Chapter Thirty-Six

The news spread quickly, like a flame to a gasoline pit. Blake's parents arrived within minutes, eager to hear the news. Angela cradled London to her chest protectively while Thomas almost blends into the white wall. Blake tried to expand it, make Angela wait, but she came close to beating him with her shoe. She'd already had to endure a car ride with Thomas's fanatic driving skills, waiting another second longer wasn't something she'd stand for. I couldn't tell if they were just excited about Blake being the father or if they were ecstatic to avoid the drama it might have caused if Jude was deemed the biological father. We were with what looked like the clear, and I hoped it stayed like this. Mum cooked a beautiful soup, a flavoured vegetable one with fresh bread on the side. London slept happily in her portable bed throughout the festivities. Laughter filled the air and there were smiles on everyone's faces – this felt like what a real family was supposed to be. After dinner we parted ways. Our parents went to the front room to chat and talk, while Blake scooped London up and carried her bed to my room. It feels weird having Blake and London in my bedroom since we'd spent so many times at his house. Blake tugs on my hips, dragging me closer to his body. His lips trail down the side of my neck, nipping and sucking on the skin. I giggle and push Blake away, but he slips us around so that he's lying on his back and I'm straddling his stomach. "What's gotten into you?" I ask. "Just happy." Blake buckles his hips, pushing my body forwards so that I fall on his chest. I lean down and kiss his lips, then brush my nose against his. "I'll take happy then." I smile. "Things feel like they're right again, and I like it." I flop to the side and rest my head on his chest. Blake rolls onto his side and then pushes his body up is that he's hovering over me. "I need to go to the bathroom, I'll be back." He shifts his body weight and climbs off the bed. Blake slips out of the room and I'm left of the bed by myself. I get up and crawl to the end. London's pop up bed is resting by the foot of the bed. I climb down and sit next to her cot and look inside. She wiggles her nose as a soft snore leaves her parted pink lips. Her right arm twitches and then suddenly she starts crying. I press my hand against her chest and gently rock her. I look around the room for something to talk about, I find the test papers sitting on the ground so I pick it up and start reading them to her. On the attached section it's got the results about her DNA matches up, but on the back shows the initial form that was handed in for records. I start reading through the form to London for her. I struggle to pronounce some of the words, which makes me laugh and try to pronounce it again. The random chit chatter seems to sooth London. I go to put the form down, but something catches my eye. The section where it asks if the two fathers being tested are related isn't ticked off. My mind goes into a scramble of consumed ideas. Did Blake accidently forget this part of the form, or is something else happening? "What did you do, Blake?" "I can explain." Blake closes the door and walks over to me. He takes a seat next to me and looks down at London. Gently, he strokes her cheek and then leans in to press a kiss against her forehead. "I didn't think about it until now." He shakes his head, his eyes never leaving London's, "But the doctor said she was born on time, Tori had said she was born a week early and that the doctor must have been flustered about it." "Oh no," I gasp. "I traced back the dates. If London was born on time, means she was conceived a week before Tori and I slept at the party. But the thing is, I was never with Tori then." "You didn't." I shake my head with disbelief. Blake's head snaps in my direction. He grabs a hold of my hand and squeezes it tightly, "You have to promise not to say anything. London deserves a father, a family who's going to treat her right. I wasn't going to leave that to chance, so I didn't tick the box." A small tear flows down the side of his face. "You would have won her back," I try to encourage, "Tori doesn't have the best track record when it comes to things like this, and neither does Jude." "But I punched Jude violently, I'm sure that would have been thrown in my face." Blake stops squeezing my hand in favour of tentatively stroking her cheek once more. "They say it's not blood that makes you family, but what lays within her heart. Mines big enough to love her, strong enough to endure all of this and still want her so badly. London might not be my DNA, but she's my daughter." I rest my head against his shoulder and press a kiss against his arm. "You're too good to be true half the time, you know that? Perhaps that's the reason I like you." I poke his rib cage and then lay on his lap and look up at his face. "You are the same, my sweet Ava, perhaps that's the reason I like you." He leans down and presses another kiss against my lips. "What happens next?" I ask. "We sit Tori down for a talk, sort out our issues with London. I want you to be there with me." His fingers trace against my bare skin on my stomach. "I don't think that's a good idea." I shake my head, "Tori doesn't seem to like me that much." "But she will grow to like you, it takes time. Tori's a little rough around the edges at the moment, but she's a good person inside." Blake flicks my nose and goes back to tracing shapes on my stomach. "I'll be there for you, I promise." I sit up and press my back against his chest, then wrap his arms around me. Blake rests his head on my shoulder and gazes down. "I know you will be." He squeezes me tightly and kisses my cheek. I didn't feel the need to tattle tale or even feel guilty about holding this secret inside me. Blake has the right intentions in mind, the kind that wouldn't cause problems. If Jude was the father, he could still be there for London, and in the way he's always wanted to be – her uncle. The only problem left, helping Tori come to an understanding that I'm not trying to ruin or take anything, but that I've always just wanted to help.