I exhale deeply, hating myself in this very moment. “I didn’t know it was you, Giselle. Fuck, I’d never do something like that to you; please believe me. Tell me why you didn’t say anything?” I ask her again, needing to know this answer.
“I thought you knew,” she says in a voice so soft, I have to strain to hear her. “Then I thought maybe you were pretending it didn’t happen. I didn’t know what to think? Maybe you weren’t the same person you were when you left. Maybe you didn’t care?”
I walk over to her and pull her into my arms, as close as our bodies can get. Her hair smells like coconut. When I hear her breath hitching I know that she’s crying. I rub my hands down her back, not knowing what else to do, or how to fix this.
I had literally just fucked her without a word. Without protection. I’ve always used protection—at least, every time I can remember. Did she even have an orgasm? Seems like a trivial thing to think of right now, but the fact that I don’t even know disgusts me. We stand together in silence, lost in our own thoughts. There is one thing I do remember about the next morning. Why did she leave the room? If she stayed, we could have spoken and cleared all this shit up. It would have still been a shit move on my part, but at least I would have known it was her.
“I’m so fucking sorry, Giselle. Let me make this right,” I tell her earnestly. I see the moment she shuts herself off from me. The emotion drains from her eyes as she pulls away, composing herself. “I would never pretend something didn’t happen with you, I just didn’t know it was you because …”
“Parker …”
“He’s mine?” I ask her, already knowing the answer.
She nods.
I’m about to open my mouth to talk to her about Parker when someone rings the bell for the front door. I watch Giselle’s back as she leaves to open it.
I’m thinking about everything I have just learnt, coming to terms with the fact that I’m a father when Parker himself walks in behind Giselle.
My son.
My family.
The family I didn’t even know I had. And why? Because, like a dumb fuck, I was high and drunk that night. I was fucked up on the night I conceived my son. I feel sick. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I was just weak—lost in my own shit. My own pain.
But enough is enough.
I don’t deserve this second chance, but if Giselle lets me, I’m going to take it anyway. I will beg on my knees if I have to.
“Parker,” I almost whimper, taking in his features. His eyes are a dead giveaway. How could I have not known? The evidence is staring right back at me. He gives me an odd look, obviously wondering what I’m doing here. Or maybe he senses the tension in the room.
“Go and get changed, Parker. Tane was just leaving,” she says to our son. Wait, what? I’m not leaving. I’m never leaving them again, that’s for sure. I’m about to say as much when Levi and Gage walk in, both smiling at each other as if they’d just shared some joke. Their smiles drop as they see me standing here, along with the pale look on Giselle’s face.
“What’s wrong, sis?” Gage asks, instantly alert.
Shit is about to hit the fan.
Levi calls out Giselle’s name as he strides over to her. She runs straight into his arms.
It hits me like a blow to the chest.
She whimpers into Levi’s shirt, and I take a step forward, wanting to be the one to comfort her. It should be me holding her, not Levi. Yet it’s me that caused her pain. I tried to stay away from her for her own good, but I ended up fucking things up anyway.
“Giselle what’s going on?” Gage demands, steel in his voice.
“What’s wrong?” Levi asks her softly. My fists clench at my sides.
“Tane, what the fuck is going on?” Gage asks again, his posture rigid.
“I’m sorry, Gage,” is all she says. What? She’s sorry I’m Parker’s father? My jaw clenches.
“What happened, Giselle?” Gage demands.
“I’m sorry I never told you. I’m sorry I lied,” she says, her voice muffled by Levi’s chest.
I swallow hard, before saying, “Parker is my son.”
There is a moment of silence.
Of shock.
Then I see the realization dawning on their faces. Levi hugs Giselle closer. Gage stomps towards me, his fist clenched. When he draws it back, I know what to expect.
Pain.
I welcome it.
And then everything goes black.
Chapter Seven
Giselle
I watch in horror as Tane doesn’t move to protect himself, he just takes the hit. Gage lifts his fist to hit him again but Tane falls to the ground before he can do so.
“Gage! Stop!” I yell, squirming against Levi’s hold.