“If you’re available, I’d like to go over the results with you at my office tomorrow.”
Fallon swallowed heavily. “Will he be there?”
“Due to the order of protection, he will not. We will meet separately.”
Fallon let out a breath and looked at Gage. Gage’s heart was trying to beat out of his chest, but he was holding his panic back. “Can you make tomorrow work?”
Gage nodded. He’d do whatever it took. “I will be there.”
Swallowing heavily, Fallon said, “Yeah. We can be there.”
“Wonderful. Thank you for your time.”
The line went dead, and Gage dropped the phone. Fallon was shaking, so Gage quickly pinned him with his body and kissed along his neck until he relaxed. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
“Is that weird though? That they want to see me? What could they want? Will they tell me they’re going to take Mango after they’re born for Charlie and?—”
“No,” Gage said firmly. He pushed up on one arm and carefully moved a collection of curls off Fallon’s forehead. “No, my darling. Our baby isn’t going anywhere. This is probably just a formality. Okay?”
Fallon breathed out. “Okay.”
“And I will be there with you.” Gage fell beside him, then wrapped around him tightly, determined not to move until Fallon was ready. And if that took all night, so be it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
FALLON
He could physically feelthe blood draining from his face as he stared across the table at the strange man with the uneven facial hair. He’d heard the results. He understood all the words put together in sentences, but he couldn’t make sense of anything.
“I don’t understand.”
“There is a margin for error,” the man said. Fuck, what was his name? Fallon couldn’t remember at all. “But it’s small enough that this is going to stay any potential petition for visitation.”
“Can…” Fallon swallowed heavily. “Can he force me to have the other test? The one that could hurt the baby?”
Gage reached over and took his hand.
“No. The margin of error on that test is the same. He can request another test after the child is born.”
“Thanks, Greg,” Gage said quietly. His voice sounded a little far-off too.
Greg. Right.Greg. He was probably going to forget that again.
Fallon licked his lips. “So what now? I mean, what—what does this mean?”
“It means you should probably think back and consider the list of potential parents?—”
“No,” Fallon almost shouted. He felt damn near hysterical. “No! That’s not…it’s fucked-up that this happened in the first place! I’ve been on testosterone for years. Years! I haven’t had a period or anything like that in…fuck. I don’t even know.” He started to rock back and forth, trying to soothe himself. “There was one person and—” He closed his eyes and took a slow breath in through his nose and out through his mouth. “I need to leave.”
Gage was on his feet immediately. “I’ll have him call you if we have any more questions.”
Fallon was on his feet before he was aware he was voluntarily moving, and Gage had an arm around him as they left the office. His hands were shaking slightly as he reached for the door handle of the car once they’d gotten out to the parking lot, so Gage stopped him.
“Hey, sweetheart?”
“Mm?”
“Can you take a few breaths for me?”
