The Price of Pride

Chapter 19

"Not those kinds of flowers."

Her hands go to the tie of her robe and loosens the knot. It opens to reveal a sight that leaves Emir gasping for air. He suddenly can't take his eyes off of her. True to her word, there are flowers. Strategically placed flower appliques sewn carefully on to the sheerest nightgown he's ever seen. But they are flowers, without a doubt. And they're covering just enough for him to want them gone. Now.

"Do you forgive me?" she asks.

He shakes his head and blinks a few times to come to his senses before looking up at her face with a huge smile.

"For things you haven't even done yet," he says with an enthusiastic nod as he drags her to the bed.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

They take Ayla for a doctor's appointment the next day. She's healed well over the past couple of months but the doctor still wants them to be careful. Plus this gives them the chance to ask the doctor about a paternity test. Reyhan and Emir worked through the issues between them the night before. But they decided it would be best to have the evidence in hand to prove Melisa wrong. This test isn't so much for Reyhan's sake. It's to shut Melisa down and show her that they solve their problems together. No matter what she throws at them.

"I'm adjusting the dosage on her medication because some of her numbers are a little low. But other than that, she's doing much better," the doctor tells them. "You two are doing a great job with her. Keep up the good work. I hear the adoption will be final soon?"

Emir and Reyhan look at each other and have a silent conversation. She sends Ayla to the corner in the doctor's office with the toys to let her play for a few minutes while they talk to the doctor. Once Ayla is out of ear shot, Reyhan nods at Emir to continue.

"The adoption hit a little snag," Emir admits. "There are questions about Ayla's paternity. We need to get her tested against some samples. We're hoping we can use blood you've already drawn from her for the tests."

"That may not be necessary," the doctor explains. "Are you trying to prove or disprove paternity? I assume you want to disprove someone's claim on Ayla. Do you know the blood type of the person claiming to be her father? Blood types can't prove paternity. But there are cases they can disprove paternity."

Emir tells the doctor his blood type and the doctor pulls up Ayla's file on his computer. It barely takes him a minute to find the answer to the question.

"Good news. You two have nothing to worry about. The blood types aren't compatible. There's no way a man with the blood type you told me could have fathered Ayla. Of course, a DNA test will be necessary for any legal proceedings. But that test will only back up what I've told you here today."

Emir turns to Reyhan with a big smile on his face.

"Thank you, Doctor bey. You really have eased our minds."

"Well, I'm glad," the doctor returns the smile. "Anything to keep our little Miss Ayla happy and healthy."

With one last reminder to them to ensure Ayla gets started on her new medication immediately and to not miss any doses, the doctor lets them go. Emir feels like he has a new lease on life. He feels like their family got a second chance at happiness. Although it made him angry and sad Reyhan needed the test, he's glad they looked into getting the proof. Now, they all can breathe easier.

"Is this really over?" Reyhan asks on the way home. "Will we really be able to adopt Ayla now?"

"It really is," Emir says, taking her hand and pressing a quick kiss there. "All we need now is to get the court to order a DNA test. But I doubt Melisa will take her game that far. A forged test to stop the process is one thing. Getting a real test done will only make her look like a fool."