Page 12 of Mac

Kate

Iwatched as the guys walked back into the building. I only knew Wolf’s name, which I assumed was another road name, whatever that meant, but he was the only one to introduce himself to me. The other one who had met me outside never told me his name, nor had the one from upstairs.

The man who apparently was my father stood staring down at me. His piercing gaze unnerved me, and I had no idea what was going on in his head. It was obvious he wasn’t expecting someone like me to be the reason he was called to come back over here tonight.

I had practiced what I was going to say to him during my drive to Las Vegas, but all of that left my head the moment I laid eyes on him. I could see the similarities between us and I wondered if he did, too.

After a few silent moments, he sat down in the chair across from me.

“Mind telling me what’s going on, darlin’?” he asked, his voice much softer than it had been when he came barreling into the backyard a few minutes ago.

His endearment caused tears to well in my eyes, even though I was sure it didn’t mean anything. He probably called every woman darlin’. Still, I had to blink back the tears before I could start explaining what I was doing here.

“Um...” I started. I didn’t know how to ease into a conversation like this, so I just blurted it out instead. “I think you’re my father.”

He went quiet again, looking at me so intensely I started to squirm a bit.

“Come again?”

"Well, my grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, and while I was going through her things, I found my birth certificate. It listed you as my father.”

“Okay...”

I could tell he was trying to comprehend what I was telling him, but I was nervous, so I rambled on anyway.

“My mom never told me about you, and recently I learned she never told you about me, either. I’m sorry to show up like this, but I guess I was…curious.”

More silence. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just sat there and let him take time to process what I’d just said.

“What’s your mom’s name?”

“Her name was Karen Nixon.”

A brief flash of recognition crossed his face before he asked, “Was?”

“Uh, yeah. She died when I was six.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he replied and, surprisingly, his words sounded sincere.

“I apologize again for showing up like this. I’m not even sure why I came here.” That was the truth, and now I was starting to feel awkward. I had zero expectations, and I knew not to get my hopes up about anything. If I did, I knew I’d end up being disappointed.

Besides, the craziness I saw in the club while I was waiting for him showed me my mother’s concerns about telling him she was pregnant weren’t completely unfounded. It definitely wasn’t a place for a family. And yet, here I was. I didn’t know what else to say, and I started to let my insecurities get the better of me, so I decided it was time for me to leave.

“I think...maybe I should go,” I said, haltingly. “And...if you want to, we can talk tomorrow. Or later, or whenever…”

“Do you live nearby?” he asked as I stood to walk away.

“I’m staying in Vegas for the time being, but I don’t know if it’s a permanent move or not,” I answered.

Viking considered me for a long moment. I cleared my throat to move things along, since I didn’t want to be standing out here all night in the cold. “Sorry, you’ve got me at a loss, darlin’. I wasn’t expecting this when the guys called me.” He paused, standing up. “How ’bout you leave me your number and we meet up tomorrow or the next day to talk some more?”

He handed me his cell phone, and I programmed my number into it. That gesture filled me with a little hope, knowing he wasn’t rejecting me right off the bat.

“That sounds good,” I said as I started walking with him back to the clubhouse. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

He quickly ushered me through the building, both of us ignoring the curious stares thrown our way. When we reached my car, he opened the door for me. As I sat down, I looked up at him. The light coming off the building shined down on him, and I realized we looked even more alike than I had previously thought.

I think he noticed the same thing because I could see him studying me with a smile on his face. “It was nice meeting you, Kate. I’ll talk to you soon.”