The next morning, Ava stood in front of the mirror, holding a coffee she forgot she made. Her mind wasn't on the reflection staring back at her. It was still on Dominic.
She hadn't intended to let him spend time with Liam. Not yet. But seeing them together at the ice cream shop had pulled something loose inside her. A thread of hope she wasn't ready to feel.
He was charming. Gentle. Even awkward, in a way that surprised her. Dominic had always been confident, composed, commanding.
But around Liam, he was unsure. Hesitant.
Human.
And it scared her.
Because it made him seem real again.
Not just the man who left… but the man who could still mean something.
That afternoon, Ava got a call from the school.
Her heart stuttered. She answered immediately.
"Miss Jensen?" the administrator said. "Liam's fine. But there was a situation during pick-up. A man came to collect him. Liam said he knew him, but you're not listed as having any approved guardians."
Ava's blood ran cold. "What did he look like?"
"Tall, dark hair, tailored coat, very polite. Said his name was Dominic Grayson."
She clenched her jaw. "Don't let anyone near my son unless I give you permission. Ever."
"Of course. We followed protocol. Liam stayed with us until you arrived."
She thanked them, barely.
She found Dominic waiting outside the school gates.
"How dare you," she hissed, pulling him away from other parents' eyes. "You went behind my back?"
"I wasn't trying to take him," Dominic said calmly. "He told me he forgot his math homework. I offered to walk him home."
"He's six," Ava snapped. "You can't just show up and play dad like it's a game."
"I'm not playing, Ava."
She crossed her arms tightly, fighting back the surge of panic. "You're not on any emergency contact list. You're not even supposed to know which school he attends!"
Dominic sighed. "I did some digging. And I didn't want to pressure you. I just… I wanted more time with him."
She stared at him for a long moment. "You can't keep making decisions without me."
"I know," he said, softer. "I'm trying to figure out how to do this right."
Ava exhaled slowly. "You want to see him? Fine. Then prove to me you're serious."
He raised an eyebrow. "How?"
"Pick him up tomorrow—with my permission. Bring him to the bookstore after school. Spend time with him while I'm working. I'll be close. We'll see how you do."
Dominic blinked, surprised. "Really?"
"This isn't a game, Dominic. He's not a business deal you win. He's a person. A little boy with feelings and needs and routines. You screw this up, and I'm done. Understand?"
He nodded. "Understood."
She turned to leave, then glanced back. "You don't get points for showing up. You get points for staying."
The next day, Ava watched from the window of the bookstore as Dominic walked up the sidewalk, holding Liam's hand and a juice box.
Liam was grinning.
That alone made her stomach twist.
She hadn't seen him that happy after school in a while.
They sat at the kids' reading nook. Dominic helped him pick out a book, knelt beside him, and—though clumsily—read aloud.
His voice stumbled on the silly character names, but Liam didn't care. He laughed, leaned into Dominic's shoulder, and offered to read the next page himself.
Ava pretended to shelve books while keeping an eye on them.
It was surreal.
And unfair.
Dominic had missed birthdays, tantrums, nightmares, doctor's visits. He didn't earn that smile.
But Liam didn't know any of that.
To him, Dominic was just a nice man who listened and laughed and made him feel important.
That evening, after the store closed, Ava found them sitting on the floor with three open books and a half-eaten muffin between them.
"Looks like you two had fun," she said.
Liam nodded. "He voices the characters like a cartoon!"
Dominic smiled shyly. "It's a talent I didn't know I had."
Ava looked at her son. "Why don't you go wash your hands and get your coat?"
When Liam was out of earshot, Ava turned to Dominic. "You did better than I expected."
"Was that a compliment?"
"A cautious observation," she replied.
He stood, brushing muffin crumbs from his shirt. "Thank you for trusting me with him."
"I didn't," she said honestly. "I trusted Liam to tell me if anything felt wrong. But… he likes you."
Dominic's face softened. "I like him too. A lot."
She nodded, the silence between them charged.
"I need to know something," he said suddenly. "Did you ever plan to tell me?"
Ava flinched. "I wanted to. So many times. But when I found out I was pregnant, you were gone. You were making headlines, surrounded by scandals, lawsuits. I convinced myself you didn't want more weight."
"I would've dropped everything."
"Would you?" she whispered. "Or would you have done what you always do—throw money at the problem and move on?"
Dominic stepped closer. "I deserved that. Maybe more. But I'm not the same man you knew five years ago."
"I'm not the same woman," she replied.
He looked at her then, really looked—like he was trying to find the old Ava beneath the armor she now wore.
Maybe she was still in there. Maybe not.
That night, as she tucked Liam into bed, he looked up at her with wide eyes.
"Mommy, is Dominic my daddy?"
The question hit her like a freight train.
She blinked. "Why would you ask that?"
"Because he talks like me. And his eyes look like mine. And he listens like Grandpa used to."
Ava sat on the edge of the bed, brushing back his curls. "Do you want him to be?"
Liam shrugged. "I don't know. But I like him."
She kissed his forehead. "Get some sleep, baby."
But she didn't sleep that night.
Because she knew the day was coming when she'd have to tell Liam the truth.
And when she did… everything would change.