“What?”
“That all my life I've believed Thomas was my father.”
His voice broke.
“Not just on paper. In my heart.”
I reached for his arm.
Julian continued.
“He wasn't there every day. But when Mom got sick, he paid for her treatment. When my first business failed, he told me to try again. When Anna died, he sat with Lucy while I arranged the funeral.”
I swallowed.
“He came to her funeral?”
Julian nodded.
“He held my hand during the service.”
Tears filled my eyes.
Julian looked toward Lucy.
“I don't care whose blood I have.”
His voice trembled.
“Thomas was the man who showed up when I needed a father.”
I began crying.
Because for the first time, I could see the secret from a different side.
Thomas hadn't merely hidden a child.
He had accepted responsibility for one.
He'd supported Julian through childhood, adulthood, marriage, and grief.
