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My twins have different dads

When Mia Washington gave birth to twins, she had no idea only one was fathered by her boyfriend – despite having slept with both her lover and her fiancé within two days.

She only found out the shocking truth when her fiancé James Harrison, 45, insisted on having a DNA test because he’d noticed the 10-month-old boys, Justin and Jordan, were very different and suspected his girlfriend had cheated.

The result showed Justin was her lover’s child while Jordan was her fiancé’s son.

Incredibly, James, 45, has vowed to stand by Mia and bring up both boys, and now Mia is pregnant again – and this time she knows James is the father.

“I never imagined something like that could happen – let alone to me. I can’t see the other man in Justin, but I can
see he looks very different to his brother. I made a stupid mistake and luckily James has forgiven me,” says Mia, 20.

“And now we’re looking forward to the birth of our new baby. I’ll never cheat on him again. I’ve said sorry so many times.”

James and Mia met in February 2007 – while Mia was in high school – when she stayed over at a house James was lodging in after the break-up of his last relationship.

Mia says she fell for the divorcee – who has two sons aged 27 and 23 – because he is a gentleman.

She says: “He was more mature than other men I’d  been with and we had lots in common.”

Within six months they moved in together in Texas, USA, but, just two months later in October 2007, she cheated on him with a 21-year-old neighbour.

 “I was naive and allowed myself to be talked into bed by this other man, even though I loved James and we were trying for a baby,” says Mia.

“It was a moment of madness and purely physical. While we were having sex, the condom split, but we stopped straight away so I thought it’d be fine and didn’t even take the morning after pill.

“I was terrified James would leave me, so I blanked it out and vowed never to do it again.”

Two days later, Mia and James had sex – and a month later she found out she was pregnant.

Mia recalls: “I was elated. I never imagined there could be another man’s child inside me.

“Just before I found out I was pregnant, James asked me if I’d cheated on him because one of his friends said he’d seen me with another man. I lied and said no – I couldn’t risk losing him. The matter was dropped and we just focused on the pregnancy.”

James, a mechanic, supported Mia throughout the pregnancy and was by her side when, after 12 hours of labour, on 8 June 2008 she had two boys each weighing 5lbs 4oz.

“It was love at first sight for both of us,” says Mia. “It didn’t even enter my head that one of the boys might not be James’.”

But James insisted on the test after he noticed Justin had paler skin than Jordan and didn’t look anything like him.

Mia says: “I thought he was crazy. I could see they looked different, but I just thought they were babies and their looks would change. I told James he was imagining it. I had no doubt the boys were his.”

But his suspicions grew when a friend said they’d spotted Mia with another man around the time the twins were conceived.

“When I confronted Mia she denied cheating, but I could see myself in Jordan and not Justin,” he says. “I just had a feeling – even though I’d never heard of twins being born with different dads. I wanted a DNA test, but it was too expensive.”

Then a friend told James about a local radio station who’d carry out the DNA test in return for the results being read out live on air. And when James suggested it to Mia, incredibly, she agreed.

She says: “Yes, I’d had a one-night stand, but there was no doubt in my mind that James was the father of both boys and I thought the test would be a way to end his suspicions.”

The family had mouth swabs taken at a Dallas lab in April and a week later James and Mia were called into the radio studio for the results – by then Mia was four months pregnant again.

The DJ said the test showed there was 0 per cent chance James was Justin’s dad but 99.9 per cent chance he was Jordan’s.

Mia says: “I burst into tears and ran from the studio. I didn’t know how I could face James. Not only had I lied to him, but everyone listening would hear I was a cheat. I was sure my relationship with James was over. I was distraught.”

When they met up again a few days later, Mia begged for forgiveness, swore her unborn baby was his, and promised she’d never cheat again.

“I was stupid and Justin is a permanent reminder. I begged James to stay and he said he’d be a father to both boys,” she says. “It would’ve broken my heart to deprive our kids of a dad.”

Doctors told Mia that falling pregnant by two men can happen when a woman releases multiple eggs during ovulation.

If she has more than one sexual partner within the same time period, sperm cells can fertilise two separate eggs.

When twins have two fathers, doctors call it heteropaternal superfecundation and it is so rare there are only a handful of documented cases in the world.

Incredibly, the family are now settled and say they’re excited about the baby due in August.

Mia says: “James treats the boys equally. He has a big heart and was man enough not to walk out on me. We plan to marry later this year.”

James adds: “Mia lied and it hurt, but she’s a good mother and I want to make a go of it. I know her unborn baby is mine.”

The couple plan to tell the boys the truth about their fathers when they’re old enough to understand. But Mia hasn’t told her one-time lover he’s a father.

“I haven’t seen him since and don’t want to. He was a mistake. He produced a gorgeous son, but he doesn’t know. I’m just focusing on my future with James and our family.”

By Paul Thompson