They had been so carried away with what they were saying that they had not noticed the girl who had been watching them.
'Are you my father or what?' Deborah said at last.
Sharon was shocked. She had prayed that Bryan left before her daughter woke but she was already awake and she wondered how long she had been standing there listening to them. She hoped that she had not heard the part of her pregnancy. What difference did it make anyway, she would soon get to know anyhow.
Bryan was shocked. She had not seen Sharon's daughter since she was born. Standing there, looking so cuddly, beautiful and loveable was a girl who could be no one else but Sharon's daughter.
He felt a certain pull towards her and had a strong wish that she was hers.
'Sweetheart, I have a visitor but he will soon be on his way. Could you go back to your room and stay for a while?' Sharon quickly went to her to hide her from his view though she felt that it was already too late. He was someone who paid attention to details and what was the question Deborah was asking? If Bryan hadn't wanted to pay close attention to her, he would now look closely at her to ascertain who the father really was.
Could things get worse than this?
'No, leave the young lady alone' he said coming close to the girl.
'Why are you asking if I am your father?'
'Mum, said that father went to a trip and would soon be back but he is not back yet and I am missing him terribly. Uncle Gabriel shows me lots of love but I want the love of my father too. In school, my friends are brought to school not only by their mothers but by their fathers as well. So, are you the father she told me went on a trip?'
'I don't know but I will be your father as soon as your mother accepts to marry me. I feel a string connection to you. Do not worry. Your wait is about to be over, okay?'
'You want to marry my mother? That's good because most nights she cries and thinks that I do not know of it but I do. Maybe she will stop crying and laugh more'.
'You love your mother very much, don't you?'
'Very much'.
'Then I shall take care of her for you and make sure she never cries again and that you get the father that you deserve. Now go into the room. I have some things to talk to your mother about. But what is your name?
'Deborah'.
'Deborah', he said the name caressingly, 'Such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl'.
Deborah giggled, already charmed.
'I like you already. What is your name?'
'My name is Bryan.Your uncle Bryan and I love you already too. You are three years?'
'Yes, I will be in a few months'.
'Alright. Big girl, off you go into your room, before I leave, I shall definitely call to say goodbye'.
Deborah nodded smiled at Bryan and went inside.
She looked so much like Bryan when she smiled. Sharon had not noticed that.
After she had left, Bryan kept looking at Sharon who tried to act normally.
'You have finally met my daughter'.
'Whose child is she?'
'What do you mean? Her father knows himself'.
'Then why not take her to her father? Why all the secrecy?'
'I shall at the appointed time!'
'You marvel me. What is so hard about it? I had thought that David was the father but from her coloration, David could not possibly be the father. Gerhard also has fair hair and could not be her father, else you would have told her that her father went to heaven and not a long trip and would soon be back. So who is the father? Someone else you were seeing behind my back that I know nothing of?'
Sharon was happy that he had not made the connection yet but she was sure that he soon would and hoped that she would be far from there by the time he realised the truth. Fir that purpose, she did not really mind that he was suspecting her of having another liver.
'Is that why you ate reluctant to get married to me? Because you are expecting him back anytime soon? But I can assure you that I will not have another man raise my child'.
'There is nothing you can do about it', Sharon said again.
'I can take you to court and we can fight it out there's, he said harshly.
'You wouldn't have a chance of winning', she said staggered by his heartlessness.
He shrugged. 'Can you be one Hundred percent sure of that?' he asked softly. 'Attitudes and sympathies are changing . But even then I believe such a case will warrant national publicity. I do not think Oliver would be all over the moon about that, do you? And I suppose you will need a job to support the child unless you want to become dependent on David yet again'.
'That's blackmail', Sharon murmured bitterly, hating him. He was delibrately playing on her doubts and insecurities. He surely wouldn't win in court. No judge would take her baby from her...but as her doubts ran on, a slight nagging doubt made it impossible for her to concentrate. Bryan was a powerful ruthless man, used to winning. It seemed to her then that he could do anything that he wanted.
'Yes, I guess it is'. He was implacable, as cold as ice.
'How could you do this?' she whispered, sure that he hated her.
His jaw clenched. 'I want my child', he said through his teeth. 'And I will do anything that I have to do. I am giving you a fair warning of that right now'.
Sharon felt the wetness of tears on her face. Unable to control them any longer. She heard Bryan swear under his breath, felt the tentacles if his anger reaching out to her. She moved across the room, folding her arms defensively round her body.
'You don't leave me with any choice', she said hardly able to contemplate the future.
'You will marry me?' his voice was quiet, blank.
'I don't know why you are insisting on this. You don't want to marry me', she prevaricated weakly, trying to control her tears.
Bryan shot her a long hard glance. 'No'. he said after a long while. 'I don't want to marry you but compared to the child you are carrying, everything else is irrelevant'