“I haven’t seen any videos. Just a few pictures. I think Azure saw him wrestling and jumping into the water or something like that.”

Shawn nodded and flicked a rock off the concrete with the toe of his shoe. “Meeting him is something Melissa has dreamed about. Having him come up here has her over the moon. That he would come all this way. But she’s scared at the same time, you know?”

“What’s she got to be scared of?”

“What David will think of her. She still hasn’t told him about Courtney. But I keep coming back to the fact that there’s a young man in Louisiana who’s coming up here who has always wondered about where he came from. About his biological mother and father. Circumstances being what they were, maybe he’s asking the question.”

“What question is that?”

“Is he a mistake?”

Brian looked out at the lawn he had mowed the day before and noticed a spot he’d missed. Finally he said, “He ain’t no mistake.”

“Maybe it would help him to hear that from you,” Shawn said.

The door banged open and Courtney bounded out like a colt released in a pasture. “Where’s my backpack?”

“It’s in the car, Courtney,” Shawn said. “Give your dad a hug.”

She hugged him and he patted her back.

“Bye, Dad. See you next time.”

“All right,” Brian said.

She turned before she reached the Jeep. “Are you going to see David when he comes to the house? I can’t wait!”

Brian glanced at Shawn. “We’ll see.”

Brian watched them pull out of the driveway. Shawn looked at him one more time and nodded. Brian stood on the porch until they drove away, then went to the back and brought the mower to the front and cut the spot he had missed.

CHAPTER 28

The train pulled into the station as shadows fell on the Indiana countryside. David’s parents weren’t set to arrive for a couple of hours, so David and Nate used a ride-sharing service to get to the hotel. As the driver approached the hotel, David spotted a shopping mall a few blocks away.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Nate said. “Dinner and a toy store?”

They checked into their room, then walked toward the mall and the restaurants situated nearby.

“Listen, can you keep your camera in your pocket for an hour?” David said. “I just need a little break.”

“No problem. Except for the toy store. I mean, you’ve got to let me shoot you picking it out.”

“Okay, but that’s it. Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to get food poisoning.”

“Don’t say that,” David said.