Unexpected Family. Jill Kemerer

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      “I know.” She tamped down the words battling to come out. His pale eyes held her captive, dared her to tell him the truth. What was the truth? “I told myself you’d moved on, so why disrupt your life? For all I knew, you could have gotten remarried, started your own family. You’d resent me barging into your world. But I know I was selfish.” Standing in front of him now, she could see how selfish she was.

      “You’re telling me I have a daughter. A daughter.” He thrust his hand through his dark hair, his face haunted. “And I’m supposed to take your word about all this?”

      Now that question she’d been expecting. She fumbled for her purse. “I have a picture.”

      “Why are you doing this? Why now?”

      “Because you deserve to know. You’ve always deserved to know, and Macy does, too. I can’t live with the guilt anymore. I’m sorry.” She swiped her phone and opened the photos to Macy’s smiling face. God, whatever happens here, don’t let it hurt my precious girl. She held it out to him. “Here. See for yourself.”

      He didn’t accept it, but the pulse in his cheek throbbed—he clearly wrestled emotions. It wasn’t as if she’d fooled herself into thinking this meeting would be easy, but the reality of it? Brutal.

      “Just look at the picture,” she said. “Take it.”

      He took it from her hand. He blinked twice, his face relaxing. Then he snapped his attention to her. “She...”

       Please let him see the obvious.

      “My eyes...” He held it closer, peering at it. “She’s beautiful.”

      “She is. She has your eyebrows, too. And your lips. She’s all yours.”

      “Macy.” He traced his finger around the screen. He glanced up, recognition pushing the stress off his face. “Mine. I have a daughter.”

      Out of all the scenarios she’d considered, she’d never allowed herself to hope he’d be happy. The full weight of what she’d done, what she had kept from him—how much she’d taken from him—slammed into her. Another thing she’d feel guilty about the rest of her life.

      Tom handed her the phone, then wiped his hand over his face. “I don’t know where to start.”

      “Ask me anything.” She propped her hands on the back of the couch for support.

      “Do you still live in Petoskey?”

      “No. I moved to Kalamazoo last year to finish college.” With a semester and a half left of her undergraduate program in accounting, Stephanie could practically taste success. In less than three years, she’d be a successful CPA. A role model. Someone Macy could be proud of. All the struggles she’d been through would be worth it to give Macy a better life.

      “So you’re telling me you’ve lived half an hour away and it just occurred to you now to tell me I have a daughter?” He pushed his sleeves up.

      “It’s occurred to me every day since I saw two lines on the pregnancy test.” Her ribs ached, but she didn’t dare sit again.

      “I can’t believe this.” His voice broke, and his strained face tore her up inside.

      “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

      “I’m sorry, too. I’m sorry our child has lived without a father her whole life. Or...wait. Let me guess. She hasn’t lived without a father, has she?”

      Stephanie couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. The accusation cut, but he had every right to say that to her. Every right. The clock on the wall ticked as she tried to figure out a reply.

      “There hasn’t been a man in my life since our divorce. Until last year Macy and I lived with Dad, but he moved to Miami when I went back to school.” Her energy dissolved, and she fought to stay upright.

      “I want to see her.” He stood, wide-legged, a fist on each hip.

      “Okay, we can figure—”

      “I want to see her now.”

      “But she—”

      “I want to see my daughter today.”

      Stephanie’s mind swirled. “She’s in day care for another hour, but, Tom, she doesn’t know any of this.”

      “Well, that makes two of us. It’s about time she does.”

      “I agree she needs to know. It’s one of the reasons I’m here today. She’s been all over me about daddies and sisters and brothers. I told her she would meet her father when the time was right, and she accepted it. But she’s young. Producing a dad out of the blue... Well, I don’t want to traumatize her.”

      “Kind of like when I saw you holding hands with another guy when you told me you were shopping with Tiffany?”

      “I crossed a line, but I never cheated on you, Tom.” Her throat burned. Of course he’d throw that in her face. “I don’t want to introduce you to her as her father unless you plan on being a permanent part of her life. She’s not someone you can blow off for work. And you wonder why I didn’t tell you. You hate me.”

      “I don’t.” His posture relaxed a fraction.

      Did regret shine in his eyes? She doubted it. Telling him about Macy had thrown them right where they’d left off—unable to be together in the same room. Did she dare add their daughter to this unstable mix?

      “I just want to see my child.” His tone sounded reasonable.

      “I understand. But I’m not freaking her out by springing a dad on her today. The accident yesterday was bad enough.”

      “Was she hurt? Is she okay?”

      “She has a sprained wrist. Nothing a sling and time won’t heal.” She sighed. She’d gone over all the possibilities, knew there was a chance he’d demand to see Macy right away. Knew, too, he might refuse to allow Macy in his life. What if he met her and decided being a dad wasn’t for him? Stephanie fought back a groan. She owed him the right to make the decision. “Why don’t you meet us at McDonald’s in an hour and a half? We can say you’re an old friend of mine.”

      “I’m not lying to her.”

      She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t want to lie to her, either, but do we have to tell her tonight?”

      “Fine.” His shoulders dropped. “We’ll do it your way. For now.”

      * * *

      From the front seat of his truck, Tom glimpsed the golden arches. A hundred years had passed since Stephanie left an hour and a half ago. Seeing her on his porch had brought back all of it—the day they’d met, how quickly he’d fallen in love with her, their short engagement, their shorter marriage.

      He hadn’t been enough for her.

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