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She moved away from him and walked over to an open chest. She picked up a book from the floor. She took it over to him and turned it so he could see a wedding picture. It looked like it was old.

Leah pointed to the bride. “That’s my mother.”

He looked closely at the photograph. The people in it looked to be teenagers. “Is it possible they were dressing up? Maybe for a play or something?”

“I... I don’t think so.”

“It could be real. But why wouldn’t your mother have told you?”

“I don’t know. Why did my mother allow our silence to go on for so long? All she had to do was talk to me.” When Leah went to turn the page, a slip of paper fell out of the photo album.

The paper fluttered through the air and landed on the dusty floor a few feet from them. He moved to grab it.

“What is it?” Leah asked.

At the top it read: Marriage Certificate. So much for his theory of her mother playing dress up. He didn’t know how Leah was going to feel about the confirmation of her mother being married.

“Shaun?” She lowered the photo album and then stepped over to him. When she looked at the piece of paper, she gasped. “So, it’s real.”

In that moment, he didn’t know what to say to her to make her feel better. His parents had never kept anything of this magnitude from him. His father was pretty much an open book. There had only been one woman for him—Shaun’s mother. They had been high school sweethearts.

“Can I see it?”

“Sure.” He handed over the marriage certificate.

He waited and watched as a host of emotions played on Leah’s face. His heart went out to her. He couldn’t imagine having to live with her mother keeping secrets from her. He just hoped this information she’d uncovered would eventually bring her some peace. Maybe not now while she was still in shock, but after she’d had time to let it all sink in.

She gasped. “This is my father. Their wedding was almost nine months before my birthday.” She was silent for a moment. “Paul Peterson.” She repeated the name. “Why does that sound familiar to me?”

“Maybe because it’s a common surname.”

“Maybe. But I think it’s something more. But I just can’t think straight now.”

Shaun nodded. “I understand. It’s late, and you’ve had quite a shock. Why don’t you leave the rest of this until tomorrow?”

Leah hesitated as though she wanted to continue to dig through the rest of the stuff in the trunk. But then she nodded her head. “Maybe you’re right. It waited all of these years; it can wait another day.” Then she tilted her chin upward until their gazes connected. “How could she have kept this from me?”

Tears shimmered in her big blue eyes. When one tear ran down her pale cheek, he wiped it away with his thumb. He didn’t have answers for her, so he wordlessly pulled her into his embrace, holding her close. All the while he wished he could just as easily wipe away her pain.

He didn’t know how long they stood there with their arms around each other. Her head rested beneath his chin, and he breathed in the strawberry scent of her shampoo. It was a gentle scent that he’d forever connect with Leah.

Then dog paws landed on his thigh, knocking him back a step. Mochi. It was like the pup could sense when emotions were running high. Or, more than likely, she got lonely and came in search of him.

Leah pulled away from him. She smiled through her tears. “Well, hello, Mochi.”

Leah swiped her cheeks, and then she bent over to fuss over the dog. All the while Mochi’s tail swished rapidly back and forth.

“Someone is very happy to see you,” Shaun said.

“I’m happy to see her too.”

“Why don’t you two head downstairs while I turn out the lights?”

Leah nodded in agreement. “I’m really wiped out.”

It only took him a minute to pull the chain on each light bulb, and then the attic was doused in darkness. He headed downstairs and found his two favorite ladies sitting at the bottom of the stairs. Mochi’s chin was resting in Leah’s lap while she petted her.

Then he had a thought. “Do you want to take Mochi for the night? She’s a snuggle bug, but she does have a tendency to steal the covers.”