I type his name into the search engine, knowing some images from his college football and NFL career will likely come up.
Spinning the phone around, I hand it to Georgia. Her eyes narrow as she assesses my ex-husband. Vance has blue eyes like mine but dark brown hair just like Elsie’s. I’ve always seen the similarities in the two of them, but anyone who sees me with Elsie tells me she’s my twin except for the green eyes that she has. Beautiful, emerald, like the sea. A lot like Georgia’s Aunt Jovie…
“I guess I can see some similarities… but I’m telling you, she looks so much like the photos I’ve seen of Aunt Jovie when she was little.”
“It’s not possible. I found out I was pregnant with Elsie in September. I met Vance in August, right when I got to Texas State.”
“When was the last time that you'd slept with Cody? Didn't you both spend a lot of time together the summer before you left for college?” Georgia asks.
My head spins, and I start to feel sick because yes, we spent the whole summer together.
“We last saw each other in August, the day before I left for college...”
Georgia does the math. “So, you slept with Cody at the beginning of August, then Vance at the end of August, and found out you were pregnant with Elsie in the middle of September?”
I nod, trying to remember where my period fit into that, but it’s been almost a decade. I didn’t have a cycle tracking app back then.
“When I got my first ultrasound, I remember the tech asking when my last period had been, and I didn’t know. I gave a best guess so that they could calculate my due date…” My voice trails off, remembering that Elsie had come prematurely at 36 weeks’ gestation, 4 weeks early, yet had weighed a healthy six pounds five ounces.
Was it possible she hadn’t come early at all and had always been right on time?
My hand covers my mouth as I gasp, staggering backwards towards the counter until I grasp the ledge.
“I don’t know, Georgia,” I start to panic.
“Okay, well, there’s no reason to freak out. It could just be a coincidence,” she responds, but her eyes dart back to the photos on the fridge as I start to scrutinize my daughter's features aswell.
How had I not seen it? The striking resemblance between Cody and Elsie. Sure, Elsie shares my hair color, and while her eyes mirror Cody’s green, genetics can be unpredictable.
Eye color alone isn’t everything.
Now, I’m studying every detail, grappling with doubt, trying to do the math and wondering if my mind is playing tricks on me or if I’m resisting an unsettling truth. A real possibility that Elsie’s father may not be the man I married, who hurt me, who wrecked my world and ended up leaving us.
“What the hell do I do Georgia?” I ask, panicking.
“We have to find out."
“How?” I shout a little louder than I intended to. “If I tell him, and it’s not true, he’ll be a mess. If I tell him, and it’s true, he’ll be a mess. He just put out a fucking Instagram post about how he’s relieved he wasn’t the father of Harper’s baby! He’s not ready to be a father to a baby, let alone a father to a nine-year-old!” I'm practically screaming now as my heart races, and I begin to sweat. I grab an empty glass from the cupboard, fill it with ice water and chug it, feeling the cold settle into my bones and mind.
That doesn’t do it though, so I start to pace, running my hands through my hair. “And what do I tell Elsie? No, no, things are better if he doesn’t know, and we just pretend there isn’t a question.”
Georgia is silent as she watches me, and I can tell she’s just as torn on what to do as I am.
“What do I do?” I ask exasperatedly as I sink into a chair next to her because I also know that’s not an option. I need to know for certain if Elsie’s father is really Cody.
“His tour kicked off last night…” she starts.
I nod. “Even more reason not to tell him anything yet,” I groan, “this could distract him and ruin everything. What if he cancels his whole tour?”
Georgia nods. “It’s your decision what to do, but I think the best thing is to be honest with him about it once you have conclusive proof. Maybe give it some time. I can try to figure out a way to get his DNA without him knowing. We could use his twin brother Wilder's and run the same test. There’s no reason to set off alarms and jeopardize his opening concerts or cause any heartbreak for Elsie or him.”
I nod, thinking quickly. “You get Wilder’s DNA, I’ll get Elsie’s and try to play it cool.”
“It’s going to be okay, Mae. No matter what happens, it’s going to be okay,” she reassures me with a hug.
I nod, but in my heart, it sure doesn't feel like it’s going to be okay at all...
Chapter 21: Cody
