The Curve Ball - Samantha Lind Page 0,22
the results of the test in front of me. The lab has confirmed that you are, in fact, Evelyn’s father, so congratulations!” he says joyfully into the phone. The emotions of the last two days hit me square in the chest. Everything confirmed, and this little girl who was dropped on my doorstep and has quickly wormed her way right into my heart is mine to keep forever. “As we discussed before, I’ll move forward with filing for full custody on your behalf. I had a conversation with Logan and think that it’s a good idea if we have him release the statement to get out in front of this.”
“I’ll do whatever you guys think is best. I just want to keep Evie safe. When do you plan to file the paperwork?” I ask, taking a seat on one of the barstools tucked under the counter.
“I’ll file first thing Monday morning when the courts open.”
“Okay,” I say, blowing out a huge breath. Having the results of the test has lifted an enormous weight from my chest that I didn’t even realize had been there.
“Do you have any further questions for me?” he asks.
“Any luck with tracking Erica down?”
“Not that I’m aware of. If we don’t make contact by Tuesday, I planned to get our PI on the case to track her down. The courts will also want her found to serve her with the custody paperwork.”
“Sounds good. Let me know if you need anything else from me,” I tell him.
“Will do, and if you hear from Erica in the meantime, please let me know.”
“I can do that.”
“I’ll be in touch on Monday once everything is filed,” William tells me.
Holy shit. I’m a dad.
“So…” Riley prompts, a massive smile on her face. I didn’t even realize she’d left the room, but she now has an alert Evie in her arms.
“It’s confirmed, she’s mine forever,” I tell her.
“Yay! Did you hear that, Evie girl? You’ve got yourself a daddy forever, baby girl,” Riley says as she dances around my kitchen with my daughter in her arms. I can’t keep the emotions inside any longer and find myself laughing at their antics as tears stream down my face.
“How about some snuggles and love from your daughter?” Riley says, coming to stand next to me. She hands Evie over to me, and I pull my daughter in, holding her tight to my chest as I let the tears fall. I’m not even worried right now that I’m a fucking emotional mess in front of Riley. I know she’s not going to be out telling anyone about this moment. I look up and see her wiping at her own eyes as she watches the two of us. “Congratulations, Justin. She’s lucky to have you.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m the lucky one,” I tell her honestly.
“So, does this mean that you’ll be stopping the man-whore ways of the past?” she asks. Her question isn’t said in a mean way, but I can hear the curiosity lacing her question.
“I guess it does. I’ve got to set a good example for my daughter,” I tell her honestly. What I don’t tell her is that the only woman I’ve even thought about warming my bed lately is her. I haven’t even thought about another woman in the past couple of days.
“I’m sure you’ll do a great job at that,” she says, and I know she’s being honest.
“Thanks,” I tell her as my phone starts to ring again. I look down and see that it’s my mom calling, and I realize at that moment that I haven’t talked to my parents in a week. They have no clue the events of the past two days, so I’m about to blow their freaking world.
“Hey, Mom,” I greet as I answer the phone.
“How’s my favorite son?” she asks.
“I’m your only son,” I deadpan as I always do when she says that.
“Semantics,” she says, humor lacing her voice.
“Hey, Mom, is Dad around? I’ve got something that I want to talk to both of you about.”
“Yeah, he’s out in the garage puttering around. I can go grab him.”
“That’d be great, then let’s switch over to FaceTime,” I suggest.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, and I can tell she’s worried now.
“Yep, it is great,” I assure her.
“Paul, come in here. JJ’s on the phone and wants to talk with both of us.” I hear her call out to my dad. “He’s coming, switch us over to FaceTime.” I hand Evie over to Riley and hit the button