All by Chance {Brollins}

/ Chapter 38 \

"You are so fucking gorgeous. Anyone ever tell you that?" Rebecca laughed at Colby's slurred words.

"No. Doesn't ring a bell." She smiled, taking another shot of her Tequila.

"It should." He rolled his eyes dramatically, "If you didn't date douchebags, it would."

He threw his arm on her shoulders, gaining ground and getting closer. "If you dated me, it would."

"Promises promises." She chuckled, filled with too much alcohol to grasp the depth of his words.

"Colby." Rebecca snapped him out of a trance-like state. "There's more to it."

"It isn't just any child." The nurse watched Colby look at her, almost seeming dazed.

"The tests came back conclusive." She continued slowly, "Rebecca is biologically Danielle's mother."

"Wait... Danielle?!" Colby sat in complete shock, feeling like he just got a kick to the gut as his mouth grew parched. His eyes stared into Rebecca's as she nodded. "Danielle is-"

"Our daughter..." Rebecca finished his sentence, still in disbelief.

Countless drinks later and the two found themselves stumbling over their feet in one of the building's many halls, laughing with their arms slung around each other.

Suddenly Colby came to a halt, and Rebecca looked at him and chuckled. "What are you doing?"

Within the span of a second, Rebecca's back was against the nearest wall, and Colby's hands were gripping her hips. They stood nose to nose, and Rebecca seemed to sober up in confusion. This time her sentence was slightly more serious than the last. "What are you doing?"

They both sat in silence, staring off into the distance in front of them. The nurse exited quietly, knowing they'd need time.

After an excruciatingly long pause filled with silence, Colby shook his head. "How... how is this possible?"

Rebecca laughed to stop herself from crying, and it was a short and unexpected exhale on both behalfs. "How do you think?"

He looked at her, and she sat in front of him. "When a man and a woman-"

"I know that." He leaned back, "But us- when?"

"The dinner party." She whispered, "The company one."

Colby furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the table, trying to recall what she was talking about. "When we got promoted and it... it was almost Christmas."

Colby's eyes just darted from one of hers to the other as he gathered the courage the booze provided. He smashed his lips onto hers, and she instantly pushed her hands against his chest.

He seemed stunned himself, but instead of getting the opportunity to apologize, Rebecca pressed their lips back together hungrily. They tugged and pulled, hands moved everywhere, and before they knew it, Rebecca was reaching for the nearest door handle, and Colby was carrying her into the room.

Suddenly, the blurry lines all started to form a straight path. A memory. 

One that Colby didn't understand how he could forget. A moment that was so crucial to their story, one that he would remember briefly and the next instant, the memory would be gone, like a fleeting thought. He cursed himself for getting so drunk, dying to remember every single detail.

"The alcohol..." Colby whispered as it all started to click, "The closet..."

Rebecca nodded in confirmation, cheeks burning up as she looked down. "Yeah."

"I... almost forgot." He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair.

She placed her hand on top of his, "Me too."

Everything started to align itself. "I just assumed, since you had just broken up with your boyfriend... it was his."

"Me too." Rebecca repeated, and just stared at Colby, still unable to process anything. Then something in her demeanour shifted, and she stood up. "All this time..."

Colby immediately noticed her body language mimic what would normally happen when she was stressed and spiralling. "Rebecca-"

"All this time!" She raised her voice, and tears spilled from her eyes once again. "You're telling me that they accidentally swapped my baby with one that died?!"

He stood, and she covered her mouth. "I saw her... it, Colby. We buried a child."

Rebecca's stomach dropped, "How did I not notice this before?"

She started to connect the dots, "I named her Danielle after you. Then a few months later, you get a baby on your doorstep with the same name, same gender, same brown eyes..."

She stopped pacing, and Colby gently wiped a tear from her cheek. "I should've known..."

He shook his head, "Rebecca-"

"I should've known!" Her sob mixed with a yell, "I don't deserve to be a mother..."

"That's not true, and you know it." Colby spoke sternly, hating that on top of mourning the loss of a child that wasn't dead, she had to deal with extra guilt for it now.

"All this time, my own baby was right under my nose." She looked at Danielle before looking back at him, eyes red and puffy. "But I was sulking around thinking she was dead, Colby!"

He just wrapped his arms around her protectively. "It's not your fault."

"But it is." She whispered shakily, "If I was smarter-"

"Don't." His grip tightened slightly, "Don't do that to yourself."

He moved one hand to stroke her hair slowly, "You didn't know. No one did. There was nothing you could do. But now, everything you've ever wanted is falling into place."

Rebecca listened to his steady heartbeat for a while, appreciating its calm rhythm, before looking up at him. "What if I'm not good at it?"

"You've been by Danielle's side most of her life already. And that was before you even knew you were her mother." He smiled at her, "You've always been a mother to her. Hell, she already calls you mama, so you know she feels that way too."

She shook her head, "You just found out we've actually had a shared daughter this whole time. How are you so composed?"

"Because I thought my life was already good as it was." Colby smiled, pulling Rebecca close again. "Now I know it's perfect."