015: Truth Revealed

Ashton’s POV

Nathan dragged me toward the sandpit with surprising strength for a four-year-old. My dinosaur tail swayed behind me like it had a mind of its own. I still had the full costume on, minus the oversized head. I probably looked ridiculous...a CEO in a sweaty green costume, waddling after a toddler. But honestly, I didn’t care.

"This is where we build volcanoes," Nathan announced, pointing to a messy, slightly lopsided mound of sand. "And we bury treasure. But don’t step on that side." He pointed to the left. "That’s lava. You’ll melt."

I crouched beside him and nodded seriously. "Got it. No lava. Volcanoes only. Noted, sir."

He grinned, his front tooth slightly crooked, and plopped down. The sand puffed around him.

He picked up a red plastic shovel and handed me a blue bucket. "You make the mountain. I’ll make the treasure."

"Deal," I said, kneeling into the sand. The costume was already sticky with sweat, but I powered through. If Nathan wanted volcanoes, he’d get a damn mountain range.

As we worked, he narrated everything. "This is where the boss dino lives. He guards the treasure and fights off bad dinos."

"Sounds like a serious job," I said, shaping the mound.

"It is," Nathan nodded solemnly. "But you look like a nice dino. So you can be the boss."

I paused, staring at him. My chest tightened.

"Thanks, buddy," I murmured. "That means a lot."

He smiled and kept digging.

I don’t know how long we stayed like that, building, laughing, crashing the volcano over and over, only to build it again. Every time he giggled, it hit me like a wave...everything I’d missed. His laugh. His tiny hands brushing against mine. The way he stuck his tongue out when he focused.

And I’d missed all of it.

When the teacher called out, "Snack time! Dino friends, line up!" Nathan grabbed my gloved hand.

"Can you come too? Please?"

I looked over at Miss Clara, who hesitated, then nodded with a small smile. "He can join today. Just for a bit."

Nathan beamed. "Yes! Come on! We sit at the dino table."

Inside, I squeezed myself into a comically tiny plastic chair. My knees practically touched my chest.

Nathan sat beside me, opened his dino lunch box, and offered me one of his snacks.

"These are dino crackers. This one's the T-Rex. He's the meanest, but also the strongest. You eat him."

"Gee, thanks for the honor," I said, popping the cracker in my mouth.

He giggled. "He had it coming."

We munched together, sipping from tiny juice boxes. The other kids whispered and giggled, still pointing at my costume. I caught James leaning against the doorway, recording on his phone, trying and failing to hide a smirk.

"You're not gonna let me live this down, are you?" I muttered under my breath when he passed by.

James chuckled. "Never. This is gold."

Nathan leaned closer. "Can you come again tomorrow?"

My smile faltered for a second. I didn’t want to promise more than I could give. But...

"I’d like that," I said. "But how about this weekend? Maybe we go to the zoo together. See some almost-real dinosaurs?"

His eyes lit up. "Like the ones that move and growl?"

"Exactly. Maybe even ride one."

He gasped. "Really?!"

"Would I lie to you?"

He paused, then shook his head. "No. I don’t think you would."

I didn’t know if he was saying that because he believed me or because he wanted to. Either way, I’d take it.

After snacks, the kids lined up for class. Nathan stayed glued to my side.

"You’ll really come back?" he asked, small fingers tugging at my glove.

I bent down to his level again. "I promise. You’re stuck with me now, little man."

He grinned and gave me the tightest hug his small arms could manage. "Okay. You can be my dinosaur dad."

That nearly shattered me.

"I’d be honored," I said, kissing the top of his head.

I watched as he disappeared down the hallway with his classmates. Every few steps, he turned back to wave. I waved each time, heart heavier than I expected.

James approached with my suit bag in hand. "You good, boss?"

I nodded slowly, clutching a small crayon drawing Nathan had slipped into my pocket.

It was a green dinosaur with a cape. And next to it, a smaller one.

Us.

"You gonna tell Miss Lily about today?" James asked.

I sighed and looked back toward the school.

"Not yet. I don’t know how she’ll take it. But Nathan deserves to know me. And maybe... maybe if she sees I’m serious, she’ll give me a chance."

James clapped me on the back. "Well, if anything, you made one hell of a first impression."

"You mean besides almost tripping over my own tail?"

He laughed. "Yeah, besides that."

As we got into the car, I kept the drawing close. I stared at it the whole ride home, my chest still full.

This was the start.

And no matter how messy it got with Lily, no matter how long it took, I wasn’t going anywhere.

Because now, I had a son.

And I’d do anything to be in his life.

…

By the time I got home, the dinosaur suit was stuffed into a garment bag in the trunk, and the crayon drawing Nathan gave me was safely tucked inside my jacket pocket. I hadn’t let go of it once.

I stood in the foyer of my penthouse for a second, hands on my hips, looking out at the skyline. My body was drained, but my heart felt weirdly full. For the first time in years, I didn’t feel like I was just walking through life. I felt present. Awake. Like I was finally living for something.

Or someone.

Then my phone buzzed.

MOTHER: Dinner. 8 PM. Don’t be late.

I stared at the text.

It wasn’t a question. It was a command.

I should’ve ignored it. I should’ve said I was busy. But something told me not to. Maybe it was the way my life had already shifted in just a few hours. Maybe it was time to stop avoiding the truth.

So at 7:50, I was standing in front of my parents' mansion...a polished, high-ceilinged, museum of glass and marble. The kind of house that looked like it had never been lived in.

James pulled the car up the circular driveway. "You sure about this, sir?"

"No," I muttered. "But let’s do it anyway."

As I stepped inside, the butler greeted me with the same lifeless formality as always. "Mr. Carter, welcome. Mr. and Mrs. Carter are in the dining room."

Of course they were.

I walked in, buttoning my jacket, only to find both of them seated. My father, Charles Carter, tall, silver-haired, polished like a magazine ad. My mother, Victoria Carter, seated with perfect posture, pearls around her neck, wine glass in hand.

And across from them...Valerie Monroe.

Of course.

"Ashton," my mother said, her eyes cool but pleasant. "You’re late."

"By two minutes."

"Still late," she replied, sipping her wine.

Valerie stood up and gave me that familiar smile...sweet but hollow. "It’s been so long. You look good."

"Thanks," I said, offering a quick handshake and sitting down. "Didn’t know this was a reunion."

"Oh, come on," Valerie laughed lightly. "You used to love our dinners."

I stared at my plate.

My father cleared his throat. "Valerie tells us some very interesting things, Ashton."

I looked up.

He adjusted his cufflinks. "She says you’re involved with someone. A woman. And that there’s a child. A son."

Valerie tilted her head, pretending to be sheepish. "I… just heard some things. People talk."

My stomach clenched. I reached into my inner pocket, pulled out Nathan’s drawing, and placed it on the table.

"It’s true," I said, voice low. "I have a son."

My mother set her glass down, hard. The clink rang through the room.

"Excuse me?"

"His name is Nathan. He’s four."

My father blinked. "Four years old? Are you telling us you’ve been hiding a child from us?"

"No. I just found out. Few days ago."

Valerie let out a soft gasp, trying to hide her glee behind her hand. "Wow. That must have been... quite a surprise."

"Who is the mother?" Victoria asked sharply.

I swallowed. "Lily. Lily Hart."

Silence.

My father frowned deeply. "Lily. Your assistant? The one you fired four years ago?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Her."

Victoria’s lips thinned. "You must be joking."

"I wish I was."

Charles looked like he’d just tasted something sour. "That girl was completely inappropriate for the company. Emotional. Unprofessional. She left a scene at that board meeting."

"She was pregnant," I snapped. "And I fired her. I didn’t even know she was carrying my child."

"How incredibly irresponsible," my mother muttered, picking up her fork again but not eating. "So what now? You plan to play house with her? Drop everything and run to her like a puppy?"

"I plan to be in my son’s life," I said, voice firm. "Whatever that looks like."

Valerie cleared her throat. "Ashton, you and I had plans. Our parents built a partnership between the families. There was history."

"There was business. There was never us."

She looked wounded. "You ended our engagement without explanation."

"Because I didn’t love you, Valerie. And I won’t pretend otherwise."

My mother raised her voice slightly. "You were meant to marry well. To marry someone from our circle. Someone who understands this world."

"You mean someone you approve of," I said, meeting her eyes. "Not someone I actually care about."

Victoria stood from her seat, walking to the other side of the table. "Do you even know what you’re doing? You bring a scandal to our name. A child out of wedlock. With a former employee."

"He's my son."

"Do you even have proof? DNA results?"

"I don’t need a test to see he’s mine," I said, voice rising. "He’s the spitting image of me. The way he walks, talks, thinks... it’s me. There’s no doubt."

My father stared hard. "And what about Valerie? She’s still willing to be with you, despite this... mess. That says a lot."

"It says she’s desperate," I snapped before I could stop myself.

Valerie flinched. "Ashton."

I stood.

"I’m not marrying Valerie. I never will. Stop trying to sell me off like I’m some piece of land you’re merging."

My father rose slowly. "You will regret this."

"Maybe," I said. "But at least I’ll regret it on my own terms."

My mother crossed her arms. "And what do you plan to do now? Play daddy in a dinosaur suit for the rest of your life?"

I held up the drawing again. "If it means seeing him smile like he did today? Then yeah. I will."

There was a long, heavy silence.

My father finally sat back down, glancing at the drawing one last time. "He really looks like you."

I didn’t answer.

Because that was the one thing no one could deny.

No business deal. No arranged engagement. No power play from either parent could erase that simple truth:

I had a son.

And no one was taking him from me now.