Page 93 of Mistletoe Mistake
Was she serious? Every time I thought we’d reached the limit of her shamelessness, she found a new level. I would have to shut down any of those kinds of ideas before she got carried away. “Samantha, I'm only being civil to you because I don't want to upset your daughter, who may or may not be mine. But we are not doing anything together, and we are definitely not playing happy family. If that's what you're hoping for, you can forget it right now.”
She pursed her lips, not pleased with my response. “Well, what about tomorrow? You'll have the results then. Will you come and see your daughter on Christmas Eve?”
Though my anger flared, I was still very aware of the little girl in the room with us. I couldn't let it out while she could hear. “What about the last two Christmas Eves? I missed those too, but only because I didn't know she existed.”
“She doesn't remember,” Samantha insisted. “But she will now. If you do something special for her, it will help her get to know you.”
As I looked at Samantha, I could only wonder how I had ever fallen for someone so manipulative. However, a small part of me still hated the idea of abandoning my daughter on Christmas Eve, even though no sane person could claim it was my fault.
I quickly did the calculations in my head, working out the flight times and the time difference. “Bring her back here at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. We can get the results together and I'll give her a present. That's all. I already have plans for Christmas this year. If the results show she's mine, then we'll work out custody first thing in the new year.”
“And support payments,” she added.
Of course she would be most concerned about that. “Naturally,” I agreed through gritted teeth.
As they left the room, Samantha bent down and whispered something to Madison, who turned back and gave me a shy little wave goodbye. It was the first time she'd looked directly at me, and my chest tightened yet again, hope and doubt filling me in equal measure. Part of me wanted her to be mine. It would mean at least something good would have come out of the whole sorry mess with Samantha. The other part of me wanted the result to be negative, since a positive result meant that Samantha would be part of my life going forward, no matter what.
I really didn't know what to feel.
The only thing I did know was that I needed to update Gemma, so as I walked back to the office, I sent her a quick text.
I'm so sorry, but I'll be arriving a little later than planned tomorrow. I'll still be in time for church and to spend Christmas with you. I can't wait to see you. C
~Gemma~
Cole's text the night before disappointed me, but when I spoke to him and he told me what was going on, I completely understood.
Samantha was trying to manipulate him, obviously, but he knew it as well as I did. He wouldn’t fall for it, but neither would he punish the little girl for her mother's behaviour, and I respected him all the more for that.
In the end, he would still be coming, which was all that mattered to me. I couldn't wait to see him again, so as I left my flat for work on the morning of the 24th, my spirits were high.
Since I no longer had lunch plans, I stayed at the office a bit later than I'd originally planned, well after everyone else had left. It gave me time to put the finishing touches on my present for Cole and to add a few bits to it that I thought he would appreciate.
Cole sent a text around two o'clock saying that he was on the plane, just waiting to take off. He said he knew the results of the paternity test but he wanted to tell me in person. I didn't press him on it. There must be a reason he wanted to wait, so I just replied and said I couldn't wait to see him. That much was definitely true.
When the time came for me to pack up and go home for the last time that year, I walked over to the calendar on the wall and pulled it down, scanning over all the handwritten events. The 1st of December had been our staff party, the night that Cole and I had met. The party at the Mayfair Mews followed, where we saw each other again, and so did the Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park, the first night we had sex. Just over a week later was the gingerbread house contest, the night that we had admitted to each other how we felt. Reading over each entry brought up so many memories and I decided I would keep the calendar, or at least this page of it. I wanted to remember this time always.
Just before I tucked it away, my eyes landed on the night I had taken Cole to the carol service. That was the night we'd done the schoolgirl role play back at his hotel, the night he'd forgotten the condom. Nearly three weeks had passed since then, and I hadn't had a period since. With all the excitement of the upcoming move, I had forgotten all about it.
It didn't necessarily mean anything, I told myself. My birth control pills had been slightly mixed up at the time, so my whole schedule was off. Even so, it had been long enough that I should be able to do a test and find out for sure. So, once I had packed up and got ready to go, I made a quick stop at the pharmacy to pick up a pregnancy test before making my way home to my flat.
After putting everything away and tidying up the flat a bit in preparation for Cole's arrival, I finally went into the bathroom and followed all the instructions. My stomach fluttered strangely as I waited for the results, filled with a feeling I couldn't quite pin down.
I had bought one that gave the results clearly, in plain English, not wanting to worry about lines or plus signs or anything else. When the time was up and I turned the test over, the result was there, clear as day.
Pregnant.
I was actually pregnant.
The fluttering feeling in my stomach grew stronger, and I finally recognized it as excitement. I was actually excited. I hadn't planned for it, but now that it was happening, I didn't regret it either. The thought of having a child with Cole made me truly happy. He would be a wonderful father. I could see how much he already cared about Samantha's daughter, not even knowing for sure if the girl was his or not.
But how would he feel about my unexpected pregnancy? He had always been so careful about using a condom, except for that one time, not to mention that he had literally found out that same day whether or not he already had a child with another woman. The timing was hardly ideal.
Our whole relationship was so new. Yes, he had asked me to move in with him, but that didn't necessarily mean he wanted to start a family and commit to me in such a permanent way. Still, whatever his reaction might be, I knew I had no choice. I had to tell him immediately, as soon as he arrived. After what he'd been through with Samantha, I didn't want to keep it from him for even a second. I wanted us to be completely on the same page.
As night drew in, I got dressed for the church service, checking my phone every few minutes. Cole's flight should have been landing any minute, and at just after ten, the message came through.
Had to circle for a while, but we're on the ground now. Probably easiest to meet you at the church. Let me know where to find you. C
