Page 121 of Fearless

Sean rubbed his face, allowing that knowledge to settle within him. Even though it had once been his dream to discover that the DNA test had been wrong, all of that paled in comparison to the fact that his sweet, precious Emma was alive.

“Does she know about this? Do her parents know?”

“No. Again, the Marstons believed this was an aboveboard, completely legal adoption. No one but you and I know about all of this. I thought you could see her, decide what you want to do, if you want to take it further.”

He looked out the window at the bright blue sky with its white puffy clouds. “She wouldn’t remember me,” he murmured.

“I don’t know,” Serena said softly. “Maybe.”

His throat clogged with emotion, Sean did his best to clear it and then just stopped trying. Serena sat beside him, holding his hand. His brilliant, compassionate wife had done this for him.

Turning back to her, he said thickly, “Thank you.”

“You’re not angry I started digging without telling you?”

Sean shook his head. “I’m glad you didn’t tell me. I would have discouraged you. Told you it was pointless.”

He went quiet again, his mind still racing in a thousand different directions, considering a million different scenarios. But the one big constant—the biggest of them all—was that Emma was alive.

Houston, Texas

The ball game was in progress when they arrived. They’d had to fly around a thunderstorm, which had delayed their arrival by forty-five minutes. The game was at the bottom of the fourth inning when they’d found two empty seats in the front row, close to third base.

Serena had debated with herself on the best way to share all of this information with Sean. It could very well change multiple lives, depending upon how he wanted to handle it. She had gone from thoughts of just giving him the information and letting him make the decision, to actually calling Emma’s parents, explaining everything, and setting up a meeting. In the end, she had compromised by getting Sean in the same vicinity as Emma so he could then decide which direction he wanted to go.

She knew she was being too controlling about the situation. Sean was an intelligent, emotionally mature adult. He wasn’t going to go off half-cocked and do something that would hurt Emma. But Serena was also a wife who wanted to protect the man she loved from further hurt.

The noise of the game was ear-piercing, and the tension was high. The game was tied, and the Blue Jays, Emma’s team, was at bat. The batter hit a midfield grounder and made it to first base. The announcement that the next batter up was Emma Marston jerked Serena upright. But Sean had already spotted her. His eyes were totally focused on the young girl on the sidelines, taking practice swings, limbering up before heading to home plate. The naked emotions running across his face were both heartbreaking and inspiring. There was pain there, yes, but also the purest kind of love as well as immense joy.

With a confident, long-legged stride, Emma stepped up to the plate, positioned herself, and waited for the ball.

* * *

Scooting to the edge of his seat, his body tense, Sean grabbed Serena’s hand and squeezed as he watched the play. His heart pounded as if he were standing on a cliff. Emma—his beautiful, precious Emma—stood only a few yards from him, completely unaware of the presence of the man who had loved and lost her over a decade ago.

She was everything he had ever wanted for her. She looked healthy, confident, and happy. Her concentration was fierce as she waited for the ball. The first one was low and out, and she stepped back, allowing it to go by. There was a large screen above the scoreboard that showed a close-up of her face. He wanted to laugh because she didn’t look the least bit nervous, just confident and incredibly focused. He was the one sweating bullets.

The second ball zoomed toward her. She swung and missed. Undaunted, she stepped back, readjusted, stepped back to the plate. The ball zoomed toward her again, she swung, and the crack of the bat sounded throughout the ball field. The ball soared through the air, but Sean only had eyes for the young athlete who took off running. Two runners before her dashed toward home base. The hit had brought two players home.

Emma rounded second, darted daringly toward third. The right outfielder threw the ball toward third base. Ignoring the cheering crowd, ignoring the possibility of failure, Emma, her face glowing with determination and grit, slid into third base a half second before the ball landed in the third baseman’s glove. She was safe!

Sean blew out a shaky breath. What a play. What a player. What an incredible young woman.

Unable to stop himself, he sprang to his feet and shouted, “Way to go, Emma!”

It was such a dad thing to say.

Emma turned and looked straight at him. Their eyes locked. She smiled, gave him a thumbs-up, and yelled, “Thanks!”

An unexpected choking sob exploded from his lungs. He would relive this moment for years to come. The turn. The smile. Her striking blue eyes meeting his. The thumbs-up. And then, her thanks.

It was everything. It was a gift from above.

And it was enough.

The next batter up hit a long grounder, giving Emma the opportunity to score. He watched as she sprinted to home base, where she was grabbed by several teammates for congratulatory hugs and then disappeared inside the dugout with the rest of her team.

Sean stared at the dugout for several more seconds, allowing things to settle within him. Allowing the monumental emotions rolling through him to coalesce and accept reality. He then turned to the beautiful angel beside him who had made all of this possible. Tears were unashamedly rolling down her face, a trembling smile on her lips and a question in her eyes.