Blind Fate

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

My whole body goes numb. She wants me to be a Dad? I mean, I already sort of am one but she's 10 and knows how to take care of herself for the most part. A baby is a big responsibility. But it's Amanda. I promised I'd be there for her and I won't abandon her.

With me being deep in thought, Mandy panics. "I know it's a lot to ask but you're just the best person I know-"

"Mandy-"

"-and I wouldn't want anyone else to help me raise a baby-"

"Mandy-"

"-and my parents love you so they'll approve-"

I cut her off, pressing my lips to hers. I feel her physically relax. I pull back, pushing her hair out of her face once again. "Mandy, I would love to." A smile grows on her face and she pulls me to her once again.

After that, that's all we did all morning. Kiss, cuddle, and talk. It was bliss. But perfection doesn't last forever.

———

I watch Mandy as she moves around the kitchen, gathering things to prepare dinner. A loud knock sounds at the door. My blood goes cold. Mandy freezes, turning to look at me. I take a deep breath before I stand. I grab my handgun that I had left by the door before looking through the peephole. Standing on the other side, is my aunt Ashley.

I quickly unarm the alarm before unlocking the door. When I swing it open, I realize that Ashley looks like she's been crying. Max is beside her, holding her hand tight. When Max sees me, her face lights up. "Dad!" She shouts before running to me. I kneel down, taking my daughter in my arms.

"Hey, squirt."

"I missed you," she says in my ear.

"I missed you too." I direct my attention back out of the door to Ash who is still standing there, looking upset. She has her hands held together in front of her. I pull Max out of the hug. "Why don't you go say hi to Amanda? She's in the kitchen and I'm sure she'd love to see you."

"Over here, Max!" I hear Mandy shout from the kitchen. Max gets an excited look on her face and runs past me to where she had heard Amanda. I stand, looking confusedly at my aunt.

"Ash, what happened? Why are you guys here?" She then begins crying again. I reach out, pulling her into a hug.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't call you cause you lost your phone. So I went to Anne and she sent me your way. But I made sure no one was following me, I swear."

"It's okay. Just tell me what happened." She pulls back, looking at me directly.

"My house was broken into last night."

"Were you guys home?" Worry takes over my senses. She nods in response.

"He was there. Jake, I mean. When I saw him though, he ran off. I called the cops right after. Then I grabbed our stuff because I knew we couldn't stay there. I'm sorry, I told you I'd keep her safe."

"It's okay, Ash. You did the right thing. You guys are okay and that's all that matters. You guys should be safe here." She nods and I reach out, grabbing her keys out of her hand. "Let's go grab your guys' stuff." With another nod, she turns and we walk together to the car. We grab their stuff in silence and bring it into the house. I lock her car, putting the key on the keyring. Once we have everything in, I close the door and rearm the alarm.

I tell Ashley to pick a room and she leaves. I head to the kitchen and see Max talking Amanda's ear off. I can't help but smile at the sight. My smile doesn't last long, though, because I keep thinking about what Ash had told me. The sick fuck was just trying to mess with me by scaring her and Max. It's despicable what he's doing.

"Hey, Max?" When she hears my voice, she turns her attention to me. I gesture to the room right down the hall. "I put your bags in your room. Why don't you go settle in so I can talk to Amanda?" Just by my expression, she knows that it's not necessarily a suggestion but more of a demand. She nods before heading towards where I had pointed. Once she's in the room, I approach Amanda. She turns to me with a worried expression.

"What happened?" She asks.

"He broke into her house, Mandy. He's scaring my family just to mess with me," I say in a low voice. Her face turns to one of concern.

"Do you think he knows where we are?" I shrug at her question.

"I don't know," I answer honestly. "But if he does, he'll have to take me down to get to Max. No one, and I mean no one, will hurt her."

She reaches out, placing her hands on either sides of my arms. "I know."

I look down at her with a grateful smile before leaning down to press her lips to mine. "Thank you, Mandy. For being so understanding."

"Yeah, yeah. Just do me a favor and grab me another pack of this fried rice. I didn't expect to have to feed two more mouths." I chuckle and turn to the fridge. When I do, Max's eyes are on me and her mouth is hanging open in shock. My eyes widen a bit.

Oh god. She's never going to let this go.

"You-you kissed-you didn't tell me," she stutters. I shake my head.

"It just happened, Max. I'll tell you everything you need to know at dinner. Just go finish packing." She numbly turns around and heads back to her room. I sigh, going into the freezer and grabbing the other pack of food. I hand it to Mandy who gives me a knowing smile.

"She'll understand."

I shake my head. "Oh no, she loves you. She'll be happy about it once she gets over the fact that I didn't tell her."

"Tell me what?" Ashley says behind me and I press my lips together. I look at Amanda before turning around to look at my aunt. I might as well tell her. She'll find out either way.

"That uh-" I try to find the words. Panic fills me as I realize that I don't know what to say. What, Mandy and I hooked up? We kissed? What is this that's happening between us? I don't think I was prepared for this question. But before I can decide, Amanda intervenes. She takes my hand in hers and Ashley's eyes flicker to our hands before going wide.

"We're together now," Amanda says, dropping a bomb I didn't even know we had. I turn to her and she meets my eyes. She nods with a smile, as if telling me that this is what she wanted.

And that was more than fine with me.