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But Kris was… Well, I simply had no idea. It was probably better just to ask.
“What is it?” I pressed. “Did you need something from me?”
The next words out of his mouth took me by complete surprise.
“Is Max my son?”
20
Kris
My original plan when I entered her room was to ask Sam to join me for dinner downstairs, just the two of us. It took me forever and a day to get my schedule organized, taking care of everything on my to-do list so I could have at least one evening free.
Being both the team leader and the head of Grand Paradise Security meant I often found myself being pulled in several directions at once. I didn’t mind it most of the time. It felt good to be on top, to be the one everyone went to in order to get things taken care of, but I was growing impatient. I was glad to see that the boys and Sam were getting along, but I had to admit that I was starting to feel a bit left out.
Then I walked in and saw that Sam was on Facetime and I just froze. The boy, Max, I no longer had any doubt. Hehadto be mine. My original plan was to wait for Sam to come clean, to tell me the truth when she was ready, but getting to see him again sparked something inside me. I felt a tug, a connection. I had to know once and for all.
“Is Max my son?” I asked her.
Sam froze, wide-eyed like a deer caught in the headlights. Her lips parted to respond, but no sound escaped her.
“It’s a yes or no question, Sam.”
She swallowed. “Yes.”
Since I’d already had my suspicions, this revelation didn’t come as quite a shock to me as I initially thought it would have. It made sense. Not only did the boy look exactly like me, but the timing worked out. I only had one follow-up question.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Sam cast her eyes down to her lap and picked at her fingernails, suddenly appearing very small and very fragile. “I wasn’t… Aren’t you mad?”
I walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. “Well, I’m not exactly happy that you didn’t tell me sooner.”
She traced the tip of her finger along my jawline, tentative in her exploration. “I wanted to tell you. I swear I did, I just… I couldn’t figure out how to say it or even when to say it. I was worried about how you’d react.”
“How I’d react?”
“You’re surprisingly calm about this. I thought maybe you’d freak out or something.”
“In the time you’ve known me, have I once ever given you the impression that I’m the sort of man who freaks out?”
“You did once.”
I frowned. “When?”
“When that guy grabbed me outside the office building,” she said softly. “You looked like you were about to tear the roof off the place.”
“That’s because someone tried to hurt you. Theydidhurt you.”
“It was a minor bruise,” she insisted.
“It’s all the same to us. I needed to give the office’s security staff a piece of my mind.” I pressed a kiss to her hair. “But that was different. This is…”
“I thought you’d be surprised.”
“I was, at first. When I met Max over FaceTime I… Well, I was confused. But it didn’t take me very long to put everything together.”
“I’m sorry I kept it from you.”
