Though I would always think back on that night with a twinge of some unknown emotion, what we had now was real.

And the reality of us, of our son, of our life together, the unknowns, the ups and downs of our past, and the ups and downs yet to come, were far superior to any fantasy.

Epilogue

THEBryanLeech to ECassChoosesPikachu: I love you.

ECassChoosesPikachu to THEBryanLeech: We’re in the same room you nutter. And I love you, too <3

*Bryan*

~Several weeks later~

“It’s going to be fine,” Eilish reassured me, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze.

I glanced down at her, so much love for this amazing woman, and gave her a tender smile. I wasn’t usually lacking in confidence, but today was different. Today we were going to tell Patrick I was his dad. So many nightmare outcomes ran through my head.

Patrick bursting into tears at the news.

Patrick shouting, “You’re not my daddy!” at top volume.

Patrick shutting himself in his room and refusing to see me ever again.

I knew it was all in my head, but I couldn’t seem to stop thinking the worst would happen.

“What if he gets upset?” I asked, fretting.

“Are you serious? He loves you, Bryan. At this point I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t even notice if I was gone for days so long as he could spend time with you.” She chuckled affectionately.

I shot her a soft look, running a finger down her cheek. “That’s not true, and we both know it.”

“He adores you.”

“He adores his buddy Bryan who comes to play rugby with him and lets him find Pokémon on his phone. I’m not so sure about Daddy Bryan who tells him he has to go to bed early and that he can’t have a second serving of ice cream after his dinner.”

“My God, you’re adorable.”

“I am not adorable. I’m brooding and sexy and masculine,” I said, effecting a manly expression. It was all in the brow.

“Oh, yes you are. I never expected you to be so nervous to tell a little boy you’re his dad. A little boy who’s already head over heels in love with you. You, Bryan Leech, fullback, reformed party boy, who shows no mercy on the rugby field, are nervous, and it’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

I scowled at her. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

She went up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to the underside of my jaw, smiling widely. “Yes, I am.”

I exhaled and ran my hand seductively down her back, pressing firmly into the base of her spine. “I fucking love you.”

She shivered a little but quickly shook it off, those bright blue eyes of her sparkling. So much for delaying the inevitable with sex.

“I love you, too. Now let’s get this over with. Pull off the Band-Aid.”

I met her gaze and steeled myself. “Pull off the Band-Aid. Okay.”

We went inside the living room where Patrick was sitting on the floor playing with his Legos. I’d gotten him a kid-sized version of my jersey and he was wearing it. I knew that was Eilish’s doing. She was trying to bolster my confidence, and seeing Patrick in my shirt definitely helped. This kid was mine. Mine. I might have missed out on his early years, but I was determined to be there for him every single day from here on out. I was determined to be there for both of them. And Mam, too. I’d finally managed to get her into a rehabilitation clinic. As soon as she was better, I planned on introducing her to Patrick. I knew how much it meant to her. I knew his existence was half the reason she was so determined to get sober.

“Bryan!” he exclaimed when he saw me, jumping up and running at me full force. I plucked him up before he could crash into my legs and swung him around in my arms.

“Hey buddy,” I rasped. My chest felt heavy with the words I was about to speak. He was always so happy to see me. I hoped that didn’t change once he learned the truth.

“Bryan and I have something we’d like to tell you, baby,” said Eilish, her calm, sweet voice soothing my nerves.

“Are we going to Disneyland?” he asked, and I chuckled. This kid. Such a chancer.

“No, we aren’t going to Disneyland,” Eilish replied with an indulgent smile. “But if you behave for the rest of the year we might think about going for your birthday.”

“Deal! I’m going to Disney for my birthday,” Patrick yelled with glee, and I chuckled. I was well aware of his Disneyland fixation by now. He’d been asking to go for weeks, ever since he saw an ad for it on TV.

“I said might,” Eilish warned. “Only if you’re good.”

“I’ll be good,” he promised, but the shine of mischief in his green eyes said otherwise. My green eyes. It was still hard to get used to how much he looked like me.

I carried him over to the couch and sat, placing him on my lap. He started fiddling with the collar of my shirt, and his comfort with me, his familiarity, warmed my heart. From the very first day we met there had always been this comfort, this sense of destiny, like we were meant to be in each other’s lives. Eilish came and sat down next to us, and for a moment I relished the three of us being so close. A family. My family.

Eilish reached out and affectionately stroked Patrick’s hair back from his face. He needed to get it cut. I made a note to ask if I could start taking him with me to my barber each month.

I was constantly making note of the things we could do together—father and son things.