“Hi,” I said quietly, unsure of what to say or do.
I never in a million years thought I would ever see my daughter again, and now she was standing in front of me as we processed what was happening.
“Is it really you?”she whispered, setting her purse down on the table while refusing to take her eyes off me.
“You know who I am?”I choked out, the pressure of the moment weighing on me.
This was the day I had dreamt about since the second I walked out the doors and never looked back.
She nodded and then looked to Dr.Easton as more tears filled her eyes.
I wiped my cheeks with the palms of my hands, clearing the tears.
“I’m sorry.I didn’t know what to expect.I didn’t know...”I looked at Dr.Easton, unsure of what to say.
“I adopted Kaitlyn when she was a baby and took care of her from the second I saw you walk out the door.But never once, in all those years, have I ever kept the truth from her.She knew that her mother wasn’t able to take care of her, and that’s why she left her here.We’ve both prayed very hard over the years that someday her mama would come looking for her.”
My bottom lip trembled as I looked at Kaitlyn, her beautiful face a mixture of hope and sadness that matched mine.
“I’ve never stopped thinking about you,” I said as a sob escaped.“I wanted you from the second I found out about you.I wanted to give you the best life, even if that wasn’t with me.”
Kaitlyn nodded and swallowed hard as tears fell down her face.
“Kaitlyn, why don’t you grab some cookies, and we’ll go to my office so the two of you can talk in private,” Dr.Easton said.
I looked down at Dom, feeling bad for leaving him, but he waved me off and kissed my hand.
“Take all the time you need,” he said.“We’re not in a hurry.”
Keith nodded when I looked at him and Ashley, wondering how I had gotten so lucky to have this kind of support.
I followed Dr.Easton and Kaitlyn to a room in the back of the clinic and sat in one of the plush chairs in the corner.Kaitlyn took the one beside me and set the cookies on the table between us.
“I’ll give you two some time,” Dr.Easton said.“Come find me if you need anything.”
“Thank you,” I replied, wondering why she trusted me so much to leave me alone with the child I had abandoned all those years ago.
Dr.Easton walked out, pulling the door closed behind her.We sat there in silence for a few seconds before Kaitlyn broke the ice by talking first.
“I still can’t believe you’re here.”
“I can’t believe it either,” I admitted.“I also can’t believe how grown up you are.I know how long it’s been, but I swear, it feels like just yesterday when I had you.”
Kaitlyn leaned forward and picked at her nails before looking at me.
“Can I ask you a question?”she asked.
“Of course.Whatever you want to know.”
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
“What happened with my dad?I know that Mimi—I mean, Dr.Easton, said that you came in that night by yourself, but I’ve always wondered about my dad.”
I nodded slowly and leaned back in my seat.
“Your dad was one of the most incredible people I've ever known.We met in high school, became friends, and then started dating.I was convinced that he was the love of my life and that we were going to get married and have a dozen kids,” I replied, laughing as I remembered all of the diary entries where I wrote about it.
Kaitlyn smiled as she listened.
