“Look, if she was my lover, which is what I think you’re accusing me of, then why did she disappear out the back door when I came home?”
Huh. It was actually a good point. One I didn’t have an answer to. It appeared Danny didn’t either, as he bit his lip and stuck out his hip.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
Danny froze as Matt slowly sunk in on himself, his eyes downturned and sad. “It’s complicated,” he said on a sigh.
“That’s okay. I have time for you to explain it all to me. It’s the least you can do. After all, I am pregnant with your baby.”
Matt closed his eyes and when he reopened them, I could see the pain they held. It caused my stomach to tighten with apprehension. After what felt like an eternity, he nodded.
“Okay. I’ll tell you everything. But you need to be sitting down. Let’s go and I’ll make you a coffee.”
I silently followed Matt, as Danny walked behind me.
“Whatever happens, I’m here for you,” Danny whispered, squeezing my hand.
Matt’s footsteps were heavy as we made our way to the kitchen. His eyes had taken on a distant look as if he was lost in thought
“Thanks, but something tells me I need to do this on my own.” I turned to Danny.
“No way. You need me here.”
“No. I don’t think I do.”
“Seriously?” he shrieked, and Matt jumped.
“Ahuh.”
“How about I just wait in the lounge room?”
“No.”
“The front porch?”
“No.”
Danny huffed, and dropped a pout. “That’s so unfair. I go to all this trouble to help you and right at the good bit you shut me out.”
“I’ll call you later and fill you in with the details.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.” I dropped a kiss on his cheek, squeezing his arm as I did so.
“If I leave you here, how are you getting home? I drove remember?”
“I’ll take her,” Matt offered.
Danny crossed his arms over his chest and huffed. “Fine. But you’d better call me the second you get home. I need to know you’re okay.”
Matt gulped. I was unsure why. Danny was a great brother, but he was hardly scary. Matt towered over him by a good five inches.
“I’ll call you with all the gossip as soon as I can,” I promised.
“All right. But you’d better call if you need anything.”
I smiled as Danny kissed my cheek then sulked his way to the front door. Only once I’d heard it close behind him did I turn to Matt.
He had his back to me, filling the kettle and finding cups. I didn’t really want a coffee, my anxiety was already high enough, but I guessed it gave him something to do while he got his thoughts together.
“Where have you been?” I asked, surprised by how steady my voice sounded.
Matt dropped the spoon in one of the cups and spun to face me. “I told you.”
“Yes, but we both know it’s a lie.”
He looked like I’d slapped him. “I didn’t lie to you, Molly.”
“Then what do you call it? Because you told me you were going to New York and we both know you didn’t go.”
“I never said that I was going to New York.”
“Uh, yeah. You did. Outside mum and dad’s house you told me you were going to New York and it was personal.”
“I went to New Norfolk. In Tasmania. And it was personal.”
“So personal you couldn’t tell me about it? Unless of course you are having an affair.”
He sighed and rubbed his face with the palm of his hand.
“I’m not having an affair. I would never do that to you. I thought you trusted me?”
“I did!” Anger churned, pushing all anxiety aside. “Until you disappeared and wouldn’t return my calls. Then I find a woman in your house and her underwear under your bed. And explain the make up on your sheets!”
“I honestly have no idea what that’s even about. I only got home this morning.”
“I call BS on that. In fact, I have photographic evidence that you were in town yesterday.”
His eyebrows disappeared under his hair that had flopped forward.
“You were watching me in the park.” I stood and started to pace the room, anger mingling with frustration.
His mouth slackened as his eyes widened. “Molly, I got in this morning.”
Argh! This was so frustrating. “Why are you lying to me?”
“I’m not lying to you. Sure, I have been avoiding calling you. But I needed to know the truth! I didn’t want to talk you until I knew for sure.” He stood and started to circle around me, unable to look me in the eye.
“Tell me what?” I demanded, my teeth clamped together so hard they were starting to hurt.
Matt stopped and dropped his head into his hands. When he lifted his eyes to me, they were filled with tears. “You know I’m looking into my family tree, right? I’ve wanted to find who my father is for some time now.” That was information I did know. “I repeatedly asked mum who he was, but she would never tell me. I guess she had her reasons for not wanting me to know. Since she passed, I figured it couldn’t hurt to track him down. Now I wish I’d never started the search.”
“I know you wanted to find him. But what does that have to do with anything? And what do you mean you wish you’d never started?”
Matt sighed, a good dash of hysteria pushing his tears aside.
“How are you feeling, Molly?” he asked, rubbing the back of his neck
“I’m fine. Pissed at you, but okay otherwise.”
“Good. Good. How’s your blood pressure? Everything okay with the...” He gulped. “With the baby?”
“Ahuh. Matt what’s going on. Why won’t you just tell me the truth?”
His hand shook as he ran it through his hair and he gave a few quick breaths. Spinning in circles, he finally settled on a chair and pulled it up alongside me.
“Sit down and I’ll tell you everything. But you have to tell me if you start to feel unwell.”
He was really starting to freak me out.
“Just tell me already!”
“Alright, don’t get yourself upset.”
I blew out a frustrated breath and sat heavily on the chair.
“Happy now?”
He nodded but his eyes betrayed the lie. “I think I found my father.”
“Well that’s great news!”
Matt slowly shook his head, his shoulders drooped.
“No, it’s not great. It’s worse.”
“What could be so bad about that? Who is he?”
He swallowed hard, taking my hand and squeezing it tight.
“Promise me when I tell you, you won’t freak out.”
“I’m freaking out already!” I yelled. “What is he? A mass murderer? A member of the mob? The anti-Christ?”
“Worse.”
“What could be worse than that?”
“He’s your uncle, Molly. You and I are related.”
Chapter Eight
The world spun and I grabbed Matt’s arm for stability.