She’d laughed over delicious food and good drinks with smart women who talked about real things. And now she was taking a moonlit walk with a man who made her question everything she’d always wanted.

She took a breath and a leap. “My dad was married when he met my mother. They were both attending a conference and had a one-night stand. I was the unintended consequence of that night. She didn’t tell him about me. Times were tight. Mom was a single parent, and having me derailed her dreams of a high-powered career.”

They veered away from the cliff where she’d talked to Dayana today and instead headed in the direction of the barn. Tall green grass whispered in the night breeze.

“She was proud of doing it on her own. That meant crappy jobs and crappier apartments. We moved around a lot until I was twelve and she got a ‘real’ job. In an office with work in her field. Benefits. Vacation time. It was supposed to be a new beginning. We splurged and took our very first vacation. We came here,” Maggie said, stopping in the shadow of the old barn.

She shined her light over the ruin and imagined it as it could be. Silas was silent next to her, listening.

“It was the best week of my life. We had hope. We’d buy a house. She even brought real estate listings with us, and we spent the whole week circling homes and daydreaming.”

His hand engulfed hers, fingers intertwining. He seemed to get that it wasn’t a happily ever after she was telling him. That understanding, that quiet support, steadied her.

“We drove up here that week and tried to peek down the drive at the house. Mom joked about maybe someday we’d come back here and buy it.”

She felt the hitch in her chest. The sad mixed with pride, and for a second, she wished fiercely for things that could never be. “We went home, and Mom started her dream job. Things were great for a few weeks. The paychecks were regular, and she was so proud of herself for providing for us. But I came home after school on a Friday. We were supposed to go to the school carnival that night. Mom was curled up on the couch. Crying.”

Silas pulled her into him and held her against his chest. She didn’t realize until she felt the dampness on his shirt that tears were slipping down her cheeks.

She swallowed hard around the lump in her throat. “Anyway, that was it. She called him. Told him about me. There was a paternity test. And a month after the results, I met my father.”

“Baby,” he whispered against her hair.