Page 50 of Backstage with a Billionaire Rockstar

He nearly trips over Evan’s long legs, but manages to catch himself at the last second and giggles. “Look what I found, mommy.”

His hand gets pushed in front of my face and I look at each individual seashell gathered in the palm of it. There’s a light pink one that looks as though it glitters under the sun and he plucks that one from its spot, then hands it to Kenzie with a smile.

“Awe,” she gushes, taking it from him with a smile and inspecting it. “This is for me?”

Liam nods, then grabs the dark green one with swirls of white and outstretches his hand toward Evan. “It reminded me of you, do you like it?”

I steal a quick glance at Evan, who grabs the seashell slowly, and I note the way his eyes glisten as he stares at the tiny piece of nature. He clears his throat and nods. “I love it, bud, I’ll keep safe.”

Somehow, I know he’s talking about more than the seashell and it warms my heart that they are getting along so well. It’s not that Liam has trouble getting along with people, but he’s never come out of his shell as quickly as he has with Evan.

Liam looks back at me, a bigger smile on his face than he gave the other two, and he hands me another shell. This one is spiraled with tan and what looks like yellow blending together, along with white spots around it. I roll it between my fingers, then look at my son with so much love in my eyes before pulling him into a big hug.

“Is this going to happen a lot?” Liam mumbles against my chest.

Everyone chuckles and I pull away from him with a smile. “As much as I want it to, little man.”

He huffs, but there’s still a smile on his face as he rushes back toward the water. I’m about to get up and follow him, but Evan places a hand on my shoulder and shakes his head. “You relax, that’s what this was for. I’ve got him.”

Before he rushes away, Evan leans forward and presses his lips against mine. They taste like saltwater, but I can’t bring myself to care about that. My cheeks are hot as I watch him jog away, his tan chest glistening under the sunrays, and Kenzie clears her throat beside me.

“You’ve got it so bad,” she mumbles.

I nudge her shoulder, but don’t deny her words. As soon as she saw me on that jet, she knew where my heart was at. I’ve been debating on whether I should tell Evan how I feel, but I’m scared that it’s one-sided.

There’s a few times since we’ve gotten closer that I swear I see love shining in his eyes, but I keep convincing myself that it’s wishful thinking.

This getaway was the best idea he’s had though, and it’s only bringing him even closer to Liam.

As the sun begins to set, we gather our things from the beach. Evan catches my eye, a mix of excitement and nervousness evident in his expression. "You ready for this?" he asks quietly.

I nod, my stomach fluttering with anticipation. "As ready as I'll ever be."

As we head back to the house to get ready for dinner, I can't help but feel like we're on the brink of something big. Our little family is about to change forever.

We’ve already got plans to go out for dinner tonight, where the two of us will tell Liam the truth — that Evan is his father.

Liam will be ecstatic, I can tell, but we still want to give him the news as gently as possible.

***

We’re sitting at a table that overlooks the ocean, Liam chopping excitedly on the chicken strips that he ordered, and Evan’s got my hand clasped tightly in his as we watch our son.

For a moment, I allow myself to relax into this perfect scene. But a nagging thought tugs at the back of my mind. The stalker hasn't made a move since we've been here. Is it possible they've given up? Or are we just lulling ourselves into a false sense of security? I push the thought aside, determined not to let it ruin this moment. But I know we can't let our guard down completely, even in paradise.

Evan said he wanted to wait until Liam was done eating, but I can tell he’s eager to give him the news now.

Evan looks at me with an eyebrow raised and I give him a gentle nod, letting him know that it’s okay if we tell him now.

“Liam,” I say softly. “Me and Evan have something to tell you.”

Our son blinks, looking between the two of us, and he smiles. “I already know you like each other, I told Evan it was okay.”

That’s news to me and it only cements my feelings for Evan further, but I shake that from my mind and shake my head. “That’s not what this is about, little man, but I appreciate the approval.”

He smiles, then cocks his head to the side. “What is it, then?”

Evan clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair. “Well, Liam, your mom and I knew each other a while back.”

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