If Only We Knew by Ancelli Page A

will eventually go away. Do you want the best for our baby?” He extended his arm .
    “I do.” She grabbed his hand, and the pain began to subside just a little. “Thank you.”
    “Anything for you, Shannon.” He gazed at her. He bent down and whispered in her ear, “ Gracias .”
    He could see she wanted to ask him for what, but she stayed silent. “For him. You’ve given me the best gift. I thought this day would never come.” He kissed her cheek.
    “Aren’t you mad at me?”
    “Yes, it will be hard for me to trust you again, but after seeing this little guy, how can I not forgive you?”
    “Look at those gorgeous eyes.” She played with the baby’s hair. “I wonder if they’ll stay green.”
    Thank you, God, for making him look like me. He couldn’t believe that in less than twenty-four hours his entire life had changed. He’d become a father without even knowing it. “Can I burp him?”
    She handed the baby over to Matt, and he began to gently rub the baby’s back , saying, “ Mi nene, te quiero. ”
    Sherry burst into the room, holding a blue balloon that said, “It’s a boy”!
    “I’m an aunt! Where is he?” she asked, looking at Shannon. Her jaw dropped when she saw Matt with the baby. “Hi, Matt! Let me see him.”
    “Sherry, he just ate.” Shannon looked over at Matt.
    She set the balloon on the side of the room. “So? I can burp him.” She went over and Matt handed her the baby from his arms to hers , took one look at the baby, and stared at Shannon. “Shannon,” she said, and then she looked over at him. “Matt, do you have something you need to tell me?”
    “What do you mean?” Matt asked with a big grin as he settled into the chair next to the window.
    “He looks like you, that’s what I mean. Don’t be stupid.” She turned, watching her sister’s reaction. “Shannon, is Matt’s the father of my nephew?” She kissed his little hands.
    “Yes, Sherry, Matt is Matthew’s father. He wasn’t married at the time . It only happened once . ”
    “You don’t have to explain anything to me.” She turned to look at Matt. “Matt, your son is gorgeous.” She kissed him on the forehead, turning him around and burp ed him. “Mom and Dad are on their way, and you will have a lot of explaining to do.” She laugh ed .
    “I need to call my dad and Andrew.”
    He was about to call his brother when Sherry asked, “Does your wife know?”
    “No, because I just found out myself, but she will soon enough.” He stood up. “I’ll be back.” He said walk ing out the door , without looking at Shannon .
    “Shannon, why didn’t you tell him? You guys are friends. Did you think he wouldn’t notice?” She held up the baby so Shannon could see. “Look at this baby. He looks like his father.”
    “Sherry, I didn’t think it through. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”
    “Unless you didn’t know who the father was.”
    “That’s insulting. I knew who my baby’s father was. I don’t fucking open my legs for anyone. I can’t believe you of all people would say that.”
    “Shannon, what do you want me to think? You didn’t tell your best friend he was having a baby, after what he’s been through?”
    “I did it for him because he was a newlywed, expecting a baby. I didn’t want to cause him any more turmoil. He was finally happy.”
    “You thought telling him he was going to get what he always wanted was a problem? You shouldn’t have done this by yourself. It takes two to tango. He had as much to do with conceiving this baby as you did. It’s his problem how to handle the consequences of his actions, and by the looks of things, he is handling them right now.”
    “What are you talking about?” She looked at her sister.
    “He went to tell his wife about his son.”
    Shannon looked up and saw her parents in the doorway. Her mother had a bouquet of flowers in her hand. “Mom, Dad.”
    Her mom put the flowers on the table and walked over to Shannon, hugging her.