Page 83 of Second Chance for the Single Mom

“No, I’m really happy to hear you say that.” He stopped massaging my calves and slid my legs off his lap. “Hales, I have something I need to confess.”

My throat tightened. “Actually, so do I. Something I’ve been putting off.”

“Let me go first,” he insisted. “Mine is kind of a big confession.”

I doubt it’s as big as mine,I thought. But I nodded, urging him to speak. I didn’t mind putting this off for a few more minutes.

Lucas sat up a little straighter, collecting himself before he spoke. “Moving out of town was the best thing for me. It allowed me to get away from my father and to make a life of my own. I grew a lot as a person when I was in Detroit. I learned things about myself—what mattered to me, and what didn’t matter. And I kept coming back to one undeniable fact.”

He paused before meeting my gaze.

“I was lucky to have you, even if it only lasted a few months while we were teenagers,” he finally said. “I lied to you, Hales. I didn’t move back to Vancouver for the job at Nissan. I decided I wanted to move back, andthenfound a job.”

“Then why did you move back?” I asked, although I already knew what he was going to say. Or at least what Ihopedhe was going to say.

“I moved back for you.” The words poured out of his mouth, carried by the weight of seven years. “You were the best thing that ever happened to me, Hales. It took me too long to realize it, but once I did? I knew I had to come back and give this another chance. That’s why I texted you that night you first came over. I didn’t just want to hook up with you. I wanted to rekindle our entire relationship.”

He took my hand and cupped it between both of his palms.

“I’m not trying to put any pressure on you. I understand you’ll need some time to think about this. But I had to tell you the truth, because it wasn’t fair of me to keep it from you. And before you say anything: yes, I know that dating you isn’t just aboutyou. You need someone who can be there for Bran, too. I can’t promise to be the best adult figure in the world. I’ll probably make a bunch of mistakes along the way. But I want to try.”

Lucas let out a long sigh, like he had finally shrugged off the crushing weight of that secret. He stared down at our hands, as if he was afraid to look into my eyes. Afraid of how I would react.

But I felt relieved, and overjoyed, at everything he had said. He truly was aman, now.

“Thank you for telling me,” I replied softly. “I appreciate your honesty. I’m not upset you hid it from me. In fact, I’m kind of glad you moved back for me. That kind of segues into what I wanted to tell you.”

“Yeah?” he asked hopefully. “What is it?”

The time had come to finally tell him the truth. It felt like I was on a roller coaster for the first time, waiting for the bar to come down and lock me into place. My heartbeat thumped in my ears, and I tasted copper in the back of my throat. I wasterrified.

But everything he had just told me made this so much easier.

“I lied to you, too,” I began. “Bran isn’t four years old. He’s five. He’ll actually be six in September.”

Lucas furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand. Why would you lie about that? I don’t care if he’s four, or if he’s…”

It seemed to happen in slow motion, his realization. Like lights coming on in a house, one room at a time.

Five years. Almost six.

September birthday, which meant a December conception.

The math clicked. His eyes widened, his mouth fell open.

The moment I had dreamed about, a moment I had evenfeared, dragged on for several long seconds. I never thought I would actually have the chance to tell Lucas the truth. Coming clean about Bran felt sogood.

Until it didn’t.

“Bran is… my son?” he breathed.

I nodded.

Lucas blinked, then held his head in his hands. “How could you keep this from me all this time? How could youlieto me?”

Oh no.

“We hooked up in college,” I said. “By time I knew I was pregnant, you had moved to Detroit. There was no point in telling you.”

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