Fallon bit his lip. “I feel like I can’t possibly get that lucky. Things in my life don’t usually turn out so well. Not like this.”
Gage took his hands and kissed his palms. “Things have been pretty fucking good up to this point though, right?”
“Ha,” Fallon whispered. “That’s fair, I think.”
“And the universe isn’t always on our side, but sometimes it is. And maybe this is one of those moments.”
Fallon swallowed heavily. “I want to do it. But I’m not sure I’ll be able to take it if the results are the same as the last ones.”
“So let me read them,” Gage said. “We won’t be doing this through the court. It’ll be our choice, so I can read them, and if you want me to keep them to myself until after Mango’s here, I can do that.”
Fallon looked at him. “Canyou do that? If Mango isn’t yours…”
Gage laughed and leaned in, wrapping a hand around the back of Fallon’s neck. “Mango is mine. Just like you’re mine. I don’t care what a test says. But if it can give us a leg up in Charlie trying to fuck with you again, I think it’s a risk worth taking.”
“You sure the results won’t matter?”
Gage closed his eyes and leaned in, pressing his nose to Fallon’s temple. “I am so in love with you. And with our baby. I don’t care where they came from, okay? I care that I’m here and you want me in this with you.”
Fallon sniffed. “I hate being emotional.”
“I know. But it’s okay sometimes.” Gage kissed the side of his head. “And this is up to you.”
“No,” Fallon told him. “No. It’s not just up to me. If you’re in it, like you say, then it’s up to us.”
Gage’s chest squeezed tightly, and he closed his eyes. “Okay. Us.”
Fallon turned his head and kissed him deeply. It was all Gage needed to feel like himself again.
The test was simple, though the weight felt heavier. Since it wasn’t going through the courts, the results would come a lot sooner—sooner than Mango’s arrival, so long as nothing happened early.
After the test, he dropped Fallon off at the apartment since he was officially canceling all of his photography sessions until he was ready to get back to work, and Gage was off to the station for a twenty-four-hour shift.
He needed to talk to his dad about everything that was going on, and thankfully, Adele would be there until the evening. He was feeling a little like he was walking on uneven ground as he made his way inside, scanning in, then dropping his shit in his stall before heading up the stairs.
A few people called his name, but he ignored them in favor of knocking on his dad’s office door. It was cracked open, and Adele was there on the phone, shooting him a finger to wait. Gage walked over to the minifridge to snag a blue Gatorade, then flopped on the couch and listened to the rise and fall of his dad’s voice.
He didn’t give a shit what he was saying. It was just comforting to be there in his presence. He hoped he never lost that. And he hoped that his kid would get that from him too.
God, it was getting very, very real. And worse now after what Fallon’s doctor had told him. Gage was too afraid to hope. It wasn’t because he needed Mango to be biologically his, but if they could get rid of that one last vestige of Charlie in their lives, he could sleep a little more peacefully.
And he believed that, but he also couldn’t ignore the new weight in his chest telling him that there was more to it. That this felt…bigger than he intended it to be.
His eyes started to drift by the time Adele was done.
“Am I paying you to nap on my couch ten minutes after your shift starts?”
Gage rolled onto his side. “You’re not paying me. Also, I need to tell you something.”
Adele straightened. It was probably obvious from Gage’s tone he wasn’t fucking around. “Everyone’s safe? Healthy? The baby?—”
“Mango’s fine. Getting big. Fallon’s talking about labor and birth plans now with his doctor.”
Adele breathed out. “Okay. So what’s up?”
Gage didn’t know how to say this. He knew his dad would love Mango no matter what. That was just him. But he also knew Adele would get his hopes up, and Gage wasn’t sure he could take even a hint of disappointment if it didn’t go their way.
But he was done keeping secrets.
