Chapter 1

Before our wedding, my husband promised me again and again that his son from his previous marriage would never interfere with our life together.

But during our first Memorial Day as a married couple, his son showed up at our door.

The boy stood there, soaked from head to toe. He hesitated before asking softly, "Ma'am, can I stay here for a couple of days?"

When I didn't answer right away, he quietly apologized and turned quietly to leave.

I snapped back to reality and quickly grabbed his hand. Smiling, I told him, "This is your dad's home. Of course you can stay."

The skinny, pale boy looked at me, his eyes slowly turning red.

Twenty years later, my stepson bought me a mansion of my own, and his biological mother was green with envy.

*****

After dinner, a gentle knock sounded at the door.

The sound was so faint, I almost thought I was hearing things.

My husband, David Lane, was in the kitchen washing dishes, so I, heavily pregnant, shuffled over and opened the door.

Outside stood a skinny boy, drenched from head to toe, looking anxious and awkward.

I froze for a moment, surprised.

The boy glanced at me nervously and spoke in a small voice, "Ma'am, is it okay if I stay here for a couple of days?"

I didn't react right away, still processing what was happening.

I knew David had been married before and had a son who was already nearly grown.

But his son had always lived with his ex-wife, so I'd never met him.

I never imagined he'd show up suddenly on Memorial Day night.

If he didn't look so much like David, I wouldn't have guessed who he was.

The boy seemed to think I was refusing him, and the hope in his eyes faded bit by bit.

He lowered his head, whispered "Sorry," and quietly turned to leave.

It finally clicked for me, and I quickly reached out to grab his thin wrist. "David is your dad?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah."

I smiled and said, "This is your dad's house. You can stay as long as you want.

"Next time you want to come over, let your dad know. He'll pick you up, so you won't have to get soaked again."

The boy stared at me blankly, his eyes turning red as tears welled up, his voice trembling.

"Thank you," he said.

My heart twisted with sympathy. "No need to thank me. You're soaked. Come inside, quick."

I led him inside. As I was about to call for David, he came out of the kitchen first.

David looked as shocked when he saw Alex. After a long pause, he finally asked, "Alex, what are you doing here?"

His surprise was so obvious, it almost felt like a slap in the face.

Alex, who was already pale, looked even paler.

I glared at David. "Why can't he come to his dad's house?"

David realized he'd messed up and quickly explained, "Alex, that's not what I meant.

"It's Memorial Day, and it's pouring rain in the middle of the night. Why did you come here all by yourself?"

Alex opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

It was obvious he'd had a falling out with his mom's side.

But now wasn't the time to dig into it.

"Alex's clothes are soaked. Take him for a hot shower first. We'll talk about the rest later," I said.

David snapped out of it, grabbed Alex's hand, and headed for the bathroom. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up first."

*****

We didn't have any kid-sized clothes at home.

I dug out a set of David's old pajamas that were a bit too small for him and handed them to Alex.

David looked at me, hesitating, "Honey, I didn't know—"

I cut him off. "Alex must've had a rough time. Focus on comforting him right now. We'll talk about everything else later."

I knew what David was worried about.

Back when we were dating, he promised me his son from his ex wouldn't ever mess up our life together.

Now Alex suddenly showed up, and David was scared I'd blame him for it.

Honestly, I hated trouble, and before this, I really didn't want anything to do with Alex.

But after seeing Alex tonight, I realized maybe I was not as against it as I thought.

David gave me a grateful look. "Honey, thank you."

I sighed softly. "Let's figure out what's really going on first."

David nodded, his face solemn. "Yeah."

Alex looked thin and pale. His clothes hung loose, his pants were too short, and his shoes were practically falling apart. Anyone could tell he hadn't been cared for properly.

Ten minutes later, David came out with Alex.

Alex was still nervous, his voice barely above a whisper. "Julia."

I gave him a gentle smile. "You haven't eaten, have you?"

Alex nodded softly. "Yeah."

David jumped in, "I'll whip up some pasta. For now, grab some cookies and fruit to tide you over."

"Okay." Alex nodded obediently, but he didn't touch the cookies on the coffee table.

I asked, "You don't like cookies?"

Alex's face went pale, and he shook his head fast, almost like he was triggered. "No, I don't like them."

I didn't push him. "That's fine, no worries. Want an apple instead?"

Alex hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."

"Alright, let me peel one for you." I picked up the fruit knife, peeled an apple, and handed it to Alex.

Alex lowered his head, quietly said "Thank you," then took the apple with both hands and nibbled at it in tiny bites.

He looked like he was tasting something rare and precious.

As I watched him, my heart twisted up.

Soon, David came out carrying a plate of pasta, plus some leftover baked chicken from dinner.

"Alex, make do with this tonight. Tomorrow, Julia and I will take you out for a big meal," David said.

Alex looked overwhelmed, shaking his head quickly. "No need. I'm fine with something simple."

I patted Alex's shoulder. "It's me who wants to eat out. You two are coming with me."

David grinned and teased, "We already had plans, and we can't change everything because you're here."

Alex nodded shyly. "Okay."