“It’s too late to be the father you should have been.”
His eyes dropped.
“But…”
He looked up.
“It’s not too late to be their father now.”
Page 8
The next morning, the boys woke up early.
I found them downstairs with Adrian.
They were teaching him how to play a video game.
He was terrible.
Absolutely terrible.
Daniel was laughing so hard he nearly fell off the sofa.
“You’re supposed to move!”
“I am moving.”
“No, Dad!”
The word stopped everyone.
Dad.
Adrian looked at Daniel.
Daniel didn’t seem to realize what he had just said.
Then he smiled.
Adrian smiled too.
I stood in the doorway and watched.
For the first time, I wasn’t looking at the man who had left me.
I was looking at the father my sons had never known.
After breakfast, Adrian took the boys outside.
They played in the snow.
He threw a snowball at Ethan.
Ethan screamed.
“Dad!”
Then all four boys attacked him.
Adrian fell into the snow laughing.
I stood by the window.
Vanessa came beside me.
“You’re smiling.”
“I am?”
“Yes.”
I watched Adrian help Samuel stand.
“I don’t know what happens after today.”
“Neither does he.”
I looked at her.
She sighed.
“I canceled the wedding.”
I turned.
“What?”
“I can’t marry a man who is still living inside a lie.”
“Vanessa…”
“He needs to fix what he broke before he starts another life.”
I respected her for that.
Later, Adrian came inside with four freezing boys.
“Mom!” Samuel shouted.
“Look!”
He pulled something from his pocket.
A small wooden ornament.
“I made this.”
It was crooked.
The paint was terrible.
But underneath it were five names.
Mom. Dad. Ethan. Daniel. Noah. Samuel.
Five?
I looked at Adrian.
He smiled.
“I may have helped.”
I took the ornament.
For years, I had wondered whether my boys would ever know their father.
I had imagined this moment many times.
But I had never imagined it would happen beside a Christmas tree.
