Chapter 19
LEONARDO
I felt like a fraud, a dirty, rotten liar as I drove towards Acacia Falls, a small town four hours outside of the city.
It had been an emotional two weeks, trying and failing to come to terms with this new revelation. I wasn’t coping, fear of the unknown making me turn inwards as I tried to compartmentalise life as I knew it.
To keep my sanity, I had to deconstruct each separate aspect and address each of them in turn. And the first point of contention was contacting Alexis, the mother of my supposed son.
It wasn’t hard to source her details from our former consultation; her number constantly flashed in mocking and invitation.
Two days later, I managed to overcome my panic and send one text. That initial contact opened the gates to a full-blown conversation, which soon led to the set up of a paternity test.
After the initial shock had subsided, doubt was the subsequent emotion that soon took precedence.
I refused to involve Gabriella until I had irrefutable proof that I was, in fact, the father.
It would be remiss of me not to question the claim of this random stranger, especially since the stakes were so high.
Alexis was surprisingly agreeable, offering many alternatives for testing, allowing me to choose whichever method I felt most comfortable with. The waiting period was brutal, a suffocating shadow that loomed over me, restricting rest, sleep or any form of constructive concentration.
Fourteen days after my life had been thrown into disarray, I received my answer. There was no denying the results of two separate tests from differing facilities that I’d handpicked myself.
Austin Throne was indeed my son.
All the actions that followed were made in a rapid-fire sequence.
Sure, I’d pondered the possibility of the claim being true, yet the confirmation of our relation immediately lit a fire of urgency within me—one that was desperate to meet my eleven-year-old boy, a young preteen with his own thoughts and very strong feelings.
Mere hours later, a meeting time and location was locked in. An instinctive force drove me towards my fate. I didn’t want to waste another moment.
On that long drive, I had space to think, which only made me more confused. My two lives were clashing together, making my head throb to an incessant beat.
To say I was nervous was an understatement. I was fucking shitting myself. Though that wasn’t the only element causing me to spiral; I had been actively lying to my wife, my Gabriella.
She sensed something was off. Of course she did. Yet, when I went to confess, a lie came out instead. Gabriella believed I was going out of town to attend a rural health clinic that was disorganised due to my leaving so suddenly.
Technically, I knew I had done nothing wrong.
That I didn’t, and would never, step out on her.
But how did you tell your fucking soulmate that you created a child with someone else?
How was I supposed to disclose to my amazing, beautiful, courageous wife that I had gifted to another what was supposed to belong to her alone?
My heart broke for her, for us both.
We had faced many challenges in the past year, and had come out the other side better and stronger than ever. By moving cities, we had made a fresh start, and our little family was thriving, finally reaching a stage of peace and harmony.
I didn’t want to ruin that. Not yet.
Maybe it was selfish of me to hold onto the facade. But I was desperate to make the transition as smooth as possible, to lay the groundwork that would inevitably bridge the gap between both worlds.
And that could only begin by meeting Austin. I wanted to talk with him, connect with him. The blatant need was so soul-deep and claiming that I never stood a chance at resisting.
The mistruth left a bitter aftertaste, and even though it killed me to kiss Gabriella goodbye with a lie on my lips, my resolve hardened with each passing kilometre.
I had to tread carefully and approach the delicate situation with steady hands and an open heart. Because there was no way I was going to lose a single thing.
I would keep my son. I would keep my wife. I would keep my girls.
I will have it all.
I parked at Mercy Lake, overlooking the majestic water, hoping the serenity of the setting would flow into my first meeting with Austin.
I messaged Alexis to say I’d arrived and waited next to my car like a goddamn coward.
One minute passed, and I saw her in the distance, approaching down the path that led from the park—on her own.
Alexis was a calm vision, the complete opposite of my apparent anxiety. As she came to a halt in front of me, her green eyes clocked my trembling hands before I shoved them into my pockets.
Ignoring my borderline breakdown, she waved a palm back the way she had come. “He’s waiting for you on the picnic bench next to the playground.”
“Are there other kids? How will I know which one is him?”
Alexis smirked. “Oh, you’ll know.”
“Wha-what did you tell him?”
“The truth, Leo. I told him he was meeting his father.”
I nodded, my head bouncing like a fucking bobblehead as I tried to regain some form of inner tranquillity, which was a stupid bloody notion to begin with.
Alexis’ gaze swung out to the water, trying to disguise what was roiling beneath. “Well, I better leave you to it.”
“Wait, you’re not coming?” Oh, shit! She was supposed to play the middleman.
“Austin requested to meet you on his own. My car is parked right there. I’ll be ready if he needs anything.” But what if I need something?
As if she could read my thoughts, Alexis gave an encouraging smile. “He’s just a boy, wanting to meet his dad.”
“What about his other dad? Where’s your husband?”
If I weren’t convinced of their marriage before, her expression would have trumped any lingering reservations. Despite their previous divorce, Alexis held the look of pure devotion.
“Owen didn’t want to intrude. He was adamant in giving you this time to get to know Austin without him there to influence you or our son.”
I was speechless, in utter disbelief. Why would he do such a thing?
Owen Thorne already held my greatest respect for raising Austin as his own, and for claiming him in the most binding way possible—adoption. So, for him to openly encourage my relationship with his son… I couldn’t help but be overwhelmed with gratitude.
Allowing me a moment, Alexis turned, veering for her car, parked a few spots over.
“Wa-wait! Shit. Alexis, when I meet him, what do I say?”
“Umm, maybe start with hello?” She chuckled.
I stared at her, deadpan. Can she not see that I am losing my fucking mind here? Be serious, woman!
“Fine.” She caved, her laugh drowning out. “He enjoys soccer. Maybe start there?”
“Great,” I said. Except I don’t know the first thing about soccer.
I was doomed.
Staring down at my feet, I lifted one foot to step onto the path—the path that would inevitably lead me to him.
Inhaling a deep breath, I followed through with the next step, my spine straightening with each shift forward.
Completely caught up in my head, I had forgotten that Alexis watched on from behind.
“Leo,” she called.
“Mm?”
“He’s wondered about you for a long time. You don’t have to try to impress him. Austin only wants you to be exactly who you are.”