The next morning, I awoke to find I was alone in my bed. At first, my heart broke as I wondered if I'd been duped and used. If Reese had only come over and put on a good show to get into my pants again. But then I heard sounds coming from the living room. Eli was laughing. So was Reese.
I threw on some pyjama bottoms and a top and walked down the hallway, where I found Eli hiding behind the curtains and Reese pretending not to be able to find him. The smell of bacon filled the room.
“What's going on in here?” I asked with a laugh. I stared at the clock. It was after eight in the morning. I never slept past eight – not since Eli had been born.
“Oh nothing much,” Reese said. “Just figured you could use the sleep and I heard the little guy moving around in his room, so I made him some breakfast.”
Eli popped his head out from behind the curtain. “He burned the bacon, mama.”
“Shhh,” Reese said. “You weren't supposed to tell her that. Now she won't want to eat any of it.”
Eli giggled maniacally. Reese got up off the floor and walked over to me. He went in for a kiss, but seemed to think better of it, giving a look back at Eli to see if he was watching. Of course, he was.
But I didn't let that stop me. I kissed Reese, just a quick peck, nothing more.
“Thank you for letting me sleep in,” I said.
“You needed it,” he said quietly. “There's some eggs and burnt bacon in the kitchen, I'm happy to make you a plate.”
“Sleeping in and breakfast? A girl could get used to this.”
“Maybe you should,” Reese said, flashing me a smile and wink before heading off into the kitchen.
Amazed by what was happening, I followed behind him and watched as he prepared me a plate. I leaned against the counter, and just stared at him, still trying to decide if this was real or not. And as I realized that yes, this was real, the thought that had been rampaging through my mind for weeks suddenly came flying out of my mouth.
“What do you think about telling Eli you're his father? Are you ready for that?” I asked.
Reese looked surprised as he handed me a plate. And yes, the bacon was badly burnt – black and crisp – but I wasn't one to complain about breakfast I didn't have to make.
“The real question is – are you?”
“Yeah,” I said, taking a bite of the charred bacon. “I think so. As long as you're ready, so am I.”
“Then let's do it,” he said.
Of course, there was more than just telling Eli. We needed to break the news to my parents too. All these years, they had no idea I knew who my son's father was – and now I was coming clean. I was admitting the truth. Or at least, I would be, once I worked up the nerve.
We picked a family dinner, as was only fitting in my mind, to break the news. But before that, we made a point of sitting down with Eli. It went easier than I thought, but mainly because he was, after all, only a toddler and didn't quite comprehend the news the same way my parents would. Which was good. It meant he'd grow up with early memories of his father, of knowing who he was. Reese missed a few years, but not too many.
“So Eli,” I said as we sat on the floor of the living room with him, “you know how I have a mommy and daddy?”
“Yes,” he said, not looking entirely interested in anything I had to say.
Reese sat across from me, and we shared a look. This was it. This was the moment.
“Well, you know you have a mommy already –”
“You!” he said, pointing at me with a smile. “You're my mommy.”
“Yes, Eli,” I said with a laugh. “I'm your mommy. But did you know you also had a daddy?”
The little boy cocked his head and looked confused. His eyes were wide as he looked back at me, almost like I was speaking a foreign language.
“Reese isn't just mommy's friend,” I said. “He's also your daddy.”
Eli's eyes grew even wider as they went from looking at me to staring at Reese, then back at me.
Reese took this moment to speak up. “Do you know what that means?”