Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 89324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89324 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
The weight of what could have happened hit me all over again. “Daddy loves you,” I said. “Daddy loves you so much.”
I looked up at Blair, expecting to gauge her reaction to the words that had unexpectedly come from my mouth. But instead, what I saw was my other son, standing behind Blair in the doorway.
Chapter 34
* * *
TATE
Blair turned to see what I was staring at.
When she looked back at me, her face had turned white.
And then Taylor disappeared, gone as quickly as he’d appeared in the doorway.
“Stay here with Nicholas,” I told Blair as I ran after him.
My heart pummeled against my chest as I looked around the hospital for him.
How had he vanished so damn fast?
Outside the main entrance, I finally spotted Taylor rushing through the parking lot.
I ran to catch up with him. “Taylor, please. Wait,” I said, practically breathless.
He stopped, turning to look at me. The color had drained from his face. “I don’t understand what’s happening here,” he said in a shaky voice. “But I didn’t want to scare Nicholas, so I got the hell out of there before I fucking screamed or did something to upset him.”
“Please don’t run away.” I attempted to catch my breath. “Let me explain what’s happening.”
Looking dazed, he shook his head. “I’m not sure how you could ever explain this, Theodore.”
Theodore. It had been a long while since he hadn’t referred to me as Dad. But I didn’t blame him one bit for reverting back to the name he’d called me for most of his life. He needed some distance from me right now.
Taylor’s lip trembled.
My poor boy. I never meant to hurt you.
And just like that, I lost my composure for the second time in a matter of minutes, tears running down my cheeks. “I know you want to run right now,” I told him. “I know that’s the easiest thing. But I beg you to let me explain this.”
Several moments passed as we stood facing each other, cars whizzing by on a nearby highway the only sound.
He just kept shaking his head. “I don’t understand.”
“Taylor...”
He looked up. “You’ve been having an affair with her since my wedding?”
Shit. He’d drawn the wrong conclusion. He thought I’d been playing house with Blair and Nicholas. I shook my head. How could he think anything else? The truth was so far-fetched.
“Taylor, no. It’s not like that.” I swallowed. “It was me. I was the man Blair met at the resort. We…didn’t know.” I looked him in the eyes. “I’m Nicholas’s father.”
His face transformed in disbelief. “What?”
“I’m Nicholas’s biological father,” I said again.
“Oh my God.” After a moment, he repeated it. “Oh my God.”
Taylor stepped back, and I took an equal number of steps forward in an attempt not to lose him.
I forced myself to continue. “Neither one of us knew that the other had a connection to you at the time. And then, as you know, she and I lost touch. We only figured everything out at your wedding—the moment you introduced me to her in the receiving line. I hadn’t seen her since the resort and had no idea Nicholas even existed.”
He blinked in confusion. “She said the guy’s name was Tate.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Tate is a nickname I got in the military. It’s the name I use when I meet anyone new.”
“You gave her a fake name?”
“It’s not a fake name,” I insisted. “I’ve been going by Tate for several years now. Even Leah knew me as Tate. It’s a—”
“I’m gonna be sick.” He held his stomach, looking disgusted.
I wondered if he might actually vomit in the middle of this parking lot. “I don’t blame you, son. You have every ri—”
“Don’t ‘son’ me.” He shook his head. “This is not the time.”
“Okay…” I swallowed, feeling my heart slowly breaking.
A long, tense silence passed.
“How the fuck could you take advantage of her like that?” he finally spat.
“I swear to you, I didn’t. She and I formed a true connection. It was unlike anything I’ve ever felt with anyone, despite the age difference. I know she talked to you about it. Surely she must have told you how things were with the man she met?”
“Oh yeah. She told me all about the guy she met—who manipulated her.”
My brows furrowed. “She didn’t say that.”
“No, she didn’t say that, but that was always my take—or any smart person’s take. Blair was too disillusioned to realize she was being taken advantage of. I never wanted to make things worse by throwing my opinion at her. Especially once she found out she was pregnant. It wouldn’t have helped to tell her I thought she’d been manipulated by an older guy. But now that I know it’s you?” He exhaled. “My original opinion makes even more sense.”
Every word hurt more than the last, but I had to keep trying. “I never deceived her, Taylor,” I raised my voice, desperate for him to see this in a different light. “Blair and I met, and I tried to resist her initially. But then we had an amazing several days together. I thought I was being safe...” I hesitated. “I didn’t want to ruin her life, so I encouraged us to go our separate ways when she left.”