Page 88 of Falling for Love

For Hayden.

For us.

Always us.

I wiped my eyes, squared my shoulders, and turned back toward the living room.

One thing was certain. I wasn’t going down without a fight.

I stood in the doorway and watched Hayden as he carefully placed another LEGO piece on top of his tower while watching a cartoon.

His face was a picture of concentration, his small tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth as he worked. His whole world was this moment, this little task, and he had no idea the storm brewing just a room away.

Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, and I swallowed hard, trying to push them down. I couldn’t let him see me unravel. Not when he relied on me to keep everything steady, safe, and cozy.

Without thinking, I stepped into the room and knelt beside him.

“Love you,” I said, pulling him into my arms before he could protest.

His little body squirmed at first, then relaxed against me.

“Mom,” he said, his voice muffled against my shoulder. “You’re squishing me.”

I laughed. “Sorry. I just needed a hug.”

He tilted his head back and looked up at me with those wide, innocent eyes that always managed to pierce right through me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m just…extremely proud of you. And I love you so much.”

He gave me a dubious look, but his lips curled into a small smile.

“I love you too, Mom.”

I held onto him a second longer than necessary as my heart ached with a mix of gratitude, fear, and the unknown.

He was my whole world, and the thought of anything threatening that world made me feel like I couldn’t breathe.

“Now, go finish that tower before it topples over.” I nudged him gently toward his masterpiece.

He went back to work as his focus shifted effortlessly back to his LEGOs. I stayed on the floor for a moment longer, watching him as everything weighed on me.

How had my quiet, happy little life gotten so complicated?

I’d worked so hard to build this home for us, to create a space where Hayden could thrive and grow without worry. The house wasn’t big or fancy, but it was ours, filled with the love and laughter of our little family of two.

The walls were painted in colors we’d picked out together, his drawings were taped up in the kitchen, and every corner held a story of how far we’d come.

Now Kyle wanted to bulldoze through all of that.

I stood up and wandered into the kitchen, needing something to do with my hands. I opened the fridge and stared at its contents without really seeing anything but a blur.

This was going to change everything. No matter how it played out, my life wouldn’t be the same.

And Liam—oh, Liam.

The thought of him sent a sharp pang through my chest.

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