Page 92 of The Stolen Child

‘Your home is so elegant,’ Zach said.

Kimberly accepted the compliment with a gracious nod as she laid a tray of refreshments on the coffee table – a jug of elderflower tonic water and four crystal glasses, perfect for the warm day. Kimberly had finessed her unique and understated style decades before. She knew what she liked and had the budget to pander to her expensive taste. The room had a soothing palette of creams with gold accents. White oak floorboards ran through the entire space, giving it uniformity. She’d meticulously curated exquisite pieces of art and sculpture to which the eye was drawn but by which it was never distracted.

Her home had become her haven.

And, sometimes, she even managed to find some peace within these four walls.

‘I’m always half afraid to let Ben loose in here. His sticky fingers would have a field day,’ Lily joked with her dad and Zach, who laughed with her.

‘That’s what wipes are for,’ Kimberly said. ‘Ben can come here to stay any time, you know. I don’t mind a little mess.’

Lily smiled sceptically at her mother and Kimberly felt a flush creep into her cheeks. Had she been such a bad mother that her own daughter doubted her so? She made a mental note to arrange a sleepover here with Ben soon.

Kimberly took a deep breath and said to Zach, ‘I asked you to come here because this was our first home in Dublin when it was the two of us. And it was where I met and fell in love with you, Jason. And where we brought you home from the hospital, Lily.’

Jason smiled at Kimberly and said, ‘I can still remember the moment I saw you for the first time. You had Robert in your arms, and he was playing with your hair. I’d never seen a more beautiful woman in my life.’

Kimberly blushed at his compliment. Why was it that, after all this time and so much water under their bridges, Jason could still make her feel like a giddy sixteen-year-old?

‘I wish I could remember living here,’ Zach said.

‘You were too young. We moved into a house on Shandon Road a few months after Lily was born,’ Jason said. ‘But we sold that after the divorce . . .’

The room was quiet momentarily as tension began to creep into the air. Kimberly didn’t want that. She wanted today to be another happy memory to add to the ones formed forty years previously. She sat in her favourite mid-century armchair, with its solid ash frame and soft cream upholstery, and turned to address them.

‘I asked you all to come here today because while my flat is small, so much love and happy memories are infused into its walls. It’s why I choose to live here. It’s where I was happiest in my life. And I wanted the four of us to spend a little time together here before things get crazy tomorrow when the results are back.’

Kimberly sighed with pleasure when she saw that her words had readdressed the balance, and her family visibly relaxed as they sat back in their seats.

‘You see, I don’t need a DNA test to prove that Zach is Robert,’ Kimberly said, touching her chest. ‘I can feel it here.’

‘It’s the same for me too,’ Jason added, patting Zach’s knee beside him.

And, for a moment, the four Murphys, reunited again for the first time in forty years, sat in silence, shyly looking at each other, as they tried to adjust to this new normal. Kimberly looked at each of them in silent and grateful wonder. And she wished with all her heart that she could lock the front door, and keep them all here with her, safe from the outside world and its nasty truths.

‘You okay, Mum?’ Lily asked gently. She reached for a tissue from her handbag and passed it to her.

Kimberly smiled as she patted away her tears. ‘I’m being a silly old sentimental mother, aren’t I? Happy tears, I promise you.’

‘You’re allowed,’ Jason said. ‘If anyone is allowed to cry, it’s you, my love.’

A shiver ran down Kimberly’s back as she thought about her son’s other family. Menacing and dark, ready to pounce and threaten her family again. But they were in America, thousands of miles away. Robert . . . or Zach . . . was here with his family. Kimberly was determined to only focus on that.

‘I want us to have a happy time together. That’s the only rule for today. And, with that in mind, could you help me get something from my bedroom, Jason?’ Kimberly asked.

Together, they left and returned a few moments later with a large cardboard box.

Lily half smiled, half sobbed. ‘Robert’s gifts.’

‘This is only one of the boxes. There’re another two in the bedroom,’ Jason said with a grin.

‘I am so sure that you are Robert that I want you to open these, please,’ Kimberly said, pushing the box towards Zach. ‘There’s one for every birthday and Christmas since you disappeared.’

Zach looked over to Kimberly, his face softening with emotion. ‘I’m overwhelmed.’

‘These are the gifts bought over the past twenty years. We thought you’d prefer to start with them. I’m not sure you have much use for the toys we bought during your childhood,’ Kimberly said, blinking back tears. She’d yearned for this day for so long that she could scarcely believe it was finally here.

Zach opened the lid, reached into the box and pulled out a small package wrapped in bright green paper. He read the gift card aloud, ‘Happy fortieth birthday, Robert.’ He ripped open the box to reveal a set of AirPods. ‘Wow! Would you believe that I have misplaced my EarPods? I think I left them on the flight coming home from Ronda. These are great!’