As soon as Adrian left us alone, Kara came toward me. Standing so, I wasn’t sure what she wanted. She appeared drained, tired. It was never my intention to hurt her.
“Kara, my love, I…”
“Don’t!” She raised her hand and connected with my face before I even saw it coming. The sting in my cheek gave me a reality check. Hell! I didn’t expect that.
I took a breath, closed my eyes, and composed myself. I deserved that.
“How could you do this?”
“You won’t talk to me.” I’d given her two weeks. Two weeks of her ignoring my calls and texts. “What was I supposed to do?”
“You petitioned the court for a DNA test?”
“It’s the first step in a process.”
“What process?”
“I want to prove she’s my daughter.” I knew she was but my lawyer insisted we do everything by the book. This time.
“Then what? You can’t take her from me.”
“I would never do that. Do you honestly think that’s my intention?”
“I don’t know what your intentions are, I thought I did but we know I was wrong.”
“I want to be part of her life.” Why was that so difficult to comprehend?
“The adoption was legal. You don’t have any claim to her.”
“Maybe not legally but morally I do.”
“Morally.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “Are you kidding me?”
“What I did was wrong but I want to make sure Zoey has everything she’s entitled to.”
“I don’t want your money. I don’t want your lies.” She pointed at me with rage in her tired expression. “I don’t want anything to do with you.”
“I’m her father,” I shouted. “Whether you like it or not.”
“I don’t care.” She wouldn’t look at me. Could I blame her?
“I know you don’t believe me but,” I lowered my tone. It wasn’t my wish to fight with her. “I swear my feelings for you are genuine.”
“They can’t be.”
“Why not?”
“Because they were built on a lie. One you could have stopped at any time. You could have told me the truth and maybe, we could have worked through it. I trusted you with my heart. I thought you were the real deal.” She waved the documents in front of me. “What kind of man does this?”
“One who loves his daughter very much. I’ll stop at nothing to make sure she knows how much she means to me.”
“You’ve already proven that.” She clenched her hands at her sides, probably resisting the urge to hit me again. “Look what you did to me to get to her.”
“No.”
“You didn’t lie to me for months? Sleep with me? Get me to trust you? Make me believe…” She tossed the papers on my desk. “I don’t care what you want. I’ll fight you every step of the way.”
“I don’t want to fight.” I admired her determination but she would lose.
“You have a strange way of showing it.”
“Kara.” When I reached for her, she backed away, disgusted by my actions. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. Zoey and I have a relationship. If you don’t want to tell her who I am now, I understand but I still want to be there. I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for what I did. We’ll do it on your terms. Please, let me in. Consider forgiving me.”
She thought about my offer, her eyes softer than a moment ago. Maybe there was hope. Before she had time to answer, my office door flew open and in walked Jamie Montgomery, my attorney. Not my shady attorney who would cross any line for me. Ms. Montgomery was the attorney who was going to secure my rights when it came to Zoey. She was probably the last person I needed to see right now.
“Xavier.” She closed the door. “Your assistant told me you were with Mrs. Cartwright.”
“It’s Ms. Cartwright.” Kara turned to me. “Who is she?”
“Kara, this is Jamie Montgomery, my attorney.” I glanced between the two women. “Jamie, this is Kara.”
“I’m leaving,” Kara said.
“That’s a good idea.” Jamie nodded at me. “Going forward, the two of you shouldn’t have any contact with one another. It’s best to let the lawyers handle things.”
“Things?” Kara asked. “We’re talking about my child.”
“This must be difficult for you, Kara,” Jamie said. “But you have to understand that Xavier was a victim here too. Zoey was given up for adoption and he didn’t even know she existed. I’m certain he wouldn’t have agreed to that if Lanie had been forthcoming.”
“I’m sorry that happened to him but he didn’t have to lie to me for months. He didn’t have to pretend he was some random stranger we met in the park. He’s not a victim.” Kara glared at me. “You’re far from it.”
“You’re right.” I was an absolute asshole and I deserve whatever she threw my way. Zoey didn’t and that was why I had to fight Kara on this.
“X,” Jamie warned. “Don’t say anything else.”
“Kara.” I ignored my attorney. “It isn’t too late to stop this. I only sent the papers to get your attention. I don’t like to be ignored and sometimes I lash out.”
Jamie sighed as she took a seat in the chair across from my desk. I was certain she would give me a piece of her mind when we were alone. But my gut told me I could get to Kara with my heart.
“We can forget about the DNA test?” Kara asked.
“Absolutely not,” Jamie interjected. “X, stop this right now.”
“If that’s what you need.” Please, trust me.
“I need you to leave me alone.” Kara headed for the door. “I don’t want anything to do with you.” She left my office without another word, leaving her frustration and anger toward me in her path.
“That went well.” Jamie took out her laptop. “I’ve been researching other cases like this. We have to establish your paternity before we can do anything else. Are you ready to fight for what you want?”
Listen to your heart. I tried to convince myself that Kara would eventually let me back in.
“The charade you pulled off might work in our favor. I’ll argue that you were trying not to disrupt Zoey’s life. You didn’t want to be a stranger to her. Your intentions were good. You were just a father trying to do the right thing.”
As Jamie talked legal strategy, paternity, and my rights, I focused on the only outcome that mattered. Being with my girls. I had to make that happen.
17
Xavier
Walking through the halls of the pediatric floor of the hospital, my anxiety hit an all-time high. I was known for my calm demeanor and take action attitude in any situation. When Kara called forty minutes ago to tell me Zoey had been admitted, my whole world came to a halt.
“X.” Kara hurried toward me. She wore a pair of ratty sweats and her hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun. She looked as if she hadn’t slept in days. “I didn’t know what to do. Her fever is so high. They want to run some tests and they’re asking for family history and I…”