My Place, My Fate (Book 1: Fate Series)

Chapter 3

'You will come to know that what appears today to be a sacrifice will prove instead to be the greatest investment you will ever make' –Gordon B. Hinckley.

"Mama, no shweep." My daughter muttered in her angelic voice, her voice trembling slightly.

I immediately scooped my daughter in my arms cradling her close to me, and tucking her head in the crook of my neck. She always liked to inhale my scent, it always seemed to calm her.

Long forgotten were my previous rage, and the stranger in my living room.

I was a mother first, and right now my daughter needed me more than a long-lost father.

"Let's get you some warm milk sweetie." I cooed softly to my daughter already heading towards the kitchen.

Still holding onto Sophia, I took out her sippy-cup filled with her milk from the fridge, warmed it, and fed it to her.

The soft sounds of her guzzling filled the quiet kitchen.

I glanced up at the archway, leading into the living room from the kitchen, and found him staring at us- or rather Sophia, as she drank her milk.

The look on his face was so tender; I had been half tempted to introduce him to her. But the thought of him taking her promptly crushed that thought. I was more than grateful Sophia had yet to notice his presence. Then, I wasn't even sure what to tell the curious toddler.

Once she was done, I took her back to my room and gently laid her on the bed. She had dozed off while drinking her milk. It was the surest way I could get her to fall back asleep without me present.

The storm had died down somewhat, but not significantly enough, to afford her a full night's sleep. Hopefully by then I would be in bed with her, and the stranger out of our lives.

I found him in front of the hearth in the living room, gazing into it lost in his thoughts.

"You're right. I did not raise her." He said so softly I nearly missed the words. "I did not raise her, but I am still her father." He stated turning to face me, his face filled with determination.

"And as such I want to be part of her life."

And there they were. The words I had been waiting for since the very beginning. 'I want to be part of her life'.

They held such meaning, none of which exemplified my role.

"And where does that leave me?"

"To be honest," he said, rubbing his neck, "I don't know. You aren't her biological mother, and to be honest I haven't the slightest clue where Katie is to pass on the stick of motherhood to you. I'm not saying that you cannot be her mother, but what will happen when Katie does come back? Will you simply give her back to her rightful parent?"

I flinched at the reminder of my lack of ownership towards Sophia.

He was right.

What would happen if her mother comes back?

I was not ready to simply give her up. And better yet, what if this Katie, was the reason why Sophia was in the alley?

"How sure are you that Katie wasn't the one who left Sophia in the alleyway?" I asked. "You said so yourself, you have no idea where she is."

He was silent, rubbing his stubble once again in thought. His face contorted in a myriad of emotions, ranging from disbelief, to 'what-if's', to confusion.