Page 49 of Loving Kai

“You dated for like two weeks, and that’s using dated in the broadest of terms.”

“It was almost a month. She was here to hike the river with friends.”

“And you two…”

“Yeah, but we…” He closed his eyes and laid his head back on the chair. “There was one time. Dammit. Son of a bitch.”

“So then…”

Abe shook his head and mimicked Lizzie’s voice. “Let’s go for a swim in the river. Let’s be spontaneous. Son of a...”

“You should probably still do a paternity test.”

“David said he’s dying. I could see it. The man isn’t long for this world. He was Kai’s only relative on Lizzie’s side of the family. Apparently, I’m all he has.”

Justin leaned forward in his seat. “You may be his father. You probably are. But you’re not all he has. You have the Buchanans. You have Elias and Seraphina. You have a hell of a support system. You won’t be doing this alone.”

“I don’t want to do it at all.”

Kai reached for the tattoo on Abe’s upper arm and tried to grasp it.

Abe looked at Justin. “How the hell am I supposed to do this?”

Justin took out his phone. “I’ll call Mom.”

“No. I’m not ready for that. Can you call Lucia?” Kai continued trying to pick up his tattoo. “And you better call Marti, too. I think I need a lawyer.”

Lucia and Marti arrived together, and Lucia headed directly for the porch. “Who is this beautiful baby boy?” She looked at Justin, then at Abe. “What’s going on?”

Abe sighed. “There’s a good chance that he’s mine.”

Marti came up beside Lucia. “Now I see why you need a lawyer. How did he get here?”

“His grandfather dropped him off. He says he’s unable to care for him any longer.”

Lucia held out her arms. “Can I hold him?”

“Yes, please.” Abe handed Kai to her, then dropped into the chair and rubbed his shoulder. “This is a damn nightmare.”

“Aw. How can you say that about this precious thing?”

“Precious or not, I’m not cut out to be a father. I don’t want to be a father. I…” He leaned back with a sigh.

Marti went into lawyer mode. “First thing you need to do is get a paternity test. I can set that up for you.”

“How long does it take?”

“You’ll want to take two. An at-home one will give you fast results and give you an answer within a few days.”

“And the second?”

“We’ll need a judge to order one so it’s on record. That one takes longer.”

Justin watched Lucia with the baby. “What do we do in the meantime?”

“Try not to get too attached.”

Abe squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Out of curiosity, what happens to him if he isn’t my kid?”