4. Bitter Memories

Hunter

Tatiana Henry...the sound of her name sent a jolt through me that I hadn't felt in eighteen years. When her daughter appeared at my doorstep, my heart sank like a stone - could it be true? Could she really be my daughter?

Tatiana had been like a shadow in my life, a ghost that I couldn't quite believe ever really existed. She was an enigma to me - one day, she was there with me, talking about our future plans together, and the next, she was gone. I had never seen or heard from her since that fateful night when we said goodbye to each other.

But here I was, confronted by someone who seemed to be the spitting image of Tatiana's younger self. And I had to admit, the girl McKenna did have my eyes.

Although part of me wanted to believe what McKenna said, the other half of me refused to accept it. How could I have fathered a child with Tatiana and not know about it? What would be her motive for keeping such a secret from me? Did she still feel something for me, or had she grown so much bitterness that nothing else mattered anymore? Those thoughts were filling my head as I desperately tried to make sense of the situation.

McKenna had a lot of questions too - she wanted to know why her mom hadn't told me about her and, more importantly, if I could confirm that she was my daughter. As much as I wanted to answer her questions, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead, I shot her down.

Her little speech about me and her mom was almost too logical and reasonable that it took me aback. She pointed out all the similarities between us - our shared eye color, eye shape, lips.. even our mannerisms seemed similar! It made perfect sense.

I chuckled when I pictured McKenna with her hands on her hips, explaining why I should accept her as my daughter right away. 

I called my best friend Harry. He was also my attorney and the only one I trusted with personal and business matters. 

"What's with the emergency meeting?" Harry asked as he rushed into the living room. 

"I need your advice on something," I said. "There's this girl, McKenna. She showed up at my doorstep and claimed to be my daughter. She says her mother is Tatiana Henry." I explained the situation to Harry, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Holy crap!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "That is wild, my man."

I scowled at his reaction. "And why do you look so thrilled about it?"

"Uh, hello? Because I had been asking you to settle down for years. Here I am now, already happily married with three children, and here you are - all alone in this ginormous house with no one but yourself for company," Harry chirped.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at Harry's teasing. "This is hardly the time for jokes, Harry. This is serious."

"I know, I know," he said, sobering up. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I mean, what if she's telling the truth? What if I really do have a daughter out there that I didn't know about?"

Harry put a hand on my shoulder. "Look, man, I know this is difficult for you. But you can't just ignore this and hope it goes away. I think the only way to find out for sure is to get a DNA test."

I chewed on my bottom lip, considering his words. "You're right. I need to know the truth. Can you help me set something up?"

"Absolutely," he said. "But we may need to talk to her mother first."

I felt a mixture of dread and excitement at the prospect of seeing Tatiana again. "I am not sure how I feel about that," I said grimly.

Harry nodded in understanding. "I get it, but she might hold the key to all of this. You both need answers, and it's the responsible thing to do for the sake of your potential daughter."

Damn it...this was getting complicated now.

Harry moved closer to me, his pupils twinkling with intrigue. "So, Hunter," he whispered. "What are your thoughts about the girl? Your potential daughter?" he asked in a hushed tone.

My thoughts drifted to McKenna - the girl who might be my daughter. I had only seen her for a few minutes, but already she had stirred something inside me. There was a certain familiarity in her eyes that I couldn't quite place, but I knew that they reminded me a lot of her mother. I was impressed by Mckenna's logic and moxie, especially for someone so young.

"I don't know, Harry," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Everything feels so surreal right now. I mean, for years, I thought I was all alone. And now...now there's a chance that I might have a daughter. It's a lot to process."

Harry nodded, his expression understanding. "I get it, man. But you can't deny the possibility that she might be your blood. And if she is, you owe it to her to be there for her."

I knew he was right. If McKenna was really my daughter, then I had a responsibility to her. I couldn't just sweep this under the rug and pretend like it never happened.

Still, I was deeply suspicious of the whole situation because I had been taken advantage of so many times in the past. What if Tatiana had made up this whole thing just to get some sort of revenge on me? It seemed far-fetched, but at this point, anything was possible. I had no choice but to be extra careful with all of my relationships - including my potential daughter.

I leaned back and sighed. "I suppose there's only one way to find out if she is telling the truth. I will see if I can talk to Tatiana and sort everything out."

But the thought of seeing Tatiana again or even hearing her voice made my chest hurt.

A wave of memories from our whirlwind college romance came rushing back to me. How we had snuck around behind my parents' backs, the way she would laugh when I made little jokes, the way those moments seemed to stretch on forever...

I thought about how much I had loved her back then and it startled me a bit. Love was never something I took lightly - not even during college days - and Tatiana had completely changed my life. She was my first real love, and although our relationship didn't work out in the end, she still meant a lot to me.

But that was a decade ago.

"Don't worry, Hunter. Everything will work out at the end," Harry said and looked at me sympathetically.

I fucking hope so.