Page 17 of Sunset Cove
She returned a few minutes later with a mug for each of them.
“Thank you,” he said, accepting it and taking a sip.
He looked so much like her, especially with the faces he was making. It made Claire feel sick, homesick almost, like Becca was looking back at her from the grave.
She spoke again. “I’m so very sorry, Marty. My sister was…” She released another unintentional sigh. “Troubled. She had issues, and we tried to help her, but it was difficult. She rejected help, she ran away. I didn’t even know that she had a son.”
He let out a sigh. “Yeah, well, I didn’t know she existed until recently.”
She sat quietly as he leafed through the album again. Finally, he looked up. “A few weeks ago, my parents told me about her. They said that they let a woman live with them for a few months. She was pregnant and…” He shook his head. “After I was born, she asked if they wanted to adopt me. So they did, and they hid it from me. Until now.”
“I see.” Claire’s heart sank. He looked so sad. “Parents make mistakes sometimes.”
He nodded, but said nothing.
Claire was fighting with two warring factions. On the one hand, she wanted to give Marty the time and space to absorb this news. On the other hand, she wanted to know everything about him and his life up to this moment.
She took a sip of tea and smiled.
He shut his eyes and shook his head. “You know, I couldn’t understand why my mom would’ve abandoned me, and then turned around and had three other kids, but now it makes sense.”
Oh, her heart. It felt like a knife went clean through. “That’s not the case, not at all. My girls – I adopted them after Holly died.”
She wanted to add, “I would’ve adopted you, too,” but the words failed her.
Marty nodded. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He stood. “I just wanted to know about...I don’t know. I thought it would mean something. I thought it would explain something.”
Claire stood, too. She didn’t want him to leave. Not yet. “I know I’m not who you were looking for.” She stopped, trying to form her thoughts. “But we’re still…family.”
He paused, a flash of surprise crossing his face before breaking into a smile. Claire smiled back.
A moment later, a knock boomed through the front door.
