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Walking up to the porch, I wondered who sent the letter. I didn’t recognize the address in the top left corner, and there was no name, so I had no idea who’d sent it.
I sat down on the porch swing and set the other mail next to me, then opened the tiny letter. I took out the paper from inside and unfolded it.
* * *
Mr. Lincoln,
* * *
Hi, my name is Piper. I don’t know if you remember, but ten years ago you gave up a baby for adoption. That baby was me. I am writing to you because I want to meet you and my real mom. My parents said it would be okay if you agree to it. I’d really like to meet you.
* * *
The letter ended with her signature and a phone number. I blinked a few times in shock, then read the words again. This can’t be real.
A lump formed in my throat, and my chest tightened. The moment we’d given her up had haunted me every damn day since.
I wasn’t sure how long I sat there staring at the small piece of paper before my mom broke me out of my stupor. “What’s that, sweetheart?”
I glanced up at my mom, who wiped her hands on a dish towel, then stuck the rag in her apron.
I stood and cleared my throat. “Nothing, just junk mail.” I stuck the letter in my back pocket, then picked up the other mail and handed it to her.
My mom pursed her lips as she took the stack of letters from me. “You’ve always been a terrible liar.”
I smiled as I kissed her on the cheek. “Gotta get back to work.”
“Dinner’s at seven,” she called after me as I trotted back to the field.
The rest of the day, all I could think about was that letter. I wasn’t sure if it was legit or if it was some kind of sick prank. I didn’t want to get my hopes up in case I decided to follow through and contact Piper.
But I’d give anything to see my little girl.
My thoughts turned to Liv. I hadn’t seen her since the summer after she’d graduated high school. She’d left to go to college at Duke University and never came back.
And she’d taken my heart with her.
I’d wanted to make it work after the adoption, but neither of us was the same. Liv was completely broken, and no matter how hard I’d tried, I couldn’t put the pieces back together. She thought I blamed her, but I didn’t. I blamed her asshole father.
He’d forced us to give up Piper, and I’d hated him ever since.
After a few more hours of work, I went inside to wash up. Over the past ten years, our business had grown exponentially. Our farm was the best in Beaufort, offering everything from apples to zucchini at the highest quality for an affordable price.
But keeping up that standard took hard work. That’s why I’d decided to stay home and help with the family farm instead of going to Duke like I’d planned. Even though it wasn’t my dream, I couldn’t let my family down. Our farm had been in the family for four generations, and it was my responsibility to keep our legacy alive.
I came downstairs, and the aroma of pot roast filled the air. “Smells delicious, Mom.”
My mother was amazing. She had a home-cooked meal on the table every night for my dad and me. I’d always hoped that Liv and I would end up like her and my father, but that dream had gone out the window when we’d given up Piper.
My father was already sitting in his chair, and my mom was placing serving dishes on the table. When we were all seated, we said grace, then started serving ourselves.
When we were about halfway through the meal, my mom asked, “So, Lincoln, are you going to tell your father and me about that letter you got today?”
I glanced up from my plate and made eye contact with my mother. “I told you that was junk mail.”
My mom arched a brow. “And I told you that you were a terrible liar.”
I couldn’t help but smile at my mother’s feistiness. She always knew when I was lying and had no problem calling me out on my shit.
