"He might," Holly said gently. "At first. But Easton's not the same guy he was seven years ago. He's working on himself, going to therapy, trying to be better."
"And what if that's not enough?" I turned to face her. "What if he tries to take her from me? He has money, resources, lawyers. I'm just—"
"Stop." Holly stood up and crossed to me, gripping my shoulders. "You are Casey's mother. You've raised her, loved her, given her everything. No court is going to take her away from you."
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do." Her voice was firm. "And I also know my brother. He's not going to try to take Casey from you. He's going to be hurt and angry, yes. But he's going to want to be part of her life, not destroy yours."
I took a shaky breath, pushing down the fear that wanted to claw its way up my throat.
"You're not going to lose her," Holly said quietly. "And Easton… whatever happens between you two, you'll figure it out. You have to. For Casey."
She guided me back to the couch and handed me my wine glass.
"Tell me what you're really afraid of," she said. "Not the custody battle worst-case scenario. What's keeping you up at night?"
I stared into my wine. "That he'll look at me differently. That every good moment we could have had will be poisoned by this lie. That Casey will be caught in the middle of our mess."
"And?"
"And…" I hesitated. "That maybe I kept the secret for me as much as for her. Because it was easier and I was scared of getting hurt."
Holly nodded, not judging. "You were twenty-four, pregnant, and alone. You made the best decision you could with the information you had."
"But I should tell him now. Right? Before he figures it out on his own?"
"That's up to you," Holly said carefully. "But if you wait much longer, hewillfigure it out. He's not stupid, and he's going to be spending more time with Casey. Eventually, he's going to notice how much she looks and acts like him."
"I need time to figure out how," I said. "How to tell Casey. How to tell him. What to say that doesn't make me sound like a complete monster."
"You're not a monster, Palisade. You're a mom who was trying to protect her kid." Holly reached for the ice cream. "But yes, you need to figure it out. Soon."
We fell into silence, passing the ice cream container back and forth. After a while, Holly spoke again.
"For what it's worth? Tonight was a good start. Letting him in. Letting him spend time with Casey. Whatever happens, she's going to need both of you in her life."
"I know." I set down my spoon. "That's what terrifies me the most. Once I tell him the truth, everything changes. There's no going back from that."
"No," Holly agreed. "But maybe that's not a bad thing. Maybe it's time for the truth."
After Holly left, I went upstairs to check on Casey. She was sprawled across her bed, one arm flung over her stuffed moose, her Shadow Wolves jersey bunched up around her shoulders.
I sat on the edge of her bed, gently pulling the blanket over her. In sleep, she looked so much like Easton it made my chest ache. The same stubborn set to her jaw. The same long eyelashes. The same wild hair that refused to stay in a ponytail.
My phone buzzed with a text from Easton.
Easton:
Got home safe. Thanks again for tonight. Casey's an amazing kid. You should be proud.
Me:
She is. Thank you for being so good with her.
Easton:
Seriously though, thank you. Tonight meant a lot.
