“You did?” he asked.
“We did,” Saige agreed. “Nash and I were friends.”
“We used to like each other a lot,” I went on. “Then I went away. I only recently came back. Your mom and I are friends again.”
“I know,” he said like we were crazy.
“Jace, remember when I told you your father died when you were still in my belly?” Saige asked.
He nodded. My heart went out to him. The poor kid has suffered a loss before he took his first breath. “Yes.”
“I was wrong,” Saige said.
“He’s not dead?” Jace asked.
“I’m your dad,” I blurted out.
Jace stared at me. “What?”
I smiled. “I’m your dad.”
Jace looked at Saige. “Is that real?” he asked her.
“It is. Nash is your dad.”
“I have a dad!” He whooped and jumped off the couch. “I have a dad!” He danced around the living room. “I have a dad!”
Saige and I laughed. It was the best reaction. I had been scared of what he would say. Jace rushed toward me and threw his arms around my neck. I held him close. I hugged my son. My brain couldn’t quite take it all in. I felt like I was walking on the moon.
“Do you look like me?” Jace asked.
I laughed. “I think you might look like me.”
“Are you going to live here now?”
I almost choked. Saige touched his arm. “Jace, why don’t you go take a bath?”
“But I want to talk to my dad,” he complained.
That was something else I was going to have to get used to hearing. I liked it. “I’ll be here,” I told him.
He rushed out of the room to take his bath. “That was easier than I thought,” I said.
“It was. I can’t believe I’ve waited this long for this moment. It’s such a huge relief. I feel like I’ve been living under a cloud forever.”
“Move in with me,” I said without hesitation.
“What?” she said with a shake of her head.
“Move in with me. I’m ready. You’ve been to my house. You know it’s more than big enough for all of us. Move in.”
“Nash, you are getting way ahead of yourself,” she cautioned.
“No. I know what I want. I told you I’m committed to this with you and him. I want to spend the nights with you. I don’t want to have to pack a bag and come over and it would disrupt Jace’s schedule. I don’t want to get in the way. I want to be a part of his life.”
“Nash, it’s a generous offer, but it’s a big step.”
“I know. It is. But will you please consider it?”
“I’ll think about it, but it’s fast. Really fast.”
I laughed. “We have an eight-year-old son together. I think the groundwork has been laid.”
“Very funny. It’s a sweet offer, but I’m not sure. I have a mortgage and a house and a yard.”
“I have all those things too,” I said.
“And Jace’s school,” she pointed out.
“We could put him in a private school, one that could really cater to his advanced reading skills. He’s a smart kid. We can get him the best education.”
I knew I was appealing to her now. I could see the wheels turning.
“I wouldn’t want to pull him out of school right now. I would want to wait until next school year.”
I nodded. “Absolutely. That makes sense.”
“And Jace would need to take swimming lessons. You have a pool, and he needs to be able to swim.”
I was winning. “Okay. I can hire a personal trainer to teach him.”
“And we would need those safety latches on those doors that go to the pool.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because pools are dangerous,” she said.
“Saige, he’s eight. I don’t think we have to worry about him falling in.”
She frowned at me. “He needs swim lessons.”
“Okay, I agree. Did you know I was a swimmer?”
“What? You were?”
I nodded. “I was. I swam competitively in high school.”
“You could teach your son to swim,” she said with a wide smile. “Do you know how happy that would make him?”
Just the thought of teaching him to swim was exciting. “I want to. Please tell me you’ll move in.”
“I’ll strongly consider it. Maybe at the end of the school year.”
“I’ll take it,” I said. “I’ll wait. I know I’m asking a lot. I can’t explain how happy you’ve made me. I’m crazy happy. I never thought I could feel like this.”
“Not even when you made your first million?” she teased.
“Nope. Not even when I bought my dad’s company out from under him. This is next level happiness. It feels different. It feels like the kind of happiness that I’ve seen in the movies. I can’t believe I’ve been denying myself this all my life.”
She patted my leg. “Welcome to the land of the living.”
Epilogue
Saige
One year later
I heard them coming down the hall and pretended to be asleep. I did my best to look peaceful.
“Shh,” Nash whispered.
“But I thought we were bringing her breakfast?” Jace asked. “Doesn’t she have to be awake to eat?”
I had to fight back the snicker. Jace was so practical. The door pushed open. I was desperate to watch them come in, but it would give away my ruse.
“Mom!” Jace said.
“Shh,” Nash scolded.
I smiled and opened my eyes. “Hi, guys,” I said.
“I’m sorry,” Nash said. “We were trying to let you sleep in.”
“It’s fine. I have to go to the bathroom anyway.”
I got up and walked into the bathroom that was part of our master suite. When I returned to the room, they were both waiting for me. “Get back in bed,” Nash said. “Jace wants to serve you your Mother’s Day breakfast in bed.
“Breakfast?” I said with concern.
“Saltines and ginger ale,” Nash said.
I let out a breath of relief as I crawled back into bed. Nash fluffed the pillows behind me. Jace oh so carefully put the tray in front of me. “I took the crackers out of the package,” he said. “And look, I put some of your favorite grape jelly in a little dish.”
I almost cried. These days, I cried at everything. “That is so sweet and thoughtful. Thank you, guys.”
“How are you feeling?” Nash asked with concern written all over his face.
“I am good. A little icky, but I’ll be fine in an hour.”
“Is my baby brother coming soon?” Jace asked.
It was the same question he asked every day. “Not yet. We still have a ways to go.”
“We don’t know if it is a boy,” Nash told him. “We’ll find out in a few weeks.”
“I want a brother,” Jace said.
“Well, I will see what I can do,” I joked.