James looked over the screen to her and smiled before he began to explain. “As you know, we ran your name from the birth certificate and Social Security number you provided us but came up with a dead end.” Carla nodded and looked worried, so I gave her my hand as James continued to speak. “Well, the DNA test gave us much more information.” Hope appeared on her face, making her look more her age instead of the mature young woman she’d been forced to be for so long.
“So, I wasn’t conceived immaculately?” she joked.
Devlin shook his head. “What we discovered may be a bit of a shock to you, but I’ve verified everything that we’re about to tell you, so I promise, it’s all true.”
“Okay,” she said, uncertainty filling her vulnerable voice.
James started again. “We got a hit off your DNA. It’s from your biological father, and the match is accurate. After speaking with him and law enforcement, we finally got a clear picture of your past.” Carla began to chew on her lip as James explained. “When you were two years old, your biological parents got divorced and your father was granted custody of you, while the judge gave your mother visitation. Apparently, she developed a drug problem and it was determined she wasn’t a fit parent to raise you.”
“She was always high,” Carla explained. “I thought it was normal, but I know now she was an addict who only cared about her next fix.”
“When you were around three and a half years old, she had you for the weekend, but when your father went to pick you up, she’d disappeared with you. He’s been looking for you almost a dozen years.” Carla’s eyes grew wide as she listened to the life-altering news. “Your mother somehow got fake birth certificates and Social Security numbers and started a new life in Tennessee.”
“So, I’m not Carla Wilson?” she asked, and Devlin shook his head.
“Your birth name was Astor Anderson, and you were born just outside Seattle. I’ve spoken with your father, and he wants you to come home. He’s never stopped looking for you,” Devlin said, and her eyes teared up.
“Why did my mother take me away from him?” she asked, and Devlin’s lips pinched together briefly.
“She was so messed up and made a stupid decision,” James reasoned as he turned the computer to show Carla—I mean Astor—the screen.
“This is your father, William Anderson. He still lives in the same house from when you were young, he’s never remarried, and you’re his only child. He . . . he wants you home,” James explained, and Carla’s scared eyes met mine.
“How positive are you that this man is telling the truth?” I asked, wanting to reassure her that everything was going to be okay.
If Devlin and James said it was safe, then it was, but she needed to hear the reasons before she would believe them. After so many years of lies and manipulation, she was untrusting of some things, and I assumed she was worried about going halfway across the county without facts.
“I had a video conference with his lawyer, the lawyer the courts assigned to you during the divorce to look out for your best interest, the judge assigned to the case, and the FBI’s missing children department. Everything checks out. Your mother would’ve been arrested for custodial kidnapping if the authorities would’ve caught her, but when she passed away, you slipped through the cracks.”
Devlin’s words cracked the hard shell Carla had wrapped around herself, and the tears finally flowed down her cheeks.
“He still wants me?” she inquired.
“Of course, he does. He loves you very much, but if you’re not ready to make such a drastic move, he said he’d be willing to move here to show you he’s sincere. I didn’t talk to him about what you’ve been through, just that you’ve a hard time trusting people at face value,” Devlin explained, and she wiped under her eyes.
“My name is Astor?” she asked and looked at me. “I like that.” A long pause came from her, and Colton rested his hand on my knee as we waited for her to decide how she wanted to proceed.
She could stay with us as long as she needed, but something told me the bad memories of her time in Portstill were stronger since she was still here. Maybe distance and time would fix that, but speaking from personal experience, time didn’t necessarily heal all wounds. Sometimes, it scabbed over the pain, and you never knew what was going to cause it to bleed again and threaten to drag you under.
“What would you do?” she asked me, and I saw the corner of Devlin’s lips push up.
“Let me just say that whatever you decide, you will always be a part of our family.” Carla nodded, and I took her hands into mine as I spoke. “I was in the same place you are not too long ago. Presented with the chance to get to know my family or allow myself to stay isolated. It took a lot of thought, but ultimately, I decided to come home. And I’m not telling you what to do, I’m just telling you about my situation.”
“Should I go home?” she asked.
Colton finally spoke up. “How about this? We can fly out to Seattle and give you the chance to meet your father. Talk to him, get to know him, and if you decide to stay, then we’ll support you completely. If you choose to come back to Portstill, then you’ll always have a home with us.”
I could see her thinking about her options, and she finally asked Devlin, “Would it be possible to speak with my father before I make a decision?”
“Of course. James can set it up for this afternoon, if you want.”
She looked from me to Colton, then to the Callahan brothers and said, “I think I may want to go home. No offense, but the memories of my time here . . .”
Her sentence died, but no one needed her to finish it. We could all understand how painful it must be here for her, and to find out there was a father looking for her all these years must be a lot to process.
“You never have to apologize,” I started, and she brought her watery eyes to me. “You’re our family, and we’ll always support whatever you think is best.”
She stood from her seat and wrapped her arms around me as she softly said, “Thank you for not leaving me behind.”
