Yahrah John - A Chance with You

Spencer raised an eyebrow as if he didn’t believe her. “All right.” He held up his hands. “But this isn’t over between us. The test will show you you’re wrong and I’m not the father. But just in case I’m wrong—know this, Raina Martin. If Zoe is my daughter, I will be seeking full custody.”

Raina’s mouth dropped open in shock just as Zoe came flying through the kitchen door with Raina’s mother following right behind her.

* * *

Spencer backed away from Raina. He knew she was as attracted to him as he was to her. He’d felt it, sensed it, but now wasn’t the right time to make his move. There was too much unresolved conflict between them. But once the test results showed he wasn’t Zoe’s father, he would have a chance to find out exactly what it was about Raina Martin that intrigued him so.

As the young girl came through the kitchen doors, Spencer looked at her closely. Memories of the night he’d met Alexa Martin came flooding back. And he knew who Zoe’s father was: his brother.

Spencer bent low to the ground until he was the little girl’s size so he wouldn’t scare her with his height. He peered at her, memorizing all her features. She was Cameron’s spitting image; she had his same nose, chin and big brown eyes. She was his niece. “Hi, Zoe.”

Zoe looked at Spencer and then at Raina as if to ask, “Who is this?”

Spencer assumed the older woman was Raina’s mother. She looked at her daughter questioningly. He figured she wanted to know who this strange man was who was speaking to Zoe.

“Zoe, this is...uh...my friend...Mr. Spencer,” Raina offered, tripping over her words. He was sure she didn’t know what to call him. She couldn’t very well tell Zoe he could potentially be her father.

“Mr. Spencer, I’d also like to introduce you to my mother, Mrs. Martin.” Raina’s mother raised an eyebrow. Clearly, she recognized his name and knew who he was, but she remained silent when Spencer nodded his head in greeting.

“Zoe, say hello,” Raina said in an attempt to break the awkward silence.

“You can just call me Spence,” Spencer said to Zoe. “Can you do that?”

Zoe nodded and smiled. “Hi, Spence. It’s nice to meet you.” She offered her tiny hand to him, which he shook gently. “How do you know my auntie Raina?”

Spencer looked up at Raina and smiled. “We go way back.” All of three days. “And it’s nice to meet you, too. Did you just get off from school?”

“Yes,” Zoe said and began rambling on about her day at school as if she’d known him for years. Clearly she had no fear of strangers and was quite friendly and sociable. He remembered Alexa was the same way.

Spencer humored Zoe and sat down with her after Raina had consented to milk and cookies for an after-school snack. They sat down at the small pedestal table in the back of the kitchen while Raina and her mother watched them from across the room.

“You’re awfully tall. How tall are you?” Zoe inquired, noticing how uncomfortable it was for him to sit in an average chair.

“I’m six foot four.”

“Are you a giant?” Zoe asked, dunking her cookie in the milk. “Like in the fairy tales?”

Spencer laughed heartily as he followed suit and dunked his cookie, too. “Sometimes it feels like that,” he answered honestly. Especially in the sixth grade, when he’d skyrocketed above all the other boys in his class. It had gotten better once he’d gone to high school. When he’d joined the basketball team, he’d finally found a place where he fit in.

“Did it make you sad to be different?” Zoe inquired.

Spencer was surprised by the thoughtful question from the six-year-old. What was the saying? Out of the mouths of babes...“It used to, but not anymore.”

“Zoe, stop questioning the man.” Raina came forward to break up the moment he was having with Zoe to stand directly behind him. Spencer got the vibe that it was time for him to leave and then Raina confirmed it. “Plus I think Mr. Spencer has to go, don’t you?”

Spencer turned around to look at Raina. Clearly she didn’t like the bond he was forging with Zoe. But why? She was the one who’d started down this road. He would have thought she would be encouraging it, especially since she thought he was Zoe’s father.

“Yes, I guess so.” He rose awkwardly from the small table to stand over the little girl and Raina. “Princess Zoe.” He reached for her hand, kissed it and bowed with a flourish. “I look forward to getting to know you better.”

Zoe chuckled at his grandness and said, “You’re funny, Spence.”

“Goodbye, Zoe.” Spencer turned on his heel to go. “A word, Raina?”

She must have heard the commanding tone in his voice because she followed him into the retail area of their catering shop.

“Yes?” Raina snapped, her arms folded across her chest.

Spencer was irritated by her hostile behavior. “You started this, Raina. Don’t be upset with me because I’m running with it,” he responded. “I’m trying to get to know the little girl you claim is my daughter, so a little less acrimony would be good here.”

His response knocked some of the wind out of her sails and Raina unfolded her arms and her shoulders relaxed. She blinked several times and said, “I’m sorry. It’s just that Zoe responded to you like she’d known you for years and with me...” Her voice trailed off.

“Of course she’s going to be harder on you,” Spencer said, softening his voice. “You’re in the trenches day in and day out. You’re the one she’s going to take out all her hurt and loss on.”

Raina looked up at him as if she was surprised that he could understand what she’d been going through. But isn’t that what she is looking for, someone to take the load off her with Zoe?

“It’s been hard on her, losing Alexa so young,” Raina supplied. “I’m doing my best, but it’s not easy.”

“Of course it’s difficult. Zoe may have lost her mother, but you lost your sister, your twin. That must be harder than any of the rest of us can imagine.”

Raina swallowed, and he could see her biting back her tears. He hadn’t wanted her to cry. He’d only wanted her to know that he understood and could be there. If she wanted.

“Thank you.” Raina nodded. “I think everyone seems to forget that I lost Alexa, too.”

Spencer reached across and caressed Raina’s cheek. “I understand loss.” He was still dealing with the ramifications of losing Cameron four years later. He could only imagine how much worse it would be if he’d had to contend with rearing a child after such a loss.

Raina looked up as if to ask him a question, but Spencer felt it was time to leave. He swiftly moved toward the door. “I’ll be in touch about the timing of the test. As both our attorneys stated, it’ll better if the test is done at an independent laboratory to avoid any conflict.”

Seconds later, Spencer was out the door and breathing a sigh of release. Raina Martin was quickly getting under his skin. He’d wanted to comfort her and take away the pain he knew she was feeling by spilling his guts about the loss of his brother. But he had no right to put that on Raina; it was his cross to bear and his alone.

* * *

Raina stared at the door Spencer had just departed out of. He’d been surprisingly comforting when he’d told her that she was suffering as much as Zoe. It was as if he’d looked deep inside her soul and read her mind. And it scared her.

When he’d said he knew loss, she knew it wasn’t a line. He wasn’t using it as way to get into her panties though she had no doubt that’s exactly what Spencer wanted to do. She’d known it from the moment she’d laid eyes on him at the fund-raising dinner. The fact that he’d personally come to see her today even after finding out that she’d served him with paternity papers confirmed it. Spencer Davis wanted her. The question was did she want him? And if she did, would she act on it?