“What? She had herpes and wanted to make sure you got tested?” Mom clipped not hiding her frustration or impatience.
Another laugh escaped. Damn she was funny. “No. It turns out we have a baby together.”
My mother said nothing but her jaw dropped to the floor, eyes bugged out and she reached out and clutched my arm so tight her nails were digging into my skin. “What?” She breathed not knowing if she heard me right.
“You’re a grandma. Surprise.” I teased because frankly I didn’t know how else to really put it out there. It felt really good and pride filled me at this announcement. Almost like I was stepping out of the dark and into the light acknowledging I was a daddy.
“I’m... a … a... grandma?” She stumbled out and my father chuckled. Mom ignored him which was a good thing because there were magazines on the coffee table and I had no doubt she’d throw one at him.
“Yep to a two-year-old little girl.”
“Two years?” She almost screeched the number. “I missed two years? You missed two years?” She was starting to get upset on my behalf. Damn, I loved my mom.
“See that’s the thing. Yes, I missed out on two years, but apparently you haven’t.”
Confusion crinkled her face as I could tell the wheels in her head were spinning, but she wasn’t coming up with anything. Her next question confirmand it. “What are you talking about, Micah? You’re making no sense.”
“Stay with me, mom.”
“I’m with ya.” She responded.
Surprisingly my father except for his occasional laughter stayed quiet.
“The little girl that’s around the clubhouse sometimes. Remy. You know her right?”
My mother’s eyes went wide her hand coming to her chest as she inhaled so deep I thought the oxygen in the room was gone for a moment. “No. Little Remy?”
“Yeah. Little Remy. Her mother Ensley was the one I hooked up with and Remy is mine.”
My mom’s head shook as her eyes glassed over with unshed tears. “No. There’s no way. How would I not know my own grandkid?” She sounded like she was beating herself up for not knowing about the baby. But it wasn’t her cross to bear. She had nothing to be upset about.
“Ensley didn’t know this was my home. When she saw me she freaked out. We talked and she told me why. I get to meet Remy on Friday.”
Her eyes went molten, the fire starting to burn bright in them and I knew I didn’t have much time or she was going to blow. “She wasn’t going to tell you?”
My head shook but I reached out and pulled my mom’s hands to me when she started to get up from her seat holding her in place. I needed her to hear me. Needed her to understand that Ensley wasn’t the bad guy in this scenario. No one was.
“When she found out she was pregnant she had no way of getting in touch with me. She didn’t even know my last name ma. The only thing she knew about me was I was Micah and in the Marines. That’s all so she’s not the bad guy here. It’s all in the past now and we’re going to move on from it.”
“I’ve watched her Micah. She’s been in this house before. We played ponies on the dining table and she’s my grandbaby?” My mom’s hands started to shake and I held them tighter trying to comfort her. The fire went out of her features and sadness started to creep in. If I could wipe that away I would.
“I know. And now you’ll get to know her as your grandbaby. You good with that?”
A tear fell from her eye rolling down her cheek. Then more followed as a flood took her over. I scooted over and wrapped her in my arms. She lay on my shoulder, her body shaking from her pain. “It’ll be okay. Everything is going to be good. Ensley and I are gonna work together on this.”
“I can’t believe it.” Her body started shaking harder and I held on tighter. “This is like the best present anyone has ever given me.”
I pulled her away from me and kissed the top of her head, then started to wipe her tears. “Me too. Me too.”
It took a bit before she gathered herself. She blew out a huff of air then wiped her face.
“Mom, dad. We’re gonna tell Remy slowly. You can’t let her know that you’re her grandparents. Not yet.”
“What?” my mom barked surprising me from the crying jag she just got over.
“It won’t be too long, but Ensley asked me to go at her pace when introducing Remy to us. She’s cautious and I’m glad she is. It shows what a good mother she is to Remy.”
Mom’s bite went down a bit. “Fine. But don’t think for a second that when I see that little baby I’m not spending time with her. She’s mine now. I won’t tell her, but she’s mine.”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
Then she focused on my father turning to him. It was like a switch flipped. If daggers could’ve came from her eyeballs, dad would be dead.
“You.” She pointed her finger at him. “Are in deep shit. You kept this from me. You!” She got up and started moving to him.
Dad put his hands up in surrender. “And aren’t you glad I did?”
“Expect poison in your food.”
To this my father chuckled and my mother left the room.
Needless to say, I didn’t eat at their house that night.
“You’re a motherfuckin’ dad?” Dryerson said from my couch after returning from my parents place. There wasn’t time to talk before I left. Just a brief, “I’m a daddy.” Was all I got out leaving Dryerson with his mouth a gape when I left. If I’d had time, I would’ve snapped a picture just to torture him with it later.
“Yep. Crazy isn’t it?” I took a hard pull on my beer as we sat in the living room watching the football game. The Ravens were playing the Bears and we were all over that.
When we were on duty and had a bit of downtime, we played football. Needless to say my first year there, the guys teased the fuck out of me because I didn’t know how to play. I taught them though, not to under estimate me.
Within a few months, they were begging to be my partner.
“You have got to tell me what in the fuck is going on here.”
He was my buddy and I’d give my life for his, so I started to spill everything. From the time I picked her up in the bar, which he slightly remembered, but only because he got turned down by Ensley’s friend. To the meeting at the clubhouse, our time by the lake and the fact I get to meet Remy on Friday.
There sure was a hell of a lot to this story and Dryerson may have gotten a bit more detail on the night with Ensley, but not much.
“Fuck brother. What are you gonna do now?”
In the middle of my story, he’d sat up on the couch, elbows to knees and just stared at me. He was invested in this too and showed it without reservation.
“Be a dad. Told Ensley I’d go at her pace with Remy, but I’ll be her father. I’ll support her, get to know her and be her rock.”
“What if she won’t let you see her?”
This hadn’t crossed my mind, but I hadn’t done anything to ignite this thought either. “I’ll cross that bridge if it comes. Right now, it’s not there.”
“You sure this is your kid? I mean it’s strange. You fuck her, knock her up and she ends up here.”