The DNA result is the same. 99.9% and my heart is threatening to explode. It shouldn’t fucking matter but it does. That 0.1% makes all the difference. I curl against the window, eyes closed as the car glides out of the parking lot.
She must be mine.
She has to be my daughter. We have the same nose, his nose.
“Thanks,” I hear myself say to Enzo once the car stops. I am home.
My heart beats in my throat, I jog up the stairs and pause in front of the door. I run a hand over my face and hair to appear cool. I have been away from them all day, the best I can do is look okay for their sake.
The door opens before my fist connects with it to reveal the girls dressed in black tuxedos and matching blue bow ties. They don’t appear fazed or excited by my appearance and their expression worries me.
Today is Friday, nothing special about it. Bren steps forward to collect my briefcase, Wyn opens the door wider and flashes me a toothy grin. I must be overthinking this, I do that a lot.
“Welcome,” they chorus.
I stop, watching them dart for the stairs with a bounce in their steps. Something is up. Their greeting is incomplete and my girls didn’t notice. Welcome, who? I didn’t even get a welcome back hug or a peck. I am still the best daddy, right? Shit. Where’s Elna? Is this because I failed to return her missed calls?
Wyn stops at the foot of the stairs to throw me a glance. The briefcase dangles in Bren’s hand, she offers me a saccharine smile that chills me to the bones. They are not so much of Daddy’s little girls right now.
“Hurry up,” Bren snaps.
“Yes, ma’am,” I whisper, shuffling towards the pair. The little munchkins don’t pay me a lick of attention, I might as well have been a walking wall beside them. Their silence is unnerving. “What’s happening?”
They push the door to my room open, not a single word spoken to me and my heart plummets. My confusion heightens, slowly morphing into an odd fear. I did everything right this morning. Dropped them off at school, took El to work.
Did I miss something? Today is no one’s birthday. No PTA meetings.
The bedroom is empty, that unfamiliar fear crawls up my spine, trying to suffocate me. El should be here. I take another step in with them standing at the door, waiting like an impatient parent for their stubborn child. Why do I feel like that child? Bren drops my briefcase by the wardrobe, I turn to them.
“Where’s Mummy?” I ask, pulling off my tie. I yank my shirt open, causing some of the buttons to roll to the floor. My hands remain busy to ease the nerves creeping up on me. “Wyn? Bren? Where’s Mummy?”
“She’s fine.” Not what I asked but I nod. Today has been hectic, I don’t care to argue. Bren motions to the bed where a suit has been laid out. “You have to change, then we will take you to her,” she says. This is it. This is why I need a son so I am never set up by these girls. We can even out this unfairness. “Smile, Daddy.”
A corner of my lips twitches and my pulse quickens. Finally, I have been recognized.
My bath barely lasts ten minutes. The girls offer me privacy to change, counting the seconds aloud until I am done. I am dressed in similar attire without the bow tie, nervous as hell as we exit the room. Their hands slide into mine, I am a bit comforted at the brief smiles they send me. It’s just Elna, I’ll be alright.
Rose petals appear in my line of view, my steps falter but they urge me on. The contrast between them and the white tiles is almost startling, I forget all about that when my nose picks the scent in the air. I have lived here for far too long, used this dinning room a couple of times but it has never smelt this nice. This feminine. It means one thing, El is close. My insides knot with anticipation, I match the girls determined strides.
They don’t release their grip on me, I might have run off if they did. We stop at the sliding doors leading to the balcony, I try and fail to think of my crimes. Each time, my conscience assures me I am innocent. I did nothing wrong. The thin curtain prevents us from seeing outside and my heart pounds so hard I fear it will burst out of my chest.
Bren taps me, her poker face stops me from voicing out my question. It has always been fun to see these little ones intimidate people but when that look is directed at me. Damn.
I squat to their level. Wyn is the first one to kiss me as her hands slide around my neck and my shoulders sag under the weight of my relief. Without a single doubt, I know these mischievous girls are mine but they had me for a moment.
That DNA result is fucking with my mind. What if I ask Sophia to run it a third time?
Wyn steps aside for her sister to take over. Bren giggles and ruffles my hair, causing strands to fall over my forehead. They can put my hair in a mohawk if they want. As long as I will always receive my kisses and hugs from them, I’m good.
“Daddy,” Bren says, putting the stray hairs away, “Mummy is waiting.”
Her statement trips off alarm bells in my head. Do I look okay? I am wearing shoes inside the house. Not crocs or slippers. Shoes I would wear to the office, meetings or dates. Is this a date? El promised we would have our date during the week but I have been too busy to remind her. We have both been busy.
With the amount of work promising to suffocate me, I am ready to cancel my subscription on adulthood. It’s too much at once with little breaks. Taking a big gulp of air, I step into the balcony and my worries desert me.
I don’t have a favourite colour but looking at El in this blue dress wrapped around her body like a glove, I know blue will be my most preferred colour. I want to cover the distance between us. Kiss her, hold her, breathe her in but my brain decides staring at my hot wife is the right thing to do so my feet glues to the floor. I don’t—can’t move. All I do is gawk. Watch her chest rise and fall, her fingers move on the screen of her phone.
El’s gaze finally lifts from her phone, a ghost of a smile flits across her lips and my breath catches. It’s not a full smile but my heart is a mad galloping horse. I will serve her my heart on a platter if she whispers it. Wifey bridges the gap, her long hair rustles gently with her movement. I am too lucky a man to have her.
She smoothes the invisible creases on my shirt, I grin foolishly at my beautiful wife. Yes, she can touch me there and everywhere. “Took you long enough,” she says, placing a chaste kiss on my lips. Her lips are a taste of heaven, I grin harder. What the fuck is wrong with me? I must look like an idiot. My limbs finally resist my brain, my arm slips around her waist and I pull her flush against me. “Stop smiling like that.”
I press another kiss to her lips, she slaps my chest gently and ducks her head. She’s the cutest when she’s shy but I want her eyes on me. I hook a finger under her jaw. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
My hungry gaze trails her curvy frame, failing to move past her chest. The deep V cut of her dress sends a tingle to my groins, her nipples poking the satin material like two beady dots have my tongue wetting my lips. This gorgeous woman belongs to me. Elna Amahle Stark. I spin her in a slow circle, eyes ravaging her backside. She grows hotter everyday and I’m just plain old Brandon. How the hell am I keeping up?
Her giggles tickle my ears as she comes to a stop and the twitching in my briefs intensify. She swats the hand reaching for her breasts and a frown takes over my lips. Her body belongs to me. “But I missed you.”
“Or you missed my boobs?” she retorts.
A groan tunnels out of my throat. I want shy Elna back. “Both. Your boobs is you.” She raises her brows. “You are your boobs. Yeah. They are a part of you, an extension of you.” I know I need to stop talking when she purses her lips or I might risk sleeping on the couch. Besides, I am spewing trash. That’s how much she disorients me. I swallow the rest of my words, bringing my nose to her neck. “I missed you.”
She pulls away from the hug to smile at me, arms on my waist. “Missed you too.” Tugging me towards the table, she occupies the seat closest to me and my hand settles on her knee. “How did the girls do?”
“Too well.” I shudder at the thought of their game face. I like them better when they smile. “How did you get them to do that?” I believe the girls fear El more, I am so whipped by them. They know that, they use it to their advantage. Kids are manipulative but I still want more of them. My fingers crawl up her thighs, I arch a brow when she hisses. She is yet to answer my question. “They freaked me out.”
The cheeky minx giggles and my heart flips. I am a goner. “Promised them a sleepover at Elena’s,” she grits out. Inches away from her warmth, my fingers pause and her disgruntled sigh elicits a small smile from me. I don’t like Elena but sometimes, we need a small break from our girls. Couple’s time. “Don’t stop.”
I caress her inner thigh, her head falls back. She bites her lips and grabs the table. Perfect, beautiful fuckable sight. “They can always go to Joshua’s.” He is my brother, I trust him not that creepy woman.
“There’s nobody of the same age grade at Josh’s apartment.” El pushes my hand a little further, closer to her entrance. My fingers brush her panties, she sucks in a breath. “They will get bored easily.”
El pouts, silently asking me to return to my duties but I don’t budge. “You know where Josh lives?”
A deep frown mars her face, she eyes me like she’s contemplating her reply. “Don’t you?”