“Awesome!” Tommy said. “What are we going to do?”
“The park?” I asked, my eyebrows raised.
“Yes!” Sarah said.
Tommy nodded enthusiastically, and I told them to run upstairs and get dressed. As I waited for them to come back down, a knock sounded at my front door. I frowned and headed over, wondering who it could be this early. I peeked through the peep hole and saw a man about my age standing on my porch.
I pulled the door open and the guy jumped a bit.
“Can I help you?” I asked him.
The guy regained his composure and nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Are you Sean Evans?” he asked.
I narrowed my eyes and nodded. Something about this guy didn’t sit well with me. “Yeah. And you are?” I asked in return.
The guy cleared his throat and looked up at me. “I’m Glen Wilson. Sarah’s father.”
I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. A few hours ago, everything in my life had felt absolutely perfect. Now, I felt the world pitching under my feet.
“I’m sorry?” I said, thinking there was no way I could have heard him correctly.
“I said I’m Sarah’s father,” the guy said again.
I stepped out onto the porch and pulled the door shut behind me. The last thing I needed was for the kids to come down and hear what we were saying.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“I sent you an email several months ago. I’m here to take my daughter home.”
I knew I had to do something quick before my children walked in and found out about the very thing I’d been trying to protect them from this entire time.
***
“Wait, what?” Emily said, shock on her face.
I paced back and forth across the living room, sick to my stomach. After I’d gotten rid of the guy temporarily with the threat of physical violence, I’d taken the kids over to Mrs. Johnston and told her I had an emergency I had to handle. She had looked worried, but gladly took the kids in and promised to let them help her bake some cookies.
I’d woken Emily when I came back to the house and told her what had happened. She sat on the couch looking as stricken as I felt. “I don’t get it,” she said. “Why is he coming forward now?”
“Actually, he emailed me months ago. It’s the reason I brought the kids here, to keep him away. I can’t believe this is happening. She’s my daughter, Emily, mine,” I said vehemently. “I’m the one that was there when she was born, I’m the one who took care of her from day one, I’m her father.”
Emily stood and came over to where I was standing. She put her hands on my chest and forced me to look in her eyes. “I know that. Anyone who’s ever seen you with her knows that. So, what can we do? Stop thinking like a dad for just a second and start thinking like a lawyer.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Emily was right, I had to think about this strategically. Even though I was the one who had loved and raised Sarah from birth, her biological father would have rights. I needed to figure out exactly what to do.
“I think you should sit down with the guy and explain to him that uprooting her from the only family she’s ever known isn’t in her best interests,” Emily said.
I nodded, my hands balling into fists. This was why I had left San Diego. Exactly this. I didn’t want this guy showing up five years in and trying to be “Daddy” to my little girl. Biology or no.
“If you want, I can go with you,” Emily offered.
I shook my head. “No, I need to do this alone.”
I pulled out my phone and punched in the number from the card the guy had thrown at me as I chased him off my porch.
“Yeah, Glen? Sean Evans. We need to talk.”
CHAPTER THIRTY – EMILY