"He wants me back. Wants to play happy family." I wrap my arms around myself. "But there's something else I need to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago."
Jack's hazel eyes search my face, but he doesn't say anything.
The words stick in my throat. Ten years of secrets; it all comes crashing down in this moment.
"The twins." I force myself to meet his gaze. "Rory and Corey. They're yours, Jack."
The silence stretches between us, heavy and suffocating. Jack's face cycles through emotions too quickly to track. Shock. Disbelief. Understanding.
"What?" His voice is barely a whisper.
"That 4th of July night." Tears blur my vision. "I got pregnant. I left because I was terrified of destroying your friendship with my father, of ruining your reputation. You were his best friend. I was barely eighteen. I thought leaving was protecting everyone."
Jack's hands grip my shoulders. "You've known all this time that I have sons and you never told me?"
"I was scared." The tears spill over now. "I was eighteen and pregnant and terrified. I didn't know what to do."
"So you ran." His voice rises. "You disappeared without a word and kept my children from me for a decade?"
"I thought I was doing the right thing!"
"The right thing?" Jack's laugh is bitter. "The right thing would have been telling me. Giving me a choice. Letting me be their father."
"You would have felt obligated. My dad would have found out. Everything would have fallen apart."
"It fell apart anyway!" His hands drop from my shoulders. "You left. Your father was devastated. I spent years wondering if what we did drove you away, if I'd hurt you somehow."
"You didn't hurt me." I reach for him but he steps back. "Jack, please. I was trying to protect everyone."
"Everyone but me." His hazel eyes, the same shade as our sons', bore into mine. "I had a right to know, Mia. Those boys are mine and I've missed nine years of their lives because you decided I didn't deserve to know they existed."
The accusation hangs between us. He's right. God, he's right and I've been so wrong for so long.
"I'm sorry." The words feel inadequate. "I'm so sorry, Jack. I thought I was doing the right thing but I was just scared and stupid and I've regretted it every single day."
Jack runs his hand through his dark hair, making it stand up. His chest rises and falls rapidly beneath his shirt, the muscles visible through the fabric. Even angry, even hurt, he's devastatingly attractive.
"Show me," he says finally. "Show me my sons."
I lead him down the hallway to the twins' room. They sleep peacefully, Rory sprawled across his bed and Corey curled up with his favorite stuffed animal. Jack stands in the doorway, his expression transforming as he takes them in.
"They have my eyes," he whispers.
"Yes." I move beside him. "And your smile. Rory has your confidence. Corey has your thoughtfulness."
Jack's hand finds mine, his fingers threading through mine. "They're beautiful."
"They're yours."
He turns to face me, and the raw emotion in his expression makes my breath catch. "I've missed so much."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Sorry doesn't give me back those years." His voice breaks. "First steps. First words. First days of school. I missed all of it."
"I know." Fresh tears stream down my face. "I know and I hate myself for it. But I'm telling you now."
Something shifts in his expression. The anger transforms into something darker, more primal. His eyes drop to my mouth, then lower, taking in the curve of my breasts beneath my thin t-shirt, the way my jeans hug my hips.
