Chapter 88 Annabelle
Annabelle
Annabelle sat on a bench at the beach and gazed ahead at the water.
It was unseasonably warm for late November, and she relished the feel of the sun on her face.
She had suggested meeting here, somewhere neutral, somewhere with no walls, a space where neither of them would feel closed in.
She was giddy with anticipation, and her pulse raced with anxiousness.
She looked up as a figure in a white hoodie and blue jeans approached from the shoreline.
She held her breath for a moment, waiting to see if it was him.
As he got closer, she saw that it was Lucas.
Her son. It took everything she had not to run toward him and pull him into her arms, but she held herself back.
He stopped a few feet from where she sat.
“Are you Annabelle?” he asked.
That hurt, even though, of course, he wouldn’t call her Mom. She nodded. “Hi, Lucas. Thank you for coming.” She rose. “Shall we walk?”
He nodded, and together they moved closer to the water and strolled for a few moments in silence. Finally, she spoke. “I know this isn’t easy for you. I’m so sorry for everything you’re going through with your mother.”
“It’s not your fault. I still can’t believe what she did. I’m just really glad my dad was cleared. She told me that you didn’t want me. That you were the one who switched the babies. But Dad told me your husband did it.”
What other lies had that hateful woman spun? “I would never have done that. I had no idea you were alive. I have missed you every day of my life, Lucas. Losing you was the worst thing that ever happened to me. I want you to know how much I love you.”
He looked over at her and held her eyes. “Scarlett showed me the letter you wrote to me. I went to meet her the day Mom was trying to take me to Paris.”
She was touched. Scarlett was doing everything in her power to make them a family. She had been the one to convince Lucas to finally agree to meet Annabelle.
“Can I be honest with you, Lucas?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s so hard for me not to give you a big hug. I know I’m a stranger to you, but I was the first person to ever hold you. And I loved you from the moment I saw you. When I look at you now, I see my mother in your eyes. And I feel such a pull.”
They both stopped walking and stood looking at each other. Finally, he nodded. “Okay.”
“Okay?” she asked.
“You can give me a hug.”
She put her arms around him, but his hung by his side. Tears sprang to her eyes and she was filled with warmth. Slowly he lifted his arms and hugged her back. She held on until he let go, not wanting to be the first to pull away.
“Thank you,” she said. They started to walk again.
“Are you going to take me from my dad?” he asked.
“No, sweetheart. I’m not going to do anything to make you unhappy. I would love, though, to be able to see you sometimes. And I’d love for you to get to know your sisters. Do you think that’s possible?”
“Do you mean like partial custody?”
“No, nothing formal. I meant if you could come over and hang out sometimes. I mean, of course, you are welcome anytime and if you ever wanted to spend more time, we would love that.” She didn’t want him to think she didn’t want him.
“We want to see you as much as you want, and you don’t have to decide anything right now. ”
Annabelle could see the relief on Lucas’s face, and it pained her. The last thing she wanted was for him to dread her or be afraid of her. “It’s going to take awhile for things to settle down. But your dad and I can work everything out between us.”
“I love my dad. I’m sorry for all you’ve been through, but I want to keep living with him. I hope you get that. I’m not trying to be mean or anything, but I don’t know you.”
She realized it was unrealistic for her to have expected him to feel an immediate bond simply because of their genetic one.
She had known about him. Had carried him, held him when he was born, thought about him over all these years.
How would Scarlett or Olivia react if they were in his shoes?
“I understand. I would never try to take you from your father. I’m only hoping you have room in your heart for more family. ”
“I need some time to figure it all out. I told Scarlett we could hang out sometimes, and I do want to meet Olivia. I’ve always wanted a brother or sister. So that’s kinda cool.” He smiled, and Annabelle’s heart exploded. All she wanted was to see him keep smiling.
“I promise you, we’ll go at your own pace.”
“Okay.”
They walked some more in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
Annabelle glanced over occasionally at the miracle walking beside her.
She was grateful that at least he had been loved and cared for so well by Chase.
The damage from Tara was unknown, but she would do her best to help him heal.
It could be so much worse. And she knew in her heart that over time, Lucas would come to feel the connection between them.
He would be her son again. There was nothing she could do to make up for the years they had lost, but she was grateful for the chance to fill the future with new memories.