“Oh,” she says, chuckling softly. “That’s not you, sweetheart. That’s your dad.”
My chest tightens and the knife I was just using slips right out of my hand, landing on the counter with athunk.
Oh…fuck.
I want to run. I want to stay. I want to shout at Harper for letting this slip so carelessly, but I also want to thank her for finally ending this charade and setting the truth free.
Did she mean to do it like that?
Jesus Christ, help me.
My throat closes up, caught between relief and panic. Connor blinks, looks down at the picture again, then back at me, his brows showing his uncertainty.
“My…dad?” he asks.
Shit.
I open my mouth to answer him and then close it immediately. My hands twitch at my sides, wanting to reach for him but afraid to move at the same time. This isn’t how it was supposed to happen. Not in my kitchen with a half-chopped onion and a photo album. Not with Harper’s face draining of color as she realizes what she’s done.
So, she didn’t mean to say it that way.
Fucking great.
Connor’s eyes—my eyes—stare up at me, waiting for an answer I’ve rehearsed a hundred times but suddenly can’t remember.
Fuck.
What do I do?
Should I laugh it off?
Pretend it’s a joke?
Or is this the moment I’ve been waiting for?
Connor pushes himself out of his seat, album still clutched to his chest. He looks at me again—really looks at me—and then glances back down at the picture, his mouth curving into the tiniest smile. “Wait,” he says. “So…you’re my dad? Like, myrealdad?”
Part of me wants to scoop him into my arms and tell him how long I’ve waited for this truth to be set free and apologize for every single fucking second of his life I missed. But I also want to protect him from this moment of discovery that should have been gentle, planned, and perfect.
I don’t know what to do.
But I know I can’t lie to him.
Not anymore.
Fuck.
He deserves the truth.
So, I nod once.
Careful, honest, and terrified.
“Yes.”
His eyes widen and then narrow…and then widen again.
“That’s…cool,” he says, breathless. “I mean—” He laughs, a little dazed. “You’re my favorite player anyway so…”
