Melisande stopped next to her Mustang, stiffened, but didn’t turn around. The warmth of Griffin reached her as he stood behind her.

“Melisande, please, don’t go.”

She drew in a long breath and let it out in a slow exhale before turning around. Her eyes locked with Griffin’s. “Why should I stay?”

He scuffed a boot in the dirt. “Because I’m sorry … sorry for leaving the way I did, sorry for cutting off all contact.” His eyes moved to Adora, who was looking at him. He stepped toward Melisande, his focus on Adora. “Sorry I didn’t know about our little girl, Adora. Where did you get the name?”

“In Greek it means ‘gift’. In Old German it means ‘beloved’, and in Latin it means ‘adored’. And even though you deserted me, I wasn’t going to turn my back on the precious gift you gave me, even if it did take me awhile to accept that my pregnancy was a gift instead of a mistake. You see, even though what we did was wrong, God doesn’t make mistakes, and He had a purpose in giving Adora to me.”

His eyes still on Adora, his voice cracked as he asked, “May I hold her?”

A moment passed. Then Melisande said, “Talk to her. Then reach for her and see if she responds well.”

Griffin slid his palms down his thighs, then he leaned closer to Adora. “Hi Adora. It’s so very nice to meet you.”

Adora smiled and cooed.

Griffin held his hands out in front of her. “Would you like to come to me?”

Adora bounced on Melisande’s hip, waved her arms up and down, and squealed. Then she reached out to Griffin.

Griffin took her and placed her on his hip, his gaze never leaving her face. When she babbled something, then smiled up at him, his lips spread into a wide grin. He faced Melisande and said, “I think she likes me.”

“Yeah, well, at her age, she’s a pushover.”

His grin slipped. “Will you come back inside and … stay? Give me another chance?”

A knot formed in Melisande’s stomach, even as her heart skipped a beat. Was she wrong in coming here? She studied Griffin and Adora. Their hair color and skin tone were an exact match. Even Adora’s smile matched Griffin’s. She had a right to know her father.

She met Griffin’s gaze. “Yeah. We’ll stay for a little while. See how things go.” She strode past him and led the way up the porch steps to the front door. She opened it and let Griffin carry Adora in as she followed.

It would be so easy to let Griffin into her heart again, but she’d have to fight that. He’d have to prove himself to her, for her sake, but especially for Adora.

NOTE: I’m thinking of ending the story here. Let me know, in the comments, if you’d be satisified with this ending.