Chapter 35

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Lila

I could barely keep it together when I dropped Jake off at his friend's house. But I couldn't let Jake see me cry. Once word spread of Bad Ball Hitter's forgotten son, murmurs grew louder in the section I was sitting in. It escalated after they announced Drake's name when he came in to pinch-hit in the ninth. It wasn't the usual cheers. I sat with an excited seven-year-old while rumors circulated about the game-winning hero. I had to shield Jake's ears from the mention of his name. I did a quick internet search without knowing what the fuss and dirty looks were about. Funny how quickly news articles can make their way to the top of the search engines.

I felt like the floor beneath my feet opened up and swallowed me whole. This couldn't be right. There's no way.

I want to give Drake the benefit of the doubt. I want to give him a chance to explain himself. But I'm so damn angry.

He lied to me.

He lied after saying he didn't want any more secrets or miscommunication between us. Well, guess what, buddy? You had the grandmaster of all secrets and didn't say a word.

I grab my stomach. I think I'm going to be sick.

Not having much choice, I snatched Jake up and got as far away from the stadium as possible. I called Jake's friend's parents. Their sympathetic tone alerted me to what they already knew. I called an Uber and got the hell out there.

Now, I sit and wait on a foreign couch, feeling numb.

The handle jiggles, followed by my wild child. The tears I've held back spill over when the sorrowful brown eyes meet mine. I grit my teeth to give myself strength. I'm so angry and heartbroken, but most of all, dejected. Because no matter what he held back, it doesn't change the fact that he slept with my best friend.

"I'm so sorry you found out this way."

My stomach sinks. "So it's true?"

His bags fall to the floor, and he chews up the distance with his long strides.

"Let me explain."

"How long have you known?"

"I—" He opens his mouth to speak but takes a stuttering breath. His hand runs along his scruff, and I bite back a sigh. He'd be easier to hate if he wasn't so damn handsome. "I figured it out after you told me about Darci."

Was that why he moved me in so quickly? To be closer to Jake? And here I thought it was for me.

"Why?" my voice breaks. "Why did you sleep with my best friend?" That may be the part that stings the most—the betrayal. We may have been broken up, but he still went there. He still slept with my best friend. And she didn't say a word.

Drake's eyes fill with unshed tears, and his face pinches as if in utter pain. My heart clenches, but I have to stay strong. He did this, not me.

"I came back that Thanksgiving during our first year of college."

That grabs my attention. I asked Darci specifically if Drake had returned to town, and she said no. I swallow down the sudden foul taste in my mouth as he continues.

"I was hoping to find you but learned rather quickly you weren't there." He grunts and shakes his head. "God, I was so stupid. I stayed in the old motel on the outskirts of town. I snagged a six-pack and drank by the pool."

"Out in the cold?"

"Pretty sure I was numb." His jaw clenches, and I brace myself for the next part. "I was well into being drunk when Darci showed up." He hesitates.

"Then what?"

"Are you sure you want to hear this? It doesn't paint your friend in a good light."

"I need to hear it. I want the truth for one goddamn time in my life."

He flinches but nods. "I can usually tell when someone's interested in me. It's not that difficult to pick up on the signs. So I've always known Darci had a thing for me."

He speaks the truth. As much as it hurts to admit, I've always known Darci had a crush on him. I just got to him first. Or that's what she'd always say, anyway.

"The first words out of my mouth were about you. But she'd said your dad went to Roy's family's cabin with you."

My mouth falls open. "Why would she say that?"

His mouth forms a tight line. He clearly doesn't want to continue, but I need him to. I was serious. I need to know the entire truth, no matter how painful.

"She painted this picture of you and him as a couple." He licks his lips and continues, "How happy you were together. How you had a crush on Roy for a while but didn't know how to break up with me after my dad's death. Then after my sister's and Mom's."

"Jesus, none of that is true." I stare at Drake in utter shock, completely gutted by the deceit.

"I know that now, but do you see where my head was at? She solidified what I had thought I had seen at the track that day."

The ugly picture becomes more apparent. My best friend betrayed me all for one night with my ex-boyfriend.

"She came over and straddled my lap. I fought her off at first, but she?—"

I place my hand up to stop him. "I get the picture."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know Darci had a kid. She never said a word when I came to see you on campus after your father's death. I swear. I would never abandon my son like that. You have to know this." His voice breaks as a tear escapes.

Wait, she would've been pregnant during that time. Definitely showing. I tried to recall what he had said earlier when I was sick. He thought I was with Roy. It didn't occur to me why he thought that; I get so upset whenever she's mentioned. I missed her so much. But he said he talked to her.

My feet wobble, and I grab hold of the kitchen table. Her deceit goes further back.

"You talked to Darci that day you came to see me on campus?" I ask, not sure if I want to know the truth.

"Yes. She answered the door but wouldn't open it all the way." He goes rim-rod straight as it must occur to him why she didn't open the door.

"She would've been showing."

"That's when she told me you left with Roy."

I close my eyes and shake my head. The last thing I want to be is mad at my friend. But damn it, her deceit reshaped my life. As much as I'd like to say knowing this isn't all his fault will make it better, it doesn't. There's one more thing I need to know.

"Did you move us in here because of Jake?"

"No. If you remember, I asked before the truth came out. You needed a place to stay. I have the space. Plus, I want you here. You, Lila. Jake was a bonus. Of course, I'd want him if he's mine, but I want you."

I suck in a breath as the realization sinks in. I may lose my son. If Drake moves, would he take Jake with him? I'm his mother, legally, but if Drake is his biological father, he could sue for parental rights.

I swallow past the pain lodged in my throat. My mouth is so dry the words come out as sand. "We need to get a parental kit."