A man is accused of fathering a baby left on his doorstep, and it’s destroying his marriage and lifestyle.
Kyle Greenbacker spent a year working on an oil pipeline in Alaska, but he’s finally back with his wonderful wife. He and Lisa were high school sweethearts, and Kyle never once regretted marrying her when he was only nineteen.
Perhaps he was a little old-fashioned, but Kyle was proud that Lisa was the only woman he had ever been with. He had never wanted or needed anyone else. The thought that Lisa might question his fidelity didn’t even cross his mind, and for good reason.
As soon as the flight landed, Kyle grabbed his luggage and walked out with the other passengers, searching the crowd with his eyes for Lisa’s familiar face. But she wasn’t there.
Maybe, Kyle thought, she’d been held up at work because of an urgent matter. He quickly texted her that he was on his way home, but got no response. He hailed an Uber taxi and an hour later he was approaching the front porch of his house.
The lights were on in the living room, but Lisa wasn’t inside. Kyle headed for the kitchen, but as soon as he crossed the threshold, he froze. There was a small cradle on the kitchen table, and from it a tiny hand was waving aimlessly in the air.
He cautiously stepped closer. On the kitchen table lay a newborn baby! The infant stared at Kyle with wide-eyed wonderment, peculiar only to infants, and Kyle was just as stunned.
Then his gaze fell on a folded sheet of paper lying beside the cradle. He unfolded it and found two notes, one written in unfamiliar handwriting: ‘You’ve had your fun, now take responsibility for your baby.
The second note, addressed to him in Lisa’s elegant handwriting, read:
‘Kyle, yesterday I found this baby left on our doorstep with a note attached. I always suspected you were unfaithful during your work trips, but I never held a grudge against you – I had my share of flings while you were away. However, expecting me to raise someone else’s child was too much. I’ve filed for divorce and sincerely hope I never have to see you again.’
‘P.S. As for the baby, don’t worry. I only left after I saw you walking down the driveway. Enjoy life, Kyle, I know you will.’
Kyle slumped down in his chair, burying his face in his hands. He couldn’t understand what was going on. The baby wasn’t his – he’d never cheated on Lisa, not once! A quiet sound made him raise his head.
The baby was moving her tiny fingers, and Kyle instinctively reached out. To his surprise, she clutched at his index finger with surprising strength.
‘Well, baby,’ Kyle muttered, ’looks like it’s just the two of us now…and I have no idea what to do with you.
The little girl growled in response, but immediately her tiny face contorted, turning a deep shade of red. ‘Oh no,’ Kyle exclaimed. ‘What’s going on?’ A sudden foul odour quickly answered his question.
It was time to change the nappy. But was there even a nappy? He noticed on the floor next to the table a large rucksack with numerous compartments he hadn’t seen before. Opening it up, he found an assortment of baby supplies, including nappies.
He immediately searched the internet for nappy changing tutorials and watched intently as a woman on YouTube demonstrated the process on a realistic doll.
Kyle tried to follow the instructions, but it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Unlike the doll, this little girl moved her legs and managed to put her feet right into whatever he was trying to wash. Finally getting her cleaned up, Kyle realised it was a girl, and he knew absolutely nothing about raising daughters.
‘Well little girl,’ he said seriously, ’I probably won’t be able to give you dating advice, but I can definitely teach you how to ride a bike.
At that moment, Kyle made a decision – he was going to keep this baby.
Pulling her close to him, he said: ‘You need someone, and I guess I do too. So what do you say?’
Turning to his online parenting guide again, Kyle carefully prepared the bottle and placed it on her hand to feed her.
‘You need a name, don’t you?’ – He pondered. ‘How about… Celeste? Or maybe Lily?’
If anyone had told Kyle that he would step into the role of father so naturally, he would have laughed. Lily had her moments of fussiness, but everything somehow fell into place on its own.
Kyle officially registered Lily as his property and put her in daycare. For him, the day she was born was the day he found her. But on the day of her second birthday, Kyle’s world came crashing down.
There was a knock on his door. A woman stood outside the door. ‘I’ve come for my baby,’ she announced.
Kyle stared at her. She was tall, blonde, skinny, with curves clearly enhanced by plastic surgery.
‘What?’ asked Kyle, his voice cold.
‘My baby,’ she repeated impatiently. ‘I left her here two years ago. Oops, my fault. I was high at the time and my boyfriend lives nearby. I got it all mixed up, you know how it is.’
‘No,’ Kyle replied icily. ‘I don’t know how it is because I would never abandon a child. And if I were you, I’d leave right now before I called the authorities.’
‘Just a second,’ the woman snapped back. ‘I realised my mistake a week later when Bert stopped returning my calls. But right now, I need that baby.’
‘You need her?’ asked Kyle, blazing with anger. ‘For what exactly?’
‘Bert just signed a contract with the Major Leagues,’ she said smugly. ‘This kid is my ticket to some serious money!’
Kyle slammed the door in her face, but he had a feeling this wasn’t over. A week later, he was served with a subpoena. A woman named Cherish Vegas was contesting his adoption of Lily.
Suddenly Kyle found himself inundated with legal papers, constantly visited by child welfare officials, and questioned by his friends and co-workers. Cherish was determined to use Lily to make a fortune.
Finally, it was time for the trial. Nervous, Kyle handed Lily over to the case specialist and went inside. Cherish was already there, standing next to a tall man with blue eyes similar to Lily’s – it must be Bert.
Cherish was telling the judge in a breaking voice how much she missed her baby and how her reckless college years were far behind her and she had decided to leave the baby with Kyle.
The judge lowered his gaze to the documents. ‘By ‘leaving her with him’ you mean abandoning her on his doorstep, correct, Ms Vegas?’
Cherish blushed. ‘Well, I’m still her mother! No one can deny that!’ – she shouted.
The judge turned to Bert. ‘Sir, are you the father?’
Bert scratched his head. ‘Well…I guess I am.’
The judge’s sharp gaze stopped on him. ‘Are you ready to take responsibility for this child?’
Before Bert could answer, Cherish stepped into the conversation. ‘Of course he’s ready! He just signed a multi-million dollar contract…’
‘Ah!’ the judge exclaimed. ‘So that’s the real reason! Tell me, Miss Vegas, what is your daughter’s name?’
‘Name?’ stammered Cherish. ‘She’ll take her father’s last name since he’ll be paying child support.’
Kyle rose to his feet. ‘Your Honour, may I say something?’
‘Yes, Mr Greenbacker,’ the judge nodded. ‘Speak.’
‘My daughter’s name is Lily Greenbacker, and she already has her father’s last name – mine. I’ve loved her since the day she came into my life, and she loves me.’
At that moment, Lily saw Kyle and reached for him. ‘Daddy!’ – she squealed.
‘Well,’ the judge said, smiling, ’I guess the decision has been made.
That evening, Kyle and Lily celebrated by catching fireflies. ‘Stars!’ – She giggled. To Kyle, she was the brightest light of all.
