An unexpected bubble of laughter rises within me that I’m barely able to stifle. “No, baby, not someone new. Elijah is your dad.”
“Hey, kiddo,” he says as he finally finds his voice. “It’s so good to meet you properly.”
“You took your time,” Nick sighs. “You missed all my birthdays.”
“I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“With presents?” Nick suddenly starts rubbing at his eyes.
“With presents,” Elijah promises.
“Nick, baby, are you okay? It’s okay if you don’t know how you’re feeling.”
He looks at me and large tears flood his eyes, even as he tries to hide it. “I’m fine,” he chokes out. “I’m fine.”
“Baby, what’s wrong?”
My heart shatters as his face crumples. “D–Does this mean I can have a dad for the dad race at sports day?” he asks, his voice trembling violently even as he still fights his tears.
“Of course you can! Oh, baby, of course you can! Your dad would love to, wouldn’t he?”
“He would,” Elijah replies thickly, his eyes misting over. “I would be honored to.”
“Yay!” Nick cheers even as he bursts into sobs. “I always wanted one.”
I can’t hold back on my tears any longer as Nick sobs into my arms. The rest of the bistro fades to the background as I cradle Nick and let him cry out his delighted yet confused feelings while tears roll down my own cheeks. Elijah gets out of his seat and comes around to join us in the same booth, unable to hide his own tears.
“It’s okay, baby,” I gasp, kissing the top of Nick’s head. “You’re gonna be okay.”
We hold him together and Nick cries for a good ten minutes even as he admits he doesn’t understand why. By the time all our tears dry, the waiter is nearby with a concerned look and our food. As he sets it down, the tears turn to laughter at how awkward the waiter looks.
“Mommy?” Nick gazes up at me with his flushed face.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Can I have cake instead?”
I don’t have the heart to say no right now. “Of course you can. Do you want to go pick one out?” I’ve barely finished talking and he’s wiggled out of the booth, slipped under the table, and rushed away.
“Wow,” Elijah gasps. “When you said you wanted to tell him, I thought he was going to be mad.”
“He might be mad later,” I admit. “He’s a good kid but it will take some work. You have to be prepared for that.”
“I’m prepared,” Elijah replies, and by his tone I can tell how committed he is.
“I’ve never seen you cry before.” I reach up and gently brush my knuckles against his damp cheek.
“Surprised I have a heart?”
“Maybe.” I smile, one eye locked on Nick as he gazes at the cakes.
“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Elijah murmurs in my ear, taking my hand. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“Thank you for not giving up on me when I told you how crazy my mind was. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“I could never give up on you,” he replies. “I love you far too much for that and I have so much time to make up for.” He leans in and presses a soft kiss just under my ear.
“I love you too.” My voice quavers as he kisses up my neck to my jaw, then captures my lips in a sweet, tender kiss filled with promises I never thought I’d have.
