Page 54 of Secret Daddies

“Here you go,” she replied. “But just try not to let anyone see who you are, alright? I don’t need calls from the school about why my son is getting picked up by a movie star.”

I grinned. “I’ll do my best. No promises, though.”

As I drove down to the school, it was hard to wrap my head around the fact that this was really happening. Maya and I had talked at great length about how we were going to handle this transition for Matty. After all, he was going to go from having just her in his life to having three dads and two siblings. It was a huge change, and we wanted it to be as simple as it possibly could be.

So we were taking things slow. Really, really slow. The three of us were visiting separately, once a week or so each, so we could build our relationship with Matty individually before we came into his life as a more fully formed unit. He was still treating all of us like he couldn’t believe we were real, and he struggled with his shyness sometimes, but I was ready to take all the time in the world to make sure this relationship was solid. I had missed out on the first six years of his life, and I wasn’t going to miss out on a single moment more.

Pulling the car to a halt, I opted to wait inside and avoid mixing with the other parents who were at the gate. Maya had told me tokeep a low profile, after all, and I didn’t want to blow this when I’d only just gotten the chance. But even as I sat there, I noticed a couple glances heading in my direction, a few of the parents leaning over to talk to each other as they looked over at me—and I knew I’d been busted.

I was going to have to get used to this, in the coming years. With the Trio movie in postproduction, it wouldn’t be long till we had to start the promo tours, and when the film actually hit screens, I knew it was going to take all of us into the stratosphere. It was still hard to believe that I’d actually done it, that I had actually made it as an actor like I’d always dreamed. It was even crazier to think that I cared less about that and more about the little boy who was about to walk out of that school and climb into my car.

I heard a knock on the window, and whipped my head around to see who was bothering me. Sure enough, one of the parents who had been hanging out over by the gate had made her way to the car, and she motioned at me to roll the window down. Hesitating, I thought about ignoring her, but I figured that I would do well to try and make good with some of the other parents at his school. After all, I was one of them now, right?

I rolled down the window as she asked, and as soon as she got a real look at me, her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

“Oh my God, it reallyisyou!” she exclaimed, her cheeks flushing a blazing crimson. “Devon Hart, right?”

“Yep.”

“Holy shit!” she cried out, and then she slapped a hand over her mouth, shaking her head apologetically. “I’m sorry, I—it’s just that I’ve never met a real celebrity before. What are you doing here?”

Then her eyes widened as it clicked.

“Wait, do you have a kid at this school? Oh my God, who is it? My son’s a huge fan of my movies, he would freak if he?—”

“Hey,” I cut her off. “I really appreciate your son’s support. But I’m trying to keep a low profile for the sake of my kid, okay? I don’t need everyone here knowing who I am or what I do for a living. So…”

I reached into the back of the car, grabbed a notebook that Maya had tossed there to scribble down a list of everything she needed to pack, and rummaged in the glove box for a pen.

“How about I sign an autograph for him, and you tell everyone else over by that gate that they got the wrong person?” I suggested.

She paused for a moment, considering the social capital she might score if she were to expose the fact that it was really me—but then, clearly thinking better of it, she nodded.

“Deal,” she replied. “He’s going to be so excited…”

I grinned as I scribbled out an autograph for her son, tore off the page, and handed it to her.

“Tell him I hope he enjoys the new movie when it comes out,” I replied. “And thank you. I’m just trying to make sure my kid has a normal life.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” she replied with an exaggerated wink. “Hey, uh, are you single, or…?”

I chuckled, and then shook my head. “I’m flattered. But no, I’m not. I’m very happily spoken for right now.”

“Well, if that ever changes, you know where to find me,” she replied, and I waved her off as she headed back to the gate. Stuffing the autograph in her pocket, she shook her head as she reached the rest of the parents, letting them know that they’d been mistaken, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t going to be easy, ensuring that Matty had a normal childhood—at some point, I was going to have to accept that he was going to attract attention from the media and the people around him alike—but for now, I just wanted to keep him in this little bubble, away from the rest of the world, able to truly enjoy his childhood.

The bell rang, and the kids came streaming out of the school. I watched as Matty, with his Trio backpack on, made his way to the gate and looked around, searching for his mom. And then his eyes fell on the car, and he rushed over to meet me. I opened the door just in time for him to hop in, and he grinned from ear to ear when he saw that it was me there to pick him up.

“Hey!” he greeted me, his voice bubbling over with excitement. I leaned over to give him a hug—I couldn’t help myself. There was just something so damn wholesome about being able to pick my son up from school. The simple things really were the most special.

“Hey, buddy,” I replied. “Your mom sent me to pick you up today. You want to go to the new apartment and help her get your room set up?”

“Yeah!” he exclaimed, the sound of his joyful little voice filling the car around me. He planted his backpack on his lap, and I caught sight of myself on it—dead serious, in costume, mouth set into a hard line. For a moment, it was slightly surreal, seeing myself like that. But then it struck me—whether or not I hadliterally been in his life from the start, I had been here for him nonetheless. Before I had even known he existed, he was watching my movies, reading the comics that were based on my image. Ihadbeen there for him, in some way.

And now I could be here the way that mattered most.

“Then let’s get out of here,” I replied, starting up the engine. “Unless…you want to stop by the comic store on the way home? Pick up some new issues and see what we can find?”

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