Page 130 of Reckless Love

“I thought I did. I had the hospital run a special test, but it turns out they made a mistake.”

“What does that mean?”

“Well, the hospital told me that Raul was your biological dad, but that’s not true.” She swallows and glances at me. “Stephen is your biological dad.”

Landon’s eyes widen. “Stephen is my dad?”

“I am,” I say from my chair, “and I know this is probably confusing. Raul has been in your life…”

Landon clambers out of bed, and he rushes toward me, flinging himself into my chest, wrapping his arms around my neck. “I always, always wished for a dad like you.”

Tears spring to my eyes, and I have to fight to hold them back. “Oh, buddy. I always wished for a son like you too.”

He squeezes me extra tight for a beat before drawing back to examine my face. “I can call you Dad?”

“If that’s weird for you, you can just call me Stephen.”

“Sometimes I’ve almost called you Dad before. Did you know that? By accident. It kinda felt like you already were my dad. How a dad was supposed to be on TV.”

“If you want to call me Dad, I would be honored.” My voice is thick.

“And your mom and dad are Lorraine and Walter?”

“Yes.”

“And your sister is Vanessa?”

“Yes.”

“They’re my family too?”

“Yes. My sister is your aunt. My parents are your grandparents.”

“I have grandparents!” He turns to look at his mom. “I have grandparents who want to hang out with me, just like some of my friends have.”

There are tears streaking down Ava’s face, and she nods and lets out a little laugh. “You’re pretty lucky.”

He climbs off my lap and goes to his mom. He wipes one of the tears off her cheek. “You’re not happy?”

“I am happy,” Ava says. “I’m just sad that it took so long for the truth to come out. But I just want you to know that you are so loved. So, so loved. We all love you so much.”

He wraps an arm around his mom’s shoulders and then turns to look at me. “Are we a family now? Like are you and my mom going to be my parents for real?”

“For real real,” I agree. “Forever.”

His brow furrows. “Some of my friends who have parents who live in different houses have to go to both houses. Do I have to do that? What about my other dad?”

“You don’t have to do that,” Ava says. “It’s just the three of us. You, me, and Stephen.”

“And I can call Lorraine and Walter Grandma and Grandpa?”

“They’d love that,” I say.

“Wow,” Landon says, flopping back onto the bed. “What a day!”

Moonlight streams into my apartment after I turn out the lights, and I consider closing the drapes, but I like being greeted by the morning sun.

“Do you think he’ll miss Raul?” I can’t help asking as I climb into bed beside Ava. It seems inconceivable to me that he wouldn’t, and it’s been weighing on me all evening. If I’d lost my father figure at his age, I’d have been devastated. My dad and I were tight when I was a kid, whereas Vanessa was always closer with our mom.