“I don’t understand,” I repeated. “All these years. Why now?”
He ran a hand over his face and studied his daughter with an indulgent smile on his face. He obviously adored her, which made me happy. When he spoke, his voice was quiet.
“I met Kelsey at a low point in my life. She was beautiful and vibrant and seemed to be what I needed. We got married far too fast.” He met my eyes. “Outward appearances are often deceiving, as I learned the hard way. We had a lot of problems, and just when I was ready to throw in the towel, she announced she was pregnant.” He sipped his coffee. “I wanted to try for our child, but it was no use. Your sister is a viper, Evan, and drains people. I was shocked at her behavior—your family’s behavior—when you visited, and things got worse between us.” He looked sheepish. “To be honest, you were a surprise to me that day. Kelsey had never even mentioned you.”
At one time, those words would have wounded me, but now, they meant nothing. They had no power over me. I shrugged. “Not really a surprise.”
He sighed. “We argued bitterly that day and all the days that followed. It never stopped and, finally, I realized I was wasting my life being unhappy and hurting my daughter. We separated later that year, and the custody battle was long and ugly.”
“I’m surprised she wanted custody, to be honest. She didn’t strike me as maternal.”
He snorted. “She isn’t. What she wanted was to keep the marriage going. Her business had hit a rough patch. Mine had not,” he stated, his meaning clear. “She wanted my money and used our child to try to get it.”
“Ah.”
“Finally, we settled. It took me a few years to come to terms with everything. Single fatherhood, recovering from a disastrous marriage. Kelsey cut off all ties to our daughter. Your parents never see her. I wanted nothing to do with anyone from your family. Even you. I convinced myself all Brooks were cut from the same cloth.”
I lifted my eyebrows and swallowed a mouthful of coffee. “That’s fair.”
“No,” he mused. “But it took me a while to figure it out. My one and only focus was Mia—making sure she was okay. Adjusted and doing well. She was, is, the one good thing I got from my marriage.” He stared out the window at the water for a moment, then continued. “Every year at Christmas, without fail, a package would arrive for Mia. I was shocked by the first one—Kelsey and I had just separated so I didn’t know what to do with it. To be honest, the first couple of years, I didn’t even open them, then my counselor told me I should—not to be so fast to write you off since you were obviously trying. So I gave them to her. Every year she looked forward to them—a package from her distant uncle and aunt.” He smiled at Holly. “I assume you had a lot to do with those packages.”
I squeezed her hand, loving her soft blush. “She did.”
“Anyway, it wasn’t anything we ever talked about until this spring. You were just a name on a package. A face in a picture. Then her class did a genealogy project—a family tree sort of thing—at school, and Mia started asking me questions. In general at first, then more in depth. Mostly about you. Why she had never met you. What you did. Where you lived. Then one night, she told me she wanted to meet you. She’s asked for months, and finally, I agreed.”
“Why didn’t you get in touch? Obviously, you had my address.”
He stared at Mia, winking at her and blowing her a kiss. Then he turned to me. “She’s a child, Evan. Her mother doesn’t even remember her birthday. Her grandparents ignore her. I had no idea how you would react. You seemed decent. Kind, genuine. But I thought that of Kelsey once.” He scrubbed his face. “I am very open with my daughter. I told Mia I was worried about your reaction. She’s very smart. Intuitive. She reminded me that you sent her a gift every year and that you didn’t have to. She told me she was sure you would want to see her, but that if you didn’t, it was okay, because everyone had a choice. She said she realized, aside from me, you were her only family and she wanted to know you. I told her I would write you, but she wanted to come. She begged me, and she never begs for anything. So, I brought her. I arranged for a few weeks off to make a trip of it, and we came here. I prayed all the way here you wouldn’t reject her—that my first impression of you had been the right one.”
I sat back, stunned, then glanced over at my niece. She was staring, her eyes wide. I held out my hand, and she stood, coming to my side. I pulled her into a loose hug. “Thank you for being brave and coming to see me.”
“I wanted you to know I got your gifts, and I love them.” She smiled. “I love you.”
My throat got thick, and I glanced at Holly. This happened because of her. Because she insisted on trying, on hoping, I was able to meet my niece. I got the chance to get to know her.
Holly watched us with watery eyes.
I tapped Mia’s nose. “I love you too, kiddo.”
I turned to Simon, who regarded us with an indulgent smile. His eyes were suspiciously glassy as well, and none of us tried to hide it.
“Where are you staying?”
&
nbsp; “I booked a hotel—”
Holly interrupted him. “No, you’re staying with us.”
“We can’t impose.”
I spoke. “You’re not imposing, Simon. You’re family.”
He looked startled, then grinned.
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “I want the chance to know Mia. And you. We have lots of room, and you’re welcome to stay.”