Page 34 of Roaring Fork Rooker (Roaring Fork Ranch #4)
“When I went into labor, Dawn was right there with me. Mark was too. They held my hands through every contraction, coached me through the delivery, and wept with me when Gisela was born.” My voice caught.
“She was the most gorgeous baby I’d ever seen.
Perfect in every way. And when they placed her in my arms for the first time, I knew I was looking at a piece of you and a piece of me, combined into this precious little person. ”
JW’s own eyes were wet now. “How long did you have with her?”
“Three days in the hospital. Dawn let me hold her, feed her, and rock her to sleep. She said it was important for me to have that time, to bond with her even though I wouldn’t be able to keep her.
” I wiped my eyes. “On the third day, the social worker came with the adoption papers. I signed them while weeping, legally giving up all rights to my daughter.”
“That must have been the hardest thing you’ve ever done.”
“It was. But it was also the most selfless thing I could do for her. Dawn and Mark were incredible parents—are incredible parents. They gave Gisela everything I couldn’t. A stable home, financial security, educational opportunities, unconditional care.”
“And you got to watch her grow up.”
“From a distance, yes. As Aunt Echo. Dawn made sure I was always part of her life. Birthday parties, school plays, soccer games, graduations. I was there for all of it, cherishing her fiercely but never able to tell her the truth about who I really was to her.”
JW was quiet for a long moment, processing everything I’d told him. “What about the father? On her birth certificate, I mean.”
“Unknown. I told Dawn I didn’t know who the father was, that it had been a brief relationship with someone who’d left town. I never told anyone about you, never gave them your name or any details. I thought it was better that way.”
“You protected me even then.”
“I protected all of us. You, me, Gisela. The fewer people who knew the truth, the better it would be for her.”
We sat in silence for several minutes, the weight of my confession settling between us. I waited for JW to process everything, to decide whether he could accept me after keeping this massive secret from him.
“I understand why you didn’t tell me when we reconnected. When we started building something new together, how could you have explained all of this? How could you have told me I had a daughter who didn’t know I existed?”
“I know you can never forgive me?—”
He cupped my cheek. “No, Echo, you don’t need my forgiveness.
We were both bound by circumstances we couldn’t control.
We were both young and made the decisions we thought were best at the time.
” His gaze was intense and full of affection.
“You were the one who was left alone, feeling abandoned. You faced an impossible situation with courage and grace, making the most selfless choice imaginable. You gave our daughter a wonderful life with people who could care for her properly.”
“But I lied to you. I’ve been lying to you since the day we reconnected.”
“You were protecting our daughter and protecting yourself. I understand that completely.” His thumbs brushed away my tears. “What I can’t fathom is how you’ve carried this burden alone for so long. The strength it must have required, the pain you’ve endured in silence.”
His words broke down the last of my defenses, and I collapsed against him again, sobbing with relief and exhaustion and overwhelming gratitude for this man who somehow understood everything.
We held each other then, both grieving for the time we’d lost and the pain we’d both endured unnecessarily. As we lay, facing each other on top of the covers, he told me how stunning Gisela was, how he could see both of us in her.
“She’s becoming a doctor,” I said, pride filling my voice despite everything that had happened. “An oncologist, specializing in pediatric cancer. She’s brilliant, JW. She always was, even as a little girl.”
“Tell me about her. Tell me about our daughter.”
So I did. I told him about Gisela’s first steps, which she’d taken in Dawn’s living room while I was visiting.
Her first words, which had been “mama”—directed at Dawn, of course, but it had still made my heart swell.
How she’d been an early reader, devouring books faster than my sister could buy them.
Her soccer phase in middle school, when she’d been the fastest runner on her team.
The way she’d excelled in science classes, particularly in biology and chemistry.
“She got a full scholarship to Stanford. Full ride, everything paid for. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biochemistry, then went straight into medical school.”
“Following in her mother’s footsteps. Dedicated to helping others.”
“She’s doing her residency at the children’s hospital in Palo Alto now. Pediatric oncology is incredibly difficult—the toll of working with sick children is enormous—but she says it’s her calling. She wants to be there for the families going through the worst time of their lives.”
“Like you, her mother .”
I shook my head. I wasn’t. Dawn was.
“Tell me more about her,” JW said, leaning forward to kiss my cheek. “I want to know everything.”
“When she was in high school, she started volunteering with me at Miracles of Hope. She said watching me work with families inspired her to pursue medicine. If only she knew…”
“Perhaps she will soon.”
Before I could respond, another knock came at my door. At the same time, I received a text from Kingston, saying he was outside.
My heart raced as I looked up at JW, panic probably written all over my expression. He squeezed my hand reassuringly and nodded toward the door.
“It’s time,” he said simply.
We walked to the front door together, and with trembling hands, I opened it. Outside stood Dawn, looking worried but compassionate. Kingston appeared confused but supportive. And Gisela.
“Can we come in?” Dawn asked gently.
I nodded, stepping aside to let them enter. The moment they were inside, Gisela moved straight to me, drawing me close exactly the way JW had done earlier.
“I know everything,” she said softly, her voice thick with tears. “Mom told me. About the pregnancy, about the adoption, about why you’ve been my aunt instead of my mother all these years, and that JW is my father.”
I started weeping again, my body shaking against hers. “Gisela, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I lied to you, that I kept this from you, that I?—”
“Shh,” she soothed, stroking my hair the same way I’d soothed her when she was little and she’d crawl into my lap. “You don’t need to apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“How can you say that? I’ve lied to you your entire life!”
She pulled back to look at me, her eyes—JW’s eyes—brimming with tears. “You gave me the most incredible life, Echo. You gave me parents who cherished me, who supported my dreams, who gave me every opportunity to succeed. You sacrificed your own happiness for me .”
“But I should have told you the truth. You had a right to know who I really was.”
“I’ve always known who you really were. You were the woman who never missed a birthday party, who cheered louder than anyone at my soccer games, who helped me with science projects and college applications.
You were the one who taught me about compassion and service to others.
You were the one who inspired me to become a doctor. ”
I looked at her, hardly believing what I was hearing.
“You think I didn’t notice how much you cared about me? How you lit up every time you saw me? How you knew exactly what to say when I was upset or scared?” She smiled through her own tears. “You were never just my aunt. I always felt a special connection to you that I couldn’t explain.”
“Gisela…”
“I pray that someday you can accept my gratitude instead of carrying guilt. I had a wonderful childhood and life because of your sacrifice, and I’m just so happy that we were able to be close.”
She paused, looking beyond me to JW. “I became a doctor because of how much I respected and looked up to Aunt Echo. She showed me what it meant to dedicate your life to helping others, to being there for people in their darkest moments. That innate need to help others, I learned from watching her.”
Over Gisela’s shoulder, my eyes met Kingston’s. He’d been standing quietly, taking everything in, but now, he stepped forward. He wrapped his arms around both Gisela and me, creating a three-way embrace that felt like a sanctuary.
“You don’t owe anyone an apology. You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said. “You’re the best mother, the best person I know, and you did nothing wrong.”
“You believed Gisela was your cousin, not your half sister,” I whispered, pulling back to look at him.
He smiled through tears I’d rarely seen him shed. “She was always like a sister to me anyway. This just makes it official.”
The simplicity of his acceptance, the complete lack of anger or resentment, overwhelmed me. Here were two young people who’d just discovered that their entire understanding of their family was built on a lie, and neither of them was angry with me for it.
“How are you both being so calm about this? How are you not furious with me for deceiving you?”
Dawn spoke up from where she’d been standing quietly by the door. “Because they understand care when they see it, Echo. They understand sacrifice. They know that everything you did was motivated by what was best for both of them.”
I looked around the room at each of them—Gisela, Kingston, Dawn, then JW, the man I adored, who loved me despite my deceit.
In everyone’s eyes, I saw acceptance. Not judgment, not anger, not resentment. Just pure, unconditional support.
JW stood and moved to my side, putting his hand around my shoulders and pulling me close to him. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “I care about you more than life itself. All of you.”
My eyes filled with fresh moisture, but these were different. These were tears of relief, of gratitude, of overwhelming joy. For the first time in twenty-eight years, I could breathe freely.
JW looked at his watch and smiled. “We’re getting married in fifteen hours. Everyone best leave, so my bride and I can get the rest we need before our big day.”
“You still want to marry me? Even after everything you’ve learned? Even knowing that I kept this from you?”
“Nothing would ever change that. If anything, knowing how strong you are, how much you’ve sacrificed for the people you care about, makes me cherish you even more.”
Gisela, Dawn, and Kingston moved toward us, wrapping both JW and me in a group embrace.
“We’ll see you in the morning,” Dawn said, kissing my cheek. “This is going to be the most magical wedding.”
After they left, the house felt different. Lighter. The secrets that had weighed me down for so long were finally gone, replaced by truth and acceptance.
JW took my hand and led me back to the bedroom. We undressed each other slowly, reverently, like we were discovering each other for the first time. When he kissed me, it tasted of forgiveness and new beginnings.
We made an intimate connection with a tenderness and passion that felt right because, now, there were no secrets between us, only honesty. Every touch was a promise, every kiss a vow, every whispered word of affection a commitment to the future we would build together.
For the first time in thirty years, I was completely free to give myself to the man I’d never stopped caring about. Tomorrow, I would marry him with my whole heart, knowing that our family—complicated and unconventional, as it was—was built on sacrifice and truth.
As I settled into sleep in JW’s embrace, I thought about the dress hanging in my closet, about the vows I’d written, about the friends and family who would gather to witness our union.
But mostly, I thought about how fortunate I was to have found my way back to this man, and how grateful we were to have discovered that love really could conquer anything.