thirty-eight

Dante

I spent hours last night buried inside Tessa. It’s where I want to spend every night.

Tessa is still sleeping when I leave for work, so I write her a note and lay it on my pillow. I’ve almost told her a thousand times that I love her and how long I’ve been in love with her, but I always hold back. I want to do more than own her body or be the reason behind the moans that fall from her lips. I want to possess her heart, and I can’t shake the feeling that I’m losing her. She has the power to destroy me. To bring me to my knees. And, deep down, I know that she will.

As I walk out the door to head to work, my phone rings.

“Hello?” I say into the receiver.

“Dante, hi. It’s Madison.”

“I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

“I had some time yesterday after we spoke, so I went through Trevor’s file. I’d like to talk with Tessa in person. Do you think you guys can meet me?”

I mentally go through my day. “Can you make three o’clock work?”

“Yes. How about we meet at Millennium Park at the tables across from The Bean?”

“Sounds good. Thanks, Madison.”

After I hang up the phone, I shoot Tessa a text to coordinate our meeting with Madison.

I meet Tessa in the main lobby of my building. She looks anxious, and I want to put her mind at ease, but I’m not sure what to say. So, I greet her with a smile. I pull her into a hug and drop a kiss on the top of her head. She’s lost in thought as we walk the ten blocks to the park without saying much.

It’s crowded with tourists, but I spot Madison almost immediately. Her lean build and straight raven hair stand out among the throng of people.

“There she is,” I say, turning to Tessa.

She follows my finger with her eyes. “She’s beautiful.”

Tessa’s right; she’s as gorgeous as ever. When we’re a few feet from her, I call out to Madison.

She turns her head and smiles when her eyes land on us. Madison walks over and extends her hand to Tessa. “Hi. You must be Tessa. I’m Madison Parker.”

Tessa returns the handshake. “Nice to meet you, Madison. Thank you so much for your help.”

Madison gives me a quick hug before gesturing to a table away from the crowd. “Shall we sit?”

We follow her and take a seat at the metal picnic table.

Madison sits across from us and withdraws a notebook from her bag. She opens her mouth and speaks low, “If you want a copy of Trevor’s records, you’ll have to go through your lawyer. I didn’t want to risk my job by making you a photocopy, so I wrote down the pertinent information from his medical file.”

“I appreciate this more than you know. Why was Trevor supposed to call Dr. Hunt?” Tessa asks.

“Trevor came in for fertility testing.” Madison looks at Tessa. “I take it, you two were trying to get pregnant?”

“Well, yes, but we weren’t in any rush.” Tessa’s forehead scrunches.

“Tessa, when Trevor was younger, he experienced something called testicular torsion. Did he ever mention it to you?”

“No,” Tessa answers. “What is that?”

“It’s when the testicle rotates around the cord that carries blood to the scrotum. It happened when Trevor was in his early teens. It’s very serious and extremely painful, and it requires surgery. The procedure must be performed within hours of onset to save the testicle. Trevor had the surgery in time, and his ability to have children shouldn’t have been affected since they were able to save it.”

Instinctually, my hand starts to lower to my balls until I remind myself that we’re in a public place, and it’d most likely be frowned upon.

Tessa turns to me. “You didn’t know about this?”

“No. We weren’t raised together.” I’m just as confused by the news as she is, but then again, dudes don’t usually go around bragging about injuries involving their dick.

“I still don’t understand. If the torsion thing wasn’t an issue, why was he in your office?” Tessa asks.

Madison looks down to her notebook. “According to your husband’s chart, his concern centered around secondary infertility. It seems he fathered the first child while wearing a condom, yet it was taking a while to conceive the second child.” She closes her notebook and looks at Tessa. “After several preliminary tests, our findings determined Trevor had extremely low sperm count.” Madison glances away. “I’m not sure how to tell you this, but it is very unlikely Trevor could have fathered a child without some type of intervention, much less while using a form of birth control.”

“Wait,” I speak up, directing the question to Madison. “So, you’re saying that it would have been damn near impossible for him to get someone pregnant at all?”

“That’s correct. Without medical intervention, it’s unlikely.”

“How do you know he used a condom?” Tessa asks.

“Trevor told Dr. Hunt; it’s in his notes,” Madison explains.

Tessa is silent as Madison looks down at her watch.

“I’m not sure what sort of answers you were looking for, and I hope I was able to help, but I have another appointment.”

She walks around the table, and I stand.

Tessa is staring into space, so I nudge her to get her attention. She slides her feet from under the table, rising to face Madison.

“Tessa, it was nice to meet you. It should go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway.” Madison leans in and lowers her voice. “I’ve broken several laws by sharing this information, and if anyone were to find out, I’d lose my license to practice medicine. It’s important that you don’t say anything to anyone.”

“I know it was risky and that you put yourself on the line. I promise you, we won’t say anything,” Tessa tells her.

I hug Madison. “Your secret is safe. Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome,” she says.

I watch her leave, and then I turn to Tessa. “Are you—”

She holds up a hand, cutting me off. “I’m going to go. I need to process.”

“Talk to me. Don’t walk away.”

“Dante, I can’t do this right now.”

“Can’t do what? Talk to me?” I step into her space.

She tries to take a step backward, but I snake an arm around her waist.

I lower my voice because I don’t want to draw attention from the crowd. “Stop running away.”

“I’m not. I just need—”

“Space.” Tension grips me, and I let her go.

This time, I’m the one who walks away, but before I make it two steps, she says my name, “Dante.”

I stop but don’t turn around to face her. Her shadow moves on the ground, getting closer. I feel her beside me, and I look down at her.

“I just need a little time. I feel like I just got sucker-punched in the gut.” She takes my hand and moves in front of me.

It’s obvious Trevor thought he had plenty of time. He suspected the kid wasn’t his, and he was just waiting to be able to prove it. I wish he had come to me because, after beating his ass for cheating on his wife, I would’ve helped him find a solution. The clock doesn’t slow down for anyone. If losing my brother taught me one thing, it’s that you don’t waste the minutes you’re given.

“Time?” I pull my hand away and reach up to grip the nape of my neck, turning my head skyward before dropping my gaze to hers. “Five years. How’s that for time?”

A bewildered expression passes over her face. “What are you talking about?”

I lift her hand and place it on my chest. “Let me show you.”