A couple days later, Chris and Ian were driving over to Virginia; where his daughter lived with her adopted parents. After a lengthy discussion, Chris knew that he had to see her. He knew he wouldn't dare spill the fact that he was her biological father, because she had her own family, but all he needed right then was to see her. It was a risk, but he knew he wouldn't be able to carry on.
Glancing up at the sun's welcoming rays at the sky, Chris then turned to look at Ian who sat beside him in the passenger's seat, gazing out the window.
The sadness that clouded around him was something he couldn't escape. It laid and covered like dirty snow over every of his other emotions, graying his spirit and tainting all that could bring him joy and relief. His once hearty laugh had become hollow and the smile that had been so quick to light his face was now only a mask to protect him from what he truly felt inside. He sat there, feeling his heart crackling like glass with each second that passed, spreading its pieces throughout his body. Chris could hardly bare the sight as he watched him lift his hand to rub his eyes together, before sighing and turning his attention back to the road.
He was broken and he had been that way for the past four days. Usually Chris was the one who constantly went through all the problems in life and Ian would be the one to step in, but it was a very different case then. One of the many things that they both shared in common was that they were both two very passionate people, who gave their all to everything and whenever they loved someone, they loved with every fiber of their emotion, and most of all with their hearts. Their strong sense of an undying love was something that ran in the family, even with Phillip. Despite how much pain that person causes them and how much they suffer because of it, they still continued to love until it kills them, and for Ian that had come full circle.
Despite how much pain Miranda had caused him in their relationship he still continued to love her. He once saw her as this beautiful goddess who would forever remain untouched in his heart, but now it was the compete opposite. The pure hatred he now felt for her was something he couldn't even put into words or contain inside. Being a father was something he never thought of, due to how he lived his whole life and how unstable he was, but he wished he had gotten a chance to be one. He wish he had gotten the chance to be there at her birth, to see her first smile, to see her take her first steps, to hear her first words, to spoil her the way he knew he would've and more importantly to promise her that he would always protect and take care of her. He wish he had gotten a chance to do all those things, without it being taken away from him without him knowing. Up until four days ago he didn't know he had a daughter, he had no idea that somewhere in the country was a six- almost seven year old little girl who shared his blood and everything, and knowing that he couldn't go get her easily as she was being raised by another family, was what killed him the most inside.
"You okay?" Chris spoke up a while later, as he shifted his eyes from the road and turned to face him.
Ian ran his hand down his face, grasping his under eye bags from the lack of sleep for the past couple days. "I can't do this, turn the car around" he murmured quietly as his breath hitched.
"You've asked me to turn the car around and go back four times now in the past hour... you need to at least see her" he said.
"And do what? watch her from afar for however long and then turn around and drive back home and never see her again?... or do I go to her adopted family, tell them that I'm her biological father who didn't even know she existed up until Friday and beg them for me to be in her life... they'll never let that happen. I may be her real dad but they've raised her for the past seven years, I can't compare... I didn't even know about her" he sighed, leaning further back in his seat.
"And that's not your fault..." Chris trailed off, gripping onto the steering wheel. "I know that if Miranda had told you about the pregnancy you would've stepped up and been a good dad and she would've made you a better person then. This is Miranda's fault, and she'll pay for everything that she's done to you" he said briefly. "What's her name again... your daughter?" he questioned.
"Alexis..." Ian replied, gazing ahead. "Marshall... that's the last name of her adopted family". He pulled out a small photo of her from inside his pocket, before going to hand it over to him.
Chris flickered his eyes away from the road to glance down at the picture. She had his light blue eyes, his dark hair and most of all his bright charming smile. She looked like his twin and the more he stared down at the picture, the more it felt like a huge part of him was now missing and possibly never to be replaced.
Two hours later, they arrived in the middle of Virginia. The sun gradually fills the sky, creating a warm glow in the atmosphere as they slowly stepped out the car.
They turned their heads to look around the place, before focusing their attention on the huge park across the street; which was holding a little girls Soccer game. Chris shifted his head back to look at Ian as he anxiously swallowed a hard lump in his throat, whilst he ran his hand across his forehead. He walked over seconds later to wrap his arm around his shoulder and to help him relax. After a brief moment, they then turned to walk across their street, taking their time along the way.
As they reached the park, they stood further away from everyone, watching the soccer game, before narrowing their eyes to the parents who stood cheering on from the park bleachers.
Chris darted his eyes around the park, till his eyes landed on her a few minutes later. He watched as she ran around the field to get to the ball with a wide grin on her face. Seeing her right before his very eyes was different than seeing a picture of her. To her they were strangers, bystanders even who had stopped to watch the game just like everybody else and having no idea they were her biological family. The more he gazed over at her, the more he began to wonder what would've happened if Miranda had told Ian about the pregnancy and hadn't given her adoption. He knew that she would've made Ian happy no doubt, but he wondered if having a little cousin around to protect would've changed his stance on things growing up. He wondered if she would've made him happy too and if he would've been able to create a special bond with her that he was never able to with his parents growing up. He wondered if they would've been close, close enough where they would be able to tell each other everything. There were an endless of what ifs that ran through his mind as he reeled in what could've been with the little cousin he had always wanted.
After a short while, Chris rotated his head to look at Ian as he held his gaze directly on her, not looking away, and he could tell he was thinking exactly the same thing he was.
His eyes were locked on her, almost like he was scared to look away. It was so powerful that you could feel the overwhelming emotions that overtook him right at that very moment. His heavy eyelids a fraction too slow to blink, his irises too stationary. It was as if his brain was suffering a massive short circuit and was struggling to compute. Unlike Friday night, he held himself together as he continued to watch her run around the field, even though he felt like he was on the edge of a breakdown. It was like he was watching his life flash before his eyes and not being able to do anything about it. It was a constant bittersweet torment .
The game came to an end 10-15 minutes later. Some of the little girls ran over to their families on the bleachers, but they watched as Alexis dribbled the ball with another girl who they assumed to be her friend as they laughed along together. Moments later, she accidentally kicked the ball in their direction, before lifting her head to look over at the both of them.
As the ball slowly rolled over to them, Chris watched as Ian crouched down to grab hold of it. Seconds later, he lifted his head up to see Alexis walking in their direction and their nerves began to rise.
"Uhm, hello... can I have the ball back, please?" she spoke politely and innocently placing her arms behind her back. Up close she was so beautiful and precious that they found it difficult to take their eyes of her.
As Ian fixated his eyes directly at her, Chris watched as the two held eye-contact for a brief while not saying anything. He needed not to say anything, because he knew this was probably the only moment he was ever going to get with her, and although it was cut short, it meant more to him than anything; getting to look deep into her light blue eyes that resembled his and admire her soft, delightful face and having her look back at him, was everything and more that he could've asked for.
"You played really well out there" he spoke up, trying to hide the slight crack in his voice as a small tragic smile plastered on his face.
"Thank you" she replied as she slowly swayed side to side
"Are you the captain of the team?" he asked, unable to leave her eyed.
She glanced up at Chris who sent her a warm smile, before turning her attention back to Ian. "Yeah, but I have to stop playing, my daddy says soccer classes are really expensive" she said, as her lips began to pout. "Can I have my ball back, please?".
As the words 'Daddy' left her mouth, Chris noticed the expression on Ian's face began to slowly drop and was replaced with a disheartening look. He was about to speak up again to say something to her, but before he could, he was stopped by the sound of someone calling her name from behind and he quickly looked past her to see a middle aged man heading in their direction.
"Daddy!" she turned around to run over to the man; who quickly picked her up and spun her around. They watched as he placed multiple kisses all over her face, whilst she playfully laughed out loud trying to turn her head away Chris glanced down at Ian as he fixated his eyes on them with a desolated look plastered all across his face as he steadily held the ball in his hands. She was happy, more than happy with the father she's known ever since she was a baby and ht realized that there was nothing he could do to ever change or ruin that.
"That was a good game, honey" the man uttered, placing one more kiss on her forehead, before going to look back at Chris and Ian. "Go to mommy and Jake, daddy will be there soon and we'll go get whatever you want to eat to celebrate your big win" he said, placing her back down on the ground.
"Okay, daddy" she turned around to take the ball from Ian, who handed it over to her, and they watched as she ran over to a blonde middle aged woman carrying a toddler in her arms; who they assumed to be her mother and baby brother.
They watched as the woman bent down to give her a hug and a kiss, before taking her hand and leading her out the park and over to their car, before turning they turned their attention to her adopted father who stood staring at the both of them.
"I gotta say, its not everyday we expect to see people like you here" he spoke up, taking a step closer to them as he held a friendly smile on his face.
Chris glanced at Ian who slowly got up from the floor, before speaking up. "You know who we are?" he questioned.
"Of course, you're more popular than you think, your father and your brother; Phillip Dalton was a famous business man who donated to a lot of charities including mine, everybody knew who he was, I'm very sorry for your loss" he uttered as Ian slipped his hands in his pockets, whilst lowering his head slightly. "I'm Fred Marshall, I believe you already met my daughter, when you gave her back her ball, thank you, you know she's usually very shy with strangers".
Chris watched as Ian hung his head low, almost like he was thinking of something, before he lifted his head back up seconds later to speak up. "She's very talented with Soccer... we heard that she has to stop playing due to how expensive classes are, so if you don't mind we'd like to pay for it and for everything else regarding her School and other social activities that she likes to do" he said as he brought out his wallet to pull out a check book and a small pen, before going to write an amount.
"Oh no, I couldn't ask you to do that. Its quite alright" Fred chuckled as he held his hands up in the air.
"No, I insist, please" said Ian as he ripped of the page of a check book before handing it over to him.
As he reluctantly and hesitantly took it of him, his eyes rapidly widened at the amount written. "No, this is.. this is way too much. $750,000? that's almost $1 million. I can't possibly accept this. I-I mean you don't know me or my family, this is something that I can't possibly take" he spoke nervously, stuttering on his words as he stared down at the amount on the check.
Chris glanced at Ian as he stared directly at him not saying anything. For a brief moment he could see it in his eyes that he wanted to tell him the real reason why he had given him such a huge amount, but he knew the outcome of it. He was a nice man, nicer than he expected it to be and he loved his daughter in the way he wish he could've. He couldn't possibly do anything to take that away from him, despite the overbearing pain and anxiety in his heart.
"We'd also like to help set up your daughter's College fund and help pay for it, that is if she does decide to go to College when she's a little older" Chris spoke up, as Ian slowly nodded his head in agreement "Before you say anything or ask why we're doing this, its more than we can do. She's a special little girl and you have a beautiful family, plus I know money can be a big issue sometimes so think of it as nothing, please". said Chris.
Fred held open his mouth in shock. He glanced back down at the check amazed and in astonishment, before flicking his eyes back up to them. "I-I don't know how to thank you for this, this is so generous of you both, you didn't have to do this" he spoke, holding out his hand for them to shake.
"Please, you don't have to thank us. Just take care of your family, more importantly your daughter. Like my nephew said she's a special little girl..." Ian replied, trying to hold back the tears that swarmed his eyes.
He thanked them one last time, before turning around to walk away.
Chris stood behind Ian and placed his hand on his shoulder as they watched him hurry over to Alex and his wife who were stood beside their car waving at him. Ian slowly lifted his hand to place over Chris' as a tear rolled down his eye, but he quickly lifted his other hand to wipe it away.
"Its gonna be okay... she's happy" Chris whispered as they watched them get in the car.
"He's a better father to her than I could've ever been. Miranda and I would've probably made her life a living hell with the way we were. She deserves this normal life with her normal family. I couldn't interfere with it and tell him who I was because it would ruin everything. I just want her to be happy, forever, even if that means she never finds out who I really am to her" said Ian as he tried to hold in more of his tears.
"I'm proud of you..." Chris trailed off, going to stand in-front of him. "Before I never thought you could sacrifice this much. I admire you, and I love you, and just know its gonna be okay, I'm here for you forever, through ever step of the way".
"I know... I love you too" Ian replied as more tears rapidly filled his eyes, before they pulled each other in for a long comforting hug to release all of the emotions they were feeling.
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-Michigan-- A few hours later-
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Precious was stood inside the bathroom of a fast food restaurant as she washed her hands in the sink. It was Gabrielle's birthday today and they had gone out to eat.
As she heard her phone ringing inside her pocket moments later, she quickly reached for a napkin to dry her hands, before going to pull out her phone. As she glanced down at the Caller Id to see that it was Chris, she smiled to herself before clicking accept and answering.
"Hey" she spoke up, holding the phone up to her ear.
"Hi... sorry I couldn't talk earlier, but I saw your texts" he replied. From the background noise, she could tell that he was driving.
"Its okay, I was a little worried and just wanted to know if you and Ian were already in Virginia... did you see his daughter?" she asked, going to lean beside the sink as she waited for his response.
"We did. We're on our way back to New York and he's asleep right in the passenger's seat" he stated briefly.
"Is he okay? what happened?" she asked.
"She plays Soccer, just like he used to when he was a kid and she's good at it too. They had a little moment where they talked a little and we also met her adopted father and wrote him a check" he explained as she listened on. "I didn't know if he was gonna tell him that he was her biological dad at first, but at the end I knew he wouldn't. She looked really happy with her family and he's still hurt about not being able to be with her himself, but he sacrificed a lot today... it took a lot out of him. He's not gonna be himself for a while, but that's okay".
Precious rested her hand on her lip as she breathed out a deep sigh before speaking up. "I can't believe his ex girlfriend would do something like this to him, its just not fair... but I'm glad he at least got to meet her" she muttered.
"Me too..." he replied.
She held the phone closer to her ear and lowered her head to glance down at her shoes. "What about you, are you okay?" she asked. "I mean you always told me about how wished you had a little brother or sister or cousin growing up, and you've had one for the past seven years and didn't even know about it" she uttered.
"It sucks, but she's happy with her family and that's enough for me" he said as a small smile lingered on her face. "Beside, I have Ralph. He cries a lot, but he's a great kid. It feels strange to call him my little brother and my God son at the same time, but that's exactly what it is" he muttered as she turned around to look at herself in the mirror, listening to the deep soothing sound of your voice.
"I don't know how you manage to get him to stop crying. I've heard it over the phone several times and I swear I can barely hear myself think" she said as they both snickered with laughter.
They paused in comfortable silence for a brief while, till she spoke back up.
"I can't wait for you to come back to Michigan next month... I just remembered you haven't been back here in a while" she murmured quietly.
"So can I... I can't wait to see you again" he whispered as she felt her heart rate instantly quicken. "And of course see your film, I can't wait for that too" he uttered as she lowered her head and smiled. "I know its gonna be great, but if it is terrible, I hope I'm not the only one standing and clapping at the end of the credits".
"Hey..." she laughed, pushing herself off the sink. "I promise its not terrible... but then again I did make it in two weeks and rushed most of the editing process".
"So I'm guessing its pretty awful then, huh?" he teased.
"You know what, you're just gonna have to see it for yourself and try not to judge" she chuckled lightly.
"I'll try not to... " he drifted off. "Listen, I gotta go. My battery's running low and we have about three and a half more hours till we get back to New York, if the traffic isn't too much. I'll call you later when I get home" he said.
"Alright, drive safely, I'll talk to you later" she replied.
As he said his last goodbye and hung up on the other end, she slowly lowered the phone from her ear and placed it back inside her pocket. She lifted her head up to look back at herself in the mirror for a few more seconds, before turning to head out towards the bathroom door. As she strolled out, she then turned to walk back to her and Gabrielle's table, before taking her seat opposite her in their booth.
"Hey, sorry I ate some of your fries in the bathroom," Gabrielle spoke up as she scrolled through her phone.
"Its fine, it is your birthday, you can have the rest of it if you want, I'll buy some more when we're leaving" she smiled, sliding the fries over to her. She watched as she continued to scroll through her phone for several more seconds before speaking back up. "So uhm... Will isn't coming is he, please tell me you didn't invite him. I know its your birthday but, I just don't want him for you Gab you deserve better, and I know you're gonna say its none of my business but-"
"Will isn't coming, I broke up with him" she quickly interrupted, lifting her eyes up from her phone.
"What? when?... you didn't tell me" Precious questioned as she leaned further out in her seat.
"I broke up with him over the weekend, and its no big deal. I just realized he treated me like shit and I didn't deserve that and he doesn't deserve me" she shrugged, before going to sip on her drink.
Precious furrowed her eyebrows in slight confusion. She leaned back in the booth and pursed her lips together as she watched Gabrielle carefully for a brief while as a strange thought came into her head. She tried to push it away, but the more she watched her from across the booth, the more she couldn't help but wander.
"Uhm Gabrielle, can I ask you a question?..." she trailed off. "I can't believe I'm asking this and its no way of me being insecure or not trusting you, but... do you feel some type of way for James?" she asked as Gabrielle rapidly snapped her head back up to face her. "Its just that for weeks I've been begging you to break up with Will for your own good. I told you everyday that he doesn't deserve you, but you never listened and James told you the exact same thing I've been telling you on Friday and you listened to him and finally dumped Will?... its not just that, but the way you always pick fights with him and get under each other's skin, I just wondered if-"
"Precious, girl c'mon" Gabrielle laughed loudly, cutting of her sentence and drawing some attention to their booth. "You're asking me if I'm feeling James, do you know how ridiculous that sounds? first of all uh uh, you know James grosses me out and not to mention I'm only into black guys, second of all that's your boo. I ain't some kinda shady bitch that's trying to steal my girl's man, you're paranoid and so wrong" she chuckled, picking her phone back up from the table.
"I'm not paranoid, I just-"
"Girl... you're worrying about nothing. I broke up with Will because I felt like it, not because James told me I deserved better" she scoffed, before glancing down at her phone. "I'm your best friend, I'd never do shit like that to you, you know that".
Precious stared across from her for a brief while, before breathing out a heavy sigh and speaking up. "You know what I don't why I asked that question... its your birthday, I don't wanna do anything to ruin it, I'm sorry just forget it" she breathed out once again, going to pick up her drink from the table.
Gabrielle slowly lifted her head back up from her phone to face her before speaking up. "Mhm... what about you?" she asked.
"What about me?" Precious replied, arching her brow up.
"Well do you like James?" she questioned.
Precious furrowed her eyebrows confusingly, whilst pursing her lips together. "What do you mean? he's my boyfriend".
"I know, but do you like like him? like are you in love or something?" she asked.
The two held eye-contact for a brief while, before Precious turned to look elsewhere for a few seconds. "I like James, or I wouldn't be in a relationship with him, but its too early for love" she replied briefly.
"But didn't you tell me that you fell in love with your ex boyfriend, you know the one who drew that portrait of you, a month after talking to him and getting to know him? you and James have been together for a month and-"
"Every relationship is not the same, Gab. I don't need to explain that to you. And please don't compare my two relationships together, I don't do the same to you" she spoke, trying not to get annoyed by the second.
"Alright, alright, I'll mind my business... I'm sorry" she quickly apologized, raising her hand in the air.
Precious shifted her eyes away from her and leaned further back in the seat before she turned her head to the side to face the window. She breathed out a deep sigh and watched the rain splatter down on the sidewalk and allowing her mind to drift off somewhere else.
End of Chapter 26.