herself to meet his gaze, which was full of concern and affection.
“Whatever it says, you’ll be okay.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you’re strong and capable, and nothing in that letter will change those things.”
She nodded, hoping he was right, and took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever she was about to find out.
“Do you want me to read it first?”
“Would you?”
“Of course.”
Amanda handed the two pages over to him.
He quickly scanned the cover letter before turning his attention to the second page. “Oh wow.”
“What does it say?”
“‘Dear Amanda, I’m writing to let you know that a situation has arisen that I didn’t foresee, and in light of our correspondence over the years, I thought you’d want to know. There’s no easy way to say this, but I’m dying.’”
“Oh my God,” Amanda said, gasping.
“‘I’ve been diagnosed with stage-four brain cancer and have been advised to get my affairs in order. As you might imagine, my only concern is for Stella.’”
Amanda tried to process what she was hearing, knowing that Stella’s adoptive father had died when she was seven, but it was too big, too much, and she almost couldn’t hear Landon’s voice over the roar in her own ears.
“‘When we first adopted Stella, I bristled at the idea of having to share her with you, even through periodic updates and photos. I wanted her to be all mine, especially after her father died, but she’s never been all mine. She’s yours, too, and as I got to know you through our letters, I realized how lucky I was to have someone else out there who loves her like I do. Which is why, when I received this devastating diagnosis, my second thought was about you.
“‘As you know, I don’t have a lot of family, and we’ve moved so much due to my job that there really isn’t anyone else I can ask to finish raising my beloved child who would love her and care for her the way I do.’”
By now, Amanda was rocking on the sofa. She’d wanted to shake things up, but she’d never imagined anything like this.
“‘It’s a big ask. I know that. But there it is. I’m asking, and I thought you might want to hear from Stella, too.’”
Landon shuffled the pages and read from the third one.
“‘Hello, it’s me, Stella, and as you know, I’m twelve years old.’”
Stella. Tears filled Amanda’s eyes as the old familiar ache took up residence in her chest.
“‘My mom and I talked about what we should do after we found out why she’s been having so many headaches.’”
Tears ran unchecked down Amanda’s face. She was filled with disbelief and the strangest feeling of hope that made her feel guilty in light of what they were dealing with.
“‘My mom said you gave me up because you were too young to take care of a baby. Because of that, we thought your situation might be different now, and it might be possible for you to take care of a twelve-year-old who is a good student and a good kid. I really am! I do what my mom tells me to do. I work hard in school and get really good grades. I also play soccer and do dance. Before we consider other options, my mom and I decided we should reach out to you. She called the agency, and they agreed to forward our letter to you because of our situation. They said you checked a box on the adoption form allowing contact before I turn eighteen if anything changed for me. I know it’s a lot to ask of anyone, but if you are as interested in meeting me as I am in meeting you, maybe we could start there and see what happens? If not, that’s okay. I understand this is a very big thing to ask of anyone, especially someone who doesn’t even know me! The agency said if you contact them, they’ll put us in touch. I hope to hear from you, but if I don’t, I’ll just say thank you for bringing me into the world. Love, Stella.’”
Oh my God, Amanda thought. Could she be any sweeter or cuter? She wiped away tears that continued to fall. “Can I see the letter?”
Landon handed it to her.
She scanned the loopy, middle-school handwriting and read the letter for herself, devouring every word all over again.
“She seems like a very special young lady,” Landon said.