She smiles as she approaches my bed. “Your mom and dad went home a few hours ago.”
I nod. They’ve been through the wringer since I landed in this place. I’ve never doubted their love for me. I’m their son in every way that matters.
“There was a man at the nurses’ station earlier.” She tugs on the bottom of her shirt. “Gareth is his name.”
I didn’t see that coming.
Her eyes zero in on mine. With a finger over her bottom lip, she smiles. “He has the same lips as you. The same color eyes too.”
She’s spent most of her life looking for a face like hers, so I’m not surprised she found mine in Gareth’s.
“The nurse told him that only immediate family are allowed to see you.” Her gaze darts to the door of the ICU. “He knew a lot about your condition because he has it too.”
Her hand finds mine. “He’s your biological father, isn’t he?”
I nod, unable to form the words.
I knew it as soon as I locked eyes with him on the basketball court.
Gareth Quillan is my birth father. My birth mother, Deidre, died before I had a chance to thank her for gifting me with a life with the Wolf family.
“I told him I’d text him with an update.” She sits on the bed next to me. “I hope that I didn’t overstep.”
I don’t know if there’s a relationship to be had between Gareth and me, but I want to find out. If he’s open to it, I want Rhys to know that I’m his brother.
“You didn’t,” I assure her with a squeeze of my hand on her knee.
“We’re more alike than I realized.” She reaches for my hand. “Our parents aren’t perfect.”
“We’ll do our best to do right by our kids.”
Her head tilts. “Our kids?”
“I didn’t think I could be a father.” I pat my chest. “I didn’t know how long I’d live before I met you.”
Her gaze falls to the bandage on my chest.
“I knew I needed the surgery, but it was a risk I wasn’t willing to take.” I swallow hard. “The night before I collapsed, I had decided to go through with the surgery. I was set to book it, but fate stepped in and made it happen sooner rather than later.”
She looks to the ceiling. “Thank you, fate.”
“Thank you, fate, for bringing this woman into my life.”
She leans forward to press her lips against mine. “I love you.”
“I love you,” I say to her. “Forever, lilac. Forever and a day.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
Liam
I’m bouncingoff the walls in my apartment.
I’ve been home for a week. I’ve spent much of that time with my siblings and parents trying to work through our new reality.
I didn’t see a need to wait to address the elephant in the room.
I may not have Wolf family blood running through my veins but I’m as much a son to my mom and dad as their other kids.
