Dirty Little Secret

And it hits me. It all makes sense. I know why now. Why Brian had called me over here, why Chuck was heartbroken in the waiting room, and why Brian asked me if I had slept with Angel. It’s because her eyes are so green.

The same shade of green as mine.

But there’s no way she can be mine. We had used protection. And even if something had happened where it didn’t work Angel told me that she was already pregnant when we slept together. She told me that the baby was Chuck’s. Why would she lie about that?

My mouth goes dry as I try to find the words to say.

“So, do you still say that you never slept with her?” Brian mutters into my ear.

“Shut up, Bri,” I growl. “Is it okay if I talk to Angel alone?” I look at Brian, Val, and Myla with pleading eyes.

Brian and Val nod, but Myla glares at me. She’s obviously not pleased with me. I wonder what I did to piss her off.

“Please, Myla?”

“Fine,” she grumbles, getting up out of her chair and she stalks out of the room after Val and Brian.

I take a seat in one of the vacated chairs.

“Angel, what’s going on?”

“Her eyes are green,” she murmurs, almost as if she’s in a state of disbelief.

She refuses to look at me.

“I know; I can see that. Did she get them from Chuck?”

She shakes her head slowly.

“Does your dad have green eyes?”

She shakes her head again. “His are hazel.”

“Like Chuck’s?”

She nods, her eyes staring straight out in front of her.

There’s little point in asking if her mother has green eyes; with Angel’s eyes being the chocolate brown that they are it’s obvious that she got her dark eyes from her mom. Maybe a grandparent somewhere has green eyes?

“I’m sorry, Zacky,” she whispers, finally looking at me.

“Why are you sorry?”

“Everyone thinks that you’re the father…” she trails off.

“And we just need to tell them the truth; no matter how hard it may be for them to believe.”

She stares at me, almost as if she’s contemplating if I’m mentally sound.

“What’s wrong?”

“You don’t think she’s yours?” she asks softly.

“Why would I? You told me that she’s Chuck’s. And you wouldn’t lie to me about something like that. We just need to talk some sense into everyone else.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not going to work. Whatever we do, it’s not going to make them believe us.”

“Then we’ll do a paternity test.”

“What?” she squeaks.

I raise an eyebrow at her. “A paternity test. If they’re that desperate for the truth then we’ll just prove that Chuck’s the father with a DNA test. It’s simple really.”

“That’s not going to be necessary, Zacky.”

“Of course it is! He’s denying he’s the father simply because her eyes are green and his aren’t. It’s a stupid excuse!”

“Chuck’s not upset because he doesn’t think he’s the father.”

“Then why is he upset?”

“He’s upset because I lied to him.” She sighs. “Zacky, Chuck knows that he’s not the father.”

“What do you mean he knows that he’s not the father?”

“I mean just that. He’s not the father and he knows it. He’s known the entire pregnancy that he isn’t the father.”

A feeling of uneasiness begins to flood inside of me.

She’s not really trying to tell me what I think she is. Is she?

Not now. Not after six fucking months. Six fucking months that I could have spent with her, helping her through the pregnancy, and doing my job.

“Angel, what are you trying to tell me?”

“What I’m trying to say, Zacky, is that Chuck isn’t her father. And there’s only one man it can possibly be.”

“You mean--”

“Yes, I mean you, Zack Baker. You are her father.”