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“I’m not saying a word, and I have no idea,” I say, answering both her questions.
“Why and why?”
“We’re sort of seeing each other in secret for now for, uh…reasons. Once she’s ready to go public, we’ll go public,” I say.
“Ooh, is it someone I know? Like someone famous?”
“No, Mother.”
“I mean, when Lincoln told me they were having a baby, I got a video call. I don’t even get to see your cute face while youtell me this amazing news. Are you going to marry her? Tell me you’re going to marry her!”
I knew I shouldn’t have led with the fact that I impregnated a woman. “I have no idea, Mom. I just found out today, and it’s…complicated. But to be perfectly honest, it’s not why I called.”
“Oh,” she says, and she sounds disappointed.
“I called Dad to tell him I had to cancel dinner with him on my birthday because I’ll be out of town—”
“With the girl?” she interrupts.
“Yes.”
“You’re spending your birthday with her?” She sounds far too excited.
“I’m planning on it, but I’ll have to call in sick to practice.” She makes aneepsound, and I continue. “Anyway, when I blurted out that I got a girl pregnant, he told me to pay her off…the way he did thirty years ago.”
She’s silent.
“Mom?”
“He told you,” she says flatly.
“He did,” I confirm.
“Okay, hit me with your questions.”
“My first was whether you knew, which, obviously, you do,” I say.
“Yes. But I didn’t find out because he was honest with me,” she admits. “I found out because when the boys were fifteen or sixteen, their mom called him, and I happened to be there. I guess they had some talent when it came to football, and she was hoping Dad would help give them a nudge since the four of you boys were all on track for the NFL.”
“Not because of Dad,” I protest.
“No, not because of Dad. Because you were each talented, too. But those genes didn’t come from me, honey,” she says softly.
“So what do we do?” I ask, and I hear the desperation in my own voice.
“What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know,” I admit.
“You can leave it as it was, or you can go meet them. Your call.”
“You have their information?” I ask.
“I do,” she says carefully.
“Do they know who their father is?”
She clears her throat. “No, they don’t. It’s why your father paid off their mother.”
