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Back The Mother Next Door Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Dedication
  4. About the Author
  5. HALLOWEEN
  6. Seven Weeks Before Halloween
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. HALLOWEEN
  11. Six Weeks Before Halloween
  12. FOUR
  13. FIVE
  14. SIX
  15. HALLOWEEN
  16. Five Weeks Before Halloween
  17. SEVEN
  18. EIGHT
  19. HALLOWEEN
  20. NINE
  21. TEN
  22. HALLOWEEN
  23. ELEVEN
  24. TWELVE
  25. Twenty-Five Days Until Halloween
  26. THIRTEEN
  27. FOURTEEN
  28. HALLOWEEN
  29. FIFTEEN
  30. SIXTEEN
  31. SEVENTEEN
  32. EIGHTEEN
  33. NINETEEN
  34. TWENTY
  35. HALLOWEEN
  36. Eighteen Days Until Halloween
  37. TWENTY-ONE
  38. TWENTY-TWO
  39. HALLOWEEN
  40. TWENTY-THREE
  41. TWENTY-FOUR
  42. Eleven Days Until Halloween
  43. TWENTY-FIVE
  44. TWENTY-SIX
  45. Eight Days Until Halloween
  46. TWENTY-SEVEN
  47. TWENTY-EIGHT
  48. TWENTY-NINE
  49. HALLOWEEN
  50. THIRTY
  51. Four Days Until Halloween
  52. THIRTY-ONE
  53. HALLOWEEN
  54. THIRTY-TWO
  55. Two Days Until Halloween
  56. THIRTY-THREE
  57. The Night Before Halloween
  58. THIRTY-FOUR
  59. HALLOWEEN
  60. THIRTY-FIVE
  61. Halloween, Present Day
  62. THIRTY-SIX
  63. THIRTY-SEVEN
  64. HALLOWEEN
  65. THIRTY-EIGHT
  66. HALLOWEEN
  67. THIRTY-NINE
  68. HALLOWEEN
  69. FORTY
  70. HALLOWEEN
  71. FORTY-ONE
  72. FORTY-TWO
  73. FORTY-THREE
  74. FORTY-FOUR
  75. HALLOWEEN... NOW
  76. FORTY-FIVE
  77. Seven Months Later
  78. FORTY-SIX
  79. FORTY-SEVEN
  80. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  81. ALICE SWANSON’S
  82. Reader's Guide
  83. Questions for Discussion
  84. Booklist

I hadn’t thought of it as lying back then, when I’d taken Lily. I just hadn’t wanted it to matter. Greg and I had broken up, and I’d gone back to Brad. We were planning to get married. And then, out of the blue, Greg had reached out a few months later about a baby. The young mother who couldn’t care for her child anymore.

At first Brad had resisted. He wanted us to try to have a baby ourselves, after we were married. But something about her story compelled me. It was a sign, I thought. We were the ones who needed to help this child. I’d told Brad we should at least explore it. That it wouldn’t prevent us from still having our own children, too.

So we agreed to see the baby. And then, the first time I fixed eyes on Lily—that sweet pale face, big green eyes—that was it. I was in love.

Brad was, too. He agreed to the arrangement, on one condition. That we would keep the secret that she was adopted. He didn’t want that kind of stigma on his daughter, he’d said. He’d seen the way some people were treated, and he never wanted her to go through that.

And then, when Brad left, and my mother died, and it seemed like I was losing everyone I cared about, well, I decided to go on keeping the secret. That Lily would always be mine. My daughter.

“You did a really good thing,” Greg continued. “You’ve given Lily a good life. Don’t beat yourself up.”

“But you never told anyone, did you? Someone sent me this...card. And I’m afraid they might tell her.”

He shook his head. “Of course not. You remember the family wanted everything to be discreet.”

“But do you think...her mother might...?”

He shook his head confidently, but he wouldn’t meet my eye. “No. No, definitely not.”

“Are you sure? I mean, I know people sometimes regret their choices.”

“Theresa, she’s dead. Lily’s mom. She died...a few years ago.”

“What?” I drew back. “You didn’t tell me?”

“I didn’t—no, I didn’t. I’m sorry. We weren’t really in touch then. I didn’t think you’d want to know.”

Maybe I wouldn’t have. After all, we hadn’t cared where she’d come from, and Greg had never offered up details about her parents.

“Well, then who would threaten me like that?” I asked. “Would her father? Grandparents?”

“Theresa,” Greg said gently. “Does it really matter who? Maybe you should just tell Lily the truth.”

I should. I should’ve told her years ago.

“I can’t. She’ll hate me.”

“And she’ll hate you worse if she finds out from someone else.”

Two Days Until Halloween

TWO DAYS UNTIL HALLOWEEN

THIRTY-THREE

Kendra