The Curve Ball - Samantha Lind Page 0,10
the test will be processed as a priority.”
“Thank you. The quicker, the better,” I reiterate.
“Will do,” she states before William sees her out for me. He returns a minute later and takes a seat at the table across from me.
“Once we have the results, as long as they confirm that you are Evelyn’s father, I’ll file with the courts for full custody. Do you want me also to petition the courts to revoke the mother’s rights?” he asks.
“Um, I don’t really know.”
“The courts aren’t going to like the fact that she abandoned the baby on your doorstep, but it is up to you if you want to start that process.”
“Let’s wait,” I tell him. I have no clue what Erica’s intentions are, and I’d hate to start something when she needed help and didn’t know what else to do.
“All right, if that’s what you’d like to do, then we’ll wait. Once we have the results tomorrow, I’ll be in touch,” William states as he stands, offering me his hand before he turns to leave.
“That wasn’t so bad,” Riley says as she shakes the veggies in a bag, coating them with something.
“Nope, hopefully, we’ll have some answers sooner than later.”
“Do you think there’s a chance the test might come back negative?”
I pull my ball cap off my head and run my fingers through my hair. It’s getting a tad bit long, so I make a mental note to get it cut. “I guess there’s always the possibility, but I also think she looks like me. And the timelines match up to when we were together,” I answer honestly.
“I will agree that she looks a lot like you, so I’d be shocked if the test came back negative.”
I watch as Riley moves around my kitchen effortlessly. She looks at home in here, like she belongs here, and that thought hits me square in the chest, almost taking my breath away. “What are you making?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Just a one sheet pan dish. Some veggies, potatoes, and chicken.”
“It looks good.”
“One of my favorite easy meals to make,” she says, spinning to place the pan in the oven. “It will be ready in about forty-five minutes.”
“Perfect,” I tell her as I stand and go over to the swing. I stare at the control panel for a moment until I figure out how to turn it off. Once it comes to a stop, I unclip Evie, thankful that the buckle on this thing didn’t require a fucking engineering degree to work, and cradle her in my arms. Holding a baby is still foreign to me, but Derek assured me today that the more I do it, the easier it will get. “Does she need to be changed or fed soon?”
“She might need to be changed, it’s been almost two hours since I last changed her, and after that, she’ll probably want a bottle. Would you like me to make you one?”
“That’d be great. I’ll go change her while you do that.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Riley says, flashing me that pretty smile again. I cradle Evie in my arms and turn for the living room. I snag a diaper, the wipes container, and a pad thing sticking out of the diaper bag and drop it on the couch. I lay her down gently and follow every step Riley taught me to properly change a diaper. Thankfully, no surprises happen during this diaper change. I’ve seen friends get peed and shit on by their kids and can only hope that never happens to me.
“Who’s a good girl?” I say quietly to Evie as I zip up her outfit. She looks up at me with big, curious eyes. With her dressed, I toss the changing pad thing and the package of wipes back towards the diaper bag then prop her up on my legs that are up on the coffee table. She looks around, content as can be. I slip my finger into her hand, and she grasps ahold of it with a death grip. A moment passes as I just take her in. I have no idea if what she’s doing is normal for babies this age, but I have to assume it is or else I’m sure Jillian or Riley would have mentioned something.
“Who’s ready for a bottle?” Riley asks in a sing-song voice as she enters the living room. Evie turns her head to the sound of her voice. I know she’s excited, as her little legs start kicking as her tongue starts