Chapter 4: The Weight of a Secret

The silence stretched between them like a chasm, broken only by the gentle lapping of waves against the hull and Mae's innocent humming as she played with her crab. Lexi's mind reeled, trying to process the impossible revelation that had just shattered her reality into a thousand jagged pieces.

Zeke was Mae's father. The stranger she'd kissed under the stars, the man whose arms she'd fallen asleep in, was the same person who had unknowingly created the most precious thing in her world five years ago.

"Lexi," Zeke said quietly, his voice rough with emotion she couldn't identify. "I need you to know—"

"Don't." The word came out sharper than she'd intended, making Mae look up with concern. Lexi forced a smile for her goddaughter's benefit, but her hands were shaking. "Not now. Not in front of her."

Zeke's jaw tightened, but he nodded. His gaze kept drifting to Mae with a mixture of wonder and anguish that made Lexi's chest ache. She could see him cataloging details—the shape of Mae's eyes, the way she tilted her head when concentrating, the stubborn curl that refused to stay tucked behind her ear.

Mae, oblivious to the seismic shift happening around her, had moved on from the crab to examining a piece of driftwood with scientific precision. "Look, Aunt Lexi! It's shaped like a dragon!"

"That's wonderful, sweetheart." Lexi's voice sounded hollow even to her own ears. She watched Zeke watching Mae, saw the way his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, and felt a surge of protective fury that surprised her with its intensity.

This was her family. Hers and Chloe's. They'd built something beautiful and complete without him, and now he was going to waltz in and destroy everything with his sudden presence, his claims, his—

"There," Mae said suddenly, pointing toward the horizon with excitement. "There's a boat!"

Lexi's head snapped up, following Mae's outstretched finger. A white speck had appeared on the edge of the world, growing larger as it approached. After three days of endless blue emptiness, the sight should have filled her with overwhelming relief.

Instead, all she could think about was how rescue meant returning to reality. To Chloe. To explanations and complications and the complete upheaval of everything she'd thought she knew about her life.

Zeke was already moving, grabbing the flare gun from the emergency kit with practiced efficiency. "Mae, come stand by Aunt Lexi," he called, his voice steady despite the emotional turmoil she could see in his eyes.

The flare arced across the sky in a brilliant red streak, and the approaching boat immediately altered course toward them. Within minutes, they could make out the Coast Guard markings, hear the rumble of powerful engines cutting through the water.

"We're saved!" Mae squealed, bouncing on her toes with the resilient joy of childhood. "We can go home to Mama!"

Home to Mama. The words hit Lexi like a physical blow. How was she supposed to face Chloe knowing what she knew? How was she supposed to look her best friend in the eye and explain that the father of her child—the man Chloe had spent five years not thinking about—had been sharing their makeshift bed for the past three nights?

The Coast Guard vessel pulled alongside with professional efficiency. Within moments, they were surrounded by uniformed officers asking questions, checking for injuries, radioing their position back to base. Mae charmed them instantly, chattering about her adventure while they fitted her with a proper life jacket.

"Any medical emergencies?" the lead officer asked, scanning their small group with practiced eyes.

"No injuries," Zeke replied. "Some dehydration, but we managed our water supplies carefully."

"You did good," the officer said approvingly. "Smart thinking with the rationing and the radio schedule. Made it easier to triangulate your position once we got your signal."

As they transferred their few belongings to the rescue vessel, Lexi found herself stealing glances at Zeke. He moved with the same calm competence he'd shown throughout their ordeal, but she could see the tension in his shoulders, the way he kept looking at Mae when he thought no one was watching.

The ride back to shore passed in a blur of official questions and Mae's excited chatter about their adventure. The little girl had already transformed their terrifying experience into a grand story, complete with brave heroes and magical sea creatures. She snuggled against Lexi's side, tired but happy, completely unaware that her world was about to change forever.

"Aunt Lexi," Mae whispered as the mainland came into view. "Is Zeke coming home with us?"

The innocent question made Lexi's throat tighten. "I don't know, sweetheart."

"I hope so. I like him. He's nice, and he knows about boats and crabs and everything."

Across the deck, Zeke was staring out at the approaching shoreline with an expression of such profound sadness that Lexi felt an unwelcome stab of sympathy. Whatever his faults, whatever complications he was about to bring into their lives, he'd kept them alive out there. He'd been kind to Mae, patient with her own panic, steady when everything was falling apart.

But he was also a stranger who'd just discovered he had a daughter. A man who could upend their carefully constructed life with a single paternity test. A complication Lexi wasn't sure any of them were prepared to handle.

The Coast Guard station was chaos—reporters, worried family members, official paperwork. Lexi spotted Chloe before Mae did, her best friend's blonde hair catching the afternoon sunlight as she paced frantically near the dock.

"Mama!" Mae's shriek of joy carried across the water, and Chloe's head snapped up, her face crumpling with relief.

The reunion was everything Lexi had expected—tears, desperate embraces, Chloe checking Mae over with the thorough intensity of a mother who'd spent three days imagining the worst. Mae basked in the attention, already launching into an animated account of their adventure.

"And Zeke taught me about water collectors, and we saw dolphins, and there was a storm but the boat was brave, and—"

"Zeke?" Chloe's gaze shifted to where Zeke stood slightly apart from their reunion, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. Her expression shifted from polite gratitude to something Lexi couldn't quite read. "That's... an unusual name."

Lexi's stomach clenched. She could see the exact moment recognition flickered in Chloe's eyes, the way her face went pale as she took in Zeke's features, the shape of his jaw that Mae had inherited, the kind eyes she'd described so many times over the years.

"Chloe Morrison?" Zeke's voice was carefully neutral, but Lexi caught the slight tremor beneath the surface.

"Oh my God." Chloe's whisper was barely audible over Mae's continued chatter. Her gaze darted between Zeke and Mae, between Mae and Lexi, the pieces clicking together with the same horrible clarity Lexi had experienced hours earlier.

Mae, still wrapped in her mother's arms, looked up with bright curiosity. "Do you know each other? That's so cool! Now we can all be friends!"

The adults stood frozen in a tableau of shock and recognition while Mae beamed at them with the uncomplicated joy of a child who saw only new connections, new possibilities for friendship and adventure.

Lexi watched Chloe's face crumple as the full weight of the situation hit her. Her best friend's eyes filled with tears that had nothing to do with relief at Mae's safe return and everything to do with the impossibility of what was happening.

"I think," Zeke said quietly, his gaze moving between Chloe and Mae with careful precision, "we need to talk."

Mae chose that moment to wriggle free from Chloe's embrace and launch herself at Zeke's legs, hugging him with the fierce affection she'd developed over their three days together.

"Thank you for taking care of us," she said solemnly, looking up at him with those expressive brown eyes that were suddenly, unmistakably, mirrors of his own.

Zeke's composure finally cracked. He knelt down to Mae's level, his hands gentle as he smoothed her salt-tangled curls, and Lexi saw tears track down his cheeks.

"Thank you," he whispered, "for letting me take care of you."

Over Mae's head, his eyes met Chloe's, and the weight of five years of unspoken questions hung between them like a bridge neither knew how to cross.

The reporters were getting closer, officials were calling for final statements, and the chaos of their rescue was threatening to overwhelm the fragile moment of recognition. But all Lexi could focus on was the way Zeke held Mae, like she was something precious and breakable, like he couldn't quite believe she was real.

And despite everything—the shock, the complications, the way her own heart was breaking with the realization that nothing would ever be simple again—Lexi found herself thinking that maybe, just maybe, this was how it was supposed to happen.

Even if none of them were ready for what came next.