Aiden Harper

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Eden

You never understand how much the truth can affect you until you receive a call that could change your life. Aiden's grandfather did that when he informed us that Dr. O'Neill wanted to set up a Zoom call between a stranger and me. My heart thudded in my chest as my nerves became a wreck through the drive home, changing my clothes into something more respectful.

It didn't help that Dr. O'Neill moved the time to six instead of seven. We sat at my kitchen table and logged on. Dr. O'Neill added us to the call as I stared at a man looking back at me. Once Dr. O'Neill introduced us, he gave us the results. This stranger was my biological father. Talk about shocking.

Eventually, Aiden, his uncle, and a family friend left us to talk with Dr. O'Neill, who acted as a buffer. I brushed the tears away, trying to keep my composure.

"I'm so sorry, Eden. I didn't know," Raymond said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Your mom never told me."

"I wondered for years why I never had a connection with my dad or why I wasn't good enough."

"What?" Confusion laced Raymond's features. "What do you mean you weren't good enough?"

"Do you want to hear the truth?"

"Yes, I want to hear the truth. I don't care how much it hurts. I want the truth."

I took a deep breath and released before telling Raymond about my family. Raymond ran his hand through his hair in frustration while cursing quietly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to upset you, " I said, shaking my head.

Raymond lowered his hand and locked his gaze with mine. "You have nothing to be sorry about since you did nothing wrong. If I had known you were my daughter, no one would have ever hurt you. But now that I know you are, no one will."

I stared at Raymond with lifted brows. "What?"

"Eden, your mom and my mom robbed us of twenty-one years together. I didn't get a chance to raise you like I should have. If I had known about you, I would have ensured you had love."

Something broke inside me when Raymond mentioned love. The man just met me and wanted to love me. A stranger was willing to love me without knowing me. I broke down and sobbed.

"Babygirl, it'll be alright."

"How?" I whimpered while wiping my eyes with the base of my hands.

"Because I'll make sure of it. I want you to focus on that boy you had with you while I take care of a few things here. Until then, I want a chance to get to know you. Would you like that?"

I nodded while sniffling.

"I want you to program my number into your phone."

I added Raymond's contact information to my cell phone

"Now, you call me whenever you want. I don't care what time it is. If you need me, you call. Understand?"

I nodded.

Dr. O'Neill said, "That's a good start for both of you. Take it slow and get to know each other. It's difficult to receive life-altering information, but you have a starting point."

Raymond and I nodded. Since we had lost twenty-one years, we had to learn about each other now. We spoke for a little more before ending the Zoom call. I sat at my kitchen table and tried the number Raymond gave me.

His deep voice answered the phone. "Hello?"

"It's Eden. I was trying out your number to ensure it was correct."