Now might be the time.
“Nick?”
He lifts his head from tracing the patterns on the menu. “Mmhmm?”
“There’s something I need to tell you,” I say as Elijah suddenly straightens up in his seat. “And it’s really important so I need you to listen to me, okay?”
Nick’s lips purse but he nods. “Okay.”
“Do you remember in the car when we talked about your dad? How he was away?”
His brows immediately pinch. “Mmhmm. On the mission.”
“Well…” Taking a deep breath, I glance at Elijah. “He came home. After a very, very long trip, and now he’s here to see you.”
Nick’s eyes narrow slightly and he starts toying with a loose thread on his pants. “To see me?”
“Mmhmm. I’ve been telling him all about you and he’s actually really shy because he’s worried you might be mad at him. Or me.”
“Why?”
“Well… he was away for a long time. He missed a lot.”
“That’s okay,” Nick replies confidently. “You said it was important. And I… I know Sarah’s mom goes away all the time on important stuff in other countries.”
“Yes, she’s a soldier. Your dad isn’t like that, but it was definitely not his choice to be away.”
“I’m not mad,” Nick says, although I’m not sure how much I believe him.
“Do you want to meet him?”
Suddenly, Nick shakes his head and my heart sinks. “No.”
“Why not, baby?”
“Because he won’t like me.”
I immediately reach for him. “Baby, that’s not true. I know he likes you!”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do! Because he’s already met you and I know he thinks you’re the most awesome little dude on the planet.”
Elijah’s chewed his nail all the way down to his finger as he sits there, staring.
“He’s met me?” Nick pulls his head away from my chest and gazes up at me.
“He has, baby.”
“Who?”
My heart immediately skips a beat and suddenly, I’m more nervous than I ever have been in my life. “He’s right there, baby. Elijah… he’s your daddy.”
Nick turns his wide eyes on Elijah and time seems to freeze. Elijah doesn’t move or speak. He looks far too terrified to even breathe, but he eventually smiles slowly. Neither of them speaks so I try to fill the silence.
“He would have told you earlier, but I was scared he was going to leave again so I kept it a secret. I’m sorry, Nick.”
He continues to stare at Elijah and then he sighs suddenly. “Phew. I thought it was going to be somebody new!”
