“He just stopped by once or twice. Lily loves visitors. You know how she is.”
“Just once or twice?” I asked.
“Right, right. No big deal. Just a guy stopping by to visit his daughter.”
The air stiffen. Jess’s fork froze halfway to her mouth. Adam set down his wine with a shaking hand.
“W-What are you talking about?” Jess muttered.
I turned to Lily.
“Hey, sweetheart, who’s Adam?”
She said.
“He’s my real daddy!”
The silence afterward was total.
“It never felt like the right time,” Jess added.
I leaned back, still calm, too calm.
“When would’ve been the right time?” I asked.
“After I taught her to ride a bike? After the bedtime stories and the nightmares? Or maybe at her next birthday party, when you both would’ve toasted to ‘family’?”
No one answered.
“Look, man, I just wanted to be there for her.”
“For your daughter?” I asked.
“I didn’t want to destr0y everything,” Jess said.
“I was afraid. You loved her so much, and I didn’t know how to take that away.”
“You already did,” I said. “You just didn’t admit it.”
“You both have ten minutes. Get your things. Get out of my house.”
Lily’s lip trembled.
“Daddy?”
“Sweetheart, listen to me. I love you. I’m not going anywhere. You’ll always have me, no matter what.”
“Okay.”
I kissed her forehead and turned to Adam and Jessica.
“You heard me. Ten minutes.”
Adam whispered something about being sorry. Jessica couldn’t meet my eyes. I didn’t watch them leave. I just held Lily.
The next day, I filed for divorce.
We began paternity testing a few days later, but the truth is, I don’t care about the results. She’s my daughter. I’ve raised her, held her through fevers, danced with her in the kitchen. She’s mine.
Last night, Lily hang back bed beside me.
“Daddy?” she muttered.
“Yeah, baby?”
“I don’t want to play that game again.”
“Me neither. I’m sorry, my baby, you’ll never deal with again.”
She gazed up at me, her eyes wide and honest.
“Are you still my real daddy?”
I didn’t falter.
“I always have been. I always will be.”
She bobbed and rested her head on my chest.
