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I smiled so wide it hurt my face. “And I really like the idea of you being my dad. The people who raised me… they aren’t good people.”
“That breaks my heart for you, regardless of what we find out. You’re a good person, Bella.”
Tears welled in my eyes.
“You too, Charles.”
“We’ll talk soon,” he said. “I just need to wrap my head around everything and talk to my wife and the kids, and then we’ll be back in touch to see what the next moves will be.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
We ended the call, and it took me a few moments to compose myself. A knock came at the door and Gabe peeked inside.
“He knows,” I said as the tears flowed down my cheeks. “He figured it out.”
Gabe was at my side in a heartbeat, kneeling beside the couch. “And how did it go? Are you okay?”
“I’m great, these are happy tears, I promise,” I said with a laugh. “It’s been an emotional few days, but yes, it went well. He seems very happy to think of me as his daughter, very hopeful, so we’re going to try to find answers.”
Gabe brought my hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “Whatever happens, I have your back, you know that, right? You will always have Ava and me.”
“I know, thank you” I said, running a hand through his hair. “I truly believe the O’Connell’s are my family, there’s just too many coincidences.”
“I agree,” he said. “And they seem like good people, but we still want to be careful. You don’t know them that well and I worry about you.”
His face was soft and sweet, his eyes genuine. The way he looked at me made me feel so loved.
“Thank you, and I agree we should be careful,” I said. “We’re not rushing into anything. Charles wants to take some time to think about it and talk to his family.”
“Good,” Gabe replied. “He sounds like a good man based on everything you’ve told me.”
“He is,” I said with a smile.
And he wasn’t just any man. In my heart I already knew that he was my father.
20
Gabe
“Ariana and Lucia may be able to go home within the next week or so.”
It was like music to my ears. My daughters would soon be home, where they belonged, after a month in the NICU.
“And what about Elio and Vincent?” Bella asked before I could find the words.
“Elio still needs to put on some weight,” the doctor said. “But I suspect in a couple of weeks, he will also be able to come home. Vincent will likely be here a bit longer as we watch his heart and see if the hole continues to close on its own.”
Our babies wouldn’t be coming home together, and I knew it was tough on Bella. Taking her hand in mind, I squeezed it. Soon we’d have our family together all under one roof.
“Can we see them?”
“Yes, of course,” the doctor said.
“They are doing well enough to be out of the incubator and will be moved out of the NICU tomorrow.”
That was amazing news. Our girls were getting stronger by the day.
Bella was out of her chair within a second and I was beside her, ready to see our babies.
