Page 49 of Before Broken Vows

---

"I'm sorry," she says and clears her throat. "He looks like you. Same eyes. Same frown when he concentrates. He's smart, Theo. So smart. And brave."

I clench my teeth together to fight, or maybe suppress, the rise of emotions in me.

"Do you… do you have a picture of him?"

"Yes," she says with a smile and runs to her phone and brings it to me. "Here."

When my eyes land on her screen and see the kid—my son—I have to sit down.

He looks like me. Every baby picture I've ever seen of me.

"Holy shit," I say.

"See?" she says, sitting down but making sure not too close to me. "Just like you."

I stare at the photo, and it feels like I'm looking at a smaller version of me. My mind can't comprehend it. I take a moment and just look at him. I don't even think I blink.

"What's his name?" I ask, without looking away.

"Xander."

I turn to her.

"What?"

"Xander," she repeats and wipes away more tears. "I remembered."

Few events in my life have caused me to see the world sideways. The day I found out my father was killed. The night my mom died of cancer.

And now this.

"Xander," I say in a low tone, looking back at the image of him. The name knocks the wind out of me as I say it.

"Where is he?"

"He's safe."

"Where?" I growl.

"Don't worry. I'm protecting him."

"You think I wouldn't?" I snap. "You don't get to decide that alone. Not anymore," I say, fury rising in my voice.

I stand and look down at her.

"You made me believe love wasn't worth the risk. And now you want to tell me there's a child out there who shares my blood, and I'm just supposed to be okay with not knowing where he is?"

"No. I just wanted to ease you into it. I didn't know how you'd react. I didn't know if you'd even want him."

My stomach twists.

"I may not have known how to be a father, Stassi," I say. "But I would've learned. I would've fought for him. For you. You never gave me that chance."

"Your father never gave you that chance," she says, meeting my gaze.

I nod. "Well, he's dead, so not much I can do."

"It wasn't all me. I didn't want…" she trails off.

---