Chapter 11 #3
‘Come on in for a second, I’m just about to head over there myself,’ Xander said. Going back into the lounge, he stripped out of his clean t-shirt and pulled on an old one he used for painting or dirty work.
Logan followed him in. ‘I just wanted a quick word while Immy isn’t here.’
Xander frowned.
‘I think you should ask Immy to do a paternity test.’
‘What?’
‘I think you need to be one hundred percent sure that the baby is yours before you commit to anything with Immy.’
Anger filled Xander. ‘I am one hundred percent sure because Immy told me I was the only man she’d been with and I trust her, completely.’
‘You trusted Brook, and look at how that turned out.’
‘When you say, look how that turned out, do you mean being father to a brilliant, amazing little girl? Because I wouldn’t change that for the world.’
‘You would never have married Brook if you didn’t think the baby was yours. Your life would have been very different.’
‘Again, I wouldn’t have changed it. Etta is my entire world.
I wish I’d known Brook’s feelings about Etta before or that Brook was having an affair throughout our entire marriage so I could have divorced her and taken full custody so it never got to the point that it did.
But I cannot imagine my life without Etta in it and I don’t care if she isn’t mine biologically, I love her.
I can never ever regret marrying Brook because she gave me Etta and she’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Closely followed by meeting Immy.’
‘She’s three months pregnant. Three months ago was Christmas, you weren’t even together then.’
‘Oh we were very much together on Christmas Day night – quite passionately, as I remember. Oh and we were very much together a few days before that in the back of her shop. So it could be either of those times.’
Logan stared at him in surprise but he recovered quickly. ‘And you didn’t bother to use a condom?’
‘Oh we definitely used protection.’
‘So it’s very unlikely the baby is yours.’
‘Condoms are not a hundred percent effective. You could say it’s unlikely I could get her pregnant wearing one but it’s not impossible.’
‘That’s why you should get the test, for your own peace of mind.’
‘You mean for yours. My mind is perfectly at peace with this. I’m going to be a dad again. I can’t tell you how excited I am about that.’
Logan still didn’t look happy.
‘What do you think Immy’s plan is, to scam me into marriage?
’ Xander said. ‘When she first told me, she said she was happy to raise this baby alone and I didn’t need to be a part of it if I didn’t want to be.
That doesn’t sound like a big scam to me.
I insisted we get married and she said no.
So if that’s her big plan, she’s not very good at it. ’
‘I… don’t think she’s trying to scam you. I like Immy, she seems nice. I just… I know you were hurt by Brook, not just by her affair but also by finding out the truth about Etta.’
‘Possible truth,’ corrected Xander. ‘We don’t know if she is or isn’t mine.’
‘You were devastated by it,’ Logan went on as if he hadn’t been interrupted. ‘And I don’t want you to have to go through that again.’
‘I won’t because I trust Immy and that she’s telling the truth.
I admit when she first told me she was pregnant, I assumed it was another man’s because it seemed so long since we’d been together.
But once she told me it was mine and I did the maths, I believe her.
If she says the baby is mine then the baby is mine. ’
Logan shook his head. ‘I don’t like it. You always lead with your heart not your head.’
‘You don’t have to like it. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a grown-ass adult who is more than capable of making my own mistakes.’
‘So you admit it could be a mistake.’
Xander sighed. This whole conversation was giving him a headache.
There was a noise at the door of the lounge and Xander turned round to see Immy standing there. She looked angry and his heart sank. She had clearly heard some or maybe even all of the conversation.
Logan had the good grace to look guilty.
‘You think I’m lying to your brother?’ Her voice was bitter.
‘I don’t… think that necessarily. I just want Xander to be sure before he takes this any further. He’s been burned in the past and I don’t want it to happen again.’
‘I would never hurt him in that way. Partly because I care about him too much to ever want to hurt him, partly because I know his past and I could never do that to him again, and partly because I’m just not a devious person.
That’s not who I am. If I had been with someone else I would be honest that the baby might not be his, but that’s not the case.
There has only been Xander. I haven’t been with anyone else for at least a year. The baby is his.’
Logan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
‘But I have absolutely nothing to hide. If a paternity test would put both your minds at ease, then I’m happy to do it.’
‘That’s not necessary,’ Xander said. ‘You don’t have anything to prove to me.’
‘But it seems I do have something to prove to your family.’
‘I’m just looking out for my brother,’ Logan said.
‘And quite honestly, I don’t need it. I don’t need you interfering with my life,’ Xander said.
‘Xander, we’re going to do the paternity test,’ Immy said, firmly, her eyes flashing with anger. ‘Then there can never be any doubt.’
Xander sighed at what a mess Logan had created. ‘I’m not doing anything to harm the baby.’
‘It’s non-invasive. They’ll take a blood test from me, and a cheek swab from you. It’s not free though, it’s quite pricey, but I presume, Logan, you’re willing to pay for it as you’re so determined to prove Xander is not the father.’
Logan nodded uncomfortably. ‘I’ll pay for the paternity test.’
There was movement at the door and they all looked round to see Etta standing there with wide eyes. ‘What’s a paternity test?’