While I was waiting for the kettle to boil, I tried to make some sense of what was going on. I rubbed my eyes and blinked a few times, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I even pinched myself, but still, I did not wake up.

Her words were rattling around in my mind. How could I possibly be the father of her child? I tried to remember a moment of weakness where I had slept with her, but I knew for a fact that I hadn’t been with anyone since my late wife.

None of this made any sense.

The kettle started to whistle, so I quickly took it off the stove before it could make too much noise. The last thing I wanted to do was wake Gina up.

In a haze, I made her tea and brought it to the living room.

“Thank you.” She picked up the handle with two fingers, like a member of royalty.

I could tell by the way this woman presented herself that she was well-bred and sophisticated. But at the same time, her story hinted at something different. What had she done to cause someone to accuse her of sexual harassment? Was it just a ploy to destroy her career, or were there other factors at play? There were so many things I wanted to ask her that the questions started piling up in my throat like a traffic jam. In the end, only one word escaped my lips.

“How?”

She raised an eyebrow in my direction, her soft pink lips wrapped around the rim of the teacup. Slowly, she placed it back on the coffee table. “How what?”

“How are you the mother of my child…? I just don’t understand. We haven’t slept together… have we?”

She laughed. “Oh heavens, no.” She waved her hand, dismissing the thought.

Now I was even more confused.

“You really don’t remember, do you?”

I shook my head.

“You were my sperm donor.”

My eyes widened. Something in my mind clicked, unlocking a memory I had nearly forgotten. Right after retiring as a SEAL, I’d fallen on some hard times. I couldn’t find a job, and I’d needed some cash to buy groceries. As I’d scoured the city, looking for ‘help wanted’ signs, I had passed by a sperm bank.

With the $100 in my pocket, I’d been able to buy the food that I’d needed and I’d even had enough left over to take my girlfriend on a date. It had ended up being a huge mistake. Gloria had been a nightmare who’d nearly driven me to insanity. Sabrina, my wife, had been my only saving grace.

Lauren waved her hand in front of my face. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yeah… I’m sorry…” I shook my head, trying to clear my mind of the painful memories.

“So this might be unfair of me to ask, but I need a place to stay, at least until I’m back on my feet. I had nowhere else to go, so here I am.”

I looked at her a moment. “Wait… you want to live with me?”

“Yes.”

“But we don’t even know each other.”

She shrugged. “I don’t care. You seem like a nice enough guy. From what I could tell based on a quick internet search, you have a steady job, you own this house, and your daughter is adorable. I’m not asking you to get involved in the pregnancy. That was my choice, not yours, and I would prefer if it stayed that way. I just need a place to stay for a while.”

“I don’t know…”

“Are you really going to throw out a pregnant woman onto the streets at three in the morning?” she asked, a conniving smirk on her lips.

I ground my teeth, realizing that she had planned all of this. She was trying to manipulate me, to force me into a corner so that I would be left with no option other than helping her. I narrowed my eyes at her, studying her sharp features. There was a coldness about her that I didn’t like.

“The guest bedroom is this way,” I relented, knowing deep down that I would never be able to mistreat a pregnant woman. I just didn’t have the heart to do it, no matter how manipulative she was.

She smiled in triumph as she got up. “Do you mind giving me a hand with my luggage?”

Without a word, I picked it up and carried it into the room. It was rather heavy, almost as if she planned to stay here a while.

“Thank you,” she said as she sat down on the edge of the mattress. “This is quite lovely.”

I nodded in her direction before leaving the room, letting the door close behind me. As soon as I was on the other side of it, I ran my fingers through my hair in exasperation.

Why was this happening? Why did my past choose to haunt me today of all days? I collapsed onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. If I hadn’t been able to sleep before, I definitely couldn’t do so now. I sighed heavily, my hands crossed over my chest.

I thought about the strange woman sleeping in my spare bedroom. I had no way of knowing if she was telling the truth or not. For all I knew, she could be making up the whole thing.

Then it hit me.

Quickly, I scrambled out of bed and flew toward my desk. There, I opened my laptop and logged into the VanGuard database. Technically, I wasn’t supposed to use it for personal inquiries, but I knew Cruz would understand. This was definitely an emergency situation.