Page 146 of One Big Little Secret

I want him.

I need him.

I crave him, all mixed with the blinding knowledge that he’s the father of my child.

He wants to be Arlo’s father.

All those bittersweet moments, all the times when I thought we’d be a party of two forever—are those days really done?

“You’re crying again.” Patton breaks away and wipes my cheeks.

“I know, I know. Sorry.” I scrub my face, still half laughing, half crying. “I am happy, I promise, despite all the evidence to the contrary.”

“You haven’t told me to fuck off or where to mail the child support check, so I believe you,” he says with a wry smile. “Despite the evidence to the contrary.”

“But we should talk more about it,” I say. “About us, I mean. At home. We can hash out the practical stuff.”

“Oh, so youdowant me to mail that check?”

“Be serious!” I slap his chest.

“If you insist.” His grin feels fragile, fading like a dimming lightbulb. “What do you want to ask me?”

“I just mean, if we’re going to figure out a way to make this work, we need to organize it. You’re still my boss and Arlo has no idea you exist.”

“Wrong. He knows I exist,” he counters. “The little man thinks I’m a fire-breathing monster in a suit.”

“He did.” I snort. “Now he thinks you bring supervillains to justice.”

“Much better.”

I sigh contentedly.

Just like before, the sky looks diamond studded, brighter and calmer over the desert. I can appreciate the majesty and thesplash of the Milky Way reaching down like it wants us to know the universe approves of my confession.

“We won’t tell anyone. Not at first. We’ll figure it out,” he says. “We can settle into normal life.”

“But together?”

“As together as I can physically arrange.”

I have other thoughts—other considerations—specifically about how we’re going to handle spending time together as a couple without constantly sending Arlo to the babysitter, and what his family will say if we reveal we’re dating.

“What about you?” he asks, toying with my hair. “Will we have to break the news to your folks?”

“Um, which part—that Arlo’s father is fantastically rich or that we’ve reconnected? It’s not a big concern. I still don’t talk to my parents much.” I wince.Reconnectedsounds like we had more than a fling to begin with. But Patton doesn’t seem to notice.

“Both?”

“You’re not even going to protest my use offantastically rich?”

“Call me egotistical, but that’s not too far from the truth.”

“Thatdoessound egotistical.”

He drops a kiss on the end of my nose. “Sounds like I need someone with their feet on the ground to call me out when I’m being an ass.”

“An egotistical ass.”

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