"And now you're both here."
"Now we're both here," I echoed. "And Casey adores him. And every day I don't tell him feels like another lie I'm building. But Mom, what if I tell him and he hates me? What if he tries to take her away?”
"What if he steps up?" Mom interrupted gently. "What if he wants to be her father? Your father coached that boy for four years, Palisade. Do you really think Easton would walk away from his own child if he knew?"
I thought about the way Easton's face lit up when Casey talked to him. The patience he showed when she asked a million questions. The gentleness in his voice when he spoke to her.
"No," I said. "I don't think he'd walk away."
"Then what are you really afraid of?"
"That I've stolen six years from him. " He'll never forgive me for that." My voice dropped. "Even if he wants to be Casey's father, he'll never be able to look at me without resentment. Andthat Casey will figure out someday that I'm the reason she didn't have a dad for the first six years of her life."
"Oh, sweetheart." Mom's voice was thick with emotion. "You were protecting your daughter in the only way you knew how. Yes, maybe it was the wrong choice. Maybe you should have told him. But you didn't make that choice out of malice. You made it out of fear and love and the desperate need to keep your baby safe."
"That doesn't make it right."
"No. But it makes it understandable. And Palisade? If Easton has really grown the way you say he has, the way your father saw him growing these past years, then maybe he'll understand too."
I glanced through the doorway at Casey, carefully balancing another Lego on her tower. "I don't know how to do this, Mom."
"One step at a time. You don't have to tell him today. Or even this week. But honey, the longer you wait, the harder it gets. And Casey…" Mom's voice softened. "Casey deserves to know her father. And Easton deserves to know his daughter."
"I know."
"And for what it's worth? Your father and I are here. Whatever happens when you tell him, whatever fallout comes, you're not alone. Casey has a whole family who loves her. That won't change."
"Thanks, Mom."
"That's what I'm here for." I could hear the smile in her voice. "Now, do you want me to take Casey this weekend? Give you some space to think?"
"Maybe. Let me see how this week goes."
"Just let me know. And Palisade? Be gentle with yourself. You've been carrying this alone for a long time. It's okay to let someone else help carry it."
After we hung up, I sat at the kitchen table for a long moment. Through the doorway, Casey called out, "Mom! Look how tall!" showing off her tower with pride.
I smiled, pushing aside my fears for now. Whatever happened with Easton, whatever consequences came from the choice I'd made seven years ago, I'd face them.
But Mom was right. The clock was ticking. And soon, I'd have to tell the truth.
I just hoped everyone would still be standing when the dust settled.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Easton
Wednesday dinners had become my favorite part of the week.
I pulled into Palisade's driveway at six-thirty, Chinese takeout in hand. Casey had declared itour tradition, and I wasn't about to argue.
Beck's truck pulled in right behind me.
"You sure about this?" he called out his window. "You said she didn't know I was coming."
"Casey's been asking to meet the team for weeks," I said, reaching in the car and grabbing the food. "Palisade said it was fine."
"Did she actually say that, or did you just decide it was fine?"
