SHAYLA TELL ARBY KAI IS YOUR SON

 

It was late in the afternoon when Shayla decided she couldn’t carry the secret any longer. For months, she had been waking up with a pit in her stomach, knowing the truth she had kept from Arby was too heavy to bear. Every time she saw Kai’s little smile or the way his eyes sparkled, it was like looking into a mirror of Arby’s past self.

She found herself outside Arby’s small auto shop. The faint hum of tools and the smell of motor oil drifted from the open garage door. He was working under the hood of an old pickup, his hands covered in grease, humming to himself like nothing in the world was wrong.

Shayla’s heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst through her chest. She took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“Arby,” she called, her voice trembling.

He looked up, surprised. “Shayla? Wow… it’s been a minute. What’s going on?”

Shayla’s throat tightened. “I need to talk to you. And it’s not… small talk kind of stuff.”

Arby wiped his hands on a rag and leaned against the truck. “Alright. You’ve got that look. What is it?”

Her fingers twisted together nervously. “It’s about Kai.”

That name made Arby’s brow furrow. “Kai? The little boy you’ve got? I mean… I’ve seen pictures, but—”

Shayla cut him off before her courage could crumble. “He’s your son.”

The words dropped like a bomb between them. Arby blinked, his mouth opening slightly but no sound coming out. “I… I think I misheard you.”

“You didn’t,” Shayla said, tears already welling in her eyes. “Kai is yours. I never told you because… I was scared. Scared of what you’d say, scared of messing up your life, scared you wouldn’t believe me.”

Arby took a step back, rubbing his forehead. “Shayla… you can’t just drop something like this and expect me to— Are you serious right now? This isn’t some game?”

She shook her head violently. “No game. I’ve got the proof. The timelines match, and—Arby, look at him. His eyes, his smile… he’s you. I see you in him every single day.”

His voice was unsteady. “Why now? Why tell me now?”

“Because I can’t keep lying to him. He’s getting older, and one day he’s going to ask about his father. And I want to be able to look him in the eyes and tell him the truth. That you’re his dad. That I didn’t keep you from him forever.”

Arby’s jaw tightened, his eyes glassy. “I don’t even know how to process this. Part of me wants to be angry… the other part just…” He trailed off, looking down at the ground as if it could give him the answers.

Shayla stepped closer. “I’m not asking you to do anything you’re not ready for. I just… I needed you to know. He deserves to know. And you deserve to know, too.”

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was the faint ticking of the truck’s engine cooling. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, Arby said:
“I want to meet him.”

Shayla’s tears spilled over, and for the first time in years, she felt the weight on her chest begin to lift. Two days after Shayla’s confession, Arby sat in his truck outside her apartment, gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were pale. He had hardly slept. His mind had been spinning ever since she’d said those words — “Kai is your son.”

Today, he was going to see the boy.

Shayla opened the door when he knocked, looking just as nervous as he felt. “He’s in the living room,” she said softly, stepping aside.

Arby walked in slowly, the scent of crayons and cookies filling the air. Kai was on the floor, building a tower of colorful blocks. He looked up when he heard footsteps. His big brown eyes — Arby’s eyes — blinked curiously.

“Kai,” Shayla said gently, kneeling beside him, “this is… this is my friend Arby. He wanted to meet you.”

Kai tilted his head, studying the stranger. “Hi,” he said shyly.

Arby’s voice caught in his throat. “Hey, buddy,” he said, kneeling down so they were eye-level. “That’s a pretty cool tower you’re building.”

Kai grinned faintly. “It’s gonna be the tallest one.”

For the next few minutes, Arby helped him stack the blocks higher and higher. Each laugh, each glance from Kai felt like a punch to Arby’s heart — joy mixed with the ache of lost time.

When Kai wandered off to grab a toy from his room, Arby turned to Shayla. His voice was low, trembling. “You weren’t lying. He’s mine. I can see it.”

Shayla’s eyes were glossy. “I told you.”

When Kai came back, clutching a small action figure, he plopped down beside Arby without hesitation. “Are you gonna come back?” the boy asked innocently.

The question hit Arby harder than anything Shayla had said. He swallowed, blinking rapidly. “Yeah, buddy,” he said softly. “If it’s okay with your mom… I’d like to come back. A lot.”

Kai smiled — the same crooked smile Arby had as a child — and returned to his toys like the question had been nothing.

But for Arby, it was everything.