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“None taken,” she replies.
She taps her temple as my offer sinks in. "With Kira being so young, I already have my hands full," she ponders. "Looking after another child would be a big commitment." She pauses before adding, "But if it is a sweet kid like Alessa and you can trust me, I would love to take on the job. Although it will be a little pricy."
I meet her gaze and stand by my words without hesitation. "I trust you completely," I assure her. As an overprotective father, I am cautious about who I allow near my daughter. "My mother has told me how great you are with Kira and if you're willing to take on this role, I'm willing to pay whatever you ask for."
Anya’s laugh reverberates in the empty clinic. “You’re being too serious. Now I sound like some girl trying to rip you off with some cash.”
“I’m willing to do anything for my daughter.”
I swear I see something flash in Anya’s eyes. It’s a blend of sadness and something else that looks like longing, but it quickly disappears before I can read much meaning into it.
“What arrangement works best for you? I’ll have to check if it goes with my schedule.”
“I’ll drop her off at your place at noon since you work only in the morning.”
“Fine. I’ll babysit Alessa,” Anya finally says, to my relief. “But I’m not taking money from you. I’m only doing this because Alessa is a cool kid. I enjoy her company.”
“You sure about that?”
“I am. In return, I’ll ask you for a favor later.”
With a sense of relief, I nod my head in agreement. "Thank you, Anya," I say, feeling like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. She smiles at me, but behind her smile, I can't shake the feeling that she is hiding something from me. As much as I want to kiss her again, I feel the migraine creeping back into my mind. Not wanting to appear weak in front of the woman I admire so greatly, I give her a quick kiss on the forehead and leave.
“Hey, man,” Spencer says, looking up briefly from his laptop. He’s taking a few courses on cybersecurity online since he lost his last job in New York a few months back and has been fixated on them for over a week now.
“Hey.” I walk to the fridge and grab a can of soda. Pulling off the cap and taking a seat at the table, I pour the icy, bubbly liquid down my throat with some pain killers and groan as I feel it slide all the way down to my stomach.
My brother is looking at me with raised brows when I finish drinking. “You alright, man? That was one long gulp.”
I swipe the back of my hand over my lips. “I’m fine.”
A thought rushes up my head. If I’m not Kira’s dad, there’s a good chance it is Spencer, since Anya dated him for a while before we met.
Spencer hasn't bothered to ask any questions or make any effort to find out the truth. This could mean that he either doesn't know about Anya's baby, or he's sure that it's not his. Despite being a bit of an asshole, Spencer is not the kind of guy who would just leave a girl pregnant and move on with his life.
"Do you have any idea who the father of Anya's baby is?" I inquire after thinking for a moment.
My brother freezes, slowly raising his eyes and opening his mouth in surprise. Clearly, he knows that Kira exists, but he must not know all the details. "Are you seriously asking me about Anya's baby daddy?"
I nod. "Apparently, he doesn't even know about Kira."
"Did Anya never tell him about their daughter?"
I nod again.
He covers his mouth. “Wow! It means he must be someone she doesn’t trust or want to be a part of her life. Someone like…me?”
I frown at the thought of that. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I only told you in case you would know. You’re her ex, you’d know if there were any guys around her.”
“Like you said, we’re exes. Although there’s a chance I am Kira’s father, considering her age and when Anya and I broke up.”
He does have a point. I met her around the same time they broke up, so he could also be Kira’s dad. I desperately hope he isn’t, not after his blatant disrespect toward Anya. Even if they’re exes, and especially since they became exes because he cheated, it’s best if they have nothing to do with each other. Having a daughter together means they’ll have to co-parent, and Anya will be really off-limits if that happens.
“But if I’m not the father, who could the father be?” my brother muses, his brow furrowed in confusion. “How old exactly is the kid?”
“A year and three months.” I steeple my fingers under my chin.
“I initially thought it would only be a year and a half, tops. Anya and I had stopped being intimate for couple months before we broke up, so there's no way of knowing if Kira is actually mine."
