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Ethan picks him up in his strong arms and places him on his shoulder, then kisses his head and inhales the scent of our little boy. His eyes are watery as he looks at me.

“I’m so sorry I let you miss this. I should have been brave enough to tell you the truth, even if you didn’t want me.”

Nodding, Ethan says, "Yeah, you should have. I hate that I've missed even a minute of my son's life, let alone a year of it."

Will stirs and lifts his head off Ethan’s shoulder, then stares directly into his eyes for a long moment, blinking slowly. Then, he lifts his chubby hands to Ethan’s cheeks and grins at him.

Ethan laughs a little, then shakes his head. “Hey, little man. I’m your dad.”

Will opens his mouth, showing off his four teeth, then says in a clear, loud toddler voice, “Cookie?”

I laugh and Will grins at me, then back at Ethan.

Ethan can't take his eyes off our son, but he says, "Now I wish I had brought some cookies."

I reach up and run my hand over the back of Will’s head. “Go back to sleep, sweetie. It’s nighttime.”

Ethan takes a few steps and sits down in the rocker, then runs his big hand up and down Will’s tiny back. Soon, his eyelids lower and he goes back to sleep, content in his fat

her’s arms for the first time.

I watch, my heart twisting with love and fear. What if he’s so angry, he doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore? What if he wants to fight me for custody? I stand back and stare, fear gripping me even though everything in the room is so perfect.

After a long time, Ethan stands and puts Will back in his crib, then covers him with the blanket and places his hand tenderly on the baby’s head. When he looks at me, he looks shell-shocked.

We leave the room and go into the living room. I wait for Ethan to say something and it takes him a long time to find his voice. “This is all a shock, you know? I don’t know how to feel right now.”

“I know. I understand.”

“I’m going to go back to the hotel so I can think.” He rocks on his heels, then turns to the front door.

"Sure. That makes sense." I wipe the tears from my cheeks.

He reaches the door and twists the knob. My heart pounds in my chest. I want to do something to make this better. Anything, but I know there’s nothing that will give him back the time he’s lost with his baby.

Ethan stops and turns, a look of understanding on his face. “Brody.”

“What?”

“My old roommate when I first moved to Arizona. He took my cell phone one night, then he lost it.”

“Are you serious? So, you never got my messages?” My voice cracks and my heart goes with it.

"Not one. I called your house a bunch of times, and they said you moved but didn't know where."

“I came here to escape. I knew my aunt would help me.” I sniff and blink quickly, trying to stop myself from crying. “If I could give you back every minute you missed with Will, I would.”

“It’s okay,” he says, shaking his head. “It’s not your fault.”

“It is. If I had been stronger, if I could have trusted you…”

“You did the best you could given how you grew up.”

“I’m sorry.” I rush to him and place my hands on his hard chest. “I’m so sorry.”

“I know you are.” He pulls me to him and wraps his arms around me. “When I saw you today, I just wanted to rush to you and hold you. After you left, I promised myself I’d find you and see if we could have a chance together.”

“And?”

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