“Sorry, buddy,” I’d told him, smoothing down the spot where I’d taken the hair. “Just getting a soap bubble out of your hair. I was being too thorough.”
That explanation had satisfied him completely, and he’d gone back to chattering about dinosaurs while I sealed his hair in the bag with hands that weren’t quite steady. My son. The thought still sends something powerful through my chest every time I consider it.
I pick up my phone and dial Andrei’s number, knowing he’ll answer despite the early hour.
“Sir?”
“I need you to come to my office. I have something that requires your personal attention.” I hold the bag up to the light again, studying the evidence that will confirm what I already know with absolute certainty.
“On my way.”
Thirty minutes later, Andrei appears in my office, clearly having taken time to fully dress before walking here from his small house across the property. I hand him the sealed plastic bag.
“That hair sample needs to be processed for DNA comparison with my own profile.” I hand him a tube in another bag with a cheek swab of my saliva in it before settling back in my chair, watching his expression remain professionally neutral. “As fast as possible. Donate whatever it takes to expedite the process, but I want answers within days, not weeks.”
He examines the bags briefly before tucking them into his jacket pocket. “The lab I use for sensitive matters can have preliminary results within forty-eight hours if we pay for priority processing. This is about the boy?”
“This is confirmation of what we both already know.” I lean forward, resting my forearms on the desk. “I want it documented officially.”
“Understood. I’ll handle the arrangements immediately.” He pulls out his phone, then pauses. “There’s something else you need to know about yesterday.”
The tone in his voice puts me immediately on alert. “What happened?”
“The security team following Ms. Arden reported she visited a gynecologist’s office Friday afternoon and left the clinic holding a white envelope.” He meets my eyes directly. “Medical results, most likely?”
The information settles into my mind with devastating clarity. A gynecologist appointment could mean an annual checkup, but I’m certain that isn’t it. She emerged with an envelope containing some kind of results, and my mind fills in the blanks after seconds of contemplation. I think about how she’s been wearing a loose cardigan over her uniform, the careful way she touches her stomach almost absently, and how much lusher she was when we had sex again recently. Something was different, but I didn’t realize what then. I had no idea what the signs were, but it’s obvious in retrospect.
She’s pregnant. Again.
“Do you want me to obtain her medical records from the clinic?” Andrei asks quietly.
I consider this for a long moment, weighing the invasion of privacy against my need to know what she’s keeping from me. If Danielle is carrying my child, I have a right to that information. If she’s pregnant with someone else’s baby, I need to understand what that means for our situation with Leo. “Yes.” The word comes out harder than I intended. “Get the records. I need to know what we’re dealing with.”
He nods and pulls out his phone again. “Annie? I need you to prioritize a request immediately. Have your hacker get medicalrecords from Pacific Women’s Health for Danielle Arden, date of service yesterday afternoon.”
I listen to him coordinate the request easily, but my mind is elsewhere. The possibility that Danielle is pregnant with my second child changes everything about how I approach this situation. It means she’s been keeping another massive secret while I’ve been trying to figure out how to be a father to Leo.
“Both requests will be handled with highest priority,” Andrei says as he ends the call. “Annie’s guy should have medical records available within a few hours, and I’ll drop the samples for the DNA tests. The tech there said he can have preliminary results by Monday morning.”
“Good.” I stand and walk to the window, processing potentially going from childless to having two children in the span of a single weekend. “Have you given any thought to how we transition Leo into my life without traumatizing him and keeping him safe?”
“That depends largely on how cooperative his mother chooses to be.” Andrei joins me at the window, both of us looking out at the grounds where children might someday play. “If she fights you legally, it becomes complicated. If she works with you to establish a relationship, it can be gradual and natural.”
The conversation with Danielle last night suggests she understands fighting me isn’t an option, but understanding and accepting are different things. She’s terrified of my world, rightfully so after Volkov’s attack, and now she might be protecting two children instead of one.
“I’m going to spend time with them tonight.” I turn back to my desk, already planning how to approach the evening. “Nothingformal or threatening. Just dinner and time with Leo so he starts getting comfortable with me being around.”
“That’s wise. Children adapt to new situations better when they don’t feel pressured or rushed.” Andrei pauses at the door. “What about Ms. Arden? How do you plan to handle her concerns about safety?”
It’s a fair question. Danielle’s fears about my world aren’t irrational, and becoming a father doesn’t automatically make me better at protecting the people I care about. If anything, it makes me more vulnerable, giving my enemies additional targets to exploit.
“I’ll figure it out.” I meet his gaze. “The alternative isn’t acceptable.”
After he leaves, I spend the morning trying to focus on business matters, but concentration proves impossible. The DNA test is a formality, but the medical records from Danielle’s appointment could change everything. If she’s pregnant, I need to know how far along she is, whether the timing aligns with our encounters, and most importantly, whether she was planning to tell me or keep this secret too.
By afternoon, I can’t stand waiting any longer. Danielle said she needed time to think, but patience has never been my strongest quality when it comes to things that matter. I want to see Leo again, to start building the relationship we should have had from the beginning.
I stop by my favorite Italian restaurant and order enough food for three people, then drive to Danielle’s apartment complex with nervous energy I haven’t felt in years. This is uncharted territory for me, showing up at someone’s home with takeout,hoping to be welcomed into an evening routine I’ve never been part of before.
