CHAPTER EIGHT

“I CAN REPORT that Liam’s got a good way with horses.” Annie topped off her wineglass and took her seat in the circle of lawn chairs set up behind Eva’s gallery booth at the Spring Art Fair. “I went by to pick up that hoof trimmer and Liam was up on Jace’s horse, Wild Bill, bringing in some cattle. That horse has been on three ranches and not been willing to do much work for anyone. Jace only took him because he was so broke at the time, he’d have accepted anything with hooves. But he hasn’t gotten much use out of him either, until now.”

“That says something about a man, if he can get a skittish horse to settle down.” Maya looked at Trisha reassuringly. “I knew Caleb couldn’t be totally lost to me when I saw him working with his rescue horse, Amos.”

“I agree. Horses are more people-smart than people are.” Annie looked at Trisha. “We’re not trying to pressure you. Just reporting what we’ve noticed.”

Trisha nodded and bounced Henry gently on her knee. Her sweet baby giggled in delight, giving her a big openmouthed smile with two bottom front teeth just poking through his pink gums. “He was really helpful with the coyote pups.”

“How are they doing?” Monique folded her perfectly manicured hands in a plea. “Can I come see them?”

“We’ve got a video camera on them, so you can see them on the wildlife center’s website. But you can’t come visit them personally,” Trisha told her. “We need to limit their exposure to humans as much as possible. We try to never let them see our faces or hear our voices.”

“Then how do you feed them?” Kathy glanced up from the blanket she was crocheting for Henry. It had rainbow colors in a patchwork pattern.

“We slide their food through a hatch that Liam built into the solid wood wall in their pen,” Maya explained. “It lands in a shallow trough. That way they don’t see us and associate us with food.”

“Folks have been very helpful with trapping gophers for us and dropping them by,” Eva added. “I love this partnership we’ve created with the community.” She jumped up as someone stopped by her booth. “Gotta go. Time to promote the gallery.” She shook out her brightly patterned dress and smoothed her sleek, short haircut as she went to meet her potential customer. Eva always looked like a walking work of modern art.

Trisha turned to Vivian, who was sitting beside her, and put a hand on her friend’s arm. “What’s your take on Liam? You’ve probably spent the most time with him.”

“I really like him.” Vivian looked around the group with a warm smile. “He’s been to dinner at our house a couple times and he’s sweet with the kids. He’s patient with the little ones and very polite to Carly, who I suspect might have a bit of a crush on him. Annie’s right—he’s got Wild Bill eating out of his hand and no one else has been able to earn that horse’s trust. And he has a nice sense of humor.” She glanced over at Trisha with a grin. “Listen to me. Maybe I’m getting a little crush on him, too. He sure is handsome with those unique eyes and all that wavy brown hair.”

“You’ve already got one gorgeous cowboy.” Emily shook a finger from her seat across the circle. “Don’t get greedy, now.”

Everyone laughed, and Vivian raised her water bottle in a toast. She never drank alcohol. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

“He told me a lot about his family’s ranch back in Texas,” Maya said. “It sounds like they want to make a lot of positive changes there.”

“And Jace tells me he’s always looking for an excuse to go out to the pasture by the den, so he can keep looking for the coyote he shot,” Vivian said. “I’m glad he is. If it isn’t wounded too badly, it might come looking for the pups.”

Trisha looked at Maya, who was a national expert on predators. “What are the chances of that happening?”

“Not high. But I like that Liam’s not giving up. It could happen, and that would be excellent news for the pups. If we could successfully reunite them, they’d have an adult to teach them how to hunt properly.”

Trisha turned Henry so he was facing the group. Instantly all The Book Biddies’ expressions changed to goofy, as they all waved, smiled and cooed. She laughed along with her baby. “This little boy is going to grow up thinking that all women adore him, and will wave and talk to him in sweet singsong voices. Is it possible for a baby to have too many aunties and grannies?”

“Never,” Lillian said adamantly. “In fact, I think he needs a cuddle from his grandma Lillian right now.”

“As long as Granny Priscilla is next.” Priscilla smiled. “And to add my two cents, when I had dinner with Vivian and her family the other night, Liam was very kind. He told me stories about his former teachers. It sounds like he really enjoyed school.”

Trisha brought Henry over to Lillian, who quickly snuggled him in her arms and booped his nose, making the little boy giggle in delight. “Your cowboy certainly was appreciative of the cookies Kathy and I delivered yesterday,” Lillian said. “He seemed very touched that we’d brought him his own special tin of them.”

“Oh, he’s very sweet,” Kathy added. “And all that yes ma’am and no ma’am in his Texas accent...” Her voice trailed off and she pretended to fan herself. All the other Biddies laughed.

As Trisha returned to her seat, Vivian looked up at her. “It would be great for Henry to have a daddy,” she said quietly.

She was right, of course. “So why do I feel so scared?” Trisha rubbed at a tear that had trickled down her cheek. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“A mother’s instinct is a powerful thing.” Vivian took Trisha’s hand in hers. “You’ve been Henry’s sole protector for his entire life. You’ve been his person.”

“And you’ve been able to parent him exactly how you want to,” Emily added. “Without having to compromise or take anyone else into account. It must be really scary to think about having to listen to someone else’s opinion on how to raise your baby.”

Now the tears were really coming. “That’s just it. And then there’s all those panicky thoughts I told you about at the book club meeting. What if he’s short-tempered with Henry? What if he doesn’t think about safety when he’s with him? What if he wants to take Henry to Texas or something?”

A soft hand rested on Trisha’s shoulder. It was Eva. “I researched all this. He can’t take him out of state unless a judge approves it, and why would they? You will have to work out some kind of custody arrangement, eventually. But that could be a good thing for you and Henry. Single parenting is intense. Trust me, I know.”

“No one is going to let anything bad happen to Henry,” Lillian said. “We will be the first to stand behind you if Liam sets a toe out of line. But you have to look at the long game. A child should know both their parents.” She glanced at Maya, the granddaughter she’d raised. “If possible.”

“I agree.” Maya smiled at Trisha. “Try to think about what Henry would want, as he gets older.” Maya didn’t know her own parents at all—they were very troubled and had been homeless for decades now—so Trisha knew her friend was speaking straight from the heart.

All of them were right. It would be completely selfish to keep Henry a secret any longer. This was a moral choice. The universe had thrown Henry’s dad right up on her doorstep. It was completely unexpected, but Trisha still had to do the right thing.

“You could tell Liam right now, if you’re up for it.” Vivian pointed to the pretzel booth. “It looks like Jace talked him into coming along.”

Trisha scanned the line of people waiting for pretzels and there were Jace and Liam, and Ranger, who stood calmly at Liam’s feet. Both cowboys were gently guiding Alex and Amy forward for their pretzels. Trisha’s heart did an unexpected flop when Liam knelt down and listened attentively to whatever little Alex was saying. Alex hadn’t spoken much when he first came to live with Jace, and he was still shy. If he felt comfortable talking to Liam, that meant something.

She looked at Lillian. “Do you mind keeping Henry for a bit?”

“I’m still waiting for my baby fix,” said Priscilla.

“Me, too.” Emily glanced at her watch with mock outrage. “I’m pretty sure Lillian has gone over her allotted time.”

Everyone laughed, and Trisha stood, feeling like, if she took one step outside this circle of friends, she’d be stepping off a cliff. She had no idea how she’d land.

“You’ve got this.” Maya stood up. “Do you want me to come with you?”

The tears that had sunk below the surface rose again. Of course Maya would offer. She and Trisha had survived that horrible accident together when they were teens. They’d each had to find a way to live on after their friend Julie died, and it had forged a bond between them that ran deep. “Thank you so much. But I think I should do this alone.”

“I understand.” Maya opened her arms, and Trisha stepped in for a hug. “We are all right here,” Maya said quietly. “If he gets weird or you feel worried, The Book Biddies have your back.”

“Hear, hear.” Annie rose from her seat and hugged Trisha, too, which was unusual. Annie wasn’t much of a hugger. “You be strong, okay? You set the rules for how you introduce him to Henry. He walked away that night, so you get to call the shots.”

Annie was one of the strongest people Trisha knew. She ran a successful ranch on her own and she organized all the local ranchers to support each other. For the past couple years, she’d been in love with another rancher in Shelter Creek, Juan Alvaro, but despite their close relationship, she never gave up her independence. Maybe Trisha could channel some of Annie’s toughness when she talked with Liam. She didn’t want to cry, or fall apart, or show her fear. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks, Annie.”

She went to Lillian and picked up Henry. Hugging her baby close, she inhaled his special scent, rejoicing in the feel of his small body against her chest. His little fist tangled in her hair. These were her last moments of being his only parent. She swallowed hard. “I’ll keep you safe, baby,” she murmured. “No matter what. I promise.” She untangled her hair from his fingers and passed him back to Lillian. “I’d better go do this, before I lose my nerve.”

“I’m so proud of you, Trisha,” Lillian said. “You always put your baby’s well-being first. You are a great mother.”

Now the tears would not stay back. Trisha admired Lillian and her words felt like the highest praise. “Thank you.”

She stood, gave Henry a last wave and went to have a talk with his daddy.


“HERES SOME CHEESE sauce for your pretzel, Amy.” Liam handed the little girl her requested sauce. “I brought some extra napkins.” He handed the pile to Jace.

“Thanks for the help.” Jace passed a couple napkins to Alex and sat back in his chair with a sigh. “My wife is over there having wine with her book club. I’m here with you, navigating kids and messy pretzels. What am I doing wrong?”

Liam glanced in the direction his boss was pointing, surprised to see Trisha wending her way through the crowd. She was dressed in slim dark jeans and a cute pair of white tennis shoes. She wore her pale pink parka against the chill.

He remembered how she’d looked the last time he saw her, up at the ranch, after pulling coyote pups out of the den. She’d had dirt all down her front and side, and some on her cheek. He’d pointed it out, resisting the temptation to brush it off for her.

“Good evening,” Jace called as Trisha got closer. “Are you coming to tell me that you’re keeping my wife for the rest of the evening?”

Trisha laughed, a light musical sound. “The Book Biddies official meeting has adjourned. You can go crash the after-party anytime.”

“And where is young—”

She cut Jace off. “Liam, may I speak with you?”

Her rudeness to Jace seemed unlike her. Come to think of it, she was as stressed as he’d ever seen her, her whole body vibrating with it, like a wire that had been pulled too tight. “Sure, I guess. Is it okay if I leave you on your own for a bit, Jace?”

Jace grinned, his easygoing nature moving on from the awkward moment. “With these two hellions? You’d better believe it. As soon as they finish their pretzels, we’re going to go see how much mischief we can get into.”

“I’m not sure how much mischief is available at the art fair,” Trisha said.

“Oh, we’ll find it, trust us.” Jace ruffled Amy’s and Alex’s hair. “Right, guys?”

“You know it!” Amy had cheese sauce on her nose, so Jace leaned over with a napkin and wiped it off.

“Okay, then. Ranger, come.” His dog emerged from beneath the table looking guilty. “Were you scavenging under there again?” Liam ruffled the dog’s ears and clipped a leash to his collar.

“Hi, Ranger.” Trisha held out her knuckles. It was sweet to see her interact with his dog. All of her prickly defenses went down when she was around animals.

“Where do you want to go?” Liam asked as they walked away from Jace and the kids.

She motioned to the street that ran along one side of the town square. “There’s a park over there. Would that be okay?”

He nodded and they walked there in silence. Liam kept glancing her way, waiting for her to say something, but she didn’t. Instead she chewed her lower lip, her skin so pale, he wondered if she was ill. It was odd that she’d seek him out tonight, when all she’d done since he got to Shelter Creek was try to avoid spending much time around him.

Liam glanced around the town, still getting used to its quaint feel. They were walking on Main Street, with the square behind them. The buildings were Victorian era, as far as he could tell, all painted in pretty, festive colors, with flowers spilling out of gardens and window boxes. Some old cottages had been converted into shops and restaurants. There were also gift shops, a couple of wine tasting rooms and some galleries. Shelter Creek definitely catered to the tourists, who seemed to love it here.

“It’s a nice town,” he attempted by way of conversation.

“It is.”

“Have you lived here a long time?”

“All my life.” She walked on in silence again, then seemed to realize that she was being so quiet. “It’s changed a lot. It was a lot less fancy when I was younger. But a few years ago they started offering flights from Los Angeles into the Santa Rosa airport. That’s not too far from here and it helped make Shelter Creek a tourist destination. Plus, we get weekend visitors from San Francisco, too.”

“It must be great for the economy.”

“It really helps.” She left the sidewalk and led him through a small park in a redwood grove. There was a picnic area and a playground farther on, but Trisha went down the slope toward the creek that rushed around rocks and rippled into eddies beneath the overhanging tree roots. “This is Shelter Creek. Not the town, the actual creek.” She sat on the ground beneath an enormous tree and indicated that he should do the same.

“It’s pretty.” Before Liam sat, he ran his hand over the thick redwood bark and peered up, trying to see all the way to the top. He couldn’t. The branches went on and on, though he caught glimpses of the dim evening sky somewhere up there. It would be getting dark soon. “These trees are amazing. You realize that, right?”

“Is this your first time seeing a redwood?” She looked up at him with obvious disbelief.

“My first time seeing one up close. The bark is really weird.” He pushed on it. “It’s kind of like a sponge or something.”

“It’s fireproof. The inside of the tree might burn in a forest fire, but the outside layer will still stand, letting the tree live. It makes these amazing tree caves. There’s a forest just west of town that has some. We used to play house in the trees when I was little.”

“We?”

“I’d play with my parents. I’m an only child.”

Liam remembered the loud chaos of his own childhood. “I can’t imagine. Were you lonely?”

“Sometimes.”

He sat beside her at the base of the tree, and Ranger settled at his side with a happy sigh. Liam ran his hands over Ranger’s velvet ears and watched the creek go by. It smelled good here, the ground still damp from recent rains. Little green plants that looked like giant clovers pushed up through the red-brown soil beneath the redwood trees. When he couldn’t take the suspense any longer, he leaned over and bumped his shoulder gently into Trisha’s. “Are you going to tell me why you brought me down to this creek?”

The breath she let out was shaky. He glanced down at her. She had a dried-up redwood frond in her hand and she was twisting it into knots. She glanced at him and her lip trembled and he hoped she wouldn’t cry. Was this about that night? Had he been so very terrible to her?

“I have a son,” she said quietly.

That definitely wasn’t what he was expecting. “You’re a mom?” He didn’t quite know why she was telling him, so he didn’t know how to answer. “That’s great. Kids are awesome.”

“You think so?” Her eyes were sparkling in the dusky light.

Were those tears welling up? He barely knew her, didn’t know how to handle all this emotion with her. “What’s wrong, Trisha? You’re upset.”

She swallowed hard and threw the redwood leaf into the creek. “He’s yours.”

Liam’s heart gave a lurch, like it had missed a beat or two. His muscles went oddly still. His ears had a strange ring in them, or maybe that was the sound of the creek. It was all sort of blending together into a strange internal roar. He watched Trisha warily, but she didn’t look at him. “Mine?”

She finally looked at him and, yes, there were tears. She was crying silently, with no sobs, just pure emotion pouring over her skin. “I got pregnant that night in San Antonio. I had a baby boy. His name is Henry and he’s just turned eleven months old.”

He stood, her words propelling him forward into action, though there was no real action to take. He walked a few paces away, Ranger at his heels. A kid. A baby. She’d had his child.

He’d never considered the possibility, never considered the consequences of that night. In those days, the only consequence he cared about was the high that he got from taking another pill.

He turned back and Ranger whined in confusion. Trisha was still sitting, her knees up, her arms wrapped around them as if she needed to hold herself together physically.

He was a father. He had a little boy. “Eleven months old?” It was a stupid question, something to anchor him while the world spun around him. He wasn’t questioning his role in this. He was there that night. He could count.

She nodded, but said nothing.

He sat again and closed his eyes, pressing his hands to them as if the pressure could slow his racing thoughts. Ranger flopped down next to him again, a warm comforting presence along his thigh. “I left without telling you how to get hold of me.”

Her voice was calm, almost wooden. “I looked on the internet. On social media sites. But there are so many people when you search the name William.”

The wrong name. He’d given her the wrong name, and no last name. Then walked away from her, and his child. He took his hands away so he could see her profile. “I am so sorry.”

She was still looking straight ahead, studying the water, as if hypnotized by the current, but he heard the hurt behind her words. “I figured you wouldn’t be interested anyway.”

“I wasn’t in good shape at that time. I had problems I had to work out. But, Trisha, I am interested. I’m... I’m blown away.” He paused, trying to pin his thoughts into words, but it was impossible. “I don’t really know what I am. But I am interested.”

A baby. He was a father. He’d never even considered being a dad—it was something far off in the future, once he met someone, fell in love, got married. But it had happened, was already happening. He’d missed her pregnancy, and most of the baby’s first year. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“You’ve been here for two weeks. I had to make sure you were a somewhat-decent human being.”

Liam stared at the water, questions flooding his mind. He wasn’t sure which to ask and which to keep to himself. “You’re doing well? Having a baby and all? He... Henry...is healthy?”

She smiled then, as if the mention of Henry turned a light on inside her, creased her cheeks and crinkled her eyes. She was so beautiful, the mother of his child, the angel who, back in San Antonio had somehow made him realize it was time to get help.

“Henry is a beautiful, chubby, happy baby. And I’m fine, too.” She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and opened the photo app. And there he was. Liam’s son. Brown hair like his, but more curly, like Liam’s mom’s had been. The baby’s smile had a hint of Boone’s mischief. But the sweetness in his blue eyes was all from Trisha.

He couldn’t stop staring at the photo. Their child. “I can’t believe we have a son together.”

“Me neither, really.”

A lump was growing in his throat. “Where is he?”

“Back at the art fair.”

He looked at her, startled that the baby was so close by. “With who?”

“Maya. Her grandmother. Emily. Our book club friends. They’re like Henry’s extended family.”

Family. Until now the word had meant his brothers. His parents. The ranch. Texas. Now he had a son just a few blocks away. Here in California. “Can I see him?”

“You can meet him, yes. But there’s a lot to figure out, Liam. You have to realize, he’s my baby. Mine. I carried him. I’ve raised him until now. I don’t know what role I want you to play in his life.”

He was still trying to take it all in. “I get it. I do. We both need to think about it.”

She rose stiffly from the ground. “I’ll take you to him, if you want.”

He stood, too, and Ranger, ever patient, followed suit. “Yes, I do. I want to.” His heart was racing and he had to force himself to take a deep breath. It was a lot to take in, almost too much to fathom.

They started back toward the town square and what she’d just said sunk in. Vivian, Maya, Emily—they all helped her with Henry. “Your friends. Do they all know about me? Does Jace know?”

“Jace doesn’t know, and neither does Caleb. I’d never told anyone who the father was, and my friends were kind enough not to pressure me.” She glanced his way briefly. “But last weekend, when you’d been here for a few days already, I did tell my book club. So Maya, Emily, Vivian and everyone else in The Book Biddies have known for a week.”

“Ah.” It all made sense now. “That’s why they were asking me all those questions.”

“I wanted to make sure you were a good guy. I mean, you showed up in town and shot a coyote.”

Her words hit hard in the most insecure spot in his soul. He hadn’t been a good guy for a couple years after his injury. He’d done so much he was ashamed of. He should tell her right now. Just spit it all out and let her know the kind of man she’d gotten herself caught up with. But then she might change her mind about letting him see Henry. And he had to meet his son, even if it was only this once. So he took the lighter route. “I take it you don’t have a cat? Or at least not one named Henry?”

She gave him an apologetic glance. “No cat. I’m sorry for the lie. I wasn’t ready to tell you, and once his name was mentioned, I had to think of something.”

“I’m actually kind of relieved that you don’t bring your cat to book club meetings. It’s not really my business, but it did seem kind of odd.”

“Why would you care?”

“Because I like you.” There. He’d said it. Though now, whatever he’d felt for her before was buried in layers of complication. They had a child. A baby.

She looked surprised at his words, but said nothing. They’d reached the edge of the art fair. She gestured for him to follow. “Come on.” She hurried forward as if determined to get this meeting over with.

Liam and Ranger followed Trisha through the crowded fair, Liam’s pulse thrumming with anticipation and something else. Disbelief? It was almost dark now. White lights had been strung between trees and along paths and the booths for the art fair were all lit up. On a normal night it would be pretty, but the way his life had just changed in the course of a sentence lent a surreal quality to everything around him.

He saw a circle of chairs behind the Shelter Creek Gallery booth. Jace was there, sitting with Vivian while the kids played behind them. Maya and Caleb were next to each other holding hands, and Liam recognized Annie Brooks, who’d come by Jace’s ranch the other day. And there was Emily, the vet, standing off to one side, cuddling a sleepy-looking baby wrapped in a blanket.

Liam put a hand on Trisha’s arm. “Is that Henry?”

“Yes.” She looked up at him. “Are you ready to meet your son?”

“In front of all these people?”

“These are Henry’s people. They only want what’s best for him.”

She led him around the outside of the group to where Emily stood. The vet’s eyes widened when she saw Liam. Carefully she lifted the baby off her shoulder, handed him to Trisha and went to join the others.

It was his son. Liam could only stand and stare as Henry shifted sleepily on Trisha’s shoulder and opened his mouth in a yawn as cute as a kitten’s.

He didn’t know what to feel. New parents were supposed to fall in love, right? But he mostly felt disoriented. Disconnected. His body was here, staring at this baby, but his mind couldn’t connect the dots. How had his son been living, growing and learning in the world when Liam hadn’t even known he existed? If he hadn’t drawn the short straw in the barn that day, he might never have known.

Panic jolted his senses. It was all so random, that he was here at all. He’d come so close to going through life never knowing about this baby. He took a step back.

“Liam, are you okay?” Trisha was watching him carefully and he remembered that this was a huge moment for her, too. That she’d been forced to include him in the life she’d carved out for Henry all on her own.

“It’s a lot to take in.”

“Do you want to hold him?”

“I haven’t had much practice.” He tied Ranger’s leash to a nearby light post. Then he reached awkwardly for Henry. He didn’t know where to put his hands. They looked so big next to the baby. He pulled them back. “I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Here.” Trisha turned Henry carefully so he was on his back, cradled in her arms. “Hold your arms like mine.”

Liam tried to imitate her position, bending his elbows, and she laid the baby in the crook of his arm. “Support him underneath with the other arm.” She kept her arms under Henry until she was sure Liam had him, then she stepped back and Liam was holding his son.

The soft weight in his arms was unfamiliar but somehow an enormous comfort. Henry blinked at him with mildly curious eyes, like he was trying to decide whether this new person was worth waking up for. “Hey, Henry,” Liam whispered. “I’m your dad.” The sudden lump in his throat had him holding back any more words he might want to say. Not that there were words adequate for this moment anyway. Henry’s nose was tiny, his cheeks round. Liam had next to no experience with babies, but his son looked like a beautiful one to him.

A big hand came softly down on his shoulder. “You okay?” Jace’s gaze was full of concern. “Vivian just let me know what’s going on over here.”

Liam nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

“Okay. Let us know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Jace,” Liam managed. “I appreciate it.” He turned to Trisha. “What do we do now?”

“I’ve got to take him home to bed. Want to walk us to my car?”

“Yes. I’d like that.”

She went over to one of the chairs in the circle and came back with a tote bag. “Good night, everyone,” she called out. “Thanks for all of your support tonight.” Everyone waved and called out good-night, but thankfully, no one said anything about what had just happened. That all in an instant, right before their eyes, he’d become a daddy.

Trisha took Henry from Liam and the air was cool where the warmth of his son had been. “Will you carry the diaper bag?”

“The what? Oh yes.” He grabbed the tote she’d set down and went to retrieve Ranger from the lamppost. Then he followed Trisha to her car, which was parked at the edge of the square.

She loaded Henry into the car seat and put the bag on the floor. Then she turned to Liam. “I guess we should talk a little more about this another time.”

“Yeah. I’d like that. Soon, I hope.”

“Tomorrow is Sunday. Want to come by my house in the afternoon? Vivian has the address.”

“Sure. Yeah.” The surreal feeling had returned and he had the sense that his life, which had seemed so simple just a few hours ago, had been broken up like the pieces of one of those giant jigsaw puzzles his brother Wyatt sometimes did. There must be some pattern, some way to put it all back together, but Liam couldn’t fathom it right now.

“Great. I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah. Good night, Trisha. Thank you.” Maybe that was a weird thing to say. But she could have found a way not to tell him. She could have said that Henry belonged to someone else.

“Good night, Liam.” She got into her little hatchback and started the engine.

Liam stood and watched until Trisha and his son had disappeared into the night. He walked back to the circle and sat down woodenly in the chair next to Jace.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“I became a father of three with one phone call,” Jace told him. “You don’t have to explain anything to me.”

“Just tell me I’ll start to feel something other than total confusion, soon.”

Jace’s laugh rang out, causing several people to look their way. “Oh, trust me, my friend. You will have more feelings than you’ve ever had before. Maybe just enjoy the daze while it’s here.”

Liam slid down in his chair and tipped his head back so he could see the sky. The black silhouettes of redwoods rose impossibly high. Stars were coming out behind them. They were comforting. A reminder that no matter how overwhelming this news seemed, it was just a tiny blip in the cosmos. He had a son. And by some miracle, he’d met him tonight. He had a son. He had a son.