Fate Has A Way
Chapter 18
{SPLIT POV}
One week....... Seven days...... One hundred and sixty-eight hours had passed since I had last seen, spoken, or heard from Zach. I guess I should have been happy that he seemed to have backed off.
But as I sat at the kitchen table by myself with the envelope in my hand. I wished someone was there with me. Ryan had taken Ava to school for me this morning on the way to practice. Looking at the envelope I realized it was the results of the paternity test, that we had taken with Zach. Raising a shaky hand I slipped a finger in the envelope and ripped it open. Taking a deep breath I pulled out that single daunting piece of white paper, that would probably change our life's forever.
I slowly opened it and looked it over. Than blinked and read it over and over and over. I think I may have checked it over at least three times. I felt my eyes fill with tears and covered my mouth with my other hand.
'OH GOD........ OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD' I thought.
____________________________________________________
Three hours later I sat on my bedroom floor a sobbing mess. Not only was I a mess, my room was a wreck. There were papers and pictures scattered all over the floor. I had spent the past three past hours trying to figure it out. Trying to find some kind of proof that the paper was lying.
But even with all of that I was just trying to remember. Find some kind of tangible proof that this was even possible. Every picture I went through of Avalon, I couldn't believe how much of Zach I saw in her. How did I not notice it before, I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I had always known she looked like him.
I even pulled out old pictures from my childhood that had Zach. There it was, there was Avalons smile. Than a horrible thought hit me, 'had I turned into one of those girls that I despised? Had I turned into one of those girls who made a boyfriend cheat on their girlfriend?'. I sat there on my floor trying to figure it out, wracking my brain. Trying to remember anything and the only thing I could remember was breaking up with Zach a year and a half before he was married.
I couldn't sit here and dwell on the past anymore. I knew I had to focus on the future and Avalon's future. Plus I knew there was a ton that Zach and I would need to discuss. Just thinking of Zach brought up Ryan.
'Oh god what is Ryan going to think? How is Ryan going to react?' I thought.
Not that, that really mattered for that matter right now. I wouldn't really say Ryan and I were fighting, but things were tense around us. Also in the seven days he had gotten here, he had barely been home or had come in late at night. But right now I couldn't worry about what was going on with Ryan and I.
'Oh how was Avalon going to deal with this? I knew right now she was quite taken with Zach. But how when she found out that Zach was her father, would she react? Would she still like him? Would she be angry with me or hate me? Thinking I had kept her father from her. And what about Zach's kids how would they take the news?' I thought fresh tears running down my face. The doorbell being rung making me jump.
I stood up and quickly went into the bathroom and wiped under my eyes. Making sure I didn't look like a raccoon when I answered the door.
_______________________________________________________
Walking down the stairs after the doorbell had been rung for the third time. I could see two figures standing on the other side of the front doors, through the frosted glass on the doors. Running my hands over my shirt and looking in the mirror hanging on the wall. I took a deep breath and turned the doorknob, before they rang the doorbell again. Opening the door slowly I felt my jaw drop open at the sight of the person standing in front of me.
"J-Jordan?" I stuttered in shock, not believing my eyes.
"Hey Mad," Jordan Parise smirked.
"I thought..... Well I heard you were over in Germany or somewhere playing," I said stupidly, still clearly in shock.
"Well I was, but I'm here now...... I actually got a call from," Jordan started.
"Wait how did you know where I was? How did you know where I was? How did you find me?" I rushed out in one breath.
"Well if you had let me finish," Jordan started again, but got cut off once again.
"Hey sweet pea why don't we finish this inside?" a slightly still accented voice asked.
My eyes flickered over to the other person standing on my porch. Standing there was an older man that had brown hair that was slightly greying at the temple. I imagined that Jordan and Zach would look extactly like this man when they got older.
"Mr. Parise," I manged without a stutter this time.
"Why don't we go inside? I believe we have some things to talk about," he said, with a knowing fatherly look. One that I even wouldn't argue with.
"O-okay," I got out, nodding and ushering both of them in.
******************************************************************************
{ZACH'S POV}
After practice I headed straight home. I wasn't sure if my dad and brother would be there. I knew they wanted to go see Maddison. Well I knew Jordan wanted to see her and my dad wanted to see and talk to her. My family had always been close to my family. My parents loved her like she was one of their own. They never loved Alisha, or even liked her. They just tolerated her for mine and the twins sake.
I had always been slightly envious of Jordan and Maddison's friendship. Although Maddi had always felt like she could talk to me about anything. Well it always seemed like she went to Jordan when she couldn't come to me. I was hoping maybe my father and brother could pry a little more information from her, without losing their cool like I had been doing.
I had a few hours before I needed to pick up the twins. I knew the results were supposed to come today. I wanted a little time to myself to process the results. Pulling into the driveway I didn't see any other vehicles, so I figured my father and brother were gone. Parking and turning off my vehicle I got out. Walking up to the front door I unlocked the door and entered, shutting the door behind me. I threw my keys on the table by the door and started loosening my tie, as I looked around for the mail. I was a little disappointed when I didn't see the mail in its usual spot on the floor. The mail was always there when I got home from practice.
Shaking my head I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and headed to the kitchen to get a drink. As I walked in the kitchen I heard a noise and figured, well maybe Jordan decided to wait to go see Maddi. But to my surprise when I looked up I found a very pissed off looking Alisha, leaning against the counter with a piece of paper in her hand.
"Oh I didn't know you were here, I figured you'd be gone. What are you doing here?" I asked, as calmly as I could.
"I live here Zachary," she snapped.
"Could of fooled me," I muttered under my breath.
"What is this Zach?" she snapped, waving around the piece of paper.
I know she better stop snapping at me, before I really lose my cool.
"What is what?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows together.
"This," she hissed, waving the paper again.
"I have no idea Alisha. I can't see what it is with you waving it around," I responded, narrowing my eyes.
"Don't play stupid Zach. You know what it is and I'm not letting it happen. Not to my family I worked so hard to get," she snapped.
'What in the world is she talking about? And what is she holding? And her family?' I thought, once again narrowing my eyes.
"Is that mine? Did you open my mail?" I asked, feeling my temper rising as I saw an open envelope laying behind her on the counter.
"I'm your wife of course I opened it. I wanted to know why you were getting mail from the hospital," she replied smugly.
"You have no business. And I mean NO. FUCKING. BUSINESS opening my mail," I snapped, losing my cool. "And not for long."
"What does that mean Zach? Would you really take a mother away from her children?" she said with a fake pout.
"A mother away from her children?" I asked, incrediously. "You would have to act like a mother first, Alisha. And you can't even do that. You've never bothered with the kids, it's always been about you."
"This isn't over Zach. We'll talk about this later," she smirked. "I need to go get my nails done. Oh and I'll be picking the kids up from school."
I watched as Alisha walked towards me and slapped the paper against my chest. Than sauntered off, slamming a door behind her. I stood stalk still for a few minutes trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Taking a deep breath, I peeled the paper off of my chest. Looking down at the paper I couldn't help the small smile and the tears that filled my eyes.
One week....... Seven days...... One hundred and sixty-eight hours had passed since I had last seen, spoken, or heard from Zach. I guess I should have been happy that he seemed to have backed off.
But as I sat at the kitchen table by myself with the envelope in my hand. I wished someone was there with me. Ryan had taken Ava to school for me this morning on the way to practice. Looking at the envelope I realized it was the results of the paternity test, that we had taken with Zach. Raising a shaky hand I slipped a finger in the envelope and ripped it open. Taking a deep breath I pulled out that single daunting piece of white paper, that would probably change our life's forever.
I slowly opened it and looked it over. Than blinked and read it over and over and over. I think I may have checked it over at least three times. I felt my eyes fill with tears and covered my mouth with my other hand.
'OH GOD........ OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD' I thought.
____________________________________________________
Three hours later I sat on my bedroom floor a sobbing mess. Not only was I a mess, my room was a wreck. There were papers and pictures scattered all over the floor. I had spent the past three past hours trying to figure it out. Trying to find some kind of proof that the paper was lying.
But even with all of that I was just trying to remember. Find some kind of tangible proof that this was even possible. Every picture I went through of Avalon, I couldn't believe how much of Zach I saw in her. How did I not notice it before, I guess somewhere in the back of my mind I had always known she looked like him.
I even pulled out old pictures from my childhood that had Zach. There it was, there was Avalons smile. Than a horrible thought hit me, 'had I turned into one of those girls that I despised? Had I turned into one of those girls who made a boyfriend cheat on their girlfriend?'. I sat there on my floor trying to figure it out, wracking my brain. Trying to remember anything and the only thing I could remember was breaking up with Zach a year and a half before he was married.
I couldn't sit here and dwell on the past anymore. I knew I had to focus on the future and Avalon's future. Plus I knew there was a ton that Zach and I would need to discuss. Just thinking of Zach brought up Ryan.
'Oh god what is Ryan going to think? How is Ryan going to react?' I thought.
Not that, that really mattered for that matter right now. I wouldn't really say Ryan and I were fighting, but things were tense around us. Also in the seven days he had gotten here, he had barely been home or had come in late at night. But right now I couldn't worry about what was going on with Ryan and I.
'Oh how was Avalon going to deal with this? I knew right now she was quite taken with Zach. But how when she found out that Zach was her father, would she react? Would she still like him? Would she be angry with me or hate me? Thinking I had kept her father from her. And what about Zach's kids how would they take the news?' I thought fresh tears running down my face. The doorbell being rung making me jump.
I stood up and quickly went into the bathroom and wiped under my eyes. Making sure I didn't look like a raccoon when I answered the door.
_______________________________________________________
Walking down the stairs after the doorbell had been rung for the third time. I could see two figures standing on the other side of the front doors, through the frosted glass on the doors. Running my hands over my shirt and looking in the mirror hanging on the wall. I took a deep breath and turned the doorknob, before they rang the doorbell again. Opening the door slowly I felt my jaw drop open at the sight of the person standing in front of me.
"J-Jordan?" I stuttered in shock, not believing my eyes.
"Hey Mad," Jordan Parise smirked.
"I thought..... Well I heard you were over in Germany or somewhere playing," I said stupidly, still clearly in shock.
"Well I was, but I'm here now...... I actually got a call from," Jordan started.
"Wait how did you know where I was? How did you know where I was? How did you find me?" I rushed out in one breath.
"Well if you had let me finish," Jordan started again, but got cut off once again.
"Hey sweet pea why don't we finish this inside?" a slightly still accented voice asked.
My eyes flickered over to the other person standing on my porch. Standing there was an older man that had brown hair that was slightly greying at the temple. I imagined that Jordan and Zach would look extactly like this man when they got older.
"Mr. Parise," I manged without a stutter this time.
"Why don't we go inside? I believe we have some things to talk about," he said, with a knowing fatherly look. One that I even wouldn't argue with.
"O-okay," I got out, nodding and ushering both of them in.
******************************************************************************
{ZACH'S POV}
After practice I headed straight home. I wasn't sure if my dad and brother would be there. I knew they wanted to go see Maddison. Well I knew Jordan wanted to see her and my dad wanted to see and talk to her. My family had always been close to my family. My parents loved her like she was one of their own. They never loved Alisha, or even liked her. They just tolerated her for mine and the twins sake.
I had always been slightly envious of Jordan and Maddison's friendship. Although Maddi had always felt like she could talk to me about anything. Well it always seemed like she went to Jordan when she couldn't come to me. I was hoping maybe my father and brother could pry a little more information from her, without losing their cool like I had been doing.
I had a few hours before I needed to pick up the twins. I knew the results were supposed to come today. I wanted a little time to myself to process the results. Pulling into the driveway I didn't see any other vehicles, so I figured my father and brother were gone. Parking and turning off my vehicle I got out. Walking up to the front door I unlocked the door and entered, shutting the door behind me. I threw my keys on the table by the door and started loosening my tie, as I looked around for the mail. I was a little disappointed when I didn't see the mail in its usual spot on the floor. The mail was always there when I got home from practice.
Shaking my head I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and headed to the kitchen to get a drink. As I walked in the kitchen I heard a noise and figured, well maybe Jordan decided to wait to go see Maddi. But to my surprise when I looked up I found a very pissed off looking Alisha, leaning against the counter with a piece of paper in her hand.
"Oh I didn't know you were here, I figured you'd be gone. What are you doing here?" I asked, as calmly as I could.
"I live here Zachary," she snapped.
"Could of fooled me," I muttered under my breath.
"What is this Zach?" she snapped, waving around the piece of paper.
I know she better stop snapping at me, before I really lose my cool.
"What is what?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows together.
"This," she hissed, waving the paper again.
"I have no idea Alisha. I can't see what it is with you waving it around," I responded, narrowing my eyes.
"Don't play stupid Zach. You know what it is and I'm not letting it happen. Not to my family I worked so hard to get," she snapped.
'What in the world is she talking about? And what is she holding? And her family?' I thought, once again narrowing my eyes.
"Is that mine? Did you open my mail?" I asked, feeling my temper rising as I saw an open envelope laying behind her on the counter.
"I'm your wife of course I opened it. I wanted to know why you were getting mail from the hospital," she replied smugly.
"You have no business. And I mean NO. FUCKING. BUSINESS opening my mail," I snapped, losing my cool. "And not for long."
"What does that mean Zach? Would you really take a mother away from her children?" she said with a fake pout.
"A mother away from her children?" I asked, incrediously. "You would have to act like a mother first, Alisha. And you can't even do that. You've never bothered with the kids, it's always been about you."
"This isn't over Zach. We'll talk about this later," she smirked. "I need to go get my nails done. Oh and I'll be picking the kids up from school."
I watched as Alisha walked towards me and slapped the paper against my chest. Than sauntered off, slamming a door behind her. I stood stalk still for a few minutes trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Taking a deep breath, I peeled the paper off of my chest. Looking down at the paper I couldn't help the small smile and the tears that filled my eyes.
4/3/13