The results of the paternity test arrived in the mail and came in a manila folder. Angel stands by my side when I open it. My hands tremble as I pull the sheet of paper out. I glance down at the probability of paternity and see the percent of 99.99. The paper falls from my hands as I drop to my knees and burst into tears.
Angel scoops me into his arms, snatching the paper from the floor. He reads the results out loud and hugs me tight. "Darrius is your father, brown eyes."
"I know."
He wipes at my tears. "Happy tears, I assume?"
I nod.
He hugs me tighter. "I'm happy for you."
I sob harder. "I never imagine this. I wanted this so badly. I finally found a piece of myself. He's my father."
"You should call him and tell him."
I pull out my phone, find his number and call it.
He answers on the second ring. "Hey, sweetheart. How are you?"
"Dad," I croak.
"What's the matter, Eden?"
"Dad, the paternity test came back positive. You're my biological father."
"That's good, honey. That's wonderful. I never doubted for a second."
Angel holds me as I sob.
"Eden," my dad whispers softly. "Honey, breathe."
Inhaling, I blink the wetness from my eyes.
"You should come over today. I'll introduce you to Kam and Anna. They're excited to meet you."
"I'm on my way."
Angel drives me to my dad's house. My father lives in a beautiful residential neighborhood where the vibrant country houses are enclosed with picket fences, the manicured lawns are green, and children ride up and down the sidewalks on their bikes and rollerblades.
My father envelops me in his strong arms when I step out the car. "I love you, my precious girl."
I press my face into his chest, inhaling his scent. "I love you, too."
He invites us into his home. His wife is beautiful in a blue dress. She has short curly hair and big brown eyes. She greets me warmly with a tight hug, welcoming me into the family. My dad calls Kam from upstairs. I stand at the bottom of the stairs, looking at a young version of my father climb down. He has the exact brown eyes I do. He smiles ear to ear when he sees me and runs down the rest of the stairs and right into my arms with enough force to knock me off my feet. We land on the floor with our arms wrapped around each other.
"I'm glad I have a big sister," Kam says.
I'm crying and kissing his head. "I'm glad I have a younger brother."
Kam rises and helps me up. "We have so much to catch up on." He leads me to the living room. Their living room has family pictures on the walls and comfortable furniture. He ushers me to one of two leather armchairs that are pushed toward each other, divided by a small wooden table that has a notepad and pen in it.
"We're going to play twelve questions," Kam says. "It's like a short interview. This gives me a chance to know you better. Plus you're doing me a solid. This is actually a project for communication class. Can you help me?"
"Yes, of course. I'd love to help you."
"If you find any of the questions invasive or too personal, you don't have to answer."
"It's okay," I say. "I promise to do my best."
Anna comes in to hand us a glass of cold lemonade and she puts a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on the table. My dad tells me that he and Angel are going into his office to talk. I'm curious of what that conversation is.
"Question one, how old are you?"
"I just turned twenty-eight October second."
He smiles. "Happy birthday."
"Thank you."
"Question two, what's your favorite color."
"I never really had one but these days I love black."
"Question three, what's the name of your favorite music band when you were younger?"
"I loved Three Days Grace."
"Question four, what's your favorite place to vacation?"
"Anywhere a beach is."
"Question five, what's it like to be famous?"
"Amazing yet terrifying. I'm fortunate and that does not go under appreciated. But it can be annoying. Luckily, I live in Ravenwood where the townsfolk could care less about my fame. It doesn't matter here if you're an A list celebrity, you still have to stand in line at the supermarket like everyone else. No one here ever offered me special treatment. Not once did I ever get to skip the line at the supermarket. I'm grateful for that. Things work differently in Hollyweird."
"Question six, what's your biggest fear?"
"Losing my loved ones. Family means everything to me. Family above everything."
"Question seven, what's your biggest regret?"
I stare down at the cubes of ice floating in my glass. "I left my youngest sister five years ago. I should've never left. She needed me and I failed her."
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"Question eight, have you ever broke the law?"
I shrug. "I have done things I'm not proud of. But I've never internationally broke the law."
"Says every criminal in America."
We laugh. "So very true."
"Question nine, what are you known for?"
I have to ponder for a moment. "From a personal standpoint, I'm very protective of the people I love. So maybe I'm known to be a little over protective. But in the outside world I'm known for modeling."
"Question ten, what's it like to be adopted?"
I sigh and bite into a warm cookie. The chocolate chips melt on my tongue. "I love my family. I adore my parents, and again I'm grateful that my parents decided to add me to their family and home. It's a wonderful feeling to be adopted and to have a family to support and love you. We're just like any other family. We have our ups and downs but we remain a united front."
"Question eleven, what's it like to be raised by white parents?"
I stare at the half eaten cookie in my hand. "When I was younger my parents made sure I was secure in my own identity. I grew up in a predominately white community. White schools, white neighborhoods, white churches. Not to mention my parents are famous and wealthy and that put them in a league of their own. That also made things a little more isolating. I was often the only black person around."
I take a sip of lemonade. "But my parents were smart. They involved me in the black community as much as possible. They sent me and my older sister who is Japanese to live with families of our own race for a summer just to develop our sense of self in our own identity. I became more aware that some people will judge me on the color of my skin alone before ever getting a genuine chance to know me. I think when families adopt black children or even have biracial children, the parents should get them involved in black communities. My parents didn't pretend to be colorblind and they never ignored my blackness. I was blessed enough to have my white parents embrace me and my ethnicity."
He smiles. "They sound awesome. Okay last question, what's it like to find your biological father?"
"It's like finding a missing puzzle piece of my soul. It's like watching the sunrise set the sky on fire. It's like watching the stars reflect on the ocean. It's beautiful. I love that we finally found each other and are in a place where we can build a relationship. I have you, too. I couldn't be happier."
"Thank you, Eden, for helping me with my project. Everybody's going to freak when I present."
"Thank you for wanting to have me."
He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You should come to my basketball game. I'm really good."
"Of course. I'll cheer really loudly."
"We're all happy you're in our lives. I think it's dope that I have a big sister."
"You're a pretty amazing kid, you know."
Kam smiles.
Angel and I have dinner with them. We sit around a table and Kam entertains us with stories about the shenanigans at his school and his classmates. Angel reaches over and holds my hand. I glance at him and grin. I've never felt fuller.
***
John and Ashely are out at dinner. Or at least I assume they are. She had on a snug scarlet dress that matches John's bowtie to his suit. They might be going to The Zebra, the most expensive restaurant in Ravenwood. I've kept tabs on them after Angel drove me back home. I snuck away from Angel and my parents and caught a cab to a park near John's house. I left the park and found a bench that had the perfect view of John's house. He has a nice house in a quiet neighborhood. When I used to live with him, he kept a spare key under a flower pot on the porch. That's the first place I look when I'm on his porch. That's the privilege of living in safe communities. You can practically leave your front door unlocked without anyone stealing anything from you. This is the safe illusion wealth sells you. In reality these private communities is just as vulnerable to burglary as any other neighborhood. I snatch the key and unlock his front door.
I head up the stairs toward their bedroom. I need proof that Ashely is after me. I'm sure she's written down her rotten intentions somewhere. I open the chest of drawers, searching for any notepad or journal. There's nothing in her panty drawer and sock drawer. There's a photo of them posed together, embracing like nothing could ever tear them apart. The picture is in a silver frame on their bedside table. I stop and clutch it in my hands.
I can't believe John is falling for Ashely's manipulation. She doesn't love him. She doesn't even like him. She tolerates him because she's using him to get back at me. The same goes for my sister. Ashely isn't Emily's friend. She never will be.
I'm rummaging through her bedside table drawer when I hear a car pull up to the front of the house. I run to the nearest window in their bedroom and peak out the blinds. John's black Lexus is parked in the driveway. John and Ashely get out the car. She leans into him as they walk up to the porch. He unlocks the door.
I find the most cliché place to hide—under their bed. I'm thankful that it's mostly empty beneath. I shut my eyes, trying to slow my breathing. Footsteps come up the stairs. Their voices fill the room.
"I'm sorry you're not feeling well," John says.
The mattress dips a little when she sits on it. "I just need to lie down. I was feeling fine a second ago. This nausea came from nowhere. I don't know what happened."
"Lie down and relax."
"I really wanted to go to dinner with you."
"It's okay. We'll go out another time. Let's concentrate on making you feel better. Do you need anything?"
"A ginger ale and some saltine crackers."
"I have to go to the store. Rest while I'm gone it won't take long."
"Okay."
"Call me if you need anything else while I'm out."
"I will."
His heavy footsteps trail down the stairs and out the front door. His car cranks and he drives off.
I release a breath and Ashely stands.
"You can come out now, Eden. I know you're under there."
I have no idea how she knows I'm here. I didn't do anything obvious to give my presence away. I tuck my pride in a deep volt and crawl from under their bed. Ashely has the look of a disappointed mother on her face.
She puts her hands on her hips. "Leave now and I won't call the cops."
My fists clench. "But I'm not the one doing anything wrong. I was just trying—"
"Leave, Eden."
I step forward and she takes a step back, her hands protectively shielding her stomach. I stare down at her flat belly with pure rage coursing through me.
I swallow thickly and fight the wave of increasing panic. "Are you pregnant?"
Her brows draw together and she takes another step away from me. "That's none of your business. You have to leave. Now. I will call the cops, but don't make me. You and your family have been through enough."
I take another step toward her.
She snatches her phone from the bedside table, her furious gaze on mine. "Leave now. You don't get another warning. Think about how upsetting this will be for Emily and your parents. Think about how this is going to look."
Having my father arrest me for trespassing is the last thing I need. Without saying another word, I run down the stairs and fling myself out the front door. I glance up at their house as I jog down the street. Ashely is staring at me through the window with a face void of emotion. The eerie blankness in her expression reminds me of a kid I once saw. The child ripped the legs off a spider without ever blinking. The child was merely curious if the spider would survive such a brutal attack. The little psychotic sadist crushed the mortally wounded spider under the heel of his little foot after he got bored with the results. The spider lived before the child smashed it to death.