Page 91 of Second Chance for the Single Mom

He tilted his head up, flinching when he saw me. A shiver went through my body as our eyes met, the first time since that night two weeks ago. All the emotions I’d been shoving down, deep down, came erupting back up to the surface like Old Faithful.

I gripped the railing of the balcony tightly and shouted, “What are you doing here?”

Lucas took a deep breath, let it out, then stood up a little straighter. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry to interrupt your home buying experience. But I need to make a pitch of my own.”

“Do you know this guy?” the husband behind me asked. “Is this part of the open house?”

“I think so!” the wife said excitedly.

I ignored them and focused on the man standing on the grass below.

“When we first dated way back in high school, I was impulsive,” he said through my son’s toy speaker. “Ireactedwithout thought. I went through a lot of my life that way, driven by emotion and instinct. It got me into a lot of trouble. You know that more than anyone.”

Pedestrians were walking by on the sidewalk, slowing down to watch the spectacle. Several people inside were trickling out onto the lawn, murmuring to themselves.

“Let’s speak privately!” I shouted down to him.

Lucas shook his head. “I need witnesses to hold me accountable. Otherwise, I’ll chicken out!”

Oh my God. How was this happening right now?

“My impulsiveness is something I’ve worked hard to change in the years since we dated,” he continued, raising the microphone to his mouth again. “Taking my time to reallythinkbefore making any decision, whether big or small. I know it’s probably driven you crazy, but that’s what I’ve been doing for the past two weeks. Trying to process my emotions, instead of reacting immediately.”

Oh, so we’re really doing this here?I thought.Then so be it.

“But youdidreact immediately!” I shouted at him. “You were furious to find out Bran was your son! I’ve never seen you that mad, even when we were teenagers! And that’s really saying something, because you were always a pissed-off teen!”

“I wasn’t angry to learn Bran was my son,” he replied. “I was angry you hid it from me for so long. I was angry you waited until we shared a special moment, when I was vulnerable and had just poured my heart out, for you to tell me. Trust me, Hales, I’m not angry to find out Bran is my son. He let me borrow this toy.”

He grinned up at me, and my heart absolutely melted.

“When we played mini-golf, that was the first time I’ve ever gotten a taste of what it would be like to have a family. And I loved it. I spent the rest of our date realizing that Idowant children. Before I even knew the truth, I decided I was ready to be a stepfather to him. But when I discovered he was myactualson? My flesh and blood? It was like finding out Santa Claus is real.” He lowered the microphone and beamed up at me.

Below me on the front porch, a little boy suddenly asked, “Santaisn’treal?”

Lucas’s smile disappeared in a flash. “Shit. I didn’t mean…crap. I said crap, not shit.” He groaned into the microphone, and then spoke again with renewed enthusiasm. “OfcourseSanta is real!”

“Is that true, Dad?” the boy asked the man next to him, who was pinching his nose in frustration.

Lucas gazed up at me again. “Obviously, I need some practice at being a good dad. But I’m here, standing on this lawn at your open house, to tell you this: I’min, Hales. Whether you want a boyfriend, or a partner, or a father for Bran, or even just a fuck-buddy, I’m in.” He winced, and added, “You didn’t hear that, kid.”

The boy looked up at his dad again. “He said a bad word.”

“Yes, he did,” the man said.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to fix this,” Lucas concluded. “I’ll eat kale salads for dinner every night, even though kale tastes like waxy paper. I’ll grovel and beg in front of all these nice people. Just tell me if I still have a chance. If I don’t, then I’ll walk away. I’ll be heartbroken, but I’ll delete your number and leave you and Bran alone. But if you do give me another chance…” He swallowed heavily. “I’mall in, Hales. Now, and forever.”

My vision shimmered with tears. It felt like he had thrown a rope around my heart and was tugging me in his direction. After two weeks of silence, he was saying everything I wanted to hear.

He was giving me a future I had onlydreamedabout.

But was I acting with my heart, or my head? Grand gestures were great and all, but that couldn’t be the foundation for a real relationship. Especially one that involved my son.

Lucas held his phone up to the microphone, and music began drifting out, warped and distorted by the toy. I frowned while trying to decipher the words.

“There’s some whores in this house. There’s some whores in this house. There’s some whores…”

“Is that… WAP, by Cardi B?” the wife behind me asked.

---