Naomi refused to tell me anything else over the phone, so I made plans to meet her in person. After we ended our call, all I could do was suffer in a cesspool of uncertainty and unknowns.

Your sister wanted to tell both of you about Stevie's real dad.

Was Naomi lying to me?

Or was she being honest?

I stewed over these questions for most of the day before finally snapping out of my stupor. With the weight of Naomi's words looming over me, I called Gray later that evening. This news felt too important to keep to myself. His phone rang twice. It didn't take long for him to answer.

"Hey, Gracie."

A shiver of pleasure ran through me as the deep, soothing timbre of his voice reached through the receiver to tease my senses. As always, I fought against the magnetic hold that Gray seemed to wield over me. I was dating Andrew. I shouldn't be thinking about Gray in this way or his sexy voice. At all. But Naomi's admission left me in a state of confusion where I no longer knew what I wanted from Gray. Or from Andrew.

I didn't know what to think, what to believe, about our situation anymore.

If Gray wasn't Stevie's father, then who was her actual sperm donor?

One of Lydia's exes?

Some random guy she hooked up with for fun?

Had Gray even fucked Lydia?

Or had my sister lied about everything?

I admit, I was on the verge of spiraling. Big time. I didn't have the luxury to lose control, though. Not with Gray on the other end of the receiver, waiting for me to say something. Anything. Pushing aside my inner turmoil, I cleared my throat and forced my attention back to our conversation.

I mumbled, "You got a minute to talk?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"Actually, do you think you can come over?"

"Right now?"

He sounded surprised.

"Y-Yeah," I replied in shaky tones, "I feel like you need to hear this kind of news face to face."

"Shit," Gray muttered under his breath. "Is everything okay, Gracie? Nevermind. I'm on my way. Tell me when I get there."

My chest tightened with unease. "Okay, see you in a bit."

He seemed to sense my distress and reassured me, "Don't worry, I'll be there soon."

Once Gray hung up, I was left to brood on my own once more.

Could this sudden plot twist be a sign from the universe?

If so, the author of my story certainly possessed a sick sense of humor. My poor, overworked brain spiraled some more.

Fuck, what if Gray had never betrayed me?

What if there had never been anything standing in the way of our happily ever after except for our own shortcomings as individuals?

Maybe Andrew wasn't the one for me, after all. Guilt tore through my conscience. For months, I had been struggling to let go of my troublesome feelings for Gray. Andrew was such a great boyfriend. We were so good together, but I knew that I was being unfair to him. Instinct railed against logic. My heart sensed that Andrew and I didn't belong together even though our relationship felt damned near perfect—

Stevie began to whimper from her crib, interrupting my chaotic reverie. I went to check on her and changed her diaper. Afterward, I read Stevie a few board books while she cooed and giggled on my lap. I kept my emotions in check and plastered a smile on my face even though I was dying inside. I refused to project my anxiety onto my baby girl.

Twenty minutes later, a knock rapped at my front door. I answered it with Stevie on my hip. Stevie smiled, babbled happily, and reached for Gray the moment she saw him.

He took Stevie in his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, princess, Daddy missed you so much."

Daddy.

The word triggered a spike of panic in me.

How was Gray going to react once he learned the truth about Stevie?

Would he choose to stay in our lives despite the fact that—

Instantly, my mind shut down, unable to complete the worrisome thought, and my heart crumbled at the possibility of losing Gray all over again. Yet, in all fairness, I recognized that he'd be completely justified to walk away from Stevie and me if Lydia had, indeed, lied to him.

Gray coughed. "Did you want to talk first, or..."

I winced. "We should probably wait until Stevie goes to sleep. This conversation will require your full attention."

His gray eyes rounded out with concern. "Gotcha."

Over the next hour, Gray helped me with Stevie's nighttime routine. He bathed her while I fixed her bottle. By 8:00 pm, she was sound asleep. Gray and I snuck out of her room and settled onto the couch in my living room.

My heart rate sped up like a motherfucker. "So, Naomi called me today."

Gray frowned. "Naomi? As in Lydia's friend?"

"Yeah."

"What did she want?"

My throat went dry as I summoned the courage to keep going. "She wanted to talk to me about Stevie."

His entire body tensed up. "What the hell did she have to say about Stevie?"

I averted my gaze. Dismay washed over me. "She believes that Lydia may have lied to us."

Gray's jaw ticked once. Twice. "About what?"

I glanced back at Gray with a face full of trepidation. I took in a deep breath. Let it out. Then, the bitter truth slipped from my lips like acid. Like vomit.

"About you being Stevie's dad."

The fuck?

My life flashed before my eyes for several beats. A cold sweat chilled my skin. I must have misheard her. I blinked several times to clear away my confusion and asked, "What did you say, Gracie?"

Her beautiful brown eyes glimmered with anguish. In the softest, gentlest tones, she murmured, "Oh, Gray..."

"Yes?"

"Ever since Stevie was born, you've been her dad in every way that matters, but..."

I demanded, "But what?"

Gracie's voice grew faint when she answered, "If what Naomi told me is true, then Stevie may not be your biological daughter."

My heart wrenched inside my chest as I protested with every fiber of my being, "That's not fucking possible. Stevie is mine. She looks so much like me. She loves me, and I love her. I-I—"

Gracie pointed out, "You never got a paternity test, though."

Her remark felt like a punch in the gut. My face fell. Gracie wasn't wrong about the paternity test. Suddenly, I felt like the world's biggest fool. A real fucking chump. I never asked for DNA proof when it came to Stevie, and Lydia never brought it up. After my drunken encounter in the bar with Lydia, I simply assumed that our one-night stand had led to an unexpected pregnancy. When I questioned Lydia about it, she had sworn on Gracie's life that I was the only guy she slept with during that time, so I believed her. Back then, I was still stationed in Afghanistan, and I felt so ashamed about what I had done that I never even thought to challenge Lydia's word.

A barrage of doubt seeped into my mind. The room began to spin. I struggled to find my voice. "That's true, I never got tested to see if I was Stevie's dad. I believed everything Lydia told me because... because..."

Gracie closed her eyes in pain. "You didn't think she'd have the balls to lie to you, right?"

Lydia possessed many faults, sure, but, at the end of the day, she was still Gracie's sister. Lydia and I had known each other since childhood. I had trusted Lydia because of Gracie. I had trusted that she wouldn't lie to me about Stevie. That would be too much. Too cruel. Too messed up. Even for someone as selfish and flawed as Lydia.

I sighed in frustration. "I don't want to believe that Lydia would mess with us in such a big way. I mean, this isn't some stupid childish prank. This is Stevie's fucking life. Our fucking lives. Why would Lydia even want to lie to us about Stevie?"

"I don't know, Gray. I'm beginning to think that I never knew my sister at all."

God, this had to be some kind of fucked up misunderstanding. Lydia's friend didn't know what she was talking about. I wished I remembered more from that horrible night. I wished I hadn't gotten so drunk. I recalled kissing Lydia, but—

What happened after that kiss?

Another harrowing suspicion whispered through my consciousness: Did Lydia and I actually fuck?

Gracie cleared her throat. "I'm meeting Naomi tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some more answers, then. Did you want to come with me?"

I didn't know whether or not to believe in someone like Naomi, she was Lydia's friend, after all, and anything she said was definitely suspect. However, why would she bother to come forward and stir shit up after Lydia's death—if there wasn't some truth to it?

I glanced at Gracie. "Do you trust Naomi?"

She grimaced. "I don't know if I trust her, but I think you should get a paternity test, Gray."

I fell silent even though I knew Gracie was right. I didn't want to react. I didn't dare to move or speak. My heart was about to shatter right in front of Gracie. I loved Stevie with everything that felt good and true inside of me. She brought out the best in me even when I had been such a sorry, pathetic excuse of a man. Stevie forced me to change for the better. I couldn't imagine my life without her.

A paternity test might tell me that I had no business in Stevie's life. That my little girl had never been mine. My eyes stung like a bitch. My hands curled into fists on my thighs.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

There had been a time when the reality of becoming Stevie's dad scared me shitless. Now, I felt the exact opposite. It was different brand of fear. I wasn't ready to accept the possibility of losing my little girl. Blood might be thicker than water, but, in my mind and in my heart, I was Stevie's father. End of story.

With troubled eyes, Gracie prompted again, "So... are you coming tomorrow?"

Even though I didn't want to go, I replied in firm tones, "Yeah, count me in. I'll be there."