CHAPTER 60: I WANT TO GO

Jake smiled, shaking his head with amusement. "So tell me—" he tilted his head, still crouched before the boy—"what are you doing here? And is Bella your mommy? Is she the prettiest woman you talked about?" he asked, curiously.

Bella’s heart lurched violently in her chest. That was it. That was the moment it would all collapse. Timothy, in his innocence, would say the words she had kept buried for five long years, and Jake would know. He would know everything.

If she as much as kept quiet for another second, then it would be all gone.

"Timothy—" Bella’s voice sliced through the air, sharp and commanding. She stepped forward quickly, nearly stumbling as she clutched the towel tighter around her body. Her hand landed on her son’s shoulder, firm, almost desperate. "Go back inside. I need to talk to him."

The smile on Timothy’s face faltered. His brows knitted together as he looked up at her in confusion. "But Mama, I still—"

"Now, Timothy." Her tone left no room for argument.

He hesitated, lips trembling slightly, before giving Jake one last look filled with reluctant curiosity. Then, with small dragging steps, he turned and disappeared back down the hall.

The silence that followed pressed down like a weight.

Jake straightened slowly, his sharp eyes shifting from where Timothy had disappeared back to Bella. His chest was still lightly heaving from laughter, but now there was something else in his gaze—something probing, searching, trying to make sense of what he had just seen.

Bella’s throat was dry, her palms slick with sweat beneath the edge of her towel. She could feel her world tipping dangerously close to exposure, and all she could do was cling to her fragile walls, praying they wouldn’t shatter before her eyes.

Jake finally spoke, his deep voice cutting through the tension. "Bella."

Her heart jumped. She turned her eyes on him, forcing her face into a mask of coldness though inside, she was falling apart. Trembling and not knowing what to do or say.

"Who is he?" Jake asked, his tone calm but weighted. "Why is he calling you ’Mama’? You have a child?"

Bella’s breath caught. For one terrifying second, she thought he had put it all together. That he had looked into Timothy’s wide eyes—the same shape and color as his own—and seen the truth staring back at him.

But the confusion in his voice told her otherwise. He didn’t know. He hadn’t figured it out.

Relief crashed through her chest, leaving her weak. Should she just take the opportunity and tell him? How would he react? What would he say? Wouldn’t he ask her why she’d waited all this time? What if he got angry? Wouldn’t that break her little boy’s heart? Especially since it appears they already know each other and Timothy already knows him. Why was everything just so complicated? Or was she the one complicating things?

"He’s..." Her voice faltered, but she forced it steady. "He’s my nephew."

She’d wanted to say child but somehow, nephew had come out. Now, there was no going back. She’d have to see through her lie.

Jake’s eyes narrowed slightly, searching her face. "Your nephew? Why is he then calling you mama? What about his mother?"

"He prefers calling me that. Maybe because he’s more attached to me," Bella rushed to add, nodding too quickly. "His mother—my sister—she’s alive and lives with me. I’m just the one taking care of him and his mom because I’m older. It’s my responsibility. That’s all."

"What about his father? Is he——"

"He denied him and I didn’t want her aborting a child. I had no choice but to take him under my wing," Bella said, swallowing the lump that has formed in her chest.

"Bastard! How could he deny his own child?" he cussed bitterly, making Bella blink back in surprise.

He was angry over hearing someone else denied his child? What about him that lied he couldn’t get anyone pregnant? She thought with a scowl.

For a long, tense second, Jake said nothing. Then, slowly, a small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. His shoulders relaxed, and the sharpness in his gaze eased.

"Well," he said softly, looking back at Timothy. "As much as that’s not a very good thing, I’m glad he has you. He’s lucky to have you."

She swallowed hard, desperate to steer the conversation away from the dangerous edge it lingered on. "Why are you here, Jake?"

His eyes flicked back to her, studying her as if he sensed the tension in her voice. "Because I just wanted to see you," he said simply. "And... I wanted to go out so I thought maybe I could take you with me. It’s the weekend, and frankly—" he shrugged, a hint of self-mockery in his smile—"I don’t have many friends I could go out with except you."

Bella blinked, thrown off balance by his honesty. Why did he want to go out with her?

"But now," Jake continued, glancing at Timothy again, "I see you’ve got company. Maybe the three of us could go together."

Bella’s stomach lurched. "No." The word burst out sharper than she intended. She forced her tone softer. "I mean... I’m not feeling well today. Maybe another time."

Jake tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. "You’re sure?"

"Yes."

Bella prayed he would drop it. Her skin was clammy under the towel, her heart still racing from the close call. She couldn’t let him spend more time around Timothy. Every second was a risk.

But before Jake could reply, a small voice piped up behind her.

"I want to go!"

Bella spun around, her eyes widening in horror. Timothy was heading toward them again, his face lit with excitement.

He’d remembered he didn’t ask Jake his name and had wanted to come do just that but had overheard Jake saying he wanted them all to go out.

"Timothy," she hissed, her voice low and warning. "Go back inside."

"But Mama I wanted to ask his name!" he said, his little brows pulling together in a frown.

"Not now. Just go inside," Bella said sternly.