December, 2008, Somewhere outside NYU

Liam wanted to snatch Chanty’s phone away from her hand.

She had been checking the thing every five minutes and the reason behind that was that bastard, Cameron.

If he wanted to come, he would already be here.

“Hey, you want me to bury that phone six feet under the ground?” Angelica asked the question Liam had been trying to keep to himself. “Cameron will come if he can. And by the look of things, he is not. So, get over it, girl, and let’s have a good time.”

They were having a barbecue outside the small cabin Angelica rented for the holiday. Zach and Liam were watching over the meat while Angelica set up the table.

Chanty looked at all of them, their faces expectant. Liam smiled at her warmly to erase whatever feeling Angelica’s words brought to her.

“Come on, Chanty, don’t be such a joy killer. Let’s have a good time here,” Zach called out.

Liam went to the large cooler by the table, opened it, and took out a can of beer. He went to where Chanty was sitting. “Here, drink up. Let’s not think of the people who are not here right now. Let’s just have some fun.”

She hesitated for a moment before she sighed and looked at her phone. “You’re right. Cameron can get lost. I’m turning this thing off.” And she did just that much to Liam’s amazement. He popped the can open for her and she took a big gulp the moment he handed it to her.

“Let’s put on some music,” Angelica said with excitement.

Liam went back to Zach.

“Nice job, man. You’re getting there,” his friend murmured.

Liam did not say anything. He was busy looking at Chanty dancing with Angelica with the beer in her hand. He really hoped this vacation would turn out right. He desperately wanted to get somewhere with Chanty even if it meant making her forget some bastard was waiting for her back in NYU.

2013

Chanty’s heart was beating too fast. She almost felt afraid that Cameron, who was sitting right across her table, would see it. She felt a mixture of different feelings woven into one. Her senses were not helping as well. She could feel Liam’s presence right beside her and it was almost tangible. As if a colored gas she could see and feel. It was seeping right through the pores of her skin. She could hear his calm breathing. She could smell his smell--his signature smell that she never smelled from anyone else.

She could see that Cameron was talking by the way his mouth was moving, but she could not clearly hear it. Her hearing was too busy right now with Liam’s breathing and her own blood rushing through her ears.

For a moment, Chanty closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves. She collected whatever sense she had left and placed them at the proper order. It was not the right time to swoon over Liam’s sudden appearance, obviously to rescue her from the piranhas before her.

When she opened her eyes, she focused on Cameron and Henry’s conversation.

“That’s why I am here,” Henry was saying. “To make sure that you and Ms. Strindberg will not make any decisions that would make things worse. I understand you want to have a DNA test done?”

Cameron nodded, shifting his gaze to Chanty.

“I have something to say before anything else,” she finally said. She looked at Liam and he looked back at her with encouragement. Gone was the flat affect he had been wearing for weeks after he learned of the truth. Right now, he was back to being Liam, the old Liam.

But was he here to make sure that she told Cameron the truth?

She brushed the thought away, knowing it was no use to think about Liam’s motives.

“I admit that I panicked when you suddenly showed up weeks ago, saying you want to see your son,” she addressed Cameron. “And I also admit that I lied to you about Liam being his father.”

“Why are you suddenly admitting you lied to me?”

“Because it won’t hurt me at all even if you go to court with the claim I lied to you, right Mr. Bell?”

Henry nodded. “You may have a chance if you fight for a custody, but it will be a very slim one. Chanty had been Willie’s sole provider since he was born. You walked out of her life the moment you learned she was pregnant. Do I have to continue?”

Chanty expected Cameron’s lawyer to say something but he didn’t. He was silent the whole time and she wished it would stay that way.

She didn’t realize she was gripping her armrest with all her strength until she felt Liam’s hand cover hers. The warmth his hand offered almost brought tears to her eyes.

It gave her courage.

But he let go even before she could turn to him for thanks.

“But I am Willie’s father, right? That’s just what I really want to clear here,” Cameron asked strongly.

“I am pretty sure you are the father, Cameron. 90% sure, as a matter of fact.”

Cameron straightened in his chair. “What do you mean 90%? I am 100% sure I am the father.”

“I lied to you about Liam being Willie’s father, Cameron, but I did not lie to you when I told you I cheated on you.”

Cameron looked at her incredulously but immediately washed the look away with a serious one he would often wear if he was feeling confused. “I thought the two of you were just acting…” he trailed.

Chanty arched an eyebrow at him and sat back against her chair with a small smile. “That’s why I also want to do this DNA test. I also want to be 100% positive of the fact.”

She saw Cameron struggle with his emotions. He closed his eyes and Chanty held her breath as she waited for him to say something. She prayed Henry was right--that Cameron had a slim chance if he would fight for custody. She prayed Cameron would not be that stupid as to think he could win this.

“Can we have some time alone?” Cameron asked her, his eyes now open, staring at her, almost begging.

“Of course, not,” Liam spoke for the first time since the meeting began. “Whatever you have to say, say it now.”

“This is between me and Chanty,” Cameron shot at him. “This is about our child. So back off for once, Heaton.”

“You bastard--”

“Leave us alone,” Chanty said loudly, stopping Liam’s words.

Liam looked at her with disbelief. “You are not talking to this guy alone, Chanty.”

She did not dare look at him. She fixed her eyes on Cameron. “Yes, I am. So, please, leave us alone. If you’re not, the two of us are going to get out of here and find somewhere else to talk.”

She heard Liam take a deep breath and murmur something sharp under his breath before he shot to his feet and walked out the room without a word. Chanty almost wanted to call out to him and beg him to come back. But as Henry stood up along with Cameron’s old lawyer and Beth the Bitch, she composed herself. This was her fight and she was going to face this alone.

“Now I understand why I should not have brought my lawyer,” Cameron said, relaxing against his chair. “We should have done this like adults.”

“That’s what I was expecting. You still brought your lawyer.”

“And Heaton is still barging in like he always did. I am surprised he did not drag Astor along with him on this one.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Zach is busy with something at the moment. Let’s not stall, Cameron. What are you really planning to do? You now know the truth. I lied to you. I told a lie. I made up a story. I am sure you now have an amazing plan at the back of your mind right now.”

For the first time since she saw him, Cameron just smiled. Not his lawyer smile, but the Cameron smile she once knew, before everything else went wrong.

“You changed a lot, Chanty. When I first met you, I never thought we’d end up like this.”

She did not say anything but waited for him to continue.

“When I proposed to Beth, I realized I wanted to sort everything out. You and Willie had always been at the back of my mind since that day I left you. I knew when you gave birth. I tried to contact you hundreds of times, but work got in the way. I got busy chasing my selfish dreams, as what you called them.” He paused for a while, shifting in his chair, looking uncomfortable for having to confess something about himself. “But when I realized I was ready to have a family with Beth, the first thing that popped into my head was Willie. He’s my son and I never made any effort to get to know him.”

Chanty kept her silence.

“And when I finally decided I was strong enough to face whatever challenges I had to know my son, I came to you. But I never expected you to give me a hard time. Yes, of course, I expected a slap here and there, a cry of anger and all that, but I never expected you to make up a lie. I almost believed you, you know. But then I know you enough to know that you were lying. And then I realized you did it to protect yourself. You have every right to make up anything just to protect yourself and Willie from me. I challenged you with the DNA test and you freaked out. That newspaper article about me told me you would die for Willie. And I blamed myself for a moment because it was my fault. If I did not run away from you, Willie would have a father. But then I thought, what if I stayed? I would have been miserable because I was not chasing my dream. And I would be making you miserable in return. And our child would grow up as miserable as his parents.”

Chanty felt tears pooling her eyes. She remembered those days when she cried for Cameron, hoping he’d come back. She remembered when Willie was born without a father to hold him. She remembered the nights her son would ask her where his father was. But Cameron was right. If he had stayed, they would have been miserable. He was too ambitious and selfish to not be chasing his dreams just because a child was holding him back. He could have chased them still if he stayed, but there would be a lot of delays. He’d have to change diapers instead of writing his papers. He was right: They would have been miserable together.

“I have no intentions of going to court or anything, Chanty.” His words brought her back to the present. She arched an eyebrow at him in disbelief and he laughed in return. “I find it amusing that we can no longer trust each other. I brought my lawyer because I believed you would do the same thing. And I was right. And now I am sincerely telling you that this is a personal choice of mine to know my son--no other agenda whatsoever--and you don’t believe me. But I am telling the truth here, Chanty. I want to know my son and I want him to know me. Please don’t deprive us of that. I am not asking you to forgive me for what I have done. I am asking you to understand that Willie and I need to know each other. If not for me, please do it for him.”

Chanty looked at Cameron for a long time. She wanted this problem to be over with. She wanted this to be history so she could start living the life she wanted for her and Willie. And so she could start to freaking go after Liam. Him not being here was not enough for her.

“Okay, let’s do that. But don’t get too excited, Cameron. We still need to do the DNA test. I was being truthful when I told you I am not entirely sure you are the father.”

He shook his head with a smile. “Of course. We’ll do it as soon as we can. Just tell me the date.”

“And, before you leave,” she said, opening a drawer under the table where she kept her most important files. “I had Henry draw this up in case things turned out as expected. And it did,” she said with a smile as she laid the folder before him.

Cameron frowned. “What’s this?”

“It’s just some agreement that you will never go to court to get custody.”

“What do I get in return?”

Chanty smiled. “Nothing. If Willie turns out to be your son, I decide what happens next.” When he did not make any move to open the folder, she added, “You sign it here and now, Cameron. Or you will not get a chance to know your son.”

She watched him struggle for a moment. His lawyer-oriented mind must be reeling right now but Chanty didn’t care. She had to make sure that no one was going to take Willie away from her.

After a long moment of silence, Cameron finally shook his head and reached for the paper. “You better hand me a pen right now before I change my mind, Chanty.”

Chanty gave him her precious Parker pen with a triumphant smile.

*****

Liam paced around his office. “I can’t believe she let him talk her into this. I don’t feel good about her being alone in that room with that bastard.”

He heard Henry chuckle. “Relax, man. Chanty can handle this. You don’t have to always be there for her, you know. She has to fight this one on her own.”

Liam looked at his friend. “You know something I don’t.”

“Of course, I do. Chanty called me up two days ago to draw up some contract. I can’t tell you about it, but I can say that it was a pretty damn good contract. It was an amazing idea on her side, actually. Let’s just hope that things turned out as she hoped.”

“It better,” Liam snapped. He wanted to punch himself for panicking earlier and dragging Henry here. He should have just let Chanty handle this one on her own. This was her mess. Why did he even interfere?

As what Henry claimed, she had already made plans. And she did it without him. It meant she was determined to clean up this mess without anyone’s help.

But then, here he was, acting like he had to help her. But he couldn’t help it. It was like a default thing in his system.

I need to stay away as soon as I can, he thought.

*****

The moment Cameron and his lawyer walked out with Beth the Bitch tagging along, Chanty heaved a sigh of relief.

Everything went well, she wanted to shout out loud. Everything went well!

Whatever the DNA result was, Cameron could not touch Willie. It would be Chanty’s decision whether or not to introduce him to Willie.

Now that the Cameron problem was slightly solved, it was time to get ready to face her family.

She walked out of her office with her bag in hand.

“Where’s Liam?” she asked Dana.

“In his office with Mr. Bell.”

Chanty walked to Liam’s office and knocked on the door. When a short answer came from inside, she walked inside and looked at Liam’s expectant face.

And then she turned to Henry and smiled. “I did it. He signed.”

Henry jumped to his feet with a smile. “Well, then, I guess I can finally say that you are legally safe, Chanty. Willie is all yours.”

She couldn’t help the smile on her face as she strode toward Henry to give him a hug. “Thank you so much,” she said.

“Hey, as your lawyer, it is my job.” Henry checked his watch. “I need to rush back to the office. I have other uh…things to do.”

Chanty knew what those things were so she nodded.

Henry nodded at Liam sitting behind his desk and walked out the room.

“Thank you,” Chanty told him when they were finally alone. “I know you called Henry. I really do appreciate it.”

“If you had told me you already had a plan, I would not have done anything,” he said dismissively. “But congratulations, Chanty. I guess I can now stop pretending I am Willie’s father in front of that bastard.”

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to see him again. We’ll be doing the DNA test in a few days so I guess it will only be me, Willie and him from now on.”

Something flashed across his face but it was gone in an instant before Chanty could decipher it. “Good,” he added. “I don’t want to leave this place with a memory of that guy.”

Chanty laughed and started for the door. “But just so you know, Liam, I am not giving up.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am not giving up on you. Don’t forget that. After I am done telling everyone about my perfect lie, you’re next.”

And then she walked out the room before he could say anything. She had to go home to Willie and get ready for tomorrow.

Part of herself wanted the DNA test to prove that Liam was the father, but that was unlikely. It would be a big joke on their part if that was the case. But it would make things easier for her. But then again, that was unlikely.

*****

Liam started packing that weekend. He was not bound to leave until next week, but he just needed to do something or else he’d go nuts. He knew Chanty was planning to break the news to her family today. Henry had told him yesterday.

He wanted to go and be there for her when that happened, but he had to stop himself.

This matter was between her and her family.

And he felt that she was doing the right thing.

She had planned everything the right way and he was proud of her for that.

Once this thing with her family was resolved, she would do that DNA test.

Maybe he should stay for the results, he thought. After all, no one was quite certain who Willie’s father was after all.

He couldn’t help but smile at the thought if he turned out to be the real father. Chanty would have to go through the same process again. She’d have to tell everyone once more that her lie was in fact true.

His mind wandered back to the last words Chanty threw at him in his office.

After I am done telling everyone about my perfect lie, you’re next.

He was not stupid as to not understand that. But would he be fool enough to accept her back in his life?

*****

Chanty was sitting right across everyone.

They were just done with dinner. Cassandra was holding her baby, looking at Chanty with encouragement. Philip was sipping his wine, his eyes telling him the family would understand.

She had left Willie with Angelica and Henry.

Their mother was looking at her expectantly.

Hope was looking suspicious.

William, well, he was looking all relaxed.

Chanty cleared her throat and remembered that her lie was not at all that big compared to the one Philip and Cassandra had two years ago.

“I have a confession to make…” she started. “I lied to you about Liam being Willie’s father.”

Their expressions were priceless, of course, the moment her statement registered in their brains.

Mary gasped, her eyes widening by the second. Hope looked as if she finally found the final piece of the puzzle she had been working on for a decade. And William looked like he was about to fall off his chair.

“I am sorry,” she said, tearing up. “I lied to everyone, including Liam, because I felt threatened when Cameron suddenly showed up.”

Questions bombarded her. Most of the time she answered the herself, and some others were answered by her brother and Cassandra.

“You knew about this?” Mary accused Philip and Cassandra.

“They found out later,” Chanty answered.

“I found out earlier than the rest,” Cassandra admitted with a grimace.

“But, Chanty, how could you let us believe such a lie?!” her mother cried.

“Because she wanted all the things that came with it, didn’t you dear?” Hope said with tenderness.

Chanty felt the tears roll down her cheeks. As she looked at her grandmother’s understanding face, she knew that old woman knew.

“You wanted the security Liam brought into Willie’s life and yours. And you wanted him. But I think you just realized that,” Hope said with amusement. Her grandmother chuckled. “Silly girl, I can’t believe you just realized that now.”

Cassandra was smiling smugly like she had known from the start. Philip was looking at her with confusion. William was smiling at her. Her mother, well, was still in shock.

“Grandma, please, this is not the time for that. I just told you I lied to you. Your granddaughter just lied to you and you are turning things around like it’s a joke.”

“Silly child, you are forgiven,” William uttered. “What do I always tell you kids? Huh? We are too old to take all the drama that you young people bring. Don’t expect us to react any more than we do because we just don’t have the energy for that.”

“But I do,” Mary contradicted. “It just breaks my heart that my children have a lot of secrets from me. I am deeply hurt, Chanty.”

“Mom, I know it will not be easy for you to understand, but you are a mother as well. I don’t expect you to understand, actually, because I could have done things differently. It just turned out that I was as silly as I was when I was still in NYU. Still the silly Chanty. Still the reckless Chanty.”

“Stop blaming yourself for the past,” her mother snapped. “But are you sure Liam is not the father?”

Chanty almost blurted out in laughter at her mother’s hopeful tone. “We still need to do the DNA test to confirm that, but I am pretty certain he is not.”

“When is the DNA test?” William asked.

“Monday.”

“We’ll be there. We’re old, but we can go to some damn clinic.”

*****

Monday came and Chanty was ready to deliver Willie’s hair to the laboratory.

When she turned up, Cameron was already there with Beth the Bitch.

“Where’s Willie?” he asked.

“He’s not coming. He won’t understand why we are here. So I brought his hair,” Chanty answered. Of course, she was not alone. The whole clan was with her, including baby JP.

“I don’t suppose you would consider this a good morning if I greet you,” Cameron addressed the people behind her. William grunted, Hope shook her head, Mary said, “No.”, Philip just stared and Cassandra glared.

“Okay then,” Cameron said with a smile, his confidence strong as ever.

They all entered the building, but Chanty and Cameron were the only ones allowed to inside the clinic itself. Everyone else had to stay at the reception area. She wished Beth the Bitch would still be alive. Cassandra was there and though the bitch was friends with Philip, Chanty was not sure he’d do anything if his wife opted to do something.

Without any words, Chanty and Cameron filled in the forms and signed the consent. Cameron opted for his inner cheek to be swabbed and Chanty surrendered a lock of Willie’s hair for the test.

Once they were out, Beth was not looking good. She jumped to her feet to meet Cameron.

“I’ll see you when the results come back,” he told Chanty who just nodded.

“We’ll make sure it comes out as soon as possible,” William said, turning to Philip. “Can you do that?”

“Of course,” her brother answered, already on the phone.

If Philip could call some people, the results could be out in three days or less.

*****

Liam was sitting in his office when Chanty barged in without knocking.

He looked up and gave her a questioning look.

“We did the test.”

“I suppose you did it the right way?”

“Of course.”

“I was afraid Angelica was able to convince you to fake the result.”

“The result will be out tomorrow, or so they said.”

He just nodded.

Chanty looked at him. “You could be the father, you know.”

He did not say anything. Well, that could be true.

“A lot of people hope it’s you.” It seemed as if she was about to add something else but she said, “I’ll let you know if the results are in.”

He didn’t know how to answer that so he just nodded. Yeah, what if he turned out to be the father?