“Thank God for them.” Abby sat with Liam while he ate his cereal. “This guy is all out of sorts.”
“Maybe a trip to the p-a-r-k with Dada might fix what ails him,” Adam said, though it was the last thing on earth he felt like doing.
“You might be right. I read that keeping his routine as close to the way it was before the babies arrived will help him make the transition, and trips to the park with Dada are his favorite thing.”
“Park!” Liam banged his spoon on the high-chair tray. “Park now!”
“Jeez, who’s the boss around here, anyway?” Adam said, amused by his son.
“It appears we’ve been relegated to hired-help status for the next eighteen years.”
Adam kissed his wife. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
* * *
Every time the phone rang for days after Brooks’s visit, Lizzie’s heart stopped as she wondered if this would be the call that would ruin her life forever. By the third day, she was fighting to hold on to what was left of her sanity when Jared’s phone rang.
“It’s him,” Jared said. “Brooks.”
Lizzie couldn’t think or breathe or do anything other than sit perfectly still while her daughter slept in the other room, unaware that her whole life could change as the result of one phone call.
He put the call on speaker. “This is Jared James.”
“It’s Brooks.”
“Hi, Brooks. We’re glad you called.”
Were they glad? Really? That would depend on what he had to say.
“I’m sorry it took a few days to reach out. I can’t imagine how hard this is for you guys, and I’m also sorry for putting you through this. It’s just that… Well… I needed to see her. My daughter.”
Lizzie’s heart fell into her stomach as it became clear she wasn’t going to get the outcome she’d hoped and prayed for.
“It was a shock to find out she existed, and I hope you understand that I needed to see her.”
“We do,” Jared said as his warm hand on hers made her realize how cold she was. “We get it.”
“Look, I’m not out to upset her life—or yours. It’s obvious that you love her very much. It’s just that… Well, I’d like for her to know me. And my parents. Do you think that might be possible?”
“Yes,” Lizzie said without hesitation. “We’d be fine with that.”
“Really? You would?”
“All we want is to be able to raise her as our daughter.” Lizzie’s gaze was locked on Jared’s as she hoped he agreed. “If that means we share her with you on occasion, we can live with that.”
Jared nodded and squeezed her hand.
“I… I didn’t think… Despite what you said the other day…” A soft sob echoed through the phone. “I thought you’d say no.”
“We’re not saying no,” Jared said. “Does this mean you won’t contest the adoption?”
After a long pause, Brooks said, “I won’t contest it.”
Oxygen flooded Lizzie’s system as her chest expanded for the first time since Kendall had told them Violet’s father had reached out. Tears poured from her eyes and Jared’s.
“Thank you,” he said for both of them. “Thank you so much.”
“Thank you for letting me be part of her life. I promise not to get in the way.”
