who got offended easily. This was a sensitive situation. In my opinion, women who got offended in situations like that had things to hide. I was confident and certain that Genesis was the father, so I had no issues.
“Not at all. Do you still want to meet Paris now? Or do you want to wait until after the test?”
I had no problem with him wanting to wait, because I already knew the answer. I was a logical thinker, so I got it.
“I’m ready to meet her today. I hadn’t stopped thinking about her since you told me.
” He slid a little closer to me, but not too close.
“If I’m being honest, I hadn’t stopped thinking about you either.
Not just the date, but the night we met.
I spotted you from across the room and had to meet you.
Once I got to spend a little time in your presence, I wanted more.
Baby girl is the priority, but I would like to redo our date, if that’s okay with you. ”
I hadn’t expected him to ask, but I wasn’t opposed to it either. Regardless of what happened, we needed to get along for the sake of our child.
“Yeah, that’s okay with me,” I said as heat rushed to my cheeks.
“We’ll decide when before the end of the day. When is Paris coming home?” His eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked at me.
“She should be home soon. My parents took her to church with them, and more than likely, they went to get something to eat afterward.”
“Do you go to church with them sometimes?”
Genesis’s eyes flittered to my thighs when I shifted and tucked my legs under my butt. He stared at my thighs for a second before he finally gave me his eyes.
The desire in his eyes couldn’t be missed, and it made my body warm. I hadn’t had sex since the night we conceived Paris, and I was long overdue. I didn’t think about it as much, because I was so busy. There were definitely times when I wanted sex, but I wasn’t going to get it from just anywhere.
“Um, yeah. I do. Some days I let them take her so I can do what I need to do around here.”
“Like what?” He looked around the room.
“Like clean up. I usually meal prep and get our clothes out for the week.”
I managed to get everything done as soon as my parents and Paris left. I partially prepared some stuff earlier in the week so I just had to package most of the food.
“Oh, so you like to be organized?”
“Very much so. I have to make things work the best way I can, being as though it’s just Pairs and me here. I try not to ask my people for too much help, even though they have no problem stepping in. I didn’t say that to make you feel bad either.”
I didn’t want him to feel like I was taking jabs at him, because I wasn’t. It wasn’t like he knew Paris existed, and he just chose to abandon her. I was just speaking facts.
“I know. I get it.” He placed his hand on my leg. “I’m here now, and I’m willing to help you as much as you’ll allow me.”
The doorbell rang before I could respond.
“Is that your parents with Paris?”
The excitement in his voice made me smile.
“Yes. I won’t introduce you just yet though. One step at a time.” I smiled at him as I got up.
“I’m fine either way,” he said before I got too far away.
I just turned and winked at him before going to the door. My parents wouldn’t try and come in, because they already knew that Genesis was coming by. I told them I wanted him to meet Paris first before I introduced him to anyone else.
I opened the door, and my baby’s eyes lit up when she saw me. She reached for me, and I immediately grabbed her and kissed her cheeks.
“Is he here?” my mother whispered.
“Yes. I’ll call y’all later.”
My dad nodded and led my mom away from the door. Even though she knew I wanted them to wait, she was still anxious to see who he was. Knowing her, she would try to find a way into my house.
I shook my head and laughed as my dad opened the car door for her. Once they were in their car, I closed the front door and headed into the living room.
Genesis stood when Paris and I entered the living room. Water pooled in his eyes as soon as he looked at Paris.
“I got someone I want you to meet,” I said to Paris as we stood in front of Genesis.
“Before I do, is it okay if I tell her exactly who you are?” I asked Genesis.
I wanted to be sure he was okay with me telling her that he was her father.
He nodded. Paris looked at him like she was trying to figure out who he was.
“This is your father,” I informed Paris, as if she knew what I said.
Genesis’s eyes shifted to me, then back to Paris. The two of them stared at each other.
“Hi, Paris.” Genesis’s voice was filled with emotion as he spoke to her.
She continued to stare at him.
“Let’s sit down,” I suggested.
I sat down with Paris on my lap, and Genesis sat a lot closer than he did when he first arrived.
“Can I hold her?”
“Of course.”
Genesis reached for her, and Paris went right to him. Tears welled in my eyes when she laid her head on his shoulder.
Tears streamed down his face as he rubbed her back. I didn’t know if I should walk away or not, so I just sat back and gave them their moment.
“I love you already,” Genesis whispered to Paris as he continued rubbing her back.
More tears fell from my eyes as I tried not to stare at them.
He told her how he would be there for her, no matter what happened. My baby had no idea how significant this moment was. I wasn’t sure if I would even tell her when she was old enough to understand. There were just some things that were better left kept as a secret.
“Thank you,” Genesis whispered.
Paris had fallen asleep, and he kept her tight against his chest.
“We probably should thank Hannah for setting up that date,” I joked.
“Right.” Genesis chuckled. “But I’m thanking you for this opportunity.”
“You’re welcome.”
Genesis ended up staying for a few hours. When Paris woke up, he played with her while I did some things around the house. It was nice having help for a little bit. I just prayed that he would continue to be here.
Before he left, we discussed the paternity test, and I told him we could have it done at the hospital since I worked there. He also told me he would be by to see us when he got off work the next day.
I spent the rest of the day hoping everything worked out for the three of us, no matter what that looked like.
I was at work when my personal phone rang, and Genesis’s name popped up.
“Hey.”
“Hey, any chance you are free for lunch? We can go somewhere, or I can come to you.”
I looked down at the mountain of paperwork I had to finish, and thought leaving might have been a bad idea, but my stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten all day. Before I left the house, I had a smoothie and some fruit, but that didn’t last long.
“If you don’t mind coming here, that’s fine. I have a ton of paperwork to complete, and I can work on it while you are on your way.”
“I can do that, sweetheart. Anything in particular you want to eat?”
It took me a second to figure out what I wanted to eat, but once I did, I told Genesis and also let him know that I would text him the information so he could find my office.
Once he confirmed that he ordered the food, and how long it would take him to get to my office, we hung up, and I got back to work.