derstand.”
That evening, James and I returned home.
Neither of us spoke much during the drive.
When we arrived, he walked straight into the garage.
He pulled down the old cardboard box.
The same box I’d wanted to give away dozens of times.
He opened it.
Inside were the tiny sleepers, the blankets, the little hat and the newborn clothes.
Everything we’d saved for a daughter we believed we’d never have.
James picked up the smallest pink sleeper.
“I kept this because I couldn’t throw away the dream.”
I touched the fabric.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Rachel?”
“I wanted to.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Because I was afraid you’d think I had betrayed you.”
I looked at him.
“You didn’t betray me.”
He started crying again.
“I made one mistake.”
“What?”
“I thought protecting you meant making decisions without you.”
I took his hand.
“You don’t get to do that again.”
“I won’t.”
PART 7 — THE DNA TEST
There was still one thing we needed to know.
The hospital arranged the necessary testing.
Rachel agreed.
A few days later, the results arrived.
The baby was biologically Daniel’s.
There was no connection to James or me.
And strangely, that brought me relief.
This wasn’t some secret attempt to make the daughter we’d lost the chance to have.
She was her own little person.
A child who already had a mother.
A father who had loved her before she was born.
And a family that had somehow found its way to us.
We named her Lily.
Rachel chose her middle name.
Daniel.
Lily Rachel Daniel.
PART 8 — THE REAL REASON JAMES CALLED ME
A week after Lily was born, I finally asked James the question that had been bothering me.
“Why did you call me to the hospital?”
He smiled through tears.
“Because I wanted to ask you something.”
“What?”
He took my hand.
“I wanted to know if you’d be willing to become Lily’s godmother.”
I stared at him.
“That was it?”
He laughed.
“No.”
He looked toward the nursery.
“I wanted to ask whether you’d consider raising her with me.”
I froze.
“James…”
“Not as a replacement for anything.”
He squeezed my hand.
“Not because you couldn’t have another child.”
“Then why?”
“Because I love you.”
He looked toward our house.
“And because I think our boys have enough love for one more person.”
I started crying.
Then he said the sentence I still can’t repeat without tears filling my eyes.
“Would you let me be the father who gives you the daughter we thought we’d lost forever?”
I covered my face.
PART 9 — THE THREE BROTHERS
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