Wait For It

9

The tests came out positive that Lin was indeed her father. He looked so distraught with everything now, but at least we were for sure now. He didn't look the same. Of course when Scarlett saw him, she shied away from him.

"Steve and I think it would be appropriate for us to work out something. You know, with who gets Scarlett... On weekends and such..." I told him at my apartment.

"Right..." He sighed. "Right." He repeated.

"Mommy?" I looked down and saw her standing on the couch with her little unicorn hanging from her hands. I walked over to her and picked her up from the couch. "Why is he here?" She whispered in my ear. I let out a small sigh, and sat on the couch with her.

"Scarlett, I need you to really listen to me. Like a grown up." I frowned.

"Okay Mommy." She stared at me with her big brown eyes and stayed quiet.

"Lin, he's... He's your real dad." I decided to come out with it. I had no idea if she would really get it, but she looked confused. "Daddy is still your daddy, but Lin is your real dad." I had no idea how to explain this to a child.

I watched her stare at Lin in confusion, and then she looked back at me.

"I know... It's really hard to understand." I sighed. She was only three. I didn't expect her to grasp it. Heck, I didn't expect her to believe it either.

"I'm tired." She whispered to me. I was glad that she didn't want to talk right away about it. I didn't expect her to. I didn't expect a lot of things from her really.

"I'll be back. I'm going to put her down for her nap." I advised Lin. He nodded and let me put Scarlett down for her nap. I laid with her for a bit, running my hands through her hair. She was fighting it for a bit, but eventually went to sleep.

"So... When is her birthday?" Lin asked calmly.

"In a few weeks. She'll be four." I answered while sitting at the little table.

"Are you having a party?" He continued. I shook my head. "Why not?"

"Because she doesn't have anyone here to celebrate with. She only has me. So we're going to go out for dinner, have a little bit of cake and ice cream and skype Steve." I felt like I had sounded a little angry, but I didn't mean to. People really did not need to make a big deal over children's birthdays. I did that when she was so young, that I literally wished I hadn't.

"That's it? No presents?" He frowned. I shook my head, knowing that presents weren't necessary either. Scarlett got so many gifts throughout the year that birthday presents weren't a thing. She knew this. "Wow. Minimalist much?" He joked. I gave him a look and sighed. "Sorry, just haven't met anyone like that before."

"It's fine. I know she's getting gifts from my parents and Steve's. But she doesn't need them. She has enough." I shrugged. I looked at him and saw him looking around my temporary apartment. "Why did you come here?" I asked him.

"To see if she was really my kid." He answered.

"You could've taken the test in New York and then had it sent here." I called him out, waiting for an answer. I didn't know why I was so on edge with him. But I was. Maybe it was my parental instinct. I didn't know.

"Why are you being so intrusive?" He shot back. I had never seen him like this. He looked scared.

"Because this is my child. I don't know why you would show up like this. You have a wife and child of your own. I just needed you to take the test there and make sure that her disease didn't come from you or whatever. But you show up here and make my life so much more complicated!" I explained.

"She isn't just your child anymore Pip. She's mine too." He glared. "And you really want to know why I showed up here?" He growled. "Ever since I told my wife that this happened, she hasn't spoken to me. She hates this whole ordeal. She thinks that I'm in love with you or something!" He yelled. "So I'm sorry that I needed to get away. I'm sorry that I actually wanted to meet my daughter." He threw his hands up in the air and began to walk away from me.

"I know I said that I would work something out with you without any legal presence." I started. I saw him stop with his hand on the doorknob. I took in a breath and let it out slowly. "But you can go through my lawyer next time." I forced my fear down to the darkest pits of my stomach and only showed my aggression. I wasn't going to let him try and intimidate me either.

He wasn't going to ruin my little family.