THE REUNION OF Taylor Rollings and his parents was everything Sam had hoped it would be for them and far more emotional for her than she’d expected. They’d been thrilled to meet her and Nick, who’d rearranged his schedule to be there for her as much as the Rollings family.

He stood now with his arm around her shoulders watching Chauncey and Micki Rollings talk to their son like he was an old friend rather than the son they’d given birth to and then lost two days later almost thirty years ago. Micki continued to dab at her eyes more than an hour after they arrived. She said she’d probably be crying tears of gratitude for the rest of her life now that her beloved son had been found.

For his part, Josh, who’d asked to be called Taylor going forward, took it all in, beaming with pleasure from the attention and unconditional love he felt from Chauncey and Micki as well as their other children, Sue, Will, Michael and Chauncey Junior. Taylor had been their third child, after Sue and Will and before Michael. He closely resembled his brothers, who’d been consulted by the artist who worked on the age-progression photo of Taylor.

“Here I always thought I was the baby of the family, and I’m a middle child,” he said, soaking it all in.

Before the Rollings family had arrived, Sam and Avery had briefed Taylor on the outcome of the investigation and answered his many questions about the role his “parents” and Jacoby had played. He’d been stunned but resigned to move forward and not dwell on the past.

The bruises on his face weren’t quite as angry as they’d been yesterday, and the swelling around his eye had abated somewhat. Micki didn’t seem to care about his bruises. She couldn’t stop touching his hand, his face, his hair, as if to confirm he was real. Every so often she would stop herself and offer a chagrined smile. “I’m sorry. I can’t help myself.”

“It’s okay,” Taylor said. “I understand.”

Sam began to feel as if they were intruding. “We’re going to go,” she said to Watson, who wore a euphoric expression that Sam suspected was rare for him.

He shook her hand and then Nick’s. “It was an honor to meet you both. Thank you for everything.”

Micki and Chauncey hugged her. “We’ll never have the words to properly thank you for what you’ve done,” Micki said.

“All the credit goes to your son,” Sam said. “He’s the one who sounded the alarm, and he’s the reason your prayers were answered.”