“Anyway, I wasn’t just Assandria’s lawyer. I was her friend as well.”
“Why didn’t she tell me about the baby?”
Cristyn sighed. “Honestly, as close as we were, that’s something she never revealed to me; no matter how many times I asked. But I do know whatever she did wasn’t out of malice.”
“You said she had a degenerative disease. Is it genetic, does Tamia have it?”
“From the tests we ran…”
He sat up cutting Cristyn off. “Wait, who ran them? You let humans know of our existence?” Fear passed through him at the thought that untrusting humans who wished his kind ill would one day come after his child.
“I’m not stupid, Alphonso, and contrary to what you might believe, Vale Valley might be the only place supernaturals are welcomed. But we have few trusted humans working everywhere, protecting our secrets just as they do in your little town.”
“I’m sorry, I’m just…”
“Nervous, worried, and cautious. I get it. But to answer your question as far as we can tell she’s fine.”
Alphonso sat back relieved at the thought of his daughter being okay. “Thank you,” he whispered.
“We all need to look out for each other. I’ll protect Tamia the same way I protected Assandria.”
Alphonso nodded. “Okay, so let’s get down to business. I want to meet my daughter and take her home.”
“Are you sure you’re ready for what being a father entails? It means giving up all the late-night partying and all that fun stuff you’re used to.”
“Honestly, no. But I’m willing to put all that behind me to be the father Tamia needs.”
Cristyn stared at him as if assessing if he was telling the truth. “Okay, let’s get to it.”
They went through all the paperwork needed for him to be able to take full custody of Tamia and Assandria’s estate. Between his holdings and Assandria’s, their daughter Tamia would be set for life. Alphonso had no idea that the woman he’d slept with that night was the sole living heiress to a cosmetic company.
According to the papers he was signing, Assandria had stepped down as the CEO a couple of years before they’d met. With her gone, all of Assandria’s holdings went to Tamia. But that wasn’t what was worrying Alphonso. It was the thought that with each paper he signed, he was one step closer to meeting his daughter. With the last documents signed, Cristyn stood and tapped him on the shoulder.
“Sit tight for a bit. I’ll bring her to you.” She pointed to the door on the other side of her large office. “Go wash your hands and wait for me.”
She walked out of the office and Alphonso did what she instructed. He was too anxious to sit down and paced back and forth waiting for Cristyn to return. He knew nothing about how to take care of babies or raise a kid. He’d been single, living the life, never thinking about settling down or looking for a mate.
He knew his fathers worried about him but mostly kept their opinions to themselves. A few minutes later the door reopened, and Cristyn entered with a bundle wrapped in her arms. Instantly the scent of familiarity hit him, and he knew he was smelling his blood.
If he’d ever doubted if Tamia was his, her scent confirmed it for him. Taking his steps slowly, he met them in the middle of the room and stood there for a few minutes just staring down at his sweet child.
Her dark curly hair was peeking out from under the blanket covering her head. Her chubby cheeks flushed as if she was crying before they entered the room. Tamia scrunched up her face as if she was about to cry and instantly Alphonso reached out and took her from Cristyn’s arms before she could make a sound.
His sweet girl turned her head and opened her eyes, and all Alphonso could do was gasp. The picture he’d seen hadn’t done Alphonso justice in preparing him. Beautiful bright green eyes like his own stared back at him. Holding Tamia in his arms for the first time gave him a sense of peace and calm that he’d never felt before. His fears hadn’t gone away, but he knew that they were going to be all right together.
Since that day in Cristyn’s office, they’d remained friends, and she became Tamia’s godmother. When he’d told his fathers what happened, they weren’t thrilled with him being a single father but spoiled Tamia just the same. Without his parents and Crisytn he didn’t know how he would have made it without their help.
Tamia had not only changed the way he saw people but the way he saw the world. It was why he wanted her to meet the family she had in Vale Valley. He’d informed his grandmother that he was coming to spend some time with them and feel the magic of the town.
Alphonso had hoped his fathers would have wanted to take the trip with him, but they had refused. Whatever went down between them and his grandmother was keeping them away from returning to Vale Valley, and Alphonso hoped one day they would be willing to one day.
Alphonso smiled as he drove past the sign that saidWelcome to Vale Valley,already feeling the magic washing over to him.
Thank you for welcoming me back, Vale Valley.
