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"Do you want me to send whoever that is away?"
I shake my head. "No, I'll go. Wait here," I say, walking off.
When I swing the front door open, I find an older couple standing on my porch. The woman has beautiful curly honey hair that highlights her cheekbones and skin tone.
My attention darts to the man. By the few strands of gray mixing with his blond hair, I'll put him in his late fifties. His posture is tall and confident, but when I meet his eyes, I swallow.
"Hello," I greet. "Can I help you?"
"Are you Miss Emma Campbell?"
"Yes, I am. Can I help you with something? Do you want to order a cake?"
The man shakes his head. "No, uh, I… I mean we..." The woman takes his hand.
"I'm Meggy, and this is my husband, Tom."
And then she throws the bomb.
"We're Thomas Green's parents. And we'd like to talk to you, Emma."
Sounds of a few birds flying by and of a car driving off fill the air as my mind races—his parents. My eyes stare into space as my mind is grasping the news. They don't say a thing as they see my reaction. Nick's hand on my shoulder gets my attention.
"Emma, everything okay?" he asks, stopping beside me while gazing at the couple standing on the porch.
"This is Meggy and Tom. They're Thomas's parents."
For a moment, he takes them in, then he holds out a hand towards them. Tom's shocked face turns soft, and he takes Nick's hand and introduces himself again.
"Please come in," I say.
Meggy nods, and little wrinkle lines set around her eyes as she gives me a polite smile. "Thank you."
As they walk in, I guide them to the living room as Nick closes the door and follows.
"Please sit," I say, pointing to the couch. They both sit as I take a seat in the chair next to them. Nick places himself on the armrest of my chair and rests one of his hands on the lower part of my back. Meggy and Tom hold hands as they sit next to each other. After Meggy lets out a sigh, she speaks.
"We're sorry for showing up unannounced, Emma. Sorry, can we call you, Emma?"
"Sure," I say, biting my lip. "But before you continue, I want to give you both my condolences on Thomas's death."
Both Tom and Meggy swallow as they hear this.
"Thank you. That means a lot coming from you," Tom says. "You must wonder how we found you, and why we are here."
"A little," I answer while placing a hand on my stomach as my emotions awaken.
"When we received the call from the police, telling us Thomas was killed, we were in utter shock. We drove from our house in Greenfield to Boston to identify our son." Meggy wipes away a tear from the corner of her eyes.
Nick stands up and walks to the kitchen to come back with a box of tissues, and he holds one out to Meggy, who takes it. After placing the box on the table, he returns to my side. Meggy lets out a long breath and continues.
"Thomas never told us about you and your daughter. We found out when police officer Jenny told us Thomas died protecting his child."
Meggy bursts out in tears, and Tom comforts her by placing a kiss on her hand he's holding. He mumbles something to her that calms her emotions. My eyes get watery, considering the shock and pain they have been through in such a brief period. Tom looks over at me, and at that moment, it's like I'm staring into Thomas’ and Charlotte's eyes. There is the family trait that Charlotte inherited from their side. That special sparkle in their blue eyes works like a magnet.
"Emma, we are sorry to hear that our son mistreated you the way he did. That isn't how we raised him. To find out he turned his back on you and his child for all these years shocked us deeply. But it gives us answers to his weird behavior last time I spoke with him."
I let out a deep sigh as I ask. "What weird behavior?"
