Page 179 of Small Town Firsts

Resigned, I agree. “Fine.”

I follow behind Carlos, hoping he’s not in the mood for small talk tonight. I’m a woman on a mission, and nothing’s going to stop me.

Luck seems to be on my side and my book is settled quickly. I slip my tips into my pocket, my fingertips brushing against the envelope as I beeline back to Alden’s office. Usually I knock, but tonight I don’t. I bust in, full of fire. “I swear to God, if you keep avoiding me, I’m going to lose my ever-loving mind!”

I’m slightly embarrassed by my outburst, but there’s no way I’m backing down. We have things to discuss, and he’s being a wimp. I prepared for him to try and put me off again, but nope. Instead he chuckles. He. Fucking. Chuckles—that bastard. I pin him with a frigid glare, letting him know that I’m in no way amused.

“Actually, I wanted to apologize. I’ve been an ass tonight. And yeah, I’ve totally been avoiding you.”

“Is that all you wanted to apologize for?”

He sighs, but it’s through a smile. “Also, sorry about the shirt comment. It was uncalled for. Safe to say I’m a bit on edge.”

“Why?” I ask, wondering if it’s over what I think it is.

He drums his fingers over his desktop. “Are the results in?”

Bingo. “Yeah, I brought them with me. That’s why I wanted to talk earlier.”

“What do they say?”

“I don’t know. Well, I mean,I know,but I wanted us to open it together.”

He looks mildly surprised by my words. “Oh. Okay.”

“Are you ready?”

He pinches his eyes shut and shakes his head back and forth a few times. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

I move to his side of the desk and pull the envelope from my pocket. The paper is creased from being folded in half for so long. He stares at it, unblinking and unmoving.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” I ask, nudging him.

He pushes his index finger under the flap, running it along the seam until it’s fully opened. I watch with bated breath as he slides the papers out and unfolds them. Together we scan over the page, and there in black and white in the bottom right corner it reads:Probability of Paternity: 99.9998%.

“Holy shit.” The papers fall from his hands, scattering on the desk and floor. “Holy shit! She really is mine!”

“I told you,” I say weakly, knowing this has to be a lot for him to process.

“I…I…wow.” Alden shocks me when he grabs my cheeks in his hands and presses his lips to mine. It’s not really a romantic kiss, but it lights me up like a Christmas tree all the same.

I smile and twirl my thumbs together, not quite sure how to proceed. “Tatum’s really excited about us going to the park.”

At the mention of Tatum, his eyes light and then immediately dim. “You think maybe afterward, I could take her to lunch…just the two of us?”

I swallow and look away from him. It’s not that I don’t trust him—I do, with all my heart. I know he’s not only a good father but a good man. And I know Tatum loves him, even without knowing who he is. This hang-up I have is all mine, and I need to get over it. “Yeah, sure.” I whisper the words so quietly, yet they fill the room like a shout.

He jerks his head back. “Really?”

I don’t ponder it another second. “Yeah, Alden. Really.”

The restof the week drags by, but now, it’s finally Sunday. From the moment I told Tatum that we were going to the park today with Alden, it’s been all she’s talked about. Lucky me, I had theforesight not to tell her too soon, but even still I’ve been hearing about it since yesterday morning.

We’re nearing twenty-four hours of Alden-induced mania.

“Mama! It’s time to go now?” Tatum bounces and wiggles at the foot of my bed before climbing up onto it and snuggling up to me.

For the past half hour, I’ve had my nose shoved into my Kindle, reading while she watched Netflix. But it seems the charm of whatever show she was watching—probablyTrolls—has worn off.

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