Page 117 of Falling for Love

He nodded slowly as his small fingers loosened their grip on the envelope.

“Okay,” he said quietly, but his eyes stayed on mine, searching for something I wasn’t sure I could give him.

Hayden stared at the envelope for a moment longer, tracing the edges absentmindedly.

I could see the wheels turning in his head, the questions building behind his curious eyes. My stomach twisted, knowing what was coming but feeling completely unprepared for it.

“I don’t even know my dad,” he said softly, looking up at me with a mix of curiosity and confusion. His voice was calm, but there was a weight to his words that hit me like a punch to the chest. “We never talk about him.”

I reached out, brushing his unruly hair back from his forehead.

“I know, sweetheart,” I said gently. “And that’s because... well, he hasn’t been part of our lives.”

“Why not?” Hayden’s gaze locked on mine, unflinching and innocent, and it made the lump in my throat grow heavier. “Doesn’t he like us?”

My heart shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.

How do you explain something so complicated to a child who only sees the world in black and white? I searched for the right words, knowing there was no easy answer.

“It’s not that he doesn’t like us,” I said carefully, keeping my voice as even as possible. “Sometimes grown-ups make choices that aren’t the best. And sometimes those choices meanthey don’t get to be part of the really good things, like you and me.”

Hayden’s brow furrowed. “So, he made a bad choice?”

“In a way,” I said, nodding. “But it doesn’t mean anything about you. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Hayden. Never forget that, okay?”

He seemed to chew on that for a moment, his fingers now idly playing with the flap of the envelope. “But why’s he sending this now? If he didn’t want to be here before?”

That question cut deeper than the rest. Because I didn’t have an answer. Not one that I wanted to say out loud. I couldn’t tell him it was selfishness, spite, or some misguided sense of entitlement.

“I don’t know. But I’m going to figure it out. And I will do everything I can to ensure you’re happy and safe. That’s my job as your mom.”

He looked at me for a long moment with an expression unreadable.

“Are you scared?” he asked quietly.

“A little,” I admitted. “But I’m a lot stronger than I look. And we’ve got a lot of people who care about us, who are here to help if we need it.”

“Like Liam?” he asked, tilting his head.

I felt heat rise to my cheeks, but I nodded.

“Yeah, like Liam.”

Hayden seemed to accept that answer, his small shoulders relaxing slightly.

“I don’t think I need a dad,” he said after a moment. “I have you. And we’re a pretty good team.”

Tears prickled at the corners of my eyes again, but this time they were bittersweet.

I hugged him tightly, burying my face in his messy hair.

“We’re the best team,” I whispered. “And I’m so lucky to have you.”

“Me too,” he mumbled into my shoulder.

I held him for a moment longer, letting the weight of his words settle in my heart. When I finally pulled back, I smiled at him, brushing away the hair from his forehead again.

“How about we put this envelope away for now and make some cookies instead?”

---