His papa heaved a sigh and put his fork down without even eating. “I just don’t want to see you get involved with a situation that would ultimately hurt you. One, it’s possible your sperm was never even sold.”
Aiden shrugged. “True, but it’s possible it was.”
Rafe nodded because more than likely it had been. “And if it was, then you’re looking at disrupting a family that could be very happy. I’m not so sure that you should do that.”
Aiden knew his papa was right, and maybe without the past year, he would just have let it go and never even thought about what happened to his donation... even all these years later that word still made him cringe. Now, though, the thought that there could already be a child out there who was half him, it meant something, even though Aiden hadn’t figured out what that could be.
“I guess over the past year, I’ve learned that life isn’t guaranteed,” Aiden said. “I don’t want to go for six years and think… what if I would have pursued it? Besides, I can just see what’s out there. It’s possible that I’ll run into a dead-end, but I won’t know unless I try. Don’t you think it’s worth a try?” Aiden asked, almost pleading with his papa.
“I think that if you feel this strongly about it, then it’s worth a try, and you should do what your heart is telling you,” his papa said. “I’ll be behind you every step of the way.”
Aiden wasn’t sure why he needed his papa’s blessing since he was a grown man, but he valued Rafe’s opinions. It was probably because he’d grown up having his papa share everything with him, and his backing on this gave him the strength to follow through on it now.
“Thank you! Now, let’s dig in before the food gets cold.” Aiden took a bite of his linguini.
But in the same way it had since he’d made the decision, there was the low buzz of excitement mixed with terror. In a matter of days, he could possibly have some answers, and he was excited to see where they’d lead.
* * *
The next day,Aiden entered the clinic he had walked into six years prior. He went up to the same desk he had approached on that day. Only this time, he didn’t encounter a man that looked like he wanted to devour him whole. Instead, he came up to a woman who was busily typing away at a computer.
Without even looking in his direction, she spoke. “Take a number and I’ll be with you shortly,” she said.
Aiden looked around the empty lobby. “Um… excuse me? There’s no one else here, so why exactly do I need a number?”
She looked up at him. Her brow furrowed in what was clearly irritation, her lips pinching as she gave him a cursory glance of disinterest. “It’s protocol.” Her tone was brusque. “Take a number and I’ll be with you shortly,” she repeated.
“Okay.” He grabbed a number from the stand and then went to the chairs. Aiden stopped in front of the first empty one and lowered himself down into it, his eyes scanning the lobby.
“Number fifteen,” she called.
He wanted to laugh out loud as he got up from his seat and went to the desk. “You called fifteen?” He kept his tone serious even as his lips struggled to keep the laughter back. He pushed the number towards her.
Without taking a breath, she spoke. “Here to receive? Or to donate?” she asked.
He frowned, caught off guard by the question. “Excuse me?”
She heaved a sigh and leaned against the counter. “I’ll try to go slower for you,” she enunciated each word. “Are you donating your sperm, or are you here to receive it?”
“Oh…” Warmth filled his cheeks. Yeah, even after all this time, this place made him feel uncomfortable, although after the past year, he saw why they were necessary. “I’m not here for either.”
She frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. “I don’t quite understand,” she said. “Those are the two options. If it’s neither of those, how can I help you?”
“You see… I’m looking for answers,” he started. “Six years ago, I made a donation. I would like information about whether the sperm was used, and if there were any children that resulted from it.”
She shook her head and went back to typing. “I can’t help you,” she replied simply.
Aiden stood there for a moment, stunned at being dismissed. It had been a long time since that had happened before. Aiden remained there, but the woman didn’t even look up from her computer again even though it was evident that he was still present.
“You can’t help me, or you won’t?” The anger in his voice was clear. Aiden was not enjoying being dismissed. He was an alpha for gods’ sake.
“Even if I wanted to, my hands are tied. I would lose my job, or worse….” She looked up. “I can’t help you, so please leave.” She returned her attention to her computer and went back to ignoring him.
“I’m not asking you to break the law here by any means.” His voice was pleading, but he didn’t care. “I just need some answers. I recently went into remission, and I was told I might not be able to have kids. I just wanted... wondered if there’s a way that I could get to know them... the family.”
Aiden should feel bad for lying. Yes, he might not be able to have kids naturally, but he’d also banked sperm so if he ever wanted to, he could have children. Besides, the doctor had said there was only a reduced chance, notnochance of conceiving naturally.
“Please… you have to help me.”
