LITMIR.BIZ

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have sent Noel and his teammates to the locker room hanging their heads in shame, but because Noel refused to lose, that game ended up making him a star.

      Ryla grabbed his arm as she implored him to stay. “Please, Noel, don’t leave like this. She’ll be home tomorrow. Why don’t you just come back over in the afternoon and I’ll introduce you.”

      He shook her off his arm. “Do you even hear how you sound? You’ll introduce me to my own child.... What kind of sense does that make, Ryla?”

      She held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, you’re right. I admit that this doesn’t make much sense at all. But Noel, it’s all we have. Now, I’m sorry that all of this is being thrown at you at once, but we don’t need to get lawyers involved.”

      Noel laughed. But it wasn’t a ha-ha kind of laugh. “You have kept a child from me for seven, eight... How old is she?”

      “Seven. She’ll be eight in July.”

      He shook his head. “You’ve kept a child from me for almost eight years and you’ve run from me each time I’ve seen you, but you expect me to trust you?”

      “If you can’t trust me, who can you trust?” Ryla deadpanned, as she did whenever she was backed into a corner with no escape. But as usual, the jokes didn’t work for her.

      “I’d rather trust a DNA test and my lawyer, if you don’t mind?”

      With a lifted brow, Ryla asked, “What do you need a DNA test for? Can’t you count? I just told you that her birthday is in July, so that should tell you that I got pregnant in October, during the fall.”

      “How do I know that you didn’t get pregnant during Thanksgiving or Christmas break when you were home with your mom and her many boyfriends?”

      Ryla jumped as if she’d been slapped. Noel had always been a daunting opponent, but she’d never known him to be outright mean. She’d heard all the reports about his gambling, drinking and womanizing during his NBA superstar days. Maybe all of that superstardom had gone to his head and turned him into someone she didn’t know anymore. “Okay, if you want a DNA test, then we’ll do that. But can we please just work this out between the two of us?”

      “There’s no longer just the two of us. We now have a daughter and I don’t even know her name.” Another laugh escaped his lips as he shook his head.

      “It’s Jaylen.”

      He swung back around and glared at Ryla. “You actually gave her my middle name and couldn’t even pick up a phone to tell me about her?”

      “Turn the page already,” she said, and then slapped her hand across her mouth as she realized she was doing her deadpan thing, which never worked with Noel. She was just so nervous, even though she’d had seven years to prepare for this moment. She could have never been prepared for the challenge.

      Ryla knew of a woman who tried to keep her children away from her ex-husband once they divorced. The judge didn’t like what she was doing. So he awarded the cheating ex-husband full custody of the kids. Ryla in no way wanted lawyers and judges involved in this situation. She took her hands away from her mouth and pleaded. “I’m so sorry for saying that. But please listen to me. Jaylen wants to meet you. She’s been asking me about her father for nearly a year now. But how do you think she will feel if she knows that her parents are fighting over her?”

      Noel backed down a bit. “So you’re saying that you won’t run again?”

      She nodded.

      “And I can see Jaylen tomorrow?”

      She crossed her heart and lifted a hand as if she was preparing to lay it on a stack of Bibles. “You have my word.”

      “And when can we get the DNA test done?” Noel asked, sounding all business.

      Ryla’s hands went back to her hips. “Are you really going to put Jaylen through something like that?”

      “Hold on. Let’s get something straight. I’m not putting Jaylen through anything.” He pointed at Ryla. “You have put her through seven years of not knowing who her father is—”

      “She knows who you are. I’ve shown her pictures of you countless times. She keeps a photo of me and you on her nightstand.”

      Noel grabbed his head and massaged his temples. When he looked at Ryla again, he said, “I don’t know what made you do something like this, but I’m telling you now, if Jaylen is my child, I’ll never forgive you for this.” With that, he stormed out of her house.

      * * *

      Ryla plopped down on her couch, angry and spoiling for a fight herself. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had already lost this fight. And it hadn’t even begun yet. Noel had all the cards in his hand. He was rich and could afford the best lawyer that money and celebrity could buy. She, on the other hand, was a struggling entrepreneur with nothing but debt and a growing client list.

      She had, however, just thrown a wonderful party for Jonathan Conrad, who was now a partner in one of Houston’s top-notch law firms. He just might be willing to assist her with a pro bono attorney. Before she could begin to smile about her prospects, Ryla remembered that Jonathan was Noel’s frat brother and would probably have more allegiance to his frat than to a business associate. Nevertheless she got on the phone and called the cleanup crew to ensure that they would take extra care with his cleanup. It never hurt to put the best foot forward. Because for all she knew, Noel and Jonathan might not be all that close anymore.

      After hanging up with the cleanup crew, she dialed her best friend, Danetta Windham. Danetta was still a newlywed. Ryla figured that calling her at ten at night was surely going to annoy Marshall. But she couldn’t worry about that right now. She needed help.

      The phone rang four times before a giggling Danetta picked up. “Hey, Ryla, what’s up?”

      When she heard her friend’s voice, it was as if a dam broke and tears began flowing down her lovely face. “I—I’m sorry to bother you so late, Danetta.”

      The laughter left Danetta’s voice. “Are you all right, Ryla? It sounds like you’re crying.”

      “Noel wants to get an attorney and he wants a DNA test.”

      “Whoa, hold up. Are you talking about Jaylen’s father?”

      “Y-yes.”

      “When did all of this happen? The last I knew, you still hadn’t spoken to him.”

      Wiping tears from her face, Ryla said, “All of that changed tonight. I ran into him at the party I was hosting for one of his frat brothers. And then he followed me home.”

      “You invited him back to your house after the event?”

      Ryla frowned into the phone as if her friend wasn’t keeping up, and she needed to be moving much faster than this. “No, of course I didn’t. I tried to run from him again, but he followed me and then forced his way into my house. And now he’s threatening me with lawyers and a DNA test. I still can’t believe he wants a DNA test. Can you believe that?” Ryla was speaking fast, but not fast enough not to notice that Danetta hadn’t responded to her question.

      “Danetta, did you hear me?”

      “Which part, hon. I’m trying to wrap my mind around all of what you’ve been telling me,” Danetta said.

      “About the DNA test. He claims that I could have gotten pregnant when I went home for Thanksgiving or Christmas break.”

      “Well, Ryla, you did expect this, didn’t you?”

      “No, I didn’t expect this. Noel Jaylen Carter is the only man I have been with like that, and for him to suggest that I just casually sleep around is appalling.”

      Trying to sound reasonable, Danetta said, “If I was in his shoes, and had just been told that I have a daughter after no communication

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