“Yeah, I know.”
“Does Hannah know that you and Miss Peyton used to…” Nick stuck his pointer finger into his other hand which was curled in an open fist and make a squeaking noise.
“Date,” Alex interjected.
“No. I need to tell her about Lina first. Then, after she gets used to that news, I’ll tell her about Peyton. At least that’s my plan, I have to talk to Lizzy about it first, but I haven’t had a chance because the past few days she’s been sick.”
“Sick? Is it serious?” Alex asked.
“Oh, no, not sick. She’s pregnant.” So much had been going on, I hadn’t even had a chance to tell them.
Nick whistled as he exhaled. “Fuck, dude, that’s a lot.”
“Yeah.”
“So what’s she like? Lina, right?” Alex swayed side to side to keep Penelope sleeping as he held her in the baby carrier.
“She’s…great. She’s smart, well adjusted, and funny. She did a dual master’s program at MIT and graduated at nineteen.”
“Damn, she got you beat,” Nick teased.
“I know.” And I was proud as shit about that.
“I bet her parents, or heradoptiveparents” —Nick corrected—"are really proud.”
“Theyareher parents,” I clarified. “And, yeah, she said that they were but that they never really cared about her academic achievements. She said all they ever cared about was that she was happy.”
“They sound like they raised her well.” Alex smiled.
“Yeah, I think they did.”
“Do you have a picture of her?” Nick asked.
I checked the monitor on the counter and saw that girls were all still engrossed in their movie. I pulled out my phone and passed it to Nick.
“Damn, she’s—”
“Twenty and my daughter,” I cut him off before he said something that would require me to kick his ass.
His head snapped up. “Calm down, papa bear. I was just going to say that she’s Peyton’s mini-me. She looks like her twin. I mean, lose the glasses and that’s exactly what I remember Peyton looking like.”
She did, but she had my eyes. She was the perfect mix of the two of us. It was so difficult for my mind to comprehend that her existence was the reason that Peyton had stayed away. It seemed completely illogical and totally logical at the same time.
I might not know what was going to happen in the future, but I did know that Lina coming into my life felt like a piece of what had been missing clicked into place for me.
Even though she had parents, and I hadn’t had the honor and privilege to raise her, she was still my daughter and for that, I would be eternally grateful.
36
PEYTON
“Here’sto your first week in the books!” Wendell, the fifth-grade science teacher lifted his glass to me saying cheers, and tipped his fedora in my direction. His distinct pencil thin mustache and checkered bowtie caused him to standout, even in a room filled with hipsters.
“My first week!” I lifted my glass and tapped it with Wendell, Bianca, Deshawn, and Ariella’s.
Ariella, who taught both Spanish and French, and I had bonded earlier this week over our love of foreign languages. We’d both grown up as Army brats and had travelled the world by the time we hit double digits. As a child, and in my teens, I’d been fluent in Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. As an adult, I wasn’t quite so. I could hold my own in conversation but wouldn’t consider myself fluent by any means. My language skills fell prey to the use-it-or-lose-it rule.
Deshawn was a six foot six, hulk of a man. He not only resembled Idris Elba he also radiated the actor’s charm and charisma. He was a triple-threat teacher who taught math, music, and physical education.
