The date on the post damn near knocked the breath out of me. It was exactly two months after Winter Haven last year. I did the math twice in my head even though I knew I didn’t need to.
“That’s my baby,” I muttered.
Not maybe or could be... that was my child. I scrolled back up to that baby hand picture. My gut was telling me what I knew to be true. Shit just went up a notch because I wasn’t just thinking about her anymore, this shit was completely different and left field as fuck. I backed out of the photo and kept scrolling until a flyer caught my eye.
Holiday Royalty Gala – Atlanta.
Presented by Sterling & Co. Events.
Date: two days from now.
Her company was tagged and her name was in the caption so I knew she would be there, or at least hoped she would. That was all the motivation I needed. I backed out on Facebook and wentto Toni’s contact. She handled all my travel accommodations. She picked up on the second ring.
“Mr. Frost. Everything okay?” She asked.
“Aye, I need a flight to Atlanta today,” I said. “Private or first class. I don’t give a damn what it cost. I just need to be there before tomorrow night.”
“Say less. Leaving from Asheville?” she asked.
“Yeah. Also book me a suite at The Regent?”
She clicked keys in the background. “The Regent., got it. I can get you the top floor.”
“Bet,” I said. “Two, maybe three nights.”
“You running or handling?” she asked.
“Handling,” I said. “I’ll explain later.”
“I’ll text you the itinerary in the next thirty minutes,” she said. “Need anything else?”
“Nah. You good. Appreciate you.”
I hung up and stood there for a second, phone still in my hand. This wasn’t about lust anymore or a week-long fantasy. This was about my child. A whole human out there with my blood and my last name nowhere in sight.
I found Victoria in the lounge, curled up in an armchair with a book and a mug of something hot. She looked up when she felt me standing there.
“That was fast,” she said. “The lodge is still standing so what happened?”
“I found her name,” I said.
Her eyebrows lifted. “And?”
“And I’m not staying the rest of the week,” I told her.
She set the mug down slowly. “Okay. What happened?”
I sat on the chair across from her, leaning forward, elbows on my knees.
“Her real name is Noelle,” I said. “She checked out last night.”
Victoria winced. “Damn. So, she did leave early.”
I nodded. “Yeah. But I found her Facebook.”
“And?”
“And she has a baby,” I said. “A little girl I think. The timeline lines up perfect. She posted a sonogram eight months ago, and belly picture exactly two months after I left this place last year. I did the math… that’s my kid, V.”
