Chapter 171

Lake POV

Because I didn’t know how to explain this to him. Didn’t know how to tell my five-year-old son that his beloved papa had been with me when I was barely older than Ollie was now.

Rhodes knelt beside me, his hand on my shoulder. “Lake, let me,” he said softly.

I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.

Rhodes turned to Ollie, his expression gentle but serious. “Ollie, what Sophia said is true. Papa Ramon is your biological father. But the situation is complicated, and it’s making your mama very upset right now.”

“Why?” Ollie asked, his eyes darting between Rhodes and me. “Why is Mama upset? Isn’t this good? Isn’t it better than the bad grandfather being my father?”

“It’s better than that, yes,” Rhodes agreed. “But Ollie, the way your mama and Papa Ramon had you—it happened a long time ago, before Papa knew your mama very well. And your mama was very young. Younger than he should have been with someone Papa’s age.”