My gaze detours to the oversized pile of unopened mail on the table by the front door. So sue us. Fisher and I are bachelors and everything is done electronically now.
“I’ve been busy,” I say to my mom.
“My name is David Webb. I’m a lawyer and a friend of Tanya Eaton.”
I nod slowly. “Okay…”
“Do you remember Tanya Eaton?” Mr. Webb asks.
“Oh, the day has finally arrived,” Mandi says.
“What are you talking about?” Nikki whispers to Mandi, louder than she should.
But the lawyer beats Mandi to the punch. “Unfortunately, Miss Eaton passed a few weeks ago from a severe asthma attack.”
“Oh,” Mom sighs.
“I’m sorry to hear that, but I don’t know a Tanya Eaton.” I glance over my shoulder at my mom, who has her hand over her heart as though she knew the woman.
“About four years ago, you and Miss Eaton had… relations.”
My siblings all laugh at that word. I’m with them. Just say we screwed. Still not sure why this guy is on my doorstep telling me all this though. I don’t remember this Tanya Eaton and I feel badly that she passed, but I’m sure she didn’t leave me anything in her will.
Mom and Hank quiet the group.
David Webb continues without a word from me. “Those relations resulted in the conception of a little girl. Tan—Miss Eaton—has named you as the little girl’s father, and according to her will, she wants you to have sole custody. She has no other living relatives.”
All feeling leaves my body. “What?” I whisper, my arms dropping to my sides.
There’s no way. I’ve always used protection. Always. And contrary to popular belief, I actually don’t sleep with so many women that I wouldn’t remember their names.
“But first you need to come down to Minnesota and take a paternity test.”
“This can’t be right. I don’t know this woman.” Now that the feeling is back in my body, I shake my head.
“Here.” Mr. Webb reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a picture. “This is Tanya and… the little girl.”
Before my fingers grip the picture fully, the girl’s eyes stare back at me and my lungs squeeze, making it hard to breathe. My family rushes up behind me, straining over my shoulders and around my body to catch a glimpse. All their gasps confirm they see what I do—a little girl’s hazel eyes that match my own.
Most of my family left after the bomb about me having a daughter dropped. Everyone but Mom and Hank. Even Fisher made an excuse that he got called into the station to handle something.
Mom slides a cup of tea across the kitchen table to me and stirs a packet of sugar into hers. Not sure why she thinks I want tea right now, so I stand and pull a beer out of the fridge.
“Alcohol isn’t going to solve this,” she says.
She should be happy I haven’t gone for the whiskey bottle yet.
“Tea isn’t going to calm me either.” I down half the beer.
Hank frowns and I can tell he’s unsure where he fits here since he’s my stepdad. He’s always been great at not overstepping. I’ve witnessed enough of his lectures to his own kids to know that he’s probably armed and ready to give me one, but is hesitant because of the step part of his title in my life. My own dad would probably just say get the paternity test, then fight. Hell, he’d probably tell me to give the little girl up.
“I think we need to slow this all down.” My mom splays her hands on the table. “Just take this step by step. You’ll go to Minnesota, take the paternity test, and we’ll go from there.”
I look around the kitchen and huff. “I’m not a father.”
Hank picks up the picture, inspecting it again, and sighs before placing it back down.
“Maybe you aren’t,” my mom says. “Like I said, one step at a time.”
I nod and finish off my beer.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself here, Jed.” Hank’s restraint against weighing in must be frayed. “We don’t know much at this point. You don’t remember her, right?”
I shake my head.
“Then who knows? Although…” He looks at the picture again, seeing what everyone else did. “I mean, it could be coincidental that she looks similar to you. Did I ever tell you that Chevelle was born with red hair?”
Mom glances from the corner of her eyes at her husband.
“No one thought she was ours. We’d make jokes about a mix-up at the hospital. What I’m trying to say is kids change over time. Your mom is right. Don’t rush into thinking you’re a father just yet.”
I stare out my back window. The sky hasn’t started to turn dark yet and won’t for hours yet since we’re so far north. “Regardless, I’m heading to Minnesota.”
My mom pats my hand. “Let me go with you.”
I shake my head, dead set on doing this on my own. “No. You got your mayor thing and everyone else is busy with their jobs. It’s tourist season. This is my responsibility.”
She squeezes my hand and there’s pain in her eyes. She wants to take this off my plate, handle it for me.
“Come on, Marla, let’s give him some time to think,” Hank says, standing.
I silently thank him with my eyes because I do want to be alone right now.
My mom leans over to hug me. “Call me if you want to talk.”
She picks up both teacups and places them in the sink. Hank pats me on the shoulder and they leave out the front door.
I stand and open the fridge to grab another beer, but spotting the bottle of whiskey, I decide that’s a helluva better option. Cracking the bottle open, I take a swig and sit at the kitchen table, picking up the picture.
Sip.
My eyes.
Sip.
My lips.
Sip.
My hair color.
Sip.
My straight nose.
Gulp.
I don’t need a fucking paternity test. She’s almost a replica of me.
Gulp.
Why wouldn’t her mother have told me about her?
The back door opens and the picture drops from my grasp, falling to the table.
I take in Molly dressed in running gear and my dick half chubs. She’d be the perfect distraction right now.
“Oh, I thought everyone would still be here.” I stand with my hand on the doorknob of Jed and Fisher’s place.
Cade and Adam used to live here too. It was Mr. Greene’s house with his late wife, and he gave it to the boys as soon as they returned from college and started the brewery. Now that Cade is in a house with Presley and Adam and Lucy are back together, just Jed and Fisher live here.
“Everyone left,” Jed murmurs before swigging back a gulp of what I can see is whiskey.
“Sorry. I decided to head over here on a run.” I wipe the sweat off my forehead, stepping into the house. “Mind if I grab a water?”
“Help yourself.” He lazily throws his hand in the direction of the fridge.
“You okay?” I lift my eyebrows before heading to the fridge and opening it.
“Fine.”
I’ve known Jed since his family moved to town. He’s always the happy-go-lucky one, but apparently right now he’s not.