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“Re-really?” I stammered at length. “He does?”
She nodded. “Yep. You fascinate him. He thinks you’re practically best friends already.”
I chuckled at that, warmth spreading through my chest. “Wow, that’s awesome. We’ve only spent a little bit of time together, though. Why does he think that?”
She shrugged one delicate shoulder. “He’s a kid, kids have good instincts. Somewhere deep down, he feels a connection to you, and he’s latching onto it. You just need to lean into that.”
I nodded, releasing a long, shuddering breath.
“Okay, that’s good to know. Gives me a place to start with him.”
She let out a little laugh. “My gosh, you’re cute when you’re nervous. Okay, come on. We’ve hovered in the doorway long enough. Henry’s watching cartoons in the living room. Let’s go join him.”
“Okay,” I said in a breathless tone. My anxiety spiked, but I did my best to swallow it as I followed Sam into the house. We made our way to the living room, and I could hear the sing-song voices of some kid show I vaguely recognized. When we entered the room, we found Henry sitting on the floor in front of the TV, seemingly absorbed in his show.
“Henry, buddy,” Sam said, moving to the couch’s end table to pick up the remote. “We’ve got a visitor.”
Henry turned his head from his show and blinked up at me. Excitement overtook his features, and he scrambled to his feet as his mouth turned up into a wide smile.
“Hi, Ryan!” he declared, rushing to me. He wrapped his arms around my legs and gave me a tight hug.
“Hey, pal,” I said, reaching down to ruffle his hair. “How are you?”
“I’m good,” he assured me, letting me go and taking a step back. “What are you doing here? Do you want to play?”
I grinned at him. “I’d love to, buddy, but I want to have a talk with you first.”
His brow furrowed with curiosity. “What about?”
I glanced at Sam, feeling a sharp stab of panic that left me tongue-tied. She grinned at me and showed me some mercy.
“We both have something we want to tell you,” she told Henry, reaching down to take his hand. “Come sit on the couch with us, okay? I’ll pause your show.”
She clicked a button on the remote, and the cartoon figures on the TV screen froze. Henry didn’t protest as Sam led him to the couch. I followed them, and the three of us settled on the cushions together. Henry sat between us, but I felt as though I were the one being boxed in. I didn’t want to screw this up, and despite Sam’s assurances, I was still terrified Henry wouldn’t be excited to find out who I was.
The boy looked between us, a curious gleam in his eye.
“Am I in trouble?” he asked.
Sam quickly shook her head. “Oh, no, sweetheart. You’re not. I promise.”
“Okay.” Henry nodded, his worries forgotten. “What do you want to talk about, then?”
Sam shot me a look and a nervous smile. I gulped, my heart hammering as I gave her a quick nod. She turned her gaze back down to Henry.
“Do you remember what I’ve told you about your daddy?” she asked.
Henry blinked and nodded. “You told me he had to go away before I was born, but that he loved me very much. He was big and strong and looked just like me.”
My lips parted in surprise as I stared at Sam. I hadn’t thought about what Sam might have told Henry about me, but I wouldn’t have guessed it was anything favorable. Yet, despite how angry she’d been with me, she’d tried to describe me in a decent light to our son.
I did not deserve this woman, and my love for her only grew stronger.
Sam smiled softly and brushed her fingers through Henry’s hair. “Yes, and I also said that someday, if he was able to, he’d come back to see you. You remember that?”
Henry nodded. “Yeah. You said maybe when I was older that I’d meet him.”
“Well, what if I said you didn’t have to wait? That you could meet him now?”
