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I don’t think I could deal with my part in that Jake died, and I left…I was responsible

“…but Suzanne, she nancy test, and it was positive”

I feel like my heart has dropped into my stomach “I left you to deal with this alone I…If I’d known”

“I know that now,” she says quickly, “but at the tiht you didn’t love me”

“That wasn’t it,” I snap, needing her to know “I loved you I still love you, Sandy Nothing will change that Nothing you can say will make it different…”

“You can’t know that,” Sandy says, shaking her head, but she continues regardless as though she wound herself up like an old-fashioned toy, and now she’s going to speak until the end of her planned speech “I didn’t knohat I was going to do, and then Suzanne askedher adopt the baby”

“Adopt?” I shakesink in “You had the baby? You didn’t terminate it?”

Sandy turns to ht? No, I didn’t have a terirl…and I let my sister adopt and raise her”

“You had a little girl I’m a father?” My hand reaches out to touch Sandy’s knee It’s an auto such overwhel news

Sandy nods, and then her face falls, and she shakes her head “Sophie has a father…my sister’s husband She has a mother…my sister Suzanne I’m her fun Auntie San San…” Her body seeave her up, and I know…I know you’re not going to be able to forgive me”

“Forgive?” The word drops out of myher for doing what she had to because I wasn’t there to support her? If I need to forgive so to be me “I have a child, Sandy We have a child” My voice is breathy and filled with awe and it’s enough to make her turn and stare at me

“You don’t hate me?”

“For what?”

“For not being there for you?”