Page 79 of Fool Me Twice

“Good.” Her lips lifted the slightest bit, and I could breathe again.

“Will you be with me when I tell him? He adores you.”

“Yes, I would like that. I can’t be the one to tell him, though. You need to take the lead on this. It’s what he needs.”

I nodded. “I know, and I will.”

No more hiding. No more shirking from the truth and hoping that matters would work themselves out. I was ready to step into the light of day.

“Where is he?” I asked.

“In his room. I tried to get him to eat dinner, but he insisted he wasn’t hungry.”

I sighed. “That’s not a good sign.”

She squeezed my hand, and when I turned my palm over to lace my fingers through hers, she didn’t resist. In fact, her hold tightened on my hand.

“I want to fix this,” I said. “With him, and with you.”

A tear slipped from her eye, and she nodded. “I’m open to that. How about you tackle one thing at a time?”

“All right,” I whispered.

Deep down, though, I had already made the commitment. Not only would I fix my relationship with Sebastián and be the father he needed, I would be the partner Georgia craved.

No more lies. No more skirting around the truth. No more hiding in the shadows.

I’d started making up stories in order to feel more valuable. In the end, though, lying had only robbed me of the good in life.

I was ready for the truth. I was ready to not only step into the light, but to thrive in it.

CHAPTER23

GEORGIA

“Sebastián?” Rodrigo knocked on Sebastián’s bedroom door.

The little boy didn’t answer.

“Is he asleep?” I whispered.

Rodrigo frowned. “He never goes to sleep this early.”

He knocked again, but still, there was no response.

Rodrigo opened the door, and we peeked into the room. The bedside lamp was on, the bed made up nice and neat. The whole room was tidy, except for the open dresser drawers, random clothes spilling onto the floor.

My heart rate picked up. “Where does Sebastián keep his backpack?”

“He hangs it on the back of the door.”

I closed the door. The backpack wasn’t there.

Rodrigo and I looked at the dresser drawer, then at each other. At the same moment, we put the pieces together.

“Would he…” I didn’t even want to finish the sentence.

True alarm flashed in Rodrigo’s eyes. “No. I mean, I don’t know. He’s never run away before.”