I watched Jenna’s expression shift as I laid out the practical steps. Her eyes were bright with possibility now, probably calculating rental deposits and daycare costs and all the stability she’d been desperately seeking.
“You’d really do all that?” she asked softly.
“If he’s my son, then yes. I want to take care of him properly.” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “But you need to understand that Chloe is part of my life. Whatever arrangement we work out will include her.”
Jenna’s expression cooled slightly. “The girlfriend.” The way she said it made it sound like Chloe was an inconvenient obstacle.
“The woman I’m going to marry.” I met her eyes directly. “If you’re serious about what’s best for Leo, you need to understand that his father’s happiness matters too. A stable, loving home includes the woman who makes that home possible.”
Jenna was quiet for a moment, and I could see her recalculating whatever plans she’d been making.
“Fine,” she said finally. “We’ll do the paternity test. When?”
“No time like the present.” I pulled out my phone. “There’s a medical clinic in town that does testing. We can head over there right now.”
Jenna’s face went pale. “Right now? Sam, I—” She glanced at Leo, still playing on the equipment. “What does the test involve? Does he have to give blood? Will it hurt him?”
“It’s just a cheek swab. Takes about thirty seconds. They rub a cotton swab on the inside of his cheek, same for me, that’s it. No needles, no pain. He won’t even remember it happened.”
“Oh.” Some of the tension left her shoulders. “That’s… that’s not so bad.”
“We’ll have results in twenty-four hours max.”
“Twenty-four hours,” she repeated, then looked at me sharply. “You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”
“I needed to know my options.” I kept my voice neutral, though I could see she was processing what my level of preparation meant. That I wasn’t going to just take her word for it.
Her expression shifted to something harder to read. “What do we tell Leo? He’s four, Sam. He doesn’t understand paternity tests.”
“We tell him we’re going to see a nice doctor who wants to make sure he’s healthy and growing strong. The doctor will look in his mouth with a special stick, just like when the dentist counts his teeth. Quick, easy, then we can get ice cream after.”
Jenna studied my face for a long moment. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“I’m trying to do this right.” I stood up from the bench. “The clinic’s on Main Street. We can head over now if you’re ready.”
Leo came running back to us, breathless and worried. “Sam-Sam! Are you leaving? You just got here!”
“We’re going to get ice cream, buddy.” I smiled at his concern. “But we do need to make a quick stop first. There’s a really nice doctor who wants to meet you.”
“A doctor?” Leo’s face scrunched up with suspicion. “I’m not sick.”
I crouched down to his level. “You’re right, you’re not sick. But sometimes doctors want to make sure kids are growing big and strong, even when they feel great. This doctor just wants tolook in your mouth for like two seconds. It doesn’t hurt at all. And then we’ll get ice cream.”
Leo considered this seriously. “What flavor?”
“Whatever flavor you want.”
“Okay!” He grabbed my hand with one of his and Jenna’s with the other. “Let’s go see the doctor and then ice cream!”
As we walked towards the car park, Leo swinging between us, chattering about ice cream flavors, I tried to ignore the weight settling in my chest. This time tomorrow, I’d have proof. Legal, undeniable confirmation that this little boy was my son.
Chapter 8
Chloe - Lunchtime - Five Days After Chloe’s Birthday
I’d woken up this morning feeling refreshed. Actually refreshed, not that fake “I’m fine” feeling I’d been performing for days.
Sam had already left for work by the time I’d opened my eyes — gone early for delivery hours before I’d even stirred. That stupid contingency plan list I’d made? I’d thrown it in the bin. The catastrophizing, the escape routes, the assumption that everything was ending — I was done with all of it.
