“Do you think we put in enough of an appearance,” she whispers.
“It’s good seeing you so happy, son,” my momma says. “It has been a long time since we have seen you smile so much.”
“Uncle Noah, are you gonna get married and have babies?” Anna May says, making the people in the room snicker. “I like babies. Maybe you can have a little girl like me and she can be my best friend.”
I laugh as Rex comes around the corner. “Sure thing sweetheart. You’d make a great best friend to any first cousin I could give you.”
“Um, Noah, you got some company,” Rex says nervously.
“Tell them I’m not home.” I joke, pulling Eva tighter and kissing the side of her neck. When Rex doesn’t budge I ask, “Who is it?”
He looks at me and then looks at Eva. A troubled stare fills his eyes as he is suddenly unwilling to answer. Eva backs away from me slightly as I straighten up a little taller waiting for a response.
“You might just want to come and see for yourself.”
Eva eyes me with concern. Even though his response makes me a little nervous myself, I shoot her a smile, and try to ease her troubled mind.
Kissing her cheek, I whisper, “Don’t go nowhere, we are out of here as soon as I get back.”
Following Rex into the front room, I’m completely puzzled when I come face to face with the one person I was not expecting to see. I look angrily at Rex who shrugs in defeat. A look of apology graces his face.
“I told him it was a matter of life and death, Noah,” Becky says. “I have to talk to you and you keep brushing me off. First, the other day downtown when I didn’t even know you had moved back. Then, the bar the other night.”
I cross my arms and lean against the wall behind me. “I guess I just figure we don’t have much to say to one another, Becky. But even you can’t break my good mood on a night like tonight. So, in the interest of saving time, what is it?”
Eva and Jolene come around the corner. As Eva makes her way over to me, I pull her close.
“I don’t think you want to do this here,” Becky says nervously, looking from Jolene, to Rex, to Eva and then me.
Gwen walks into the room next. “What’s going on in here?” she asks, coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of the room. “Who is this?”
“This,” I say, “Is my past, and it was just leaving.”
I turn to walk out of the room, Eva’s hand is clutched tightly in my own.
“Noah, I have to talk to you,” Becky insists loudly. “You can’t just keep brushing me off.”
“You have something you want to say?” I ask, turning back around and keeping Eva behind me. “Then say it. There is nothing you can say to me that other people in this room can’t hear.”
She swallows hard. Looking at Jolene, she stiffens as my sister gives her a look that dares her to screw with me.
“It’s about our baby,” she suddenly blurts out.
“Your baby,” I correct her. “The one you had with your father’s partner. The one that wouldn’t leave his wife for you so you made me believe it was mine. Your baby, Becky. Not mine.”
Eva’s hand in mine begins to shake.
I never told her about this.
It’s not that I wouldn’t have eventually. It’s just that we hadn’t gotten there yet. I didn’t feel it important enough to bring up when we were dealing with finding ourselves, losing ourselves, and learning to love all over again.
“No,” she says, as my heart begins to race. “Our baby. Yours and mine.” She laughs nervously before continuing, and I hold my breath. “I was so sure it was Eddie’s. That’s the only reason why I told you he was. After he was born, and I learned the truth, you were already gone and no one would tell me how to find you.”
Everything begins spinning. Eva drops my hand. When I turn to look at her, her palms are clasped over her mouth and she has tears in her eyes. My sister takes a few steps forward. I raise my hand, stopping her from going any further.
“What do you mean ‘our’ baby,” I demand. “You told me…”
“I know what I said,” she says, starting to pace the room. “But, after he was born, I tried to force the issue and Eddie demanded a paternity test. It turns out he’s not the father. You’re the only one else it could be.”
