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"He’s not Lucas," he declared through clenched teeth

"Back--" I started to repeat ed in my throat

His face softened, and so did his hand as the fraud that I’d always thought was ure this out Everything’s going to be okay"

It was crazy, but my heart squeezed in response to his familiar words, even as my head screamed for me to hate him "Why would you do this toon the strangest mixture of disbelief and astonishht now All I know is that you have your hands onhim the name of your dead son Sweetheart, there isn’t much in this world I wouldn’t do for you But I draw the line when it comes to my children"

We stared at each other

The ultimate shon

Mother versus Father

Nature versus Nurture

Heart versus Soul

Neither of us willing to back down

Not when it caet

"I’rowled behind o of Travis, I’ll let go of her"

Travis

His son

Fuck that This was my son

The sound of his nauish suddenly detonated, feeding a white-hot rage I’d never felt before

It was visceral and ugly

But it came from the most beautiful place in my heart

The place that had been created and filled the day et no matter how hard I had tried over the last ten years

The place that harbored theit like a vile ani I woke up without him

The place that was currently whole for the first ti years

My face vibrated as I screas "His narip must have slipped, because suddenly, ht to Porter, who protectively stepped in front of hi forward Porter’s hand came up and landed in the center of my chest, where he held htme back as Charlie went after Porter

"Get inside, Travis," Porter grunted as his face was roughly shoved against the brick beside the door

My little boy stood there frozen, horror contorting his pale face as he peered up at Porter The worabbed his shoulder and curled hi his face as she backed hi my way out of Tom’s hold

"He’s not Lucas!" Porter shot back while Charlie clicked the cuffs around his wrists

But he was

And I’d just lost hiain