At eleven fifty-eight the next morning, Jeremy stood beside me outside the same caf\u00e9 where Emily had first met Lacey.<\/p>\n
He had changed shirts twice before we left.<\/p>\n
I had pretended not to notice.<\/p>\n
Now he kept rubbing his thumb across the old scar on his right hand, staring through the window at every person who entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're making me nervous,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if I say something stupid?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou probably will.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was supposed to help?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
For half a second, he smiled.<\/p>\n
Then a silver SUV pulled into the parking lot.<\/p>\n
The smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
Thomas got out first.<\/p>\n
Emily stepped from the passenger side carrying a canvas bag.<\/p>\n
Jeremy stopped moving.<\/p>\n
I watched his face rather than hers.<\/p>\n
Recognition hit him with physical force.<\/p>\n
Yesterday he had seen photographs.<\/p>\n
Today his daughter was walking toward him.<\/p>\n
Emily saw us.<\/p>\n
She slowed.<\/p>\n
Thomas said something I could not hear.<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
Then they approached.<\/p>\n
Jeremy put his hands into his pockets, apparently deciding that was safer than having them visible.<\/p>\n
Emily stopped six feet away.<\/p>\n
\u201cJeremy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes moved over his face.<\/p>\n
He did the same to hers until I touched his elbow.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d he said immediately. \u201cI don't mean to stare.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'll try not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Harper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy removed his hand from his pocket.<\/p>\n
The two men shook hands.<\/p>\n
It was one of the strangest introductions I had ever witnessed.<\/p>\n
The man who had unknowingly lost twenty-two years of fatherhood meeting the man who had unknowingly lived them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you for coming,\u201d Jeremy said.<\/p>\n
Thomas\u2019s expression remained guarded.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily asked me to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer seemed to matter.<\/p>\n
Inside, we chose a table away from the lunch crowd.<\/p>\n
Emily sat beside Thomas.<\/p>\n
Jeremy sat across from her.<\/p>\n
I took the chair beside Jeremy but angled it slightly away, hoping to make myself less central.<\/p>\n
Nathan arrived carrying copies of the laboratory report and Evelyn's letter.<\/p>\n
He handed them directly to Emily.<\/p>\n
She read the laboratory report first.<\/p>\n
Jeremy watched every movement of her eyes.<\/p>\n
Eventually I touched his knee under the table.<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop watching her read.\u201d<\/p>\n
He lowered his gaze.<\/p>\n
Emily reached the conclusion.<\/p>\n
99.97 percent.<\/p>\n
She remained there for several seconds.<\/p>\n
Then she looked at Jeremy.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo there really isn't a question.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're my biological father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas shifted slightly.<\/p>\n
Jeremy noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far as biology is concerned,\u201d Jeremy added.<\/p>\n
Emily's expression softened a fraction.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor saying it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy glanced at Thomas.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know who your father is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked surprised.<\/p>\n
Emily nodded.<\/p>\n
Then she opened Evelyn's letter.<\/p>\n
This took longer.<\/p>\n
She read the first page without expression.<\/p>\n
On the second, her jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
When she finished, she folded the pages carefully along their existing crease.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe's dead?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy knew exactly who she meant.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother? Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwelve years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at the letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo she never had to explain this to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot even that I had been born?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily studied him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you think happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy's voice became quieter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought Lacey miscarried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when did you find out she didn't?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you knew about me for three years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew there might be a child who survived. We didn't know who or where.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found me four months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd still didn't contact me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily's mouth tightened.<\/p>\n
Jeremy leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can explain why, but explaining isn't the same as saying we handled it correctly.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was new.<\/p>\n
No technical defense.<\/p>\n
No request for trust.<\/p>\n
Just responsibility.<\/p>\n
Emily noticed too.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you contact me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Lacey was scared. Because we weren't certain. Because your mother had died and we knew you had a father who loved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked down.<\/p>\n
Jeremy continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd because I was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou.\u201d<\/p>\n
That surprised her.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf showing up and finding out you wanted nothing to do with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn't even know me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFear isn't always logical.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily considered that.<\/p>\n
Then she asked, \u201cWhy did you marry Lacey?\u201d<\/p>\n
There it was.<\/p>\n
Jeremy glanced at me.<\/p>\n
I kept my face still.<\/p>\n
He answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she was sick, because insurance was a problem, because legal access to records was complicated, because she asked me, and because I felt responsible for what happened when we were young.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were already married.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Jill.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes returned to Jeremy.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo you lied to your wife for three years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy should I trust anything you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy did not answer immediately.<\/p>\n
Finally he said, \u201cYou shouldn't yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't know me well enough to trust me. I hope I earn it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas's shoulders relaxed slightly.<\/p>\n
Emily looked down at the papers.<\/p>\n
\u201cLacey says she loved you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy glanced toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you love her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt the word, though I had heard it before.<\/p>\n
Emily looked at me.<\/p>\n
I met her eyes.<\/p>\n
She seemed almost apologetic.<\/p>\n
I gave the smallest nod.<\/p>\n
She had the right to ask.<\/p>\n
Jeremy continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI loved Lacey when we were young. Some of that never completely went away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Jill?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love my wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simple.<\/p>\n
No speech.<\/p>\n
I appreciated that more than he knew.<\/p>\n
Emily folded Evelyn's letter again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Lacey dying?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow soon?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily stared at the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know what I'm supposed to feel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas put his hand over hers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't have to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
Then she looked at Jeremy.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want me to call you Dad?\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes filled instantly.<\/p>\n
But he shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer surprised all of us.<\/p>\n
Emily frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already have a dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas's grip tightened around her hand.<\/p>\n
Jeremy continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf someday you want another word for me, you can choose it. Jeremy works fine until then.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked down quickly.<\/p>\n
I realized she was trying not to cry.<\/p>\n
Thomas was too.<\/p>\n
Jeremy stared at his hands.<\/p>\n
Nobody rescued the moment with unnecessary language.<\/p>\n
Eventually Emily cleared her throat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was I like as a baby?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy's face fell.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cruelty of the question was that Emily had not meant it cruelly.<\/p>\n
She simply forgot for one second that he had not been there.<\/p>\n
Thomas answered softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cLoud.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily looked at him.<\/p>\n
He smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou screamed every evening from five until seven.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou absolutely did.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy laughed before catching himself.<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at him.<\/p>\n
For a moment, tension returned.<\/p>\n
Then Emily said, \u201cApparently I had colic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had opinions,\u201d Thomas corrected.<\/p>\n
That made all of us smile.<\/p>\n
Jeremy asked, carefully, \u201cWould you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTell you what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat she was like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at Emily.<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
So Thomas told him.<\/p>\n
Emily had refused bottles unless they were almost too warm.<\/p>\n
She had learned to walk at eleven months.<\/p>\n
Her first word had been dog, despite the family not owning one.<\/p>\n
At four she had cut her own hair with craft scissors.<\/p>\n
At seven she broke her wrist falling from a backyard tree.<\/p>\n
At thirteen she refused to speak to Thomas for two days because he would not let her attend a concert.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was in Memphis on a school night,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou ruined my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor approximately forty-eight hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy listened with a hunger that made my chest ache.<\/p>\n
He did not interrupt.<\/p>\n
He did not claim anything.<\/p>\n
He simply collected the pieces of a childhood that should have been available to him.<\/p>\n
Then Thomas took out his phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy looked almost afraid.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly if Emily's okay with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily nodded.<\/p>\n
Thomas moved his chair.<\/p>\n
Jeremy moved beside him.<\/p>\n
The two fathers bent over the same screen.<\/p>\n
First birthday.<\/p>\n
Kindergarten.<\/p>\n
Halloween costumes.<\/p>\n
A missing front tooth.<\/p>\n
Softball.<\/p>\n
Prom.<\/p>\n
Graduation.<\/p>\n
At one photograph, Jeremy stopped.<\/p>\n
Emily was sixteen, standing beside an old pickup truck.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe rebuilt the carburetor herself.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy looked at Emily.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou work on cars?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA little.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dad taught me engines.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily's eyes changed.<\/p>\n
For the first time, she seemed curious about him rather than merely cautious.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMechanic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you close?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVery.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was his name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's your middle name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily nodded as though storing the information.<\/p>\n
A bridge had appeared.<\/p>\n
Small.<\/p>\n
Fragile.<\/p>\n
Real.<\/p>\n
Nathan's phone rang.<\/p>\n
He stepped away.<\/p>\n
When he returned, his expression had changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm sorry to interrupt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody liked the tone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cLacey was taken back to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBreathing difficulty.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy stood immediately.<\/p>\n
Emily looked at Thomas.<\/p>\n
Then at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she dying right now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nathan answered carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey're concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
She had spent twenty-two years without knowing Lacey existed.<\/p>\n
Now she might lose her less than forty-eight hours after finding her.<\/p>\n
Jeremy reached for his keys.<\/p>\n
Then stopped.<\/p>\n
He looked at Emily.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm going to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily picked up Evelyn's letter.<\/p>\n
Then she looked at Jeremy.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she dies today, nobody lies to her to make it easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy stared at his daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo lies.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if she asks whether I forgive her.\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven then.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily nodded.<\/p>\n
We left together.<\/p>\n
For the first time, Jeremy and Emily walked toward the same door.<\/p>\n
Not as father and daughter.<\/p>\n
Not yet.<\/p>\n
But neither of them walked away.<\/p>\n
At eleven fifty-eight the next morning, Jeremy stood beside me outside the same caf\u00e9 where Emily had first met Lacey. He had changed shirts twice before we left. I had … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7508,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feel-every-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7523"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7632,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7523\/revisions\/7632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feeleverystory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}