She nodded. “I know that, Dad. I do. I guess I just wanted to know she cared, but…she didn’t. At all. As selfish as she is, I’m not even sure why she agreed to meet with me in the first place. Maybe it was morbid curiosity. Who knows? We met in a diner, talked only long enough for her to tell me all about the horrific ordeal she went through when I was a baby, and then she walked out. She didn’t even bother to look back once. I just didn’t matter to her. Then or now.” She sighed heavily. “That’s why I’ve decided to talk to a therapist and work out how I feel about it all. I need that closure for myself. I don’t want there to be any lingering unresolved feelings on my end toward a woman I don’t matter to.”

Being careful with his injured wrist, her dad wrapped his arms completely around her and pulled her into his warm chest. “I think that’s a smart decision on your part, honey. But I have one last thing for you to consider. Do you know who you matter to, Preslee? Me. Always have, always will. Mom too. We loved you the moment we first laid eyes on you. Maybe even before that. We might have only been your adoptive parents, but you were always meant to be ours, and you brought nothing but joy to our lives. Still do.”

Drops of moisture trailed down her cheeks, wetting the front of his navy-blue T-shirt. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too.”

She sniffled. “I miss Mom.”

He smoothed his hand over her hair. “I miss her too. She would be so proud of the beautiful young woman you’ve turned into. Just like I am.”

Preslee sobbed in his arms for several minutes before finally pulling out of his embrace and wiping away her tears. Her dad reached for the tissue box sitting on the end table and offered her one.

“Thanks,” she said, dabbing at the corners of her eyes. “By the way, there’s something else I need to tell you.”

“I’m warning you, Preslee. If this is the part where you tell me that you’re pregnant, I’m going to ground you and send you to your room.”

She smiled. “It might be fun for you to ground me at this age.”

His face turned serious. “Preslee.”

She laughed. “I’m kidding. I’m not pregnant.”

He let out a hard breath. “Okay, then what is it?”

She hesitated only for a moment before taking the plunge. “After I met with my birth mother and found out what she did to me, I had some…issues that I didn’t tell you about. It’s another reason why I think therapy would be good for me.”

Concern filled her father’s features. “What kind of issues?”