Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24138 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 121(@200wpm)___ 97(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
And seeing my confusion, Fiona continues.
“I mean it could be your baby. B-but it could also be Ricky’s!” she stammers on the edge of hysteria.
Numbly, I back away from her a couple of steps and find myself sitting limply on the barstool by the kitchen island. I can’t look at her. I can’t think. All I can do is try to keep breathing and regain my composure. A few minutes ago, I’d been prepared to hear she just wasn’t that in to me. I was prepared to walk out of here with that loss, and to go back to my old life. Even though I would have never succeeded in that. I would have been forever marred by this experience, forever unable to fill the void that Fiona had created when she found her way into my life.
But now she tells me she’s pregnant with a baby that could be mine, but could also be my asshole of a twin brother’s? What the hell? Is this some kind of sick, twisted farce?
I’m vaguely aware of Fiona’s sobs a few feet away from me. I look up to see if she’s been pulling my leg. But all I see is fear - fear of losing me, fear of having Ricky’s baby, fear of not knowing what to do.
“Dylan,” she blubbers. “I’m so sorry.”
I don't know what to say. I feel like I should be angry at her, but I'm not. I’m just shocked and at a complete loss.
“How is this possible?” come my low words.
Fiona drops her head, looking miserable.
“Well you know I dated Ricky before I met you,” she says in an almost inaudible voice. “And he and I, well,” she says, taking a deep breath. “We had sex two days before I met you. Unprotected. And then I met you, and we had sex as well, also unprotected. So I’m pregnant but I don’t know who the father is,” she finishes feebly.
Holy fuck. What are the chances? I stand there stunned and unable to move. But then gears grind in my head and I practically lurch forwards.
“Let’s do a DNA test then,” I say before I really think about it. “Let’s just know for sure.”
But Fiona is shaking her head.
“I’ve already looked into it. Because you and Ricky are identical twins, your DNA is too similar for a paternity test to be of any real use,” says Fiona, wiping her eyes.
“Are you sure?” I demand. “There must be something we can do to find out.”
Fiona shrugs sadly.
“There is apparently some new kind of technology we could apply, but the accuracy of it is still pretty low. And even so, we’d actually need Ricky to provide us with a DNA sample and, well,” Fiona throws her hands up in the air in a giving-up gesture. “I can’t reach him.” Any hope I had seeps out of me. “I don’t know what to do,” says Fiona, and starts sobbing again. I want to go over to her and take in my arms, but I can’t.
“What do you want to do?” I ask her numbly. She doesn’t answer, but simply shrugs and shakes her head. Suddenly, fury strikes.
“How long have you known you’re pregnant?” I demand of her. She seems taken aback by my sudden change of tone.
“About a week,” she answers. “And you thought the best course of action was to call Ricky, but not me,” I continue.
She looks at me incredulously. “To get the DNA sample! Not because I want him around!” she defends herself.
“Even so, you don’t think maybe you should have told me as soon as you knew?” I demand of her. “I had to chase you down, Fiona,” are my harsh words. “When were you going to tell me? How long were you planning on keeping me in the dark?”
She looks hurt and confused.
“Until I figured out what to do,” she says, her voice small. But my fury continues unabated.
“You don’t think maybe I have a say in the matter? You don't think maybe we could try and sort this out together?” This seems to hit home. She looks at me, stunned. Clearly she hadn't thought about that. Maybe I was right all along. Maybe I really do care about her more than she does about me.
Of course that’s it. How could I have been so stupid? A nice girl like Fiona, so innocent and naive - what does she want with a corrupt businessman like me? All I’ve ever cared about was work: making deals and raking in the millions. No ethics. In fact, a lot of my stuff skirted the edges of legality. So why would she want to have a baby with someone like me?
“Dylan, wait,” she starts. “I’m just so confused. I didn’t think you’d be interested in having a baby with me if the baby wasn’t yours!” she explains.