Enemy's Secret - Ashlee Price Page 0,70

storming over in front of her. "Because I'm fucking baffled. And the way you called me to come over like this was some goddamn emergency..."

I'm tired of this 20 questions game. I want to know what the fuck is up. Now.

She rises, then sits down again in a single exhale. "I'm... trying to make sure this is the right thing." She looks at me sadly. "You never pushed it on asking me who Madison's father was."

"I wanted to know." I shrug. "You didn't want to tell me."

"Yeah, well." Her lower jaw trembles. Her whole body starts doing it too. What the hell can be this bad? Is the father someone I know? "I don't know how to say this, but she's yours."

My head jerks her way. "What?"

No fucking way.

She stands up again, starts pacing, eyes fixed determinedly ahead. "I know, it's just - the way you broke up with me. And how against kids you were. I didn't want Madison having a father like that. I didn't want you to be in her life just out of some twisted sense of obligation, not even wanting to."

"You're saying - " I snarl, standing in front of her so she has to stop. Has to look at me. "You're saying that... all this time... all these fucking years... I had a daughter? We have a daughter? Madison is my..."

I trail off, falling onto the couch.

Jesus fucking Christ. No wonder she seemed so familiar. No wonder we got along so well.

Holy fuck.

By now, Kyra's paced herself to a corner, peering over her shoulder at me like she's afraid to. "I'm so, so, so sorry, Landon. I understand if... after this... you don't want to - "

"Don't presume that you know what I want," I snap, getting up and sitting back down again. "You've been doing that this whole fucking time and look at where that's got us. Jesus, Kyra, I missed years of her life. Years. Does Madison know?"

Little nod. "I told her earlier today. She was mad too."

"No shit," I snap. "What were you thinking, Kyra?"

Her chin juts up, her glare boring into me, her voice quiet. "I was thinking that I wanted to spare her the pain I felt when you left. I was thinking I'd spare her the disappointment, the bitterness."

"You can't make everything about that," I argue, storming over to her. "You can't use that to justify everything. Are you really trying to justify this?"

Kyra's glare sags, then she turns away. "I don't know. No, you know - it wasn't right. Not telling you. I know it wasn't. I've wanted to tell you for weeks, over a month now. Even before, part of me thought..." Inhale. Exhale. "But do you know what? I thought of Pamela, and how sad she was when her dad finally came back into her life. How horribly sad she was, with how he'd miss their dinners, drop off the face of the Earth for months at a time. I was just trying to protect Madison, make sure she didn't have to go through that too. I'm sorry, but that's how it was."

Her words are peeling away my rage. They make sense. Too much sense.

But I don't want fucking sense right now. I just want some clarity.

"I'm going to want to see her," I say, half-angrily, half-wearily.

Jesus, I have a daughter.

Kyra nods. "I know. It's probably for the best."

I frown at her. "Damn straight it is."

I swallow, make for the front door.

My hand on the cool silver handle, I pause. "You know, Kyra, what I did was wrong, horrible. But this was pretty fucking terrible too."

"I know," she says softly. "After this, do you think... we can..."

"I don't know," I say. Don't you glance at her. Not a fucking glance. "This... well, this is big. Way bigger than anything I can get my head around right now. I'm not sure I can trust you anymore. Or ever again."

She says nothing, because there is nothing to say to that.

"Night, Kyra," I say, walking out into it.

I get into my Porsche and drive home. The roads are empty, the lights are green and I drive as fast as my foot will dig into the gas pedal.

A kid... I have a kid. Jesus.

A kid. A daughter. An actually cool kid.

And Kyra... how could she not tell me for so fucking long? Especially after we started seeing each other again.

Back at home, whatever's left in the fridge - mainly from Nolan stopping in - I eat. Leftover pizza, cookies,