I looked at Tessa, whose face was red and her eyes misty. She nodded slowly.
‘It’s true. I…I wanted to tell Nathan when we found out, but I didn’t know how. My mum saw a picture of your whole family on social media. She wanted to see if she could sense your mood before she let me come here without her. She recognised Jason.’
The poor girl wheezed.
Jason took the initiative from her, his voice shaking.
‘Twenty years ago, before I met you, Lily, I dated someone briefly. She left suddenly. She moved to another state, but I never heard from her again. I had no idea she was pregnant. It turned out she was in another relationship, and when she eventually found out she was pregnant…’
‘She told my dad I was his,’ Tessa finished.
‘Tessa didn’t know I existed until Amanda saw that family photo. Until recently.’
‘Until recently?’ I whispered. I felt dizzy, the edges of the world blurring.
‘So, Nathan is dating his sister,’ I asked.
Tessa covered her mouth with her hand and Jason reached for my hand, his touch was gentle and soothing, now I knew he wasn’t having an affair.
‘We’ll tell him tonight. I wanted to talk to you first, Lily, but you saw us here before I could. We just wanted to get our story straight first.’
Finally I sank down into a chair. I couldn’t speak, I could barely breathe. For years, Jason and I had been inseparable, sharing everything. And now this?
It was like an impossible nightmare I couldn’t comprehend.
But.
To be honest, it didn’t change anything. Well, it did, but it didn’t change anything.
Because.
I couldn’t have children on my own, so both Nathan and Sophie were adopted as babies and raised as our own. There was no biological connection between Tessa and Nathan.
But I knew it would still break my son’s heart. All the horrible scenarios that could develop ran through my mind. Nathan’s heart would be broken and chaos would reign in our family. But looking at Tessa, I saw her pain and confusion, a young woman caught up in a mystery she didn’t choose.
‘I’m so sorry, Lily,’ Jason whispered. ‘I’m really, really sorry. We didn’t mean for this to happen.’
That night we gathered as a family in the living room, and the gravity of the moment tugged the air around us.
I watched Jason and Tessa tell Nathan the truth, and I saw the expression on his face change from confusion to shock.
He sat in silence, looking at Tessa, his fiancée, the woman he planned to marry.
‘Are you my sister?’ asked Nathan, his voice hollow.
‘Theoretically, Nate!’ picked up Jason. ‘Don’t forget you’re adopted, son. There’s no biological connection. We’re just sorry you both had to go through that. Especially at the beginning of your life together…’
‘How long have you two known each other?’ asked Nathan, ignoring Jason.
‘Two weeks. Since my mother agreed to have me visit her on weekends,’ she answered.
The pain and conflict on my son’s face was almost unbearable, but he sighed slowly, running his hand over his face. I just focused on the peaceful lily on the coffee table.
‘I need time, Tessa,’ he said. ‘That’s a lot.’
But he held Tessa’s hand, squeezing it gently, as if to assure me that they’d work it out together somehow.
Later that night, I sat on the porch, trying to make sense of everything. I know that nothing has changed between Jason and I, well, not really. I still think he should have told me, but he didn’t contact Tessa’s mother.
So how would he have known?
But what about Nathan and Tessa now?
‘Mum?’ asked Nathan behind my back. ‘Can I sit with you?’
‘Of course you can,’ I said, shifting.
‘What am I supposed to do?’ – He asked. ‘I mean, really?’
‘Does it make a difference?’ I asked. ‘Ask yourself honestly.’
‘No,’ he said quietly. ‘It should, shouldn’t it? But it doesn’t. Tessa only knows who Daddy is, but she doesn’t know anything about him. Nor does she know anything about him at all. They’re basically strangers. But we love each other and we’re happy.’
‘Then fight for your fairy tale, son,’ I said. ‘I just want you to know that I’ll support you through it all. It’s not Tessa’s fault either.’
‘You know, I never thought I’d say that,’ Nathan said with an amused look. ‘But thank God I’m adopted!’
He started laughing, and before I knew it, I was laughing with him.
In the weeks that followed, Nathan and Tessa decided to stay together no matter what, deciding that the bond they had created was not something they wanted to lose.
And as their wedding approached, I saw something new in Jason. There was a deep gratitude for the daughter he’d never known, and an even greater love for Sophie, to whom he was paying more attention.
Now I’ve become Tessa’s stepmother and mother-in-law, which isn’t as wild as it sounds. But one thing is for sure, this sweet girl completes our family.
What would you do?