Page 183 of Seasons of Love
“I’m going to tell him, but I don’t know if this is the right time. He’s got all this stuff going on with Sara’s grandmother turning up, and he’s scared of losing her.”
“Will you tell him you spoke to Harrison?” she asks.
“Of course. I’m meeting him at his place before we go to the soup kitchen, so I’ll tell him then.”
“Okay then. Deal with one thing at a time. Put him first if you think that’s what he needs, but don’t forget, you’re also important.”
I nod. “Milo would never make me disappear. If anything, he lifts me up every time he so much as looks at me.”
“Fuck, I’m going to cry. I need a glass of wine now.”
She gives me a hug and ushers me out the door to go be a knight in shiny armor, as she puts it.
When Milo opens the door, he throws himself at me, holding tight.
“Hey, what’s the matter?”
“Just…hold me. Only for a moment, okay?”
His voice sounds broken.
“Baby, I’ll hold you forever if that’s what you need.”
I see Sara playing with her musical animals on her high chair.
“Do you want to sit or lie down and talk?” I ask.
He nods.
“Gloria has been going around town to all the stores, buying things for Sara and telling people she’s her grandmother. I don’t know if she wants to have Sara or if she expects me to give her up. She’s coming tomorrow, and I’m terrified, Ellis.”
I run my hand through his hair. He leans his head against my palm when it touches his cheek.
“I hope you forgive me for this, but I spoke to Harrison on Sunday. That’s why I didn’t come back here. It was too late by the time I left their place.”
“Okay. What did you speak to him about?”
I cross my fingers mentally, hoping he won’t get mad.
“I asked him what your rights were as the named father on Sara’s birth certificate.”
He gasps. “Really? I totally forgot he’s an attorney. Thank you for doing that for me.”
“He says that as the named parent on the birth certificate, you have all the rights of a biological parent because it’s assumed you are the biological parent. Gloria can, of course, challenge it and request a DNA test. Chances are that if the mother willingly named you as the father, and you’ve been caring for the child and providing all their needs like a father, then you’ll continue as the parent. She can take you to court, but it may be easier to appeal to her heart and work out visitation rights.”
Milo lets out a breath that sounds like it’s been held since he met Gloria.
“I guess I might find out tomorrow what her intentions are.”
I nod. “We can fight this together. Hopefully, Gloria will decide to work with us rather than against us, but I’ll be there every step of the way.”
“I love you, Ellis.”
I gasp.
“I promised myself I’d wait longer to tell you, but I don’t know why. What’s the point? Everything we have can be taken away from us at any moment, with no warning. Why shouldn’t I be true to you? Please believe me when I say it. I’ve never said it to anyone before. The word always felt too big to express what I felt at the time. But not with you. With you, it’s the easiest thing. And before you stop me, I’m not too young. I know what I want, and I—”
As much as I love to hear him ramble, I want to kiss him more, so I do. I relish in the way Milo melts into the kiss, allowing me to protect him, keep him safe, love him.
