Chapter 7

Harvey parked his Aston Martin at the curb in front of the Paulsen's home. Before he could unlatch his seatbelt, Roberta placed a hand on Harvey's arm. He looked up into a set of soft green eyes.

"Harvey, I know you want to know all about your daughter but tonight's not the night. She is having a few of her..."

"Roberta," Harvey said looking back into those green eyes seriously and placed his hand on top of hers. "I know. Donna already told me. Besides I want to talk with Donna tonight. We still haven't worked all this out yet. So don't worry."

After this exchange they both get out of the car, the night was chilly and dark. The moonlight had hidden behind a passing cloud. The canopy of the sky was covered with overhanging trees; however, when one's vision pierced through the cover of trees, the stars twinkled in the crisp clean air. As they proceeded to walk to the front door, they were greeted by a couple of Kenzie's girlfriends being dropped off by one of their mothers. Roberta said hello and unlocked the front door and let the children in the house. Harvey held the door open for all three females and then followed them into the living room hanging around the front door awkwardly not knowing where to wait for Donna and Kenzie to arrive.

"Hi!" a cute little brunette greeted Harvey. The other little girl, a blonde, just smiled shyly up at him and then looked at her friend and they both giggled together.

"What's your name?" asked the braver of the two- the brunette.

"I'm Harvey Specter," Harvey said.

"How do you know Mackenzie?" Chloe the brunette's name he discovered asked.

"I'm her father," Harvey said. The words seemed strange when he said them aloud.

"Kenzie said you were a lawyer and that Kenzie's mom, Miss Donna, works for you," Chloe continued to throw statements and questions at Harvey.

When Harvey was able to respond he was fascinated by what Kenzie's girlfriends knew about him. Harvey Specter was a charmer of women of any age and twelve year olds were no exception.

"She knows all that about me, does she? Well, I have a confession. I don't know that much about Kenzie. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I ever saw her. Do you think she looks like me or Miss Donna?"

"She definitely has your big brown eyes," ventured Vanessa the shy blonde coming out of her shell. "I guess Kenzie never saw you up close and personal because she never said how handsome you are." Vanessa then ran from the living room and coerced her friend to join her leaving Harvey standing awkwardly in the living room with a funny smile on his face. Then finally Donna and Kenzie came through the front door.

"Harvey," Donna said as she came through the door first. "Let's go in here. You, too, Kenzie. We won't be long, sweetie, then you can go party."

Donna led them through directly to the small rec room left of the front door. She closed the double doors behind her.

As they went through the doorway together, Mackenzie looked up at Harvey with a no nonsense look. Harvey thought for a moment he was looking in a mirror. He shook his head vigorously trying to wave off that look. He suddenly felt an impulse to embrace his daughter and show that he was very proud of her and wanted her to know how proud he was to be her father, but he restrained himself because he was afraid of scaring the young girl off into fits. He did not think that would be a good way of starting a relationship. She was no baby and seemed to be a woman much like her mother. She seemed to be a young woman who knew her own mind and never minded giving a piece of it to somebody else.

Donna closed the door behind them.

"Ok, I know this is awkward. Mackenzie, this is your father Harvey Specter. Harvey, this is your daughter Mackenzie Specter Paulsen."

"Mr. Specter," muttered Mackenzie looking up to him.

"Mr. Specter?" Harvey asked as he crouched down to look his daughter in the eye.

With his disarming smile, Harvey continued, "I know it's a little soon to call me dad, so how about you call me Harvey." He held out his hand.

With her own charming smile, she cautiously held out her hand to Harvey and gave him a firm handshake.

"Look don't expect too much from me either in this situation...uh, Harvey...and as you noted it is a little too early for me to call you dad. So for right now until we get this whole uncomfortable situation resolved, let me call you "Mr. H." Mom has told me all about you and that she still works for you and for some strange reasons why she never told you about me until now. So until later this weekend can we just can the "get to know your father" thing?"

Harvey shook his head and looked up at Donna. "Your mother was right. You are a lot like the both of us. Yes, you have a deal." Harvey gently shook Kenzie's hand. Then with a look to her mother and a nod from Donna, Mackenzie opened the door and left the room to spend the night with her friends. She closed the door behind her giving her parents some privacy.

"Wow! She's straightforward no coy bullshit from her. I have to tell you I like that," Harvey said smiling.

"Harvey, she's still in shock. She'll come around. You'll see," Donna said

"I think she suffers from the same issues you say I have," Harvey said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Donna challenged.

"I mean. I know how she feels. I felt as awkward as she did but she did have one advantage. She knew about me for the last 12 years, and I never knew about her until about three days ago."

"I thought we went through this already."

"We did, but now that I've met her, I feel sorry for her. I was so proud of her tonight. Now she looked at me like I was public enemy #1. This situation isn't even my fault!" Harvey's voice started to rise the more he thought about the argument ahead. He really wanted to be with Donna and MacKenzie but the situation was still too new for him to accept what Donna had done.

"It began as your fault when I became pregnant, you immature womanizer!"

"Don't give me that! You wanted it as much as I did and you know it!'

"Harvey, keep your voice down! What I meant to say is I know this situation is my fault. I said it was my fault. However the reason she exists is on both of us."

"How was I to know what to do back then when you couldn't even tell me you were pregnant? You told Jessica an almost complete stranger at the time but not the father of your child or your friend. I thought even back then we were friends more than just coworkers. I never mentioned it because of your "rule". You should have broken it when you found out you were pregnant with my child." Harvey was really into lawyer mode now.

Donna started to cry and turned away from Harvey. The last feminine weapon that most females used against men they loved. She was determined not to use it.

"Look, Harvey, what's past is past. Maybe I should have told you maybe it was good I didn't," Donna said shaking her head and frustratingly wiped a tear from her face. "We'll never know now. However, we have this beautiful little girl, young woman, that really wants to love us both. We can, perhaps, work from there."

Harvey saw the unshed tears in Donna's eyes. He could take anything from anybody, but seeing Donna cry always made him hurt. Knowing that he was the cause for those tears made him feel even worse. He shortened the distance between them and wiped a tear away from her cheek. He took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. He could feel her start to cry again from the kiss.

Softly, Harvey said, "I am so happy we have this young woman who is product of both of us. I already love her knowing that. I was just saying that I felt uncomfortable and at a disadvantage."

"Harvey, you said I should have broken my "rule" when I discovered I was pregnant with her. Harvey, I love you and I loved you then way too much to ever have wanted trap you into an obligation for which I thought you would not have welcomed. I was thinking of both of us. I wanted to stay near you and I knew you needed to accomplish the goals you had set before you. You were too ambitious for the both of us. I knew that if you were ultimately successful then I could only benefit by that and so would our daughter."

Harvey took Donna into his arms and just held her tight for a moment. His thoughts were scattered by all the events that had happened within the last three days. The possibility of Donna going to prison and his obstruction of justice to prevent it. Making love and celebrating that she was not going to prison or trial after all. Finding out he had a daughter intentionally or not intentionally because it no longer mattered. He and Donna had had this person and he was in it for the long haul.

He pulled out of the embrace just enough so he could look into Donna's dark depths.

"I said I love you. I can't take that back even if I wanted to. I can't be me without you so my success is your success. I already love that little girl in there and hope that soon she will be comfortable enough or feel love enough to call me dad. I love you, Donna." Harvey then kissed her fully on the mouth and ran his hands along her back resting them clasped at the small of her back. Her arms were wound around his neck and her hair was at his mouth. She could feel him breathe and smell his scent. All she wanted right now was for this man to hold her and never stop. He was all she had in the world right now.

_ "You were so good as Ophelia, Kenzie. I could never have gotten all those words out and sang on top of it," said Chloe to Mackenzie as they and two other girls sat around in their pajamas in Mackenzie's room. They were waiting for "Frozen" to come on the TV. All four girls loved the songs and while they watched they had planned to eat pizza and popcorn.

"I know I was good. I'm Mackenzie," Mackenzie said mimicking her mother's "I'm Donna" tones.

"I had the hardest time trying to get through Lady MacBeth. She was easier in some ways because she was such a paranoid bitch," Vanessa said.

"Van - e -ssa!" Chloe and Luci said together admonishing the curse word Vanessa uttered.

"Oh, it's ok. No one can hear us with the door shut," Mackenzie said.

"How come you never mentioned your father before?" Chloe inquired.

"I didn't like to talk about him. I just met him for the first time tonight. All I know is that he is still my mom's boss and that she really, really loves him."

"He is so handsome. Maybe he and your mom can get married now?" Luci asked. Luci was one of Kenzie's best friends and she played Juliet in the balcony scene in the Romeo & Juliet excerpt.

Mackenzie just scowled. "I don't know what's going to happen. My mother never mentioned if Mr. Harvey, that's what he agree I call him until I feel comfortable enough to call him dad, ever wanted to get married after he found out about me. Of course I do not know how long he has known I'm alive, but right now that's not the problem."

Vanessa started to say, "So what did your dad think of your..."

Mackenzie now infuriated with the fixation that her father was now in town, Mackenzie stated loud and clear:

"Can we drop it already? Tonight is our night. It is not the night that I want to discuss my father. I told him I wasn't discussing it with him and I am certainly not discussing him with you!"

Mackenzie stomped off and out of the bedroom door.

Meanwhile back in the den...

Harvey and Donna looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

"As much as I would like to continue this," Donna said. "I'm starving. What about you?"

Harvey kissed her one more time swiftly. "I could use a bite."

"How about a beer and some pizza?"

"Not exactly haute cuisine, but I'm game. Where do you want to go?" Harvey asked.

"I know exactly where I want to take you. It's the same place where the girls got their pizza. It is the best pizza in this one-horse town."

"I'm not going to run into one of your old boyfriends, am I?" Harvey said with smirk.

"Why? You scared of a little competition, Specter?" Donna challenged with a twinkle in her eye. Their banter was their saving grace. It was the way they had communicated for so long and it signaled that Harvey had truly forgiven for keeping his daughter away from him.

"No, I'm Harvey Specter. No I just don't like to feel sorry for the loser knowing it isn't going to be me. I love a challenge," Harvey said and giving her one more deep kiss.

"Mmmhmm...are you sure you're that hungry...for food?" Harvey said as he pushed himself closer to Donna so she would have no doubt what he wanted instead of food.

"Come on, Harvey. Cool it. There's no lock on the door, stupid. The kids are all awake upstairs and my mother's right outside," Donna admonished feeling like a teenager herself.

"Well, I'm sure your mom's got a guy stashed somewhere. She's still hot, you know," Harvey said laughing as he led Donna to the door of the den.

"Harvey! That's my mother you're talking about!"

"I know. Why do you think I said it?"

Donna just shook her head and smiled as she and Harvey walked out of the den and then slipped out the front door without anyone seeing anything.