My secret baby with the movie star

What she should have told

*Joel*

We have been filming all morning, and it is actually fun. Okay, maybe too fun at times, and the director might be a bit tired of having to reshoot the scenes because, well, we kind of keep goofing around and laughing just a bit too much.

I like Willa; she is sweet and spirited, and I get why Levi is so clearly taken with her. I have seen him sending her longing glances all day. She seems friendly enough with him but clearly keeps him at an arm's length, which I also get.

And he seems to think that he has already messed up once, so he does not want to take another shot at talking with her about it.

So, I have decided to go talk to her during our break. Maybe she will listen to me, and at least give Levi a chance to explain what happened back then, and let him try to make amends.

I heard her say she would eat her lunch in her office, so I go there to knock, not telling Levi what I am doing; he would just tell me to butt out. But honestly, he really deserves a second chance here. I have known him for a long Tine, and he is a good guy.

I knock on the door, and someone tells me to just come in, but I am pretty sure that is not Willa's voice. I open the door curiously, looking inside.

Someone is sitting in the chair across from Willa's desk; all I can see is some fluffy curls in a dark brown color. "Uh, sorry... I was looking for Willa."

"Mom is just getting some food, Angela told me," the person says and turns to look at me, and I might have gasped out loud, holy s**t!

I just stand there staring at the boy, no, no, no, this can't be true. Wow, what will Levi say? The kid's eyes go wide, and he says, "Wow, you are Inspector Durant, aren’t you, from the show."

"Uh, yeah, that I am," I say, wondering what to say or do, when Willa walks in, a plate in her hand. Looking from me to the kid.

I can see the panic flash through her eyes for a moment, and she hurries to put down her plate. "Uh, Will... what are you doing here, sweetie? Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I got off early because our teacher got sick and had to go home," he says, sounding happy about it, his hazel eyes getting a well-known glint.

She looks at me, and I raise an eyebrow at her questioningly. She sighs and looks back at the kid. "Will, can you just wait here a bit longer? I need to go talk to Joel for a minute."

"Okay, Mom," Will says, flashing his mother a smile I know way too well; there is absolutely no doubt in my mind here.

Willa grabs my arm, almost dragging me from her office into a nearby conference room, closing the door behind us.

I cross my arms, looking at her. "Not that I really have to ask, but let me guess, Will wouldn't happen to be 14 years old, would he?"

"Please, Joel, don't tell Levi," she looks at me, her eyes telling me she is on the verge of panic here, and I totally get her.

I close my eyes, breathing in deeply. I can't even fathom what Levi will say to this. "Willa, I can't keep this from him; he needs to know. Actually, he should have known 15 years ago."

"No, he had a girlfriend; he just used me. To him, it was just the thrill of having a virgin, nothing else." She is shaking her head.

I shake my head too. "Willa, first of all, Levi didn't know you were a virgin. He was quite upset to find out, actually. Yes, he messed up a bit, I won’t deny that, but he was young. He was never serious with that girl and was already looking for a way to break up with her, and he did so in the car back to school. He tried to find you; he actually really liked you, Willa. Hell, he actually really likes you now."

A couple of tears escape her eyes. "He will hate me if he finds out about Will, finds out I lied to him all these years."

"Well, I can't promise you he won't. It will be a big shock for him, but Levi is not one to hold grudges. I think he will get over the initial shock, but he does need to know." I gently put a hand on her shoulder.

She bites her lip. "But please, Joel, let me tell him, when the time is right, okay? He should hear it from me. I just hope he believes me."

"Trust me, there is no doubt who the father is. Not to anyone who has seen Levi when he was younger. I actually don't understand how no one has made the connection before." I tell her.

And the resemblance is almost scary. Will is tall and slim, exactly like Levi had been, his hair the same floppy curls Levi had when he was younger, just with a hint of red, his eyes almost identical, the same smile, same nose and chin, but with a bit fuller lips from his mother.

"But okay. If you promise to tell Levi soon, I will keep quiet for now, but you will need to tell him." I say, she is right, it is best if Levi hears this from her.

She nods, looking a bit relieved. "Thank you, Joel. I will tell him; we just need to get this over with, in case he never wants to see me again."

"What about Will? Does he know who his father is?" I ask her, wondering what she has told the boy about his father.

She shakes her head slowly. "No, he doesn't know. I told him I didn't know who his father was, that it was a drunken one-night stand."

"Well, you will probably need to tell him too, then. He deserves to know too." I can see how this is not going to be easy on her.

She closes her eyes, looking on the verge of breaking down, and I pull her into a hug. "I won't tell him before I know whether Levi wants something to do with him. I don't want to see him disappointed."

"I get that, but I am sure Levi wants to know his son. You better get Will out of here though; you don't want him and Levi to run into each other." I say, letting her go.

She nods and grabs the door handle. "Thank you, Joel, for giving me a chance to tell him myself, and you are right, I should have done it a long time ago."