by Leigh, Ember
Wouldn’t hurt to try.
Sure as fuck was better than nothing changing.
Chapter 28
Lila glided through the apartment one last time, making sure nothing was out of place. She’d been prepping for this visit for days, extending her leave until after this important family matter was resolved.
This was a day that would etch itself into Lane’s memory. The day that he met his daddy. Her throat tightened as she checked the time. Three o’clock. Almost time for the reveal. She sucked in a breath and fluffed the last pillow on the couch.
“Lane, honey. It’s time to turn off the TV.”
Her son grumbled a little but did as he was told. When silence bathed the living room, she sat down on the edge of the couch, urging him to join her.
Lex had been released from the hospital that morning. She’d helped him get back to his apartment and settled in, and had left him with enough kisses to last the rest of the year. This was her objective: heal her man, heal her family.
Once she’d claimed Lex as family, she’d kissed her promotion goodbye. No way in hell was a Director of Nursing allowed to be linked to a gang. And in claiming Lex as her family, she’d been able to claim the truth: she didn’t fucking want the job. She never had. And now, she could focus on what she did want.
To be the nurse who truly loved her job. She’d talked it all over with her supervisor and would return the following week. No more overtime. No more stressful late shifts.
Which meant she’d have much more time for her little family.
Because Lex’s only objective, now that he was mobile, was to meet Lane. The proper way. As his father.
She’d known this was coming. Lex had mentioned it during recuperation in the hospital, giving her the time to prepare herself. What she’d say. What made the most sense before changing their son’s life forever.
It wasn’t just Lane who she’d break the news to. She’d already called her father and dropped both of the bombs at the same time: Lane was gaining a daddy, and Lila had lost the promotion.
He didn’t need to know the details. Like how Lex had obliterated her upward trajectory at the hospital, the very thing her father had been pushing since day one as a nurse. He didn’t need to know that the loss of that weight on her shoulders had been almost as freeing as finally telling Lex he had a son.
“Mommy, why am I wearing this tie?” Lane fiddled with the bow tie for the hundredth time that evening. He looked too dapper to handle in a plaid button up and black bow tie, neat black chinos topping his little-boy dress shoes. She loved any excuse to dress him up like a gentleman. And the first time truly meeting his father seemed the perfect occasion.
“That’s a good question, baby.” She cleared her throat, gathering him on her lap. At just after three, now was the time to break the news. He nestled into place, his legs jutting out over her knees.
“You’re dressed up because today is a very special day.” She paused, burying her nose in the back of his head, taking a deep breath of his pure shampoo. “Do you remember how I told you that you have a daddy, but he went away for a while?”
Lane nodded, rubbing his fingers over the golden bracelets on her wrist. “Yeah.”
“Well, I have some good news for you.” She rubbed her chin over the top of his head. “Your daddy is back. And he wants to come meet you. Today. He’s coming over soon to meet you.”
Lila held her breath as the news trickled through the air. Lane tilted his head back and turned to look up at her. “Yeah?”
She nodded. “Mm hmm. He’s so excited.”
Lane pinched his thumbs and forefingers together, examining the skin there. “Is he excited to meet me?”
“Oh yes, baby. He said he’s been waiting for this moment for so long.” Her throat tightened again. No way was she making it through this day without an ugly cry. This very scenario had been something she’d craved on a cellular level, too afraid to even hope for it. So afraid that she hadn’t even considered it a possibility.
And now that it was here, just imagining Lex on the other side of that door was enough to start the Hoover Dam of tears. Sometimes it was great to be very, very wrong about someone.
Lane tilted his head back to look up at her, a big grin on his face. And then he let out a shrieking giggle and hopped from her lap. All she could do was laugh while he hopped around, striking silly poses, totally bubbling over with excitement. She’d never seen him so enthused about anything, not even the time she told him she’d gotten him a T-rex costume for Halloween.
Her plan had been to tell Lane approximately thirty minutes before Lex arrived. Thirty minutes was an eternity to an excited child, so she didn’t want to make him suffer more than necessary while still preparing him emotionally for the big event. She prepared a light snack while he bopped around the house, gathering small piles of toys to show his daddy when he came.
Her own excitement made her skin prickly. She should have hired a film crew or something to capture this momentous occasion. Time crawled as she awaited Lex’s arrival.
When the knock on the door came, she started crying. How silly was she to think she’d ever make it through the next hour in control of her composure? She wiped away the spilled tears, only clearing the path for more. Lane watched her with wide eyes as she approached the door.
“Go sit down, honey.” She shooed him toward the couch. “And just wait there.”
Lane was practically bursting out of his skin as she grabbed the doorknob, drawing a deep breath. On the other side of the door: Lex.
A dark sweater vest over a gray button up, tucked into dark jeans. The ensemble only highlighted the jet-black hair, long enough to sweep back, and the swirling umber of his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat. Like it always did. Like it always would when she beheld Lex.
“Hey.” Her breath came out a whisper, eyes burning with the force of holding back tears. Lex’s face was still tender looking in areas. A small bandage covered a healing cut on his cheek. His black eye had been painted over with concealer, something he claimed to be too good at these days. She grabbed his hand, leading him inside.
Lex radiated nervousness, limping slightly as he came inside. The air hung expectant and bloated, as if it could pop at any second and ooze out around them. Lex squeezed her arm, his gaze falling to the couch.
Lane sat looking up at them, the definition of hopeful puppy. The expression on his face broke Lila’s heart. She wiped at more tears that had spilled.
“Lane,” she began. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”
Lex headed for the couch, a warm smile cresting his face. “Hey, buddy.” He came down to one knee ever so slowly, his nostrils flaring with the effort. He rested a hand on the arm rest. “I’m Lex. I’m your dad.”
Lane looked him up and down as though he was meeting a superhero, mouth rounded. Lex squeezed his knee. “Can I get a hug?”
Lane fell forward, arms splayed open, falling around Lex like he’d done it a million times before. His little lips were tugged down in a frown, fighting tears, his hands grasping at Lex’s wide back.
Lila rubbed at her temples, struggling to see past the tears but unable to prevent the shimmery veil. A hiccup escaped her as Lane broke down into a sob. Lex rocked him back and forth, rubbing his back.
“I’m sorry I was gone for so long.” Lex’s voice came out strained. “But I’m not going anywhere now, buddy.”
“You can stay now?” Lane’s eyebrows shot up. He pulled back to look Lex in the face, his whole body wriggling with happiness. Lila struggled to contain the tears, but the pressure built so much another hiccup escaped her. Lex looked back at her, the tenderness on his face cutting to her core.
“Of course, bud. I’m gonna see you every day now, you know that?”
Lane inhaled an excited breath. He shrieked and jumped up and down, looking over Lex’s shoulder at her. “Did you hear that, Mommy? He can see me every day!”
Lila was a wreck now, snot
flowing alongside tears. She hurried into the kitchen to grab a tissue while Lane tugged Lex’s hand, urging him toward the piles of toys he’d divvied up earlier.
Lila curled onto the couch, fisting extra tissues as Lane chattered happily. She watched as he introduced Lex to the dinosaurs, one by one, and then the race cars. A few superhero figurines had different names than what one would think—like the Superman Lane had named Harry—and Lex took it all in stride, looking equal parts enthralled and disbelieving.
When Lane scurried away to use the restroom, Lex sat on the couch next to her, wiping his eyes.
“This is going well,” she said, more tears coming. She squeezed his knee, laughing. “So much better than I ever thought possible.”
Lex leaned forward, pressing his lips to her forehead. “Thank you.”
“For what?” She curled up into him. He leaned back on to the couch, draping his arm behind her. The scent of him was a balm that smoothed away the prickles of anxiety. “I should be thanking you for still being able to look me in the eye.”
“Thank you for tutoring me.” He wrapped his arm around her tightly, bringing her close to him. His words came out hot against her temple. “All those years ago. For believing in me. For taking a chance on an angry kid who didn’t deserve you.”
His words made the tears return. She buried her face in her hands. “Lex—”
“Thank you for showing me so much love that I wanted to change the game. And then loving me enough to know to walk away.”
She drew a shaky breath, clutching his hand so tight in hers that her fingernails dug into his palm.
“Because all of that led to here.” He sniffed hard, shifting beside her. Lane came out from the hallway, his face uncertain as he spotted the two of them on the couch. “It led me back to you. To my son.”
Lila sighed heavily, like whooshing the rest of the tears out of her. She gestured for Lane to join them. “Come here, baby. Come sit with us.” Willing her voice to remain strong, she added, “Come sit with Mommy and Daddy.”
A grin spread across his face, and he raced toward them, leaping onto their laps with a total disregard for their soft bodies beneath. She coughed as he rolled around on top of them. If he hit a sensitive area on his father, Lex didn’t show it.
Lane looked up at the two of them, his dark eyes gleaming with happiness. Lila grinned down at him, memorizing his perfect little heart shaped face, the wisps of dark hair over his forehead, the tang of cedar in Lex’s cologne. The moment was perfect. Just as it was.
Lex leaned over, pressing his lips to her forehead, which caused a peal of giggles from Lane. Lila smiled wider. Scratch that.
From here on out, perfect would only get better.
Author Note
I wrote this book while pregnant with my first son. The pregnancy hormones made this story a little bit harder than any other I’ve written. I tried to remain true to the messiness of a decision like Lila’s. This was one of the most relieving HEA’s I’ve ever written.
Thank you to Landra, Kat, and Elisabeth for the feedback that helped shape this story. I wouldn’t be able to do this writing thing without you all. Special thanks to my husband, who not only tolerates but supports my late nights and constant urges to “go get some writing done”. I couldn’t do this writing thing without you either, mi principe.
NEXT IN THE BREAKING SERIES…
MY LITTLE SECRET
A Novella
HAWK
Focus is my middle name. But Sadie makes me forget why I’m in town, what I’m here to win, why it all matters. That alone should tell me to stay the hell away. But I need more of her, even though I know she’s hiding something from me.
I’ll do anything to keep her by my side. Just how far I’ll go will be my little secret.
SADIE
I’ve had my eye on Hawk for a long time now. Let’s just call him my MMA celebrity dream lover. So when I find myself in Denver at the same time as him, at the same bar as him…I have to say hi. But I sure as hell shouldn’t take it any farther than that. Because he’s in town for one reason: to fight my brother in the biggest televised MMA match of the year.
I can be good… Except I can’t.
But maybe I can make Hawk my little secret.
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