The garden wasn’t.
An older man opened the door.
The moment I saw his eyes, I knew.
William.
He looked at me for several seconds.
“You look exactly like your mother.”
Every muscle in my body tightened.
“I need to see Caleb.”
“Caleb isn’t available.”
“Then tell me why he disappeared.”
William’s eyes dropped toward Nora.
For one second, something recognizable crossed his face.
Then it disappeared.
“He knew you were pregnant,” he said calmly. “He chose to leave.”
Selecting Essential Maternity Wear
“I don’t believe you.”
“That is not my concern.”
He started closing the door.
Something inside me snapped open.
A forgotten memory.
My mother crying on these steps.
William shouting.
His voice following us.
“Don’t come back.”
Then another memory surfaced.
A little boy running barefoot after us.
Caleb.
Crying.
I remembered his hands gripping my red bicycle while I screamed that I was going to fall.
“I won’t let go,” he had promised.
“Keep going.”
I looked at William.
“I’m not leaving until Caleb himself tells me he doesn’t want his daughter.”
“You’re being hysterical.”
“No. I’m being clear.”
Then a voice came from somewhere behind him.
“Dad, move.”
William went rigid.
Footsteps approached.
And Caleb appeared.
For months, I had imagined what I would do if I ever saw him again.
Slap him.
Scream.
Cry.
None of those plans survived the sight of him.
He looked exhausted.
Thin.
Completely defeated.
I held Nora tighter.
“How long did you know who I was?”
Caleb looked at me.
“From the bookstore.”
“So you found me on purpose.”
“I recognized your name. Then I saw you.”
“The red bicycle.”
His eyes dropped.
“Yes.”
“All those questions about my childhood.”
Consulting A Family Law Attorney
“Yes.”
“You listened while I told you about the family my mother worked for. You knew I was talking about your father.”
“I wanted to tell you.”
“For two years?”
His voice broke.
“I was afraid that once you knew, you’d look at me and see him.”
Ordering Family DNA Ancestry Kits
I glanced toward William.
“And then I told you I was pregnant and you proved I should.”
“No.”
Caleb stepped toward me.
“Emily, I did not leave because I didn’t want Nora.”
“Then why?”
His hesitation frightened me.
