Nervous did not come close to describing how I felt. Never in my life had I been this nervous. There were so many variables. Saige assured me there was nothing to worry about, but I couldn’t stop worrying. I didn’t know the right words to use to tell a little boy I was his father. Again, there wasn’t a Hallmark card for that either. That was a good idea for a new business. I could start a company that made cards for all those awkward moments that no one liked to talk about.
I pulled to a stop in front of their house and looked up at the door. I wanted to take a moment to appreciate this moment. This was the moment before my life changed. Before Jace’s life changed. It felt like it deserved some recognition.
I gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white. “Okay,” I said as I stared out the window. “You can do this.”
I got out of the SUV and slowly walked to the door. I knocked and waited. Jace opened the door. When he saw me, his eyes lit up. “Nash!”
“Hi, Jace.”
Saige walked up behind Jace. “Let’s invite him in,” she said.
“Come in,” Jace said and opened the door.
“Jace, can you go pick up those dirty clothes?”
He took off down the hall. Saige turned to me and gave me a quick kiss. “How are you?” she asked.
“I’m good. Nervous. Like really nervous.”
“Relax. We’ll take it slow. Do you want me to tell him?”
I shook my head. “I think I have to do this.”
“All right. I’ll be right here. He might have questions. We agree to be honest?”
“Yes, to a point,” I said. “I don’t want him knowing all the dirty details.”
“I agree,” she said. “I made dinner. Why don’t we eat and kind of ease him into the situation?”
I shrugged out of my jacket. “That works for me.”
We sat down at the table like a normal family. It was still a little foreign, but I knew I would get used to it. Dinner was spaghetti and meatballs. “Do I dare ask?” I teased.
Saige laughed. “I made this. It’s actually something I made up ahead of time. Every once in a while, I get a wild hair and do the whole freezer meal thing. Not often but sometimes. That’s what this is.”
“You work a lot,” I said.
“She’s going to work from home again soon,” Jace announced.
I raised an eyebrow. “Is she?”
“We’ll talk later,” she said.
“Yes, I think we will,” I said.
I couldn’t be upset about her quitting. It was always the plan. Now that I knew she was mine as well as him, I wanted to take care of them. I wanted her to have all the time in the world with him. That was a conversation for another day.
After dinner, we moved into the living room. “We want to talk to you,” Saige said to Jace.
“Am I in trouble?” he asked with concern.
“No,” Saige and I said together.
“What’s wrong?” Jace asked.
I hated that he was worried. Saige looked at me and nodded. I took a deep breath. “Jace, your mom and I used to know each other a long time ago,” I started.
“You did?” he asked.
“We did,” Saige agreed. “Nash and I were friends.”
“We used to like each other a lot,” I went on. “Then I went away. I only recently came back. Your mom and I are friends again.”
“I know,” he said like we were crazy.
“Jace, remember when I told you your father died when you were still in my belly?” Saige asked.
He nodded. My heart went out to him. The poor kid has suffered a loss before he took his first breath. “Yes.”
“I was wrong,” Saige said.
“He’s not dead?” Jace asked.
“I’m your dad,” I blurted out.
Jace stared at me. “What?”
I smiled. “I’m your dad.”
Jace looked at Saige. “Is that real?” he asked her.
“It is. Nash is your dad.”
“I have a dad!” He whooped and jumped off the couch. “I have a dad!” He danced around the living room. “I have a dad!”
Saige and I laughed. It was the best reaction. I had been scared of what he would say. Jace rushed toward me and threw his arms around my neck. I held him close. I hugged my son. My brain couldn’t quite take it all in. I felt like I was walking on the moon.