Page 37 of Secret Southern Promises

“When are you going to tell him?” I didn’t want to miss another minute without him knowing that I was his dad and I was here for him.

“I can wake him up and tell him right now if you want me to.”

As much as I wanted that, I shook my head. “He’s already been through enough today.”

She nodded and bit her lip like she was trying to steady herself. “Then I’ll tell him tomorrow. Unless… you want to be the one to tell him?”

I shook my head and my throat was tight. “No. I’m really just a stranger to him. He needs to hear it from you.”

The words tasted bitter on my tongue. A stranger to my own son. Fourteen years gone in the blink of an eye, and I didn’t have a clue who Nash was. He didn’t know me either. But that was going to change. I might be a stranger now, but I wasn’t going to stay that way.

Dolly let out a shaky breath, nodding again. “Okay. I’ll tell him tomorrow.”

I didn’t say anything. I just stood there, staring at her.

“I should go,” I said finally, stepping back.

Dolly didn’t try to stop me. She just wrapped her arms around herself and gave me a sad, tired smile. “Goodnight, Boone.”

“Goodnight, Dolly.”

I turned and walked toward my truck. I climbed into the cab and gripped the steering wheel with my hands. I glanced back at the house, the porch light still casting a warm glow, and then I started the engine.

As I backed out of her driveway, my chest tightened with the realization of what tomorrow would bring. Tomorrow, Nash would know the truth. Tomorrow, I’d start the fight to be a part of my son’s life.

Nothing was going to make me walk away this time around.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Dolly

“Boone West is my dad?”

I nodded, feeling the truth settle between us. I never imagined I’d hear Nash say those words out loud, not like this, and definitely not today. Fifteen years ago, I never thought Boone would come back to Magnolia Grove, let alone that we’d be sitting here, having this conversation.

But life has a funny way of throwing you into situations you never thought you’d face.

“Yup, Boone is your dad,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “We were a couple before I broke up with him, and he went off to ride bulls.”

Nash frowned, his mind working through the pieces. He was too sharp for me to leave anything out and too old for me to sugarcoat it. “But if you guys were broken up... then how?” He narrowed his eyes at me. “You didn’t tell him about me?”

I sighed, bracing myself for what was about to come. I had always dreaded this conversation, knowing one day Nash would want answers that I wasn’t sure I had good enough explanations for.

“Your dad and I started dating when we were sophomores in high school,” I began. “We fell in love fast, and we were inseparable. When we graduated, Boone had big dreams of being a professional bull rider, and he was damn good at it. Then I found out I was pregnant with you, and... well, I didn’t tell him.”

Nash’s face scrunched up, disbelief clear in his expression. “Why wouldn’t you tell him about me?” He shook his head, his voice sharp with confusion and frustration. “He’s my dad, Mom. You had no right to keep that from him.”

He was right. There was no dancing around it.

“I know, Nash. I know,” I said softly. “But I was young and scared, and your dad—he was about to leave to chase his dream. I thought, in my twisted young mind, that not telling him was the best way to let him have that chance. I thought if I told him, he’d give everything up for us, and I didn’t want to be the one to hold him back from his dreams.”

Nash shook his head, eyes hard. “That’s crap, Mom.”

A lump formed in my throat. Thirty-three-year-old me agreed with him. I didn’t have the luxury of hindsight back then, and now, facing the aftermath of that decision, it was clear as day how wrong I had been.

“Yeah, you’re right,” I admitted. “Itwascrap. I didn’t make the right decision back then. I didn’t think about what it would mean for you or for him.” I swallowed hard, looking at Nash’s angry face. “I was selfish. I thought I was protecting both of you, but really, I just made things harder for everyone.”

Nash stood up and paced the room like he was trying to burn off the frustration bubbling inside him. “So, what now? What does this even mean?” he asked, his voice shaking with emotion. “What am I supposed to do with this?”

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