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“And when can you get that done?”
“I did some research online, and it seems like it can be done anytime now.”
“Wow.”
Devyn’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah.”
Finding out we wouldn’t have to wait should’ve felt like good news, yet it didn’t. One look at Devyn’s face told me she wasn’t excited either. I knew why I felt glum—because what if the test confirmed I wasn’t the baby’s father? Not knowing had made it easy to hold on to hope…
My eyes locked with Devyn’s. After a few long moments, I squeezed her hand. “Do you want me to go with you to get the test?”
She tried to smile, but couldn’t quite pull it off. Her eyes filled with tears. “What if the baby is Robert’s?”
I wished I had an answer that could make her feel better. I hated to see her upset. But I also couldn’t lie to her. “I don’t know.”
***
The following morning, Devyn left my apartment early to get the kids from Billie and Colby’s. They were both off school this morning but had to go in for Regents Exams in the afternoon. She planned to take them out to breakfast and break the news that Vera was back. When I’d cleared my calendar yesterday afternoon to drive to Boston, I’d also rescheduled everything I had for this morning—just in case. So for a change, I wasn’t rushing to get to the office. I felt like I needed to talk to someone, but not many people knew about Devyn’s pregnancy. Though as I passed the tattoo parlor, I realized there was one person who knew just about everything going on with me. Billie was the perfect person to speak with, too, because of her own situation.
Justine, the receptionist, wasn’t at the front desk when I walked in, but the bells jangled above the door, prompting Billie to pop her head out from the back. Seeing me, she stepped the rest of the way out from behind the door.
“Hey, stranger.” She smiled. “How’s it going?”
I shrugged, attempting to turn the corners of my lips upward, but I suspected it might’ve looked more like a grimace. “It’s been an interesting few days.”
“I bet. Devyn filled me in a bit about Vera’s arrest when she came down to pick up the kids. That woman has a lot of balls calling for a bailout after the crap she’s pulled.”
When I didn’t respond, Billie squinted. “You doing okay, Owen?”
“My head’s pretty screwed up, to be honest.”
She nodded and gestured toward the front door. “You want to take a walk and grab some coffee?”
“Sure. If you have time.”
“I do. Just give me a second. Justine’s in the back taking a quick ink inventory. I need to tell her I’m going out for a bit.”
She disappeared for a few minutes and came back with a fringed purse slung across one shoulder. I opened the front door for her.
“Are you in a rush?” she asked. “There’s a new café a few blocks over that has a sign for pistachio coffee. I’ve been dying to try it.”
“Sounds good. Lead the way.”
Billie and I made small talk while we walked. At the café, we argued over who was going to pay for the coffees, and I forced my card on the cashier. Then we strolled to the small park across the street and sat down on a bench.
“So talk to me.” She peeled back the plastic tab on the top of her coffee. “What’s got you freaked out?”
I smiled. “And here I thought I was playing it so cool.”
“Is it because Vera is back? You’re worried Devyn is going to go back to California?”
“Of course that’s a worry, but oddly, I think we could figure out the long-distance thing if we had to. I’d be willing to try anyway.”
“Wow. Okay. Then what’s bothering you?”
I raked a hand through my hair. “I found out last night that there’s a simple test for paternity, and we can find out in just a few days.”
Billie smiled sadly. “I actually knew that. I’m the one who told Devyn about the test. Isn’t that a good thing, though? You’ll know definitively if you’re going to be a dad or not.”
