Page 1

Chapter 1

Dean

I could hear a soft knock at my front door through a dream. My eyes opened slowly, confused by the sound and the hour. I wondered if I was still dreaming and looked at my watch. It was two o’clock in the morning. I’d fallen asleep on the couch with the fire still crackling in the fireplace, making the room too hot. There was another knock, the sound light, barely there.

Dragging my hand down my face, I slapped my cheek to try waking myself up as I walked to the front door. It was November and the late nights were chilly. When I pulled the front door open, I froze at the sight of a child’s car-seat carrier. Taking a couple steps out onto the porch, I looked around but there was no one.

The night was quiet. So was the neighborhood. My place has a fairly clear view of the street for about a hundred yards. I wondered how someone could’ve vanished so quickly. There were no cameras on my property, but I was rethinking that decision as I stared down at the car seat at my feet. There was no sound coming from it, but there was a pink, frilly blanket covering the top. Pulling the blanket back slowly, a lump formed in my throat at the sight of a tiny newborn girl. Hesitantly, I picked up the carrier and brought it inside from the chilly air over to the couch, near the fireplace for warmth. She was wearing a pink onesie and seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

I stifled my anger, wondering, who would leave a baby on the doorstep of a stranger? Without waking her, I searched around the edges of her seat for anything that might help me identify her. Stuffed in the right side were papers, so I thumbed through each until I got to a birth certificate and read, Ada Flora Thorne. Flora is my sister’s name. I contemplated whether or not whoever dropped her off knew my family. Dean Russell Thorne was listed as her father. Me. I’m her father. I had so many questions and no one to ask them to.

Glancing at the mother’s name, I read, Talia Kelly. Talia and I dated briefly for about two months before breaking up...well, about nine months ago, apparently. Shit! I glanced down at the baby again then continued flipping through papers, finally reaching a letter.

*

Dean,

I know this will come as a shock and I’m sorry. I never wanted to be a mother, but I also couldn’t bring myself to go to an abortion clinic. I named her Ada. I thought she looked like an Ada, and I read somewhere it means noble, inner strength. She’s going to strength one day when she realizes her mother abandoned her. Her middle name is Flora, after your sister. I know how close you two are and I know Flora will help you with all of this. I know you’re probably wondering if she’s really yours. She is. I may be a horrible mother, a complete wreck in every other part of my life, but I was only with you. I know you’ll give her the life she deserves, the kind of life that will never be possible with me. Don’t worry, no one will come for her. I hid my pregnancy from my family and gave birth to her alone. I delivered her to you…alone. Please take care of her. Love her. Love her in a way so that she never misses what she doesn’t have, a mother. I’m sorry. – Talia

*

I’m a father, I thought. I kept repeating it over and over. I’m a father. Pulling my phone out of my hoodie pocket, I called Flora.

She picked up and said, “Hey…Dean? Are you ok? What time is it?”

I wasn’t sure where to start but I tried, “Flora… I need you to come here now.”

“What’s wrong? You’re scaring the shit out of me. Where are you?”

“Home. Just get here, Flora. Please.”

“Okay. I’m on my way.”

The baby…Ada…slept soundly. I kept the fire going, but left it at a soft crackle so she wouldn’t be too warm and get sick. All I could do was sit on the couch across from her and watch her sleep. She was so tiny. I wondered how was I going to care for a baby. I was twenty-six years old. I wanted to be a dad, someday. Never in a million years did I think it would happen like that.

Time went by quickly as I sat staring at the little human when I heard another soft knock at the door. This time it was Flora. “Dean? What’s wrong?”

“I need to show you something, but you have to stay calm. Promise?”

“Dean.”

“No, Flora. I’m serious. Calm, no matter what.”

“Alright, I promise. Why are we whispering?”

Flora is my younger sister but only by three years. I’ve always been her grumpy big brother protector, and she’s always been sunshine and wise beyond her years. She was twenty-three and dating someone who she hoped was going to turn into a proposal and a future. He was a nice guy, but I wasn’t sure if anyone would be good enough for my sister. She was my best friend. Of course, we fought like siblings growing up, but I always knew that she had my back, and she knew that I had hers. She was the only person I would call in a crazy situation…like a newborn appearing on my doorstep at two in the morning.

Leading her over to the coffee table where I set sleeping Ada, Flora’s hands moved to her mouth as she tried to quiet her shock. “Dean…who is this?”

I stood with my hands in my sweatpants pockets, took a breath, and looked at the baby, then back at Flora. “This…is my daughter. This is Ada.”

Flora’s eyes grew wider. “Deeean…what do you mean?”

I grabbed the papers from the coffee table and handed them to her. We sat as she thumbed through them like I had. She gasped sharply when she got to the birth certificate. “Dean, Talia had a baby and you had no idea? None?”

“None, Flo.”

“Dean…” she handed the papers back to me and leaned forward to the car seat where Ada was still sleeping. I watched her as she unbuckled Ada and softly lifted her out. Ada made little noises but never opened her eyes. “Ada…” she said softly. “I’m your Aunt Flora.”