Mariah's POV
I watch in my rearview mirror as he sinks to his knees on the ground as I drive off. Tears are streaming down my cheeks. Why did you do this to me, baby? What about us? Do I really mean that little to you?
I pull up to Las's house after a few moments. Her SUV is parked in the driveway. Good, she's home! I get Georgia out and stroll up to the front porch, ringing the doorbell, "Just a minute!" she calls out.
I stand there, waiting for her to open the door. Once she opens it, she has a big smile on her face, "Oh, my goodness, what a pleasant surprise."
I begin to weep, "Colie, what's the matter?" She asks as he pulls me in.
"Las, it's terrible. Dylan cheated on me."
She wraps her arm around my shoulder, "You two come on in. Tell me what happened."
She leads us to the living room and pulls out a blanket, laying it out on the floor. She takes Georgia from me and lays her down on the ground while giving her a toy to play with. Georgia rolls around, blowing raspberries and kicking her little legs, "So, Dylan worked late tonight, I assumed anyway because he didn't come home at his normal time. When I walk out to check the mail, I pull out a polaroid picture and a note left in my mailbox. The picture is of Suzanne Rafferty leaning over him at the bar, kissing his cheek. He is leaning forward, looking away from the camera. Then she leaves some snarky note that says she's pregnant and it's Dylan's. When he gets home, he is drunk and can barely stand. He was smart enough to call Maggie and her boyfriend for a ride home, at least. Maggie dropped him off, and Nate drove the truck back to our house," I explain.
She places her hand over her forehead, "Does he know you are here?"
I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket before I have a chance to answer her. When I look at the caller ID, I find that I have five missed calls from him, "Yes, and he's already called me five times. I've only been gone for twenty minutes if that."
"This makes no sense to me at all. I'm questioning the legitimacy of that note. I don't trust that girl as far as I can throw her. I think she's lying," She responds as she sits back in the chair.
"How do you think that, Las? What girl claims to be carrying someone's child if there's no possibility of it being true?"
"Some women are just evil and vindictive that way. She probably is just jealous of what you have."
I lay back on the couch, my eyes wet with tears, "Aunt Las, I feel like my heart has been ripped from my chest. I love that man with every fiber of my being."
She reaches out to pat my hand, "I believe he feels the same about you. Have you seen the way he looks at you? Christ Colie! I'm not a rocket scientist, but I see how he looks at you and how he looks at Georgia! Suzy has a horrible reputation around town. She's always causing drama. I'd take everything she says with a grain of salt. Tell Dylan to get a paternity test. If he's guilty, he will pussyfoot around the idea. If he's innocent, he will not hesitate," She suggests.
I sit there for a moment and contemplate the idea, "Should I call him and tell him?"
"I think you owe it to yourself and your baby to know what is really going on here. I just don't believe it. Not one bit of it."
I audibly sigh, "Can I stay here with Georgia until this gets straightened out? I'm not sure I can be around him until I know."
She smirks, "Of course, dear. I think that will drive him insane, though. I doubt he will leave you alone."
"True."
I push myself off the sofa and crawl onto the floor with the baby, "I don't know Suzy very well. I wonder what would possess her to lie like this if she is, in fact, lying?"
"Desperation, maybe?" she responds.
"Why would she be desperate to steal my husband and the father of my child away from me?" I ask.
She chuckles, "Well, have you met Charlie Vance?"
"No, is he bad?"
"He's a mean son of a gun. His whole family is rotten all the way to their core. She was messing with him the last I heard. He used to play football with Dylan in high school. She and Dylan were dating, I guess, and he walked in on them at a party having sex, is what I heard from Brie. She's a real messed up girl. Her Daddy ran off with his secretary shortly after, and her Momma has been a shut-in ever since. Suzy has had to step up and take care of her."
We are startled as my phone vibrates on the coffee table. I check the caller ID, and it's Dylan, "I better get this. I don't think he will stop until I do."
Aunt Las crawls onto the floor next to the baby, and I stand and walk off into the entryway to answer the phone privately. My heart is beating out of my chest, "Hello?" I answer.
"Baby, please, for the love of God, don't ignore my calls; you are ripping my heart out!" He sobs.
"What do you want me to do, Dylan? I'm lost."
"Please, listen to me. Come back home. I promise you I will find a way to prove that this is all false."
"How are you going to do that?" I ask.
"I will call Seth and have him go to Suzy's house with me and find out what the fuck kind of game she is playing," He responds.
"Ahhh, don't bring Seth into this. He has enough to worry about right now."
"What can I do, baby? How can I make this right? Please tell me. I'll do anything," He pleads.
"Get a paternity test."
I wait patiently for a moment for him to respond, "I'll do that. I know I am not the father. I have not touched that woman. You are the only one."
"Well, get that done, and we can figure it out."
"Come home, please," He begs.
"Nope, I will stay here until you get it done. You can come by after work to see the baby."
He begins sobbing loudly over the phone, "Dylan, please. This is hard for me to wrap my brain around. I want to believe you, but I have proof she's kissing you. Plus, you never told me why you went to the bar after work and got plastered. What's going on?" I ask.
"Okay, I'll explain everything. Seth asked me to go out for a drink after work. He said he was nervous about the baby coming and needed to talk. So, we both had a drink. Well, something I said to him pissed him off, and he stormed out of the bar. I decided to have a couple more drinks because I've been stressed out that I won't get to spend time with you when you start school. I've loved having you home with our daughter taking care of everything. It's going to rip me apart when you are so consumed with homework and clinicals that you won't have a lot of time for me. I just got scared, is all. Then I realized I had one too many to drink, and my head was spinning, so I laid my head down for a minute. Someone came over and rubbed my back. I lifted my head to see who it was, and I saw a flash out the corner of my eye. I looked over, and a chick I've never seen before took my picture. I turn back to find Suzy standing beside me with her hand on my back. I told her to get lost. She said something about her cousin in prison. I told her to leave me alone, and I called my sister and Nate to come and pick me up and take me home. That is the full story Ri."
"This makes no sense. Why would she go to this extreme to say you are the father if she knows it's false?" I ask.
"Honey, I have no fucking clue. I'm at a loss. I promise you I have not laid a finger on that woman, nor would I."
"Well, how do you think you are going to get her to agree to a paternity test? What if she says no?"
"She better not say no. You can't just go around accusing a man that you are carrying their child and expect not to have to provide proof. Not to mention, it will come back negative!"
"Alright, if you can show me proof that you are not the father, I'll disregard this picture and forget about it," I tell him.
"Are you going to come home with me now?"
I stay silent for a moment before I answer, "Do you think I can just go back to the way we were until I know for sure?"
"God Ri, you are killing me, baby. I mean, ripping my heart out. Please believe me," He pleads.
His reaction breaks my heart. I just can't put him through this; I need to have a little bit of faith in him. He's so pitiful right now, "Okay, we will come back home with you. I can't put you through that. Please just don't make a fool out of me, Dylan. I can't handle it."
"I won't; I promise," He responds.
"I'll be home shortly."
"I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere."
"Good, I should hope not since you have been drinking."
He chuckles, "Okay, Ri, see ya, baby."
"Okay."
I disconnect the call and walk back into the living room to sit down next to Aunt Las on the floor while she plays with Georgia, "I guess I'm going to go back home," I tell her.
"I think that's a wise choice. I really believe he's telling the truth."
"I don't know. He's almost pitiful right now. I can't believe he hasn't grown tired of me yet."
She reaches out to playfully smack my hand, "Oh, stop that talk. He's madly in love with you, dear. Plus, you are the mother of his child. He worships the ground you walk on. I think Suzy is just trying to get a piece of that action because she doesn't have what you have with Dylan."
"Okay, well, I guess I'll get Georgia and take her home. Thanks for talking to me, Las."
"You are welcome, sugar. Anytime," She says as she leans over and kisses me on the forehead.
I grab the diaper bag and pick up the baby; we bid Aunt Las farewell before I put Georgia in her car seat in the Jeep and drive back home.
A few moments later, I pull up to the house to find that Dylan is sitting out on the porch, waiting for me to come home. He gets up and stalks towards us as I park the Jeep. I hop out and unfasten Georgia from the car seat and find that she fell asleep on the way home. I walk towards the house, putting my finger up, letting him know she's sleeping. He places his hand on the small of my back and leads me inside. I feel a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach after he touches me. I don't want to be this way with him. I'm just hurt right now.
I quietly tiptoe through the house and lay Georgia down in her crib; he follows close behind me into her room. Once I lay her down, I bypass him, walking towards the living room before he grabs my arm. I spin around, my eyes wet with tears as I look at him, "Do you remember that time when you were sick and stayed home from work, and I came by to take care of you, and Aaron was there? Do you remember how mad I got and stormed off because I assumed the worst without hearing your explanation? I always wish I could take back everything I said that day, baby, and allowed you to explain. I'm asking for a little bit of faith from you on this that I should have had in you that day. I promise you will not regret that," He whispers.
I nod as he pulls me into his chest; I audibly inhale, breathing in his scent, "Okay, I have faith in you," I whisper.
He squeezes me tightly as he kisses the top of my head, "I'm hungry. Do you want dinner?" I ask.
"Starving."
"Can we just order pizza tonight?" I ask.
"Sounds good to me."
"Okay, I'll call and have it delivered. I don't feel up to getting out anymore tonight," I tell him.
"Okay."
I walk past him and grab my phone to call the pizza place, placing an order for delivery. Then I drag myself into the living room to lie down on the sofa. I'm just exhausted, both mentally and physically.
He follows me, lifting my ankles, and sits down at the foot of the sofa, placing my legs over his lap before he begins to massage the pads of my feet, "Your feet are like ice," He says.
I begin to squirm because my feet are so ticklish. I have my phone up to my mouth, and I bite my bottom lip to keep from grinning. He takes his fingers and tickles the bottom of my feet, and I jerk them out of his grasp, giggling, "Ahhh, you know how ticklish I am!"
He immediately lunges on top of me, pinning me down, "Don't you think about leaving me again, do you hear me? I need you and my daughter like I need air to breathe."
I cover my face with my hands as the tears begin to well up in my eyes. He reaches up to grab my wrists, pulling them down to uncover my face, "Baby, I'm so sorry this is happening, but I'm going to make it right again, I promise. You never have to worry about me; there isn't a woman on this earth that holds a candle to you. You have my heart forever. Don't you ever forget that."
I wrap my arms around his neck as he leans in to kiss me, "We will get through this like we do everything else. Together," I tell him.
"Together," He responds.
He begins to leave a trail of kisses from my neck down to my navel. I writhe in pleasure beneath him as he pulls my shirt above my breasts and rolls his tongue around my nipples. I lay back, enjoying the sensation of his tongue against my skin. He stops for a moment as we hear a faint whimper in the other room, and I begin to chuckle, "Sorry, I think she's probably hungry. It's been about four hours since she's fed."
He lets out a soft growl, "Well, okay, I'll go take a cold shower, and when she's done eating and you and I finish dinner, then I am gonna eat you."
As I stand up and walk towards Georgia's room, I flash a cheeky grin, "Oh, really, is that so?" I ask
He smacks my ass as I walk by, "Yes, it is, Mrs. Hudson."
As I leave the living room, Georgia's whimper becomes a cry; I dart into her room, pick her up from her crib, sit in the rocking chair, and feed her. The pizza comes a few moments later, and Dylan had just gotten out of the shower, looking sexy and irresistible as always. He teases me because he knows the impact he has on me, especially when he's fresh out of the shower. I don't know what I'm going to do if, by some chance, this paternity test comes back that he's the father. I guess I will cross that bridge when I get there.
Dylan's POV
When I get out of the shower, I decide to call Seth while Ri is busy with Georgia. I pick up the phone and dial his number, "Hello?" he answers.
"Hey buddy, I need a favor."
"Okay," He says.
"Well, listen, after you left the bar tonight, Suzy started some bullshit and got a picture of me with her leaning down and kissing me. I was hammered and had no idea what was happening. I told her to get lost, and she finally did but not before she had someone take the picture and put it in my fucking mailbox with a note saying she's pregnant with my kid. I never laid a fucking finger on that dirty old broad. Ri stormed off with Georgia and went to her Aunt's house. I got her to come back, but I need your assistance, buddy," I tell him.
He snorts, "What the fuck is up with these dirty old conniving women?"
"I don't know, man. The only way I can make this right with Ri is to get a paternity test. This is the only way she agreed to come home. I know she doesn't want me to get you involved, but I need to, man. I don't know what else to do."
"What do you need from me?" He asks.
"I need you to be there with me when I approach Suzy about this horse shit! I need mother fucking answers, and I need them now."
"Do you think she will cooperate, man?"
"Well, she better fucking cooperate! I don't know what kind of game she's playing, but it's gonna stop right fucking now. She will not ruin what I have with Ri."
"When do you want to do it?" He asks.
"Tomorrow after work."
"You think Mariah will be okay with all this?"
"It's the only way, brother. I have to get this knocked out, man," I tell him.
"Alright, let me know."
"I will, man. Later"
"Later," He responds before I disconnect the call.
That evil woman is going to have to start explaining herself. I'm going to fix this baby. If it's the last thing I do, I will fix this.
The next morning, I let Ri know what I'm planning to do about Suzy. She wasn't too thrilled about involving Seth, but I explained to her that it was the only way, and I need someone there to make sure she doesn't throw around any false accusations against me. After work, Seth and I drive by Suzy's house. Thankfully, her car is in the driveway, and I don't have to confront her at work. I pull up, park behind her car, and hop out. I march directly up to the front porch with Seth following behind me and knock on the door. She opens the door, a look of shock crosses her face, "Oh... hey boys," She says.
As I look inside, I can see her Mom lying on the sofa. She looks absolutely terrible. Her hair is matted, she is still wearing a ratty old robe, and her face is sunken in. Wow! She looks totally different from what I remember, "Suzy, I need to speak with you," I tell her.
She opens the door further, "Okay, well, come on in."
Seth chimes in, "Nope, you come outside."
She is playing innocent, but she knows why I'm here. This girl is a piece of work. She smiles, "Okay, fine."
The minute she shuts the door, I lay into her ass, "Alright, Suzy, what the fuck kind of game are you playing?!" I yell.
She sticks her nose up in the air and turns her head, "I don't know what you are talking about."
"Okay, so you leave my wife a note that says you are pregnant, and it's mine. Then you leave a fucking polaroid of you leaning in and kissing me at the bar that you blatantly set up. What I want to know is when was it that I supposedly knocked you up? We haven't been that way since fucking high school, Suzy!'
"Can't we just talk in private?" she asks quietly.
"No, we can't talk in fucking private, you trifling evil wench!"
"It was a joke, Dylan!' she cries out.
Seth exhales audibly, rubbing his face with his hands, and turns around, "A joke!? What the fuck do you mean a joke!?" I cry out.
"I mean, it was a joke. Look, I'm still mad at her for getting my cousin thrown in jail."
"I'll be damned! You actually think that it's my wife's fault that your crazy ass cousin is in jail?"
"Yes, she has done nothing but make my life hell since she's been here!" She says tearfully.
"How is that so? Enlighten me, Suzy!"
"Well, I was trying to win you back, then she showed up and stole you from me!"
"She didn't steal anything from you because you and I will never be! Do you understand this? Never! You are a disgusting, vile piece of garbage! I regret ever dating you at all! She is my WIFE! Get used to it!"
She drops to her knees, weeping, "Are you really even pregnant, Suzy?" Seth asks curiously.
"Yes, I am!"
"Who's the father?" I ask.
"It's Charlie's! He said he wants me to get rid of it. He says he doesn't want a kid."
I do my best to keep my temper at bay, but I'm infuriated at this point, "So, you tell my wife that the kid is mine... for what reason?" I ask.
"Because I need help! I'm desperate, and I don't know what to do! I never thought it would go anywhere anyway. I mean, you are all still together, right?" she asks.
"Yeah, well, here's the thing, she left me when she saw the photo and the note because she actually believed your fucking lies. I got her back home, but the only way to clear this up is if you take a paternity test."
She belts out a maniacal laugh, "What the fuck is so funny?" Seth asks.
"She wants you to have me agree to a paternity test? She's so naïve; I mean, why don't I just leave another note with, haha! just joking!"
Without realizing it, my entire body is overcome with rage, and I snap before lunging towards her; Seth jumps between us, pushing me back. Now, let me make something very clear. I'd never lay a finger on a woman, not even her, after all she's done but God Damn, I was going to let her know I meant fucking business!
She scoots back on the porch, attempting to get away from me, "Let me tell you something right fucking now, Suzy! This is not a joke! You are going to agree to the paternity test. Then you are going to stay as far away from us as humanly possible. As a matter of fact, I may get a restraining order against you! You will never speak or even look in the direction of myself or my wife again; you got that?" I yell.
She nods reluctantly, her eyes wet with tears, "Set that up, Suzy, and I'll pay for it. You better call tomorrow, or I'll be a thorn in your ass! My whole family will be! Then we can move on, and you can stay the fuck out of my way. You got it?"
Seth stands over her, sneering, "You are a piece of work, Suzy!"
She pulls herself up to a standing position on the porch, "I feel fucking terrible for that kid you're carrying. I mean, they got a piece of shit father and a lyin ass mother. They are doomed before they even get started!" I tell her with a snarky undertone.
"Ahhh! Fuck you!" She cries out.
"Nah! I'll pass you dirty old cunt!" I yell as I storm off the front porch towards my truck, with Seth following close behind me.
Seth and I hop into the truck and drive back to my house, where Ri is anxiously waiting for us to arrive. Seth and I had to break the news to her that Suzy admitted it was just a joke. She cried her eyes out because, apparently, my wife has such a good heart she only wants to see the good in people. She gives people like Suzy too much credit.
The next day I get a call from a laboratory center to pay for the paternity test and go to a local center to provide a cheek-swab sample. I let Ri know, and she decides to go with me. They said the test would take three to five days to get the results. It's a legal test, so it would hold up in court if need be. We wait five days, and a copy of the results are emailed to us. The test results show the Probability of Paternity is 0%. The alleged father is excluded as the biological father. We were so elated that this nightmare was behind us. Now that the Suzy situation was dealt with, we had another issue that needed to be dealt with, Mariah going back to school...