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  Robert continues to explain the details of the contract and the money while I tune them out. I know what the papers say. I know this bitch is getting more than she deserves. But I don’t care. I just want her to disappear.

  Suddenly, I realize that a nurse is taking a blood sample from Maggie, so I guess she signed the contracts. Good, this is going to happen just as I planned.

  “Miss Lucia, thank you for coming in. Here’s your check, you can see yourself out. I have additional things I need to discuss with my client.” Robert stands and hands Maggie the check.

  She happily takes the check and traipses to the door. She opens the door and looks back. “Take care of my babies for me, won’t ya, Carter? I’ll just take care of this.” She waves the check at me and leaves.

  She just had to get the last word in, didn’t she? Well, she thought she did, anyway.

  I turn and look at Robert, who has a smile on his face.

  “She didn’t read anything, did she?” I ask, a smile starting to form.

  “Nope, she trusted everything we told her,” he states then chuckles.

  “So, in nine months, when her apartment goes on the market, she won’t see it coming, will she?” I laugh. We stipulated in the contract that the money she was receiving was payment for buying the apartment back from her. She was so sure she was getting away with everything, but really, I’m going to get my money back, one way or another.

  “Thank you so much, Robert,” I say as I stand and shake his hand. “I’ve got to go get my girls. We have another appointment today that I’m not looking forward to. I don’t want to see my girls cry when they take their blood for this DNA test. They can do anything they want to me, but I don’t want them hurting my girls.”

  “Oh, that,” Robert chuckles. “They don’t have to take their blood. I just decided to do it this way with her because I wanted her to experience a little discomfort. That nurse, she was just a student. You turned your head, so you didn’t see how many times she pricked Miss Lucia before she was able to find a vein and get her blood. It was quite comical, if I do say so myself. Your girls will just have the insides of their cheeks swabbed, as will you.”

  I have to give it to Robert, that was quite genius on his part. Maybe I shouldn’t have dazed out and paid more attention. I would have loved to see Maggie in pain.

  I thank Robert again and head home to get my girls.

  Picking up the girls from Mikael’s house, I head over to the clinic. I want to get this test over and done with so that I can enjoy my babies. I no longer have to worry about ever sharing them with anyone else.

  The nurse at the clinic quickly does the tests and we’re on our way.

  I’m taking the girls with me out to the property I want to build our new home on. I decided not to buy another home but to build one to my specifications. This one will be our forever home and I want it to be perfect. The land I chose is twenty miles away from the place we used to call home. I tried to get as far away from that place as possible but not too far from my office. I really am going to need to get back to work soon, and I don’t want to be far from the girls. They won’t be coming with me as often because Freyda won’t have to worry about Maggie complaining anymore.

  The land is perfect. I go to the trunk and take out the stroller. Then, I carefully unlatch their car seats from the bases, and attach them to the stroller, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to carry all three at one time, and walk to the center of the plot where I plan to build the house. I, then, remove each of them, one by one and lay them on a blanket I laid out for the four of us. They sit there looking at me with the cutest grins on their faces. It’s like they know and they approve. Yeah, it may not be how I planned my life to be with my children, but I know this will be perfect.

  PART TWO

  CHAPTER NINE

  CARTER

  PERFECT CHAOS

  3 YEARS LATER

  CHAOS, utter chaos. And I couldn’t be happier.

  Isabella is running around, spinning, with just her underwear and a tutu on, Felicia is trying to be a big girl and put her own tights on, and my sweet Sofia is just looking up at me as I try to put her leotard on.

  My girls, they’ve made my life both chaotic and amazing these past three years. They are my little angels and I don’t know what I’d do without them.

  I know I made the right decision all those years ago when I decided to not look at the results of the paternity test we’d taken.

  The day that envelope came in the mail, Freyda looked at my face and scooped the girls up and took them outside. She didn’t ask any questions, she just knew I needed that time alone to process what I was holding in my hands.

  I swear, it seemed like hours that I just sat there staring at that envelope. I know I should have opened it. But, these are my girls. I didn’t care what that piece of paper said. There was no way that these precious gifts weren’t mine. I made the decision right there and then that unless it was a life or death emergency, I’d never open that envelope.

  I walked into my office and opened my safe. There were only important documents in this safe. Freyda and Mikael knew the combination to get in, but no one bothered touching anything, there was no need. The girls’ birth certificates, my legal custody papers, my will giving Mikael custody of the girls should anything happen to me, the papers for the trust funds set up for my girls, and other things of that nature lived in this metal box. And now, this paper will reside there. I put the envelope way in the bottom of the safe, under everything else, so if someone needed to access the safe, they wouldn’t accidentally stumble upon it.

  I closed the safe and locked it. I decided to pretend that envelope didn’t even exist. I looked back at the safe in the wall before I left the room and wondered if maybe I should have just taken it out and burned it. It’s not like it’s going to tell me who shares their blood if it’s not mine. Maggie made sure everyone knew that she had no idea who could possibly be the person who impregnated her. If I had known what kind of woman she was back then, I would’ve never got involved with her. But then again, I wouldn’t have those three precious little girls who fill my life with so much love.

  Mikael thought I was crazy buying such a large plot of land so far away, but I knew my girls would need a lot of space to run and play.

  I looked outside and saw Freyda pushing the girls on the swing set I had installed. It’s a beautiful fall day and my girls love being outside as much as possible. They are barely ever inside if it’s nice out. I think I’m raising three nature lovers, and that’s fine with me. Again, those are my girls, and no one can ever change that, not in my mind and not in my heart.

  Freyda saw me in the window and looked at me questioningly, I just shrugged my shoulders. She chuckled and went back to playing with my babies. Those girls have her wrapped around their fingers as much as the rest of us. She loves them like they were her own grandchildren. She had mentioned to me many times how much she wished she’d have had grandchildren of her own to spoil. If it weren’t for her insisting on living in her own place, she wouldn’t let me pay her to take care of the girls. That’s how much she loves them.

  God, I miss Freyda. She was such a blessing to me and the girls. When she decided to stop working because she thought she was getting sick, I made sure she’d have everything she’d ever need. I paid for all the doctors I sent her to, so we could get her healed and back to her girls. Then, when she passed on so suddenly, I paid for her entire funeral. It broke my heart. She had the best service and the nicest casket I could find. I placed her within my family vault, because to me, she was my family.

  Just thinking about her now, breaks my heart all over again. She was more than a nanny. She was our cook; she helped clean, and she was the girls’ only grandparent. She was my sounding board. She was there for the girls’ appointments and helped me design their room.

  She was my voice of reason when I thought giving the girls each their own room was necessary. She told me I could build them each
a separate room, but she was putting her foot down and I was not to separate them until they wanted to be separated. She thought it was important they remain as one as long as possible. So, even though my new home has a bedroom for each of my girls, they don’t use them. They all sleep together in one room and have never even asked for their own. Most mornings when I go in to wake them, I find all three sleeping together in one bed. I know the time will come, and now, I dread the day they want to be apart.

  For quite some time, my girls missed their nanny. They were only a little over a year old when she passed away and they couldn’t understand why she didn’t come back. Eventually, they stopped asking for her, realizing it was just going to be us four from there on.

  I never hired another nanny for them. I didn’t have the heart to replace someone who meant so much to us. It wasn’t fair to either Freyda or my girls. I knew that I needed to do this all on my own. It’s what I wanted after all.

  Not only did I not replace their nanny, I decided that I’d never replace their mother. They didn’t need women walking in and out of their lives. I was better off being alone with my girls for the rest of my life.

  Mikael tried to convince me to go out and get laid a few times, but I never felt I needed to. Who needed another mistake like Maggie? Taking another chance with my heart wasn’t in the cards for me. I was resigned to being alone for the rest of my life. I didn’t need the heartache another woman could bring to my already shattered heart.

  Sofia giggles and it pulls me out of my memories.

  “What’s so funny Sofie, girl?” I ask my baby girl.

  “You’re doing it wrong, Daddy,” she replies. The angelic lack of an audible ‘r’ in her admonishment, making me grin.

  I look at the leotard in my hand, and yup, I was trying to put it on backwards.

  “I thought it was opposite day, silly me,” I tell her and start to tickle her.

  The other two girls stop what they’re doing and start laughing hysterically at my mistake. They always seem to think I’m the funniest person in the world. And I’ll let them continue thinking that until they realize I’m just really corny.

  I finish getting the girls dressed and head out to the car.

  They love their dance school. It keeps them social since they don’t have another place to interact with other children.

  When Freyda passed away, I decided to move my office into my house. The company can basically run itself, but I like to keep a handle on it. I basically took my role as a single father and made it my full-time job.

  I buckle each girl into their seat and slide behind the wheel to get on our way. We can’t be late for their first recital, that would break their hearts.

  Driving down the road, the girls are steadily chatting away with each other. They get a bit loud at times, trying to talk over one another, but I don’t quiet them. These are the best days of my life, and I’m going to enjoy every moment with my girls.

  In two weeks, the girls will be turning four. Oh, how the time has flown by. They don’t know it yet, but they will also be starting school in two weeks. I put them into a Pre-K class for four-year-olds so they can start their schooling early. Not that they haven’t been schooled at home by yours truly, but they need the social aspect of attending school.

  I didn’t go with private schooling, much to Mikael’s dismay. He thought his girls needed a private school and only the best. But I believe that the public school system has as much to offer them and they won’t be limited in their interactions.

  My mom made me live a humble life, and I will do the same for the girls. I had to go to public schools, I had to get scholarships for college and pay my own way. Hell, I even had to live in a rundown apartment when I first started out, until I earned my way to buy my first house. My mom wouldn’t budge on that. She told me in order to appreciate what I had; I had to earn it first.

  It was a lesson in life I’ll surely pass down to my daughters. Although, I will probably give them a bit more than I started with. And I’m quite sure Uncle Mikael will give them whatever they ask him for. They have him wrapped very tightly around their chubby little fingers.

  I’m ripped out of my reverie by a strange sound coming from the front of my Audi. I just had the car serviced last week, so I don’t know what it could be. Suddenly, before I even get a chance to pull off to the side of the road, the car just stops. I try over and over to get the engine to turn over, but nothing is happening.

  “Why you stops, Daddy?” asks Isabella from the back seat.

  “Yeah, Daddy, why stop?” comes from Felicia.

  “Something is wrong with the car, girls,” I tell them. “Give Daddy a minute and we’ll be back on our way.”

  I get out of the car and walk to the front. I pop the latch on the hood and lift it up. I don’t see anything broken and there’s no smoke or fluids coming out of the engine. I teeter around a bit more but can’t find anything. I mean, I’m not a mechanic so it’s not like I know exactly what I’m looking for, but I’m not an idiot either so I can make do most of the time.

  Since I can’t figure out what’s wrong with the car, I go to the back and take out the safety cones I store in case of emergencies, such as this one. I take the cones and surround the SUV with them. I don’t need anyone coming down the road and accidentally hitting us because they don’t realize I’m broken down. I have to think of my girls’ safety and this will hopefully ensure we’ll be safe while we wait.

  I get back in the car and call roadside assistance. This is gonna suck, my girls can’t be late for their recital, it’ll gut them. They were so excited to show me everything they have learned.

  I’m happy I built in extra time to get to the recital hall this afternoon. We left a lot earlier than we needed to because I was going to surprise the girls and take them for lunch and ice cream before the recital. We don’t eat out much but today is a special occasion, so I wanted to surprise them. Roadside assistance tells me they should have someone out here in about thirty minutes, so maybe we can still make it for ice cream at least before the show.

  I look into the back and Isabella and Felicia are steadily babbling away to each other. Meanwhile, Sofia has a little book in her hands and an inquisitive expression on her face as she tries to decipher the words. She’s so smart, that little one. She can already read and has been trying to do math as well. The other two girls, although they can manage a few things when trying to read don’t really care much for it. They’d rather be pretty and do fun things while Sofia is always wanting to learn.

  Isabella and Felicia remind me so much of their mother sometimes it hurts. She’s had no influence at all on how they’ve been raised so far but they do have a lot of her traits. I try my hardest to sway them, but it never lasts long.

  Yes, I want my girls to be who they are going to be, but they need to always know that being pretty on the outside doesn’t mean you’re pretty on the inside. I try my hardest to make sure all of my girls use proper manners. They are very respectful and I’m glad that Isabella and Felicia at least have that going for them.

  “What are you reading, Sofie girl?” I ask my youngest.

  “The Cat in the Hat,” she says as she shows me the front of her book. “Why would a fox be in a box? That’s kind of silly.”

  “Yes, Sofie girl, it is silly,” I reply. “But Dr. Seuss is always silly, just like you, my silly girl.” I reach back and tickle her stomach as I say this.

  “Me, Daddy,” laughs Isabella, wanting in on the tickle fest. I happily oblige.

  All three click the seatbelt on their booster seats and get out to join me up front, where I start tickling them. They’re laughing so much and it warms my heart.

  I try to keep their mind off the time because I don’t want them to panic about being late. We’re having so much fun; it’s hard to believe we’re stuck in the middle of the road with somewhere to be.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ELIZABETH

  CHANGING PLANS

  I�
�M EXCITED TODAY. It’s my first day off in I can’t even remember when. I don’t need the full day, but thought I’d spoil myself for once anyway.

  Today, my godson, Alfonso, will be singing in his first solo performance. He may only be ten years old, but I swear that boy has the voice of an angel. He’s been singing ever since he was a baby. He always sang his words when he first started talking instead of speaking them. It was the cutest thing ever. This was probably the result of his mother always having music on. No matter what was going on, Angela always had music playing. His voice has always been precious, but he sure as hell didn’t get it from his mother, my best friend.

  Angela couldn’t hold a tune if her life depended on it. As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure the last time she even tried to sing, even with my fingers stuck in my ears, I heard all the dogs in a ten-mile radius howling along with her. Okay, I might be exaggerating a little, maybe it wasn’t that bad. It was probably more like a five-mile radius. Yes, her voice is that bad.

  I’m sitting here at my kitchen table sipping on my cup of coffee, debating upon what time I should arrive at the concert hall. I want to get there nice and early. I want to be front and center, so Alfie can see me cheering him on. I know if I don’t get there early, I’ll never find a good seat. Knowing his mother, they will get to the hall with less than seconds to spare and she won’t be able to find a seat. Maybe, if I’m feeling generous, I’ll save her a seat right next to me. Maybe. Who am I kidding? We both know I will.

  Angie has been my best friend forever. I don’t remember a time when she wasn’t in my life. She’s been there by my side through it all, from losing my parents, to losing what I believed to be the love of my life. She was there when I made the decision to open my own garage and helped me buy my first tow truck.