No Regrets

Chapter Two - First Night's Never Easy

DOMINICK'S POV

   Katie is now holding the baby while Mom makes a call to schedule a paternity test. Dad hasn't looked me in the eye since I admitted to the possibility of the baby being mine.

   Nikki must be psychotic if she thinks she can just ditch this baby on me. I've called cell phone, but she hasn't answered once. All the calls ring until going over to voicemail.

"So.... What's her name?" Katie asks.

"It's not important." I answer, remembering what the note said. No doubt Nikki chose that name with a goal to spite me. 

    Looking back, it's surprising her and I dated for two years. She and I are totally different in many ways. I guess that whole "opposites attract" thing is true. Our families are also different in comparison to one another as well.

   Her family is one of those strict-traditional families. Strict rules, weekly family meetings, going to church twice a week, and all that stuff. Nikki hated all those rules, but she hardly disobeyed.

   Part of me knows a main reason she was attached to me, because I was the type of boy her parents did not approve of. Tattoos, rebellious, barely making passing grades in school, going down a path of, at best, becoming a cashier at a fast-food joint in the future.

   One of her family's strict rules was to save yourself till marriage. Despite the rule, I am very well-aware I wasn't her first. She is a very interesting type of girl, extremely reserved, incredibly smart, making good grades, but not very nice once you got to know her.

   In comparison to her family, mine is untraditional, only tradition we appear to have is attending church every Sunday. On Sundays, Mom makes me wear a long sleeved shirt that covers my arm tattoos. She also makes sure I have the shirt buttoned up enough that the tattoo that's across my chest doesn't show. The tattoo reads my main life motto. "No Regrets".  I never argue with her on the matter. I know how important Sundays are to here, and thus, I behave like I am a better person than I am. Dad and her seem to appreciate it, and Katie... Well, Katie just wishes it wasn't an act. 

   My little sister is "Miss. Perfect", all-day, everyday, and doesn't like how I live mostly by my own rules. There was a brief time when I tried to meet her half-way, find a way to be happy while also making her happy, but then I stopped.

  She is only twelve years old. What does she know? She is not me, and I am not her. In fact, her and I don't even share that much in common. Our personalities, our appearances, and our biology is all different.

  She has dirty blonde hair, I have dark brown, almost black, hair. She takes after Mom and I take after my biological  father.

  Mom and Dad adopted me when I was five years old. Up until then, I lived with my biological mother who loved drugs, alcohol, and her friends, more than she could ever love me. She would blow through all her money to buy beers, cigarettes, and drugs, instead of food or paying rent. She eventually got her parental rights terminated and I was quickly adopted.

"Dominick, could you hold the baby? I need to use the restroom." Katie says getting up. I start to refuse but Dad orders me to take the baby.

  I sigh and hold out my arms to take the baby. I've held a baby plenty of times; but I am terrified to even touch this baby.

   I gently take my potential-daughter out of Katie's arms. "Support the head." Dad instructs. I nod and arrange my arms to where the baby's head is rested on my arm. Her eyes open and she looks right at me. Her eyes are light green, same color has mine. She doesn't make a sound or move a muscle. All she does is stare at me.