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Dom frowned. “Paperwork?”
“Yes,” Matt replied. “Anything naming you as the father?”
“I have no idea.” He looked at Evan. “Did you see anything in the diaper bag when you were going through it?”
“Yeah.” Evan was already reaching for the bag. “There was a manila folder at the bottom.”
“Open it,” Matt said.
Dom did and pulled out several neatly stacked documents. The first was a copy of Lucia’s birth certificate, and his eyes immediately landed on the blank space where the father’s name should be. His heart sank.
“Birth certificate,” he said softly. “I’m not on it.”
“You wouldn’t be,” Matt said calmly. “In California, fathers aren’t named unless they’re married to the mother, or present for the birth and they sign the certificate. What else?”
Dom shuffled through the papers. Medical records. Discharge instructions. A vaccination record. Then a form with Voluntary Declaration of Parentage printed across the top in bold letters.
“I found a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage form.” Dom turned so Evan and CJ couldn’t see whatever emotion crossed his face. Behind him, the only sound was the steady suction of Lucia drinking.
“Has it been signed?” Matt asked.
“Yeah,” Dom said, staring at the paper. One line held Talia’s signature, and beneath it was a notary seal. “And notarized.”
Matt exhaled slowly. “Okay. So this wasn’t an impulsive decision.”
Dom looked at the date next to the signature. “It’s dated three days ago.”
“There should be a place for you to sign, but don’t sign anything yet.” Matt continued, “We’ll meet first thing tomorrow morning and go through everything together.”
Dom nodded even though Matt couldn’t see him. “What does this mean?”
“It means that Talia intended to establish you as Lucia’s father without going through the courts, assuming you acknowledge paternity voluntarily.” Matt paused. “Before you sign that, I would strongly urge you to have a DNA test done.”
“Okay,” Dom said quietly.
He turned to look at Evan and CJ again, now sitting together on the couch with Lucia asleep and secure against CJ’s chest.
“Tonight, focus on keeping the baby warm and safe.”
“Okay,” he whispered.
“We’ll figure the rest out tomorrow.”
They disconnected, and Dom dropped onto the couch next to CJ, who shifted and carefully passed Lucia to him. She squirmed but didn’t wake, and a moment later, she was asleep against his chest, her tiny mouth slightly parted. Dominic stared at her for a long moment.
“Hi, Lucky.”
Evan tilted his head. “Lucky?”
Dominic smiled faintly without looking up. “Lucia. Lucky.”
CJ grinned. “Okay, that’s adorable.”
A comfortable silence settled over the room, broken only by the steady hum of the refrigerator and the occasional gust of wind rattling the windows. Then Evan pushed himself off the couch.
“I’m going to whichever store is closest and still open to grab a few things. She needs somewhere safe to sleep.”
Dom started to protest that it could wait until morning, but Evan just gave him a look.
