Truly a Labor of Love

Buddy’s eyes soon landed on Ethan, blinking curiously as he asked, “Mommy, who’s he?”

The little guy felt a vague familiarity but couldn’t place where he’d seen him before.

Sophia smiled gently. “Buddy, he’s your daddy—you’ve seen his picture.”

“You always hug his photo when you cry, calling out for him.”

She dropped those details casually, watching Ethan’s reaction out of the corner of her eye. Buddy studied Ethan intently, scratching the back of his head. “This is Daddy?”

Ethan stared back at him.

This tiny bundle, who looked about seventy percent like him, was his son?

The father and son locked eyes, big and small, in a standoff that lacked the tearful reunion one might expect. Buddy furrowed his tiny brows, pondering for a moment.

“But the daddy in the photo was fair-skinned, and this uncle’s all tanned.”

Ethan’s mouth twitched slightly.

The tan came from months of fishing out at sea, plain and simple.

Sophia ruffled his hair, explaining softly, “Daddy just got a little sun-kissed. Give it time, and he’ll be as pale as in the picture—good as new.”

“Really?”

“You bet.”

“But Mommy, didn’t you say Daddy’s an astronaut in space? How’d he get tan up there?”

Sophia froze, staring at her two-and-a-half-year-old in disbelief.

Could a kid this young even think that deeply?

“Sweetie, why do you think you wouldn’t tan in space?” she asked, testing him.

Buddy puffed up with pride. “I saw it! Astronauts wear thick suits, so they can’t get tan.”

Sophia was at a loss for words.

Looks like she’d underestimated her son’s smarts.

Fair enough—graduating from a top school herself and with a genius for a baby daddy, their kid was never going to be an easy mark. Her eyes glinted as she tossed the ball to Ethan. “Why don’t you explain it?”

Ethan held her gaze for a few seconds before crouching to meet the little guy eye to eye.

“Your mom’s right—I’m your dad,” he said, his tone stiff.

And that was it—no follow-up.

Sophia sighed, ready to patch the lie herself.

“Daddy!” Buddy suddenly threw his arms open, leaning toward Ethan. “Daddy, hug me!”

Ethan watched as the little one’s eyes brimmed with tiny tears, a strange warmth bubbling up inside him. After a hesitant pause, he slowly lifted his arms, gently pulling the child into a hug.

“Right here, buddy,” he said, his voice catching slightly.

At two and a half, the kid was light as a feather, soft in his arms, with that sweet baby scent lingering.

“Waaah…”

Buddy’s little hands clung tight around Ethan’s neck, burying his face in the crook. His quiet sniffles soon turned into full-on sobs.

Ethan, unused to handling a toddler, felt a bit lost.

He shot a pleading glance at Sophia, who was quietly wiping tears nearby, blinking at her.

[What do I do now?]

Sophia stepped closer, guiding his hand to the boy’s back, signaling him to soothe the little one. Ethan patted awkwardly, murmuring, “No more crying, Daddy’s here.”

After a few minutes, Buddy’s sobs faded, though his tiny hands still gripped Ethan’s shirt, afraid his dad might vanish again.

“Why’d you take so long to come back, Daddy?” he mumbled, his voice muffled against Ethan’s neck.

Ethan, feeling the dampness and slight discomfort, couldn’t bring himself to push the kid away.

“Sorry, buddy—I didn’t mean to miss your growing up.”

“Then why?”

Ethan didn’t sugarcoat it, laying out the truth.

“Three years ago, before you were born, I had an accident and fell into the sea. Took me a while to find my way back.”

Buddy jerked his head up, eyes wide with shock. “Daddy fell in the ocean?”

“Yep.”

“But Mommy said you went to space.”

“That was her…”

“Ahem!” Sophia coughed pointedly.

Couldn’t this guy just roll with her story? He had to call her out in front of the kid.

Clearly, amnesia didn’t change a man’s core.

Ethan continued, “Anyway, whatever the reason, I’m back now.”

“Will you leave again?”

“Nope.”

“Yay!” The little guy broke into a grin through his tears. “I’ve got a daddy from now on!”

Ethan gazed at the child in his arms, his expression softening.

Having a son out of the blue didn’t seem so bad after all.

***

In the study.

Ethan flipped through his trophies, photo albums, and traces of his past life. The glass display case held snapshots with industry bigwigs, yet it felt like someone else’s story. Every detail was foreign to him.

*Knock knock knock*

A gentle rap sounded at the door.

Sophia peeked in, her voice soft. “Ethan, may I come in?”

He turned toward her.

She’d slipped into a silk robe, her hair loosely pinned up, revealing a slender, ivory neck. Sophia was stunning—a kind of sultry beauty that drew you in with every move. He wasn’t sure if this was his type back then.

“Ethan~” she cooed again, “can I come in?”

Snapping out of it, he nodded slightly. “Yeah, sure.”

Her eyes lit up as she stepped inside, clutching a photo album, and approached him.

“Ethan, these are our pictures together. Want to take a look?”

Her gaze shimmered with hope.

Ethan studied her for a moment before taking the album, flipping through page by page. The first shot was a candid of playful chaos, slightly blurry but warm—Sophia laughing as she blocked the lens, with him sneaking a peck on her cheek from behind. The next showed them by the office’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the city’s neon glow in the background. His chin rested on her shoulder, their faces pressed together as they smiled at the camera, pure bliss radiating. The third, the fourth—all similar moments of closeness.

Just looking at them, you could feel the love between them.

There weren’t many photos, maybe a dozen, but they screamed couple vibes. The settings were mostly the office or generic indoor spots, perfectly matching the office romance backstory she’d spun. Back then, to convince Alexander and Victoria she was Ethan’s secret lover, she’d gone all out—Photoshopping cozy couple pics and crafting every little detail of their “relationship.”