Chapter 3
"Adoption?"
I repeated the word because I couldn't believe what I'd heard.
Andre sighed.
"Yeah."
I stood beside my truck, staring at the driveway.
"Andre, are you sure?"
"Marcus, I have the email."
My heart pounded.
"What exactly did Tiana send you?"
"A document asking me to consent to ending my parental rights."
I closed my eyes.
For years, Tiana had insisted I wasn't Jayden's father.
Now she was apparently trying to make me his legal father.
Without telling me.
Without speaking to Andre honestly.
And without considering what Jayden wanted.
"Did you sign it?" I asked.
"Absolutely not."
I exhaled.
Andre continued.
"Marcus, I love my son."
His voice cracked.
"I haven't been perfect. I've missed things. I've made mistakes."
I listened.
"But I've never stopped wanting to be his father."
I looked toward Jayden's bedroom window.
The curtains were closed.
"Does he know about this?"
Andre hesitated.
"I don't think so."
I took a breath.
"Don't tell him yet. We need to understand what happened before putting more pressure on him."
Andre agreed.
Then he said, "Can we meet?"
I looked at my watch.
"Tomorrow."
"Somewhere private?"
"Yes."
He paused.
"Marcus?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for listening."
I swallowed.
"Thank you for calling."
After we ended the call, I sat inside my truck.
For almost twenty minutes, I couldn't move.
I thought about the first time I met Jayden.
He was eleven.
He wore a blue basketball jersey and had a shy smile.
Tiana had introduced me as her friend.
Jayden looked at me suspiciously.
Then he asked whether I knew how to fix a bicycle.
I'd laughed.
"Depends what's wrong with it."
His tire was flat.
We spent the afternoon repairing it.
Afterward, he rode circles around the driveway.
He shouted, "Look, Marcus!"
I'd smiled so hard my cheeks hurt.
That was the beginning.
Not a legal document.
Not a financial obligation.
Just a little boy who needed help with his bicycle.
I'd loved him long before anyone asked me to pay for anything.
And now I wondered whether Tiana had been using that love.
I went back inside.
The house was quiet.
Tiana sat on the couch, watching television.
She didn't look up.
"Are you finished sulking?"
I ignored the insult.
"Andre called me."
Her head snapped toward me.
"What?"
"He told me about the support payments."
She reached for the remote.
"That man is a liar."
"He says he has records."
"Anybody can fake screenshots."
I sat opposite her.
"He also told me about the adoption papers."
The remote slipped from her hand.
For a moment, she stared at me.
Then she laughed.
"Adoption papers?"
"Yes."
She shook her head.
"Marcus, don't be ridiculous."
"Did you ask Andre to surrender his parental rights?"
She stood.
"That's none of your business."
I stared at her.
"You're trying to make me Jayden's legal father without speaking to me."
Her face hardened.
"You've always said you love him like your own."
"I do."
"Then what's the problem?"
I stood slowly.
"The problem is that adoption isn't something you arrange behind people's backs."
She crossed her arms.
"I was trying to protect my son."
"From what?"
She looked away.
"Andre."
I shook my head.
"You've told Jayden for years that Andre doesn't care about him."
"Because he doesn't."
"He sends money."
"Money isn't parenting."
I nodded.
"You're right."
She looked surprised.
I continued.
"Money isn't parenting. Which is why I don't understand why you keep defining my role by what I pay."
Her expression darkened.
"You're twisting everything."
I took a breath.
"Tiana, are you trying to make me financially responsible for Jayden while cutting Andre out completely?"
She laughed bitterly.
"You're already financially responsible. You're my husband."
"That's not the same as having a conversation about adoption."
She moved closer.
"Maybe I thought you'd be happy."
I stared at her.
"Happy about what?"
"Having a real son."
The words hit me harder than I expected.
I stepped backward.
Jayden wasn't a substitute for a child I hadn't been able to have.
He was a person.
A boy with his own feelings.
His own father.
His own future.
"Don't say that."
Tiana rolled her eyes.
"You're being sensitive."
I closed my eyes.
That word again.
Sensitive.
Dramatic.
Unreasonable.
Every time I asked a difficult question, she made my feelings the problem.
I opened my eyes.
"I want us to talk to a counselor."
She laughed.
"About sixty-five dollars?"
"No."
I looked directly at her.
"About honesty."
She stared at me.
Then her voice became cold.
"Maybe you should think carefully before making accusations."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
She smiled without warmth.
"This is my son's home."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"It's our home."
She shrugged.
"We'll see."
Then she walked upstairs.
I remained standing in the living room.
For a long time, I listened to her footsteps.
Then I heard Jayden's bedroom door open.
A moment later, he appeared at the top of the stairs.
He looked frightened.
"Marcus?"
I turned.
"Yeah, buddy?"
He hesitated.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
He walked downstairs.
Then he sat beside me.
For a moment, he stared at his phone.
Finally, he whispered, "Did my mom lie about Dad?"
My chest tightened.
I didn't know how to answer.
I didn't want to turn him against his mother.
But I also couldn't keep pretending everything was fine.
I took a slow breath.
"Jayden, your dad told me he's been sending financial support."
He looked down.
"So Mom lied."
"I don't know everything about their arrangements."
He nodded slowly.
Then he looked at me.
"She told me Dad didn't want me."
My heart broke.
I reached for his shoulder.
"Your father loves you."
Tears filled his eyes.
"How do you know?"
"Because he called me worried about you."
Jayden covered his face.
For a moment, he looked much younger than fifteen.
"I thought he hated me."
I pulled him into a hug.
"He doesn't."
Jayden began crying.
I held him.
And in that moment, I realized how much damage had already been done.
Not just to my marriage.
To a boy who had spent years believing his father didn't care.
After a while, Jayden pulled back.
He wiped his eyes.
Then he looked at me.
"Marcus, can I show you something?"
I nodded.
He unlocked his phone.
Opened his messages.
And scrolled to a conversation with his mother.
My stomach tightened.
"Jayden, you don't have to show me private messages."
He shook his head.
"I want you to see."
He turned the screen toward me.
There was a message from Tiana.
It had been sent two weeks earlier.
I read it.
Then I read it again.
My hands turned cold.
The message said:
Don't tell Marcus your dad sends money. If he knows, he'll stop paying for your things, and we won't be able to finish our plan.
I looked at Jayden.
"What plan?"
His face crumpled.
Then he whispered, "Mom said we were saving for something special."
My heart pounded.
"What something?"
Jayden swallowed.
"A house."
I stared at him.
May you like
Then he added the words that made my stomach drop.
"She said it was going to be our house. Not yours."
