Chapter 320

Olivia

The envelope sat on our kitchen counter, unopened but not forgotten. Its presence seemed to suck the air out of the room. I looked at Nathan, who had been staring at it since we walked in.

“You wanna be the one to open it?” he finally asked, his voice filled with a combination of both curiosity and caution.

I chewed on my lower lip and thought heavily for a moment, my eyes flicking back to the envelope as I weighed the options. “You know, I think we should wait for Layla,” I finally said, after deciding that doing it now wouldn’t be right. “We should all be here for this, don’t you think?”

Nathan met my gaze, his eyes searching mine. “You sure?”

“I think it’s the right thing to do,” I said. “It affects all of us, not just you and me. I think she’d want to be here to hear the results in person.”

He nodded, a look of relief washing over his face, almost as though he was more happy than anything to put it off for a little while longer. “Alright, let’s invite her for dinner,” he said. “We’ll do it tonight.”

“Tonight it is,” I confirmed, already pulling out my phone to send Layla a text.

…

I stared at my reflection, my fingers carefully navigating a mascara wand through my lashes. A swipe of blush, a dab of lip gloss. It felt strange to be dressing up for a dinner that held so much uncertainty.

I pulled my hair into a loose bun, leaving a few tendrils free to frame my face. Just as I was contemplating whether I should add a bit of eyeshadow, I saw Nathan’s reflection appear in the mirror behind me.

He came up behind me and placed his hands gently on my shoulders. The tension I felt from him was palpable even before he sighed deeply.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked, setting down the eyeshadow palette and turning to face him. I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from him.”

He took a second before speaking, his eyes meeting mine through the mirror. “I’m just unsure about all of this, Liv,” he said quietly.

“You don’t have to be sure about it,” I said. I gently placed my hand over his and offered him a gentle gaze. “It’s okay to be just as lost as everyone else.”

“I know. It’s just…” He paused, letting out a deep sigh. I watched as he headed over to the bed and sank down onto the edge, passing a hand over his face.

“If the results say I’m the father,” he finally continued, “then what’s the next step after that? I will gladly handle child support, that’s not the issue. But it’s not just about money, you know? I’d want to be in the kid’s life as more than just a distant biological father who sends money.”

I could hear the conflicting emotions in his voice, and my heart went out to him. It was clear that all of this had been roiling around in his mind for a while now, and likely eating away at him. Likely, it would be another thing that would need to be addressed in therapy. If we went, at least.

“And then there are the twins,” he continued. “How will they understand or feel about having a half-sibling? Not to mention the confusion surrounding my relation to them, and the fact that their biological father is in prison. And what about Layla’s fiance? What if he can’t handle me being in the picture? What if he leaves her? I can’t just let Layla struggle on her own.”

The what-ifs hung heavy in the room. I stood up from the vanity stool and turned to him, taking his face in my hands. “Nathan, whatever happens, I’m here for you,” I said gently, my eyes searching his. “If Layla’s son is yours, then we will figure it out. Even if that means Layla moving closer to us. Whatever the situation demands, we’ll manage. Together. But there’s no point in asking all of these questions right now.”

Nathan was quiet for a few moments, his eyes flickering with understanding. I felt his hands work their way around my waist, as if holding onto me for support. “You’re right,” he murmured, standing to his full height again, towering over me. “I should just take it one step at a time.”

I smiled. “That’s all any of us can do. And that’s okay.”

He looked down at me, his eyes filled with a blend of relief and lingering doubt. “You’re too kind, Liv. Most women would be resentful, annoyed, or outright angry about this whole thing.”

I shook my head, pulling him closer to me. “Maybe that would’ve been me a few years ago, but not now. I’m not a jealous teenager anymore, Nathan. This is life, and it’s messy. What matters is how we deal with it.”

His arms went around me, drawing me into a hug so tight it pushed all the air out of my lungs. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” he murmured into my ear.

“We deserve each other,” I whispered back, feeling the tension in his body start to melt away.

The air between us shifted subtly, becoming electric, charged with an emotion that needed no words. He leaned down to kiss me, softly at first, then with a growing urgency that pushed away, at least for a moment, the complex reality waiting for us outside this room. Our hands found each other, our fingers intertwining as if drawing strength from our shared touch.

He broke away first, resting his forehead against mine. “I feel better, even if just a little.”

“Me too,” I admitted. “Now, let’s go face this, whatever it is, head-on.”

…

The tension was thick in the air as Layla walked into our home that evening. Nathan had prepared dinner, opting for something simple—grilled chicken with steamed veggies, a neutral choice given the emotionally charged atmosphere.

“Hey, guys,” Layla greeted, her voice a bit shaky. “Thanks for having me over.”

“Of course,” I said, taking her coat and hanging it up. “Make yourself at home.”

We sat down to eat, making small talk about everything but the elephant in the room. The twins were fast asleep in the nursery, giving us plenty of space to handle the matter of the paternity. Layla complimented the food, Nathan thanked her, and I offered her some wine, which she graciously accepted.

Finally, the meal was over and the dishes were cleared. There was no avoiding it any longer.

Nathan looked at both of us. “Shall we?”

We both nodded, and he fetched the envelope from the counter. We all gathered in the living room, taking a seat as Nathan held the envelope in his hands. My heart pounded in my chest; Layla’s eyes were glued to the floor, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

Nathan tore open the envelope and unfolded the paper inside. His eyes scanned the lines of text, widening as he reached the final sentence.

The room went still. The air, already thick with tension, felt suffocating now. Nathan looked up, his eyes meeting mine first, then shifting to Layla.

“I’m the father.”