Stealing Home(58)

“That’s why he didn’t tell you about Callie—because of Owen. I know he would have eventually, but he doesn’t tell just anybody about them.”

At the same time I respected his decision to keep them private, given his world was what it was, I resented it. It was an immature reaction and I knew it, but it was the plight of the scorned lover.

“I can understand that,” I said, trying to sound as convincing as I could. “It would be hard growing up being known as Luke Archer’s son. All of the media. I get it.”

Alex was just about to put the top Kiss on the pyramid when she flinched. The whole thing came crashing down. “Owen isn’t Luke’s son.” She blinked at me. “Luke might have thought he was at first, but Luke isn’t his father.”

The package of M&M’s dropped out of my hand. “What?”

Alex slumped in the seat as she unwrapped another Kiss. “I know. It’s the worst. Callie got pregnant with Owen when Luke and her were together, so of course he assumed the baby was his.” When Alex’s eyes narrowed as she said Callie’s name, I didn’t miss it. “The whole time she was pregnant—even those first few weeks after Owen was born—Luke thought he was his. It’s not like they were planning on getting pregnant, but he was going to do whatever it took to take care of them. You should have seen him, Allie.” A sad smile touched her face. “God, he was such a great dad, you know? So proud—so in love with that little guy.”

When her eyes got glassy, I knew mine would follow. I was a huge sympathy bawler.

“What happened?” I breathed.

Alex balled up her empty foil wrappers, her expression darkening. “Some * came into the picture before Owen turned one month old. Claimed he and Callie had been messing around for a while and demanded a paternity test.” She snorted, shaking her head. “Turned out, the * was the father. Not Luke.”

I had to lean into the counter for support. “Oh my god.”

“It crushed him, Allie,” she said. “Can you imagine thinking a child was yours, only to find out he wasn’t and that the woman you loved had been going behind your back for months?”

“No, I can’t imagine that.” My mind was still reeling, trying to catch up, but then I realized Luke had been burned in the same way I had. Except Luke had it worse. “But I do know what it feels like to be cheated on.”

Like she could feel my pain flooding my system, she dug out another Twix bar for me. “That little boy might be someone else’s son, but Luke made sure he’s taken care of. Owen has a nice college fund that’ll pay for the best school in the country. And med school if he wants. And a starter home after.”

My eyes were reaching max glassy levels before spillage ensued. If Alex shed a tear, I was a goner. “Does he get to see Owen very much anymore?”

She exhaled. “He hasn’t gotten to see him in over two years. That woman and her * cut Luke out of the picture entirely. And since he had no legal rights to Owen, there was nothing Luke could do.”

“Couldn’t he have done something?”

“What? No judge is going to grant visitation rights to some guy who thought he was a kid’s dad.”

My shoulders slumped. “I guess not.”

“Plus Luke came to realize that Owen’s life would probably be more peaceful if he wasn’t in it. It’s not like the kid’ll remember him, so it was really only for Luke’s benefit that we wanted to keep seeing Owen. Not for Owen’s.”

I turned the Twix bar over in my hand, my appetite for chocolate gone. “He said that?”

“Of course he said that. It’s Luke. He couldn’t not do the right thing if someone threatened to end his baseball career.”

I didn’t know what to say. So much had just come at me that I couldn’t remember why I had been so mad at him in the first place.

“I wish I would have known,” I whispered. “What an awful thing to happen.”

Alex’s eyes met mine, the faintest glimmer of hope in hers. “Then you’ll give him another chance?”

Another chance. If it had just been this coming between us, of course. If it had just been this, I probably wouldn’t have called it quits. He couldn’t control what others did to him any more than I could. We’d been burned, and we both had the scars to prove it.

Luke’s and my issues ran deeper.

“This—Owen, Callie—they weren’t the main reason we didn’t work out.”

She groaned. “Then what was?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Then let’s uncomplicate it because I haven’t seen Luke this happy in years. Not even with Callie before he figured out what a cheating whore she was.”

“Wow. Fond memories?”

“Luke doesn’t know I call her that. He wouldn’t like it if he did.” Her nose creased.

“Then we’ll keep that our secret,” I said, trying to figure out what was happening. Trying to figure out how it changed things, if it changed them at all.

“You’ve really never seen him so happy?”

Alex shook her head slowly. “Never.”

“What about the other women after Callie?” I tried not to think about them—their pictures and their names—but I knew I’d never forget them.