Page 12 of In Just One Night
“Well, let me say this, Genesis. I did have a good time that night, a damn good one at that. But that wasn’t me. I didn’t do one-night stands, and I honestly didn’t know how to face you the next morning.”
I hadn’t lied. I didn’t know about one-night stand etiquette. For all I knew, he might have tried to kick me out of his room.
“Well, London, I would have loved to exchange information with you. But since that didn’t happen, maybe we could start over. I’m Genesis, and I must say you left a lasting impression on me.”
“You left more than that on me,” I whispered.
“You said something?”
I took a sip of my water and contemplated if I wanted to rip the Band-Aid off or not. Paris wasn’t a secret, and he had every right to know. What he chose to do afterward was up to him.
Before I could utter another word, the waitress came over and took our orders, then told us she’d be back when our food was ready.
“So, London, tell me a little bit about yourself, because Hannah was real tight lipped about everything except your name.” He picked up his cup of water and took a sip.
“I have a baby, and she’s yours.”
Genesis choked on his water as his eyes widened.
I fiddled with the linen napkin on the table while I waited for him to get himself under control. He’d finally stopped choking but just sat there and stared. I didn’t know if I should say something or not, so I didn’t.
“You wanna run that by me again?”
I inhaled then exhaled. With my head held high and my shoulders back, I gave him full eye contact. He glanced down at my breasts, then back at me. As I looked at him, I saw traces of Paris in him, especially in the eyes.
“I know we don’t know each other, but I wouldn’t lie about anything, especially this. That night, I know we used condoms, but that last time we didn’t, and I ended up pregnant. We share an eight-month-old little girl named Paris. I’m not telling you to be involved if you aren’t interested, but I thought you should know.
“I didn’t know anything about you to try and tell you sooner. It’s obvious we both used fake names that night. If you want to be involved, you are more than welcome. If you don’t, you don’t have to be. We can part ways, and we never have to see each other again. I would never try to take you for child support or force anything on you. I chose to have her, so I’m fully responsible.”
“Are you done?” he asked, cutting off my rambling.
“Sorry. Yes.”
He ran his hand down his face, then sat back as the waitress placed our plates in front of us. The nervousness about the date had been replaced with something else. Partial relief now that I was aware of my child’s father. Also, fear of him not wanting anything to do with her. If he chose not to be around, that was his loss.
The waitress walked away after ensuring we were good. I didn’t really have an appetite anymore, but the food looked so good.
“While I am surprised, I’m also not. I know the consequences of not strapping up, and I damn sure didn’t pull out. There was a small part of me that figured one time wouldn’t have hurt, but I also know how shit works. Can you tell me about her?” he asked as he ate his food.
Since he didn’t seem upset, I told him about her and even showed him pictures. He smiled as he looked at multiple pictures of her. I had more pictures at home since I liked to take real pictures and not just the ones with my phone. I couldn’t eat my food, because my stomach was still in knots.
“I can’t lie; I need time to process this.”
“That’s fine. I’ll give you my number, and you can call if and when you are ready.”
He passed me his phone, and I put my number in. I prayed he called, but I wasn’t holding my breath.
I had the waitress bag up my food, and after Genesis paid the bill, we parted ways.
As soon as I got in the car, I called Hannah and Torryn on three-way.
“Genesis is Paris’s dad,” I blurted as soon as I had them both on the line.
“What?”
“Oh shit.”
They both spoke at the same time.
