Chapter 23: Chapter 23
Chapter 23
Chase Jacobs
POV
The DNA test results sat between Carly and I. The one from Michael and the one she got from the hospital. We got them yesterday but neither of us were ready to open it with Stella home.
Neither of us spoke. My office has never felt this quiet before. It was unsettling.
Carly took bit the bullet and passed the results to me.
I opened it and read it word for word, yet somehow my mind was unable to comprehend the words on the page.
Probability of maternity: 99.9999%.
Stella was Carly’s daughter.
My daughter’s mother was sitting across from me. My mind was whirling with thoughts. I couldn’t make up from down. I didn’t understand it.
My daughter was no longer just my daughter; she was now our daughter.
For a long moment, all I could do was stare at the report in disbelief. I part of me wanted to deny the results. I wanted to blame Carly for abandoning my daughter. But after everything, I I didn’t know if I could blame her.
Then I looked at Carly, she looked anxious.
I hand her the results.
Tears streamed silently down her cheeks as her eyes moved across the paper.
She looked overwhelmed.
"I abandoned her... How could I do that? What was I thinking?" she asks, I wasn’t sure if she was asking me or herself.
Honestly, I didn’t have all the answers, I didn’t know why she did it. I didn’t know what to do now. I didn’t even know how we were going to tell Stella, what were we going to tell Stella?
How were we supposed to explain that the nanny she adored was actually her mother? How was I supposed to explain to my daughter Carly didn’t abandon her?
I knew I couldn’t judge Carly; we had no idea where she was in two years before she was found. Was she in some sort of danger and that was why she needed to hide away?
Carly spent the last three years looking for answers and found one she wasn’t even looking for.
I’ve gone through this a dozen times in my head, thinking about what I’d do or say when I came face to face with Stella’s mom. But looking at how Carly was breaking down, I didn’t have it in my heart to question her.
I stood and moved around the desk, without thinking, I pulled Carly into a hug. Her arms wrapped around my waist and her face buried in my chest.
She sobbed. "Stella’s really my daughter. She’s amazing. she’s perfect..." She kept repeating that over again over and over again.
I closed my eyes, unable to do anything about her tears, I was comforting her the only way I knew how right now.
"Yeah, she really is perfect, isn’t she?"
I didn’t know how long we stood there before the doorbell rang.
I frowned.
Who was here? I had my brother Cole take Stella for the day so Carly and I could open the results together and make an informed decision about how to tell Stella and how we’d tell Stella.
I ignored the doorbell but pulled away from Carly. I gave her a box of tissues.
The doorbell rang again.
"Were you expecting someone?" Carly asks.
I frown, shaking my head.
Carly wiped her tears and I put the two results back in their envelopes and in my desk before locking it.
I made my way downstairs.
It seemed urgent because on my way down, the doorbell rang again...
I opened the door and I immediately regretted not ignoring the damn door.
Amelia stood in my door, all dressed up and looking
Amelia had a knack for always appearing when you don’t her around. And to make matters worse she wasn’t alone.
This woman had dirty blonde hair, blue eyes and seemed to be in her late twenties.
When I eyed her, she blushed bashfully. Annoying me even further.
Amelia knew I didn’t like strangers in my house. Yet she brought a groupie with her?
My instincts were on high alert.
I wanted to shut the door in Amelia’s face.
"What do you want?" I ask.
Amelia smile brightened when she heard the tone of my voice.
A smile I knew meant nothing but trouble.
"Well, hello to you too Chase." she said in a cheerful voice.
I already felt a headache starting to form. Amelia had a way of bringing out only the worst in me.
"Amelia." I growl.
As always Amelia ignored my tone and pushed me aside and walked in with her friend.
A part of me wanted to grab the two of them by the back of their necks and throw them out.
Instead, of choosing violence I follow Amelia into the living room. I see Carly at the top of the stairs, she looked at Amelia in confusion.
Honestly, I was just as confused by Amelia’s surprise visit. I wanted the woman as far away from me as humanly possible.
Amelia turned dramatically toward the blonde woman. With the brightest smile on her face. "Chase, I have to introduce you to Vanessa..." She says with glee.
The woman named Vanessa looks like she’s about to jump out of her own skin.
"Amelia get to the point I don’t have all day to play your mind games." I warn.
"I always felt like Stella yearned for her mother, so I went looking and I found her. Vanessa is Stella’s mother." She says like she’s handing over a damn prize.
Not telling me some random woman is the mother of my daughter.
I stare at Amelia before looking at this Vanessa woman.
For what felt like hours no one spoke. I just stared the two of them.
Clearly, I must have heard wrong. There’s no way Amelia would do dumb shit like this.
"What the fuck is wrong with you Amelia?" I ask.
Vanessa looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her.
But Amelia remained annoyingly confident in her assessment. "Vanessa is Stella’s biological mother." she says again, like it would magically make this woman the mother of my child.
My eyes find Carly’s. Her eyes were wide in confusion and surprise.
I knew exactly what this was. This was Amelia trying to be the center of attention again.
But I wasn’t going to allow her to make this any harder than it already was.
This little stunt was the last thing I needed today. I wasn’t going to let her mess with mine or Carly’s head.
Like always Amelia completely misreads the room, she thinks she’s completely stunned us into silence. But that wasn’t what this was. She was making a fool out of herself.
She clapped her hands together. "I’m glad you’re all so excited about Vanessa. Where’s Stella?" she asks.
My patience immediately shortened.
"Why?" my eyes narrow. I wasn’t going to let her use my daughter again.
"So, Vanessa can meet her daughter. She’s missed Stella so much over the last five years..." Amelia says sounding confident.
"You’re out of your God damn mind, if you think I’m letting this woman anywhere near my daughter!" I roared.
Amelia frowned unhappily.
"What do you mean? Why can’t she meet her daughter? she’s waited a long time for this..." Amelia pouts acting cute.
"I don’t fucking care if she was the damn pope, she isn’t coming anywhere near my daughter. By the way Stella isn’t even home..."
The smile slipped from her face. She looks between Carly and I. "Where is she?" she asks.
"She’s spending the day with Cole." I tell her.
Amelia looked equal parts annoyed and angry.
"Call Cole and ask him to bring her back..." she demands.
"No!" There was no fucking way I was asking Cole to bring Stella home with Amelia throwing this God damn circus.
Amelia stared at me in surprise. "Excuse me?" she asks in surprise. Like she couldn’t believe I was saying no.
"Stella is spending the day with her uncle." I say crossing my arms. "And there’s no way I’m letting her see your little performance. Which by the way isn’t fooling anyone." I sneer.
Amelia laughs as if I was making a damn joke which by the way I wasn’t. "I’m being serious, Chase."
"So am I."
Vanessa jumped at my tone.
Amelia clearly wasn’t listening to me, because she wasn’t finished. "Stella deserves to know who her mother is."
I nearly laughed at her absurd behaviour.
Today of all days. Why the hell would she bring this woman into my house for this damn show.
I turned toward Vanessa.
The woman immediately stiffened.
"How old is Stella?" I ask her.
Vanessa blinked. "What?" she whispers out.
"How old is my daughter?" I ask again.
Her eyes widened, her eyes jump between me and Amelia, before she answers. "Four?" she asks unsure.
I stared at her, before asking. "Why did you leave her on my door step five years ago?" I ask.
Vanessa froze.
Amelia immediately looked irritated with my interrogation.
"I—" Vanessa swallowed. "I couldn’t take care of her. I wanted her to have a better life and you could provide that..." The answer sounded rehearsed, if I was being honest.
She looked at Amelia again, like Amelia had all the answers she clearly needed.
I stared at her, watching her, looking for any signs of her confessing to being pulled along to the Amelia’s show. But the woman seemed like she was hoping for something I could never give her.
"So that’s why you left her on my doorstep?" I ask.
Vanessa nodded quickly. "Yes."
As soon as the words left her mouth my expression hardened.
Confusion crossed her face. "Did I say something wrong?" she asks.
I took a step forward, I scoffed. "Stella wasn’t left on my doorstep, in fact if it wasn’t for Amelia’s little show, you never would have had a chance to step into this estate."
Colour drained from her face.
My eyes narrowed on her, watching her every step.
Because there was only one way she would’ve gotten that wrong, is if had no idea what happened back then. Actually, no one knew about what happened back then, not even Amelia. And I was glad I didn’t tell her.
