Shit.
So it was true.
Fuck. I had a son.
She half turned and nodded at me. I followed her inside and shut the door behind us.
Her house was cute. She clearly lived with her parents, though, based on all the pictures. Plus, I couldn’t imagine a single mother could afford to live in a decent-sized house alone, even in Indiana. I followed her down the hall, through the kitchen, and into the living room.
And there, trapped into a little bouncy chair, was a baby. A five-month-old baby. Right around the correct age, if I had knocked the girl up.
“Emory, this is Mason,” she said. “Your son.”
I gaped at the kid.
“Are you sure?” I asked her.
“I’m sure,” she said, laughing.
“We used a condom.”
“I know. Believe me, I’ve thought about that a million times.”
He looked just like me, the same nose, the same eyes. It was like staring at a tiny, blob-like version of myself.
“I’ve been looking for you,” she said again, “but you’re not easy to find.”
“I know,” I said, distracted, staring at the kid.
I’d never wanted to be a father, never wanted to have a kid. But there I was, facing my baby, while The Network probably moved into position to kill us all.
“What are you doing here?” she asked again.
“Came to see you,” I said, not wanting to tell her the truth.
Not yet at least. She didn’t need to know that a deadly terrorist group might be watching her, ready to hurt her in order to get at me.
“How did you find me?” she asked.
“I have my ways.”
“Emory,” she said, “I know this is a lot to take in.”
I turned toward her. “You look fucking good,” I said.
“Thanks.” She blushed a little.
“Fuck, I get why I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that sweet pussy since I left you.”
“Don’t say that. Not in front of Mason.”
“The kid can’t understand me,” I said, laughing. “Plus, he’d be happy to know a man like me would want his momma.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” I said, changing the subject.
She looked annoyed. “Look, I know this is weird, but you don’t need to come in here acting all cocky.”
“Not cocky,” I said. “Just honest.”
She made a face. “You know, I’ve been hoping for a long time that you’d show up. Now that you have, I’m not so sure I want you here.”
I laughed, shaking my head. I didn’t blame her, but she had no clue what she was saying.
“Don’t act like that pussy isn’t dripping wet,” I said. “The second you saw me, you remembered what I could do to that body of yours.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” she admitted, “but you’re also still as arrogant as I remembered.”
“I get it, princess,” I said. “You don’t know who I am or why I’m here.”
“No, I don’t, but you are the father of my child.”
“Maybe.”
“Look at him. You look exactly the same.”
I glanced at the kid again and frowned. I couldn’t deny it, at least not for long, but I couldn’t let myself get too distracted either.
“All babies look alike,” I said, moving back toward the kitchen.
“Where are you going?”
“I’ll be back,” I said. “I need to get a hotel room. I’m only in town for a little bit.”
She bit her lip and stepped toward me. “You’ll come back, though, right? Spend some time with him?”
“I’ll spend some time with you,” I said, “maybe see if we can’t keep a condom intact.”
“Just come back,” she said.
“I will.”
I got out of there before I changed my mind. I needed to get out of that house and away from that baby and fucking process some of this shit.
It wasn’t every day a guy found out that he had a secret baby somewhere out there.
Plus, I did need to get a hotel room. And I needed to sweep the area and make sure nobody was actively surveilling her place, make sure she was safe.
I checked my gun and then started to move around her house, checking the place.
I was going to throw myself into my work. I had to distract myself from my reality for a while, at least until The Network wasn’t a threat anymore.
I had a fucking baby, and his mother had made my cock fucking rock hard the second I saw her again.
I might be fucked, and not in the way I wanted.
Chapter 5
Tara
I crossed and uncrossed my legs, nervousness flowing through my veins.
I kept thinking back to the day before. One second I was totally freaking out for no reason, imagining people were following me around me, and the next Emory showed up at my door.