“I’ll get another mug for him.”
“Thanks.”
Dan came in a few minutes later. His magnetic personality and dark good looks drew the attention of every person in the diner. Smiling, he slid in across from her. “Nice to see you.”
“You, too. Thanks for making the time.”
“I was in bad need of some caffeine.”
“And a grilled corn muffin.” Rebecca put the muffin on the table and poured his coffee.
“I might be a bit of a regular,” Dan said with a sheepish grin.
“Anything to eat, Hope?”
“I’m good. Thanks, Rebecca.”
“Just when we thought we had this all worked out, huh?” Dan said as he devoured the muffin like he hadn’t eaten in weeks.
“I know! I can’t believe he’s throwing this at us at the last minute, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“You have a lot of anger toward him, and rightfully so. But asking a man, even one who’s made huge, terrible, unforgivable mistakes, to sign away his paternal rights—permanently—is a big deal.”
“So, you’re not surprised by this.”
“Not as much as you are. I’ve seen it before in cases like this, with a parent asked to do the right thing by their kid balking at the last minute.”
Hope’s stomach ached with worry. “Do you think he’ll still go through with it?”
“He’s already agreed to Paul adopting Ethan. This is one final step to get us where we want to be.”
“I spoke to a friend about it, and she said it ought to be Ethan’s decision.”
“I tend to agree with your friend. He’s old enough at this point to have some say in it.”
“Ugh.” Hope dropped her head into her hands, filled with despair at the thought of having to broach this subject with her son. “I hate that this is happening. Why can’t he just leave us alone to live the lives we had to make for ourselves after he ruined everything?”
“All I can say is that you’re asking him to legally terminate his paternal rights, and he’s agreed to do so. Him asking to see Ethan once is a request, not a demand. I think that matters.”
“Why do you have to be so sensible about this?”
Dan laughed. “That’s my job—to get you to the finish line as painlessly as possible. This isn’t what you wanted to hear, and I’m sorry about that, but it’s nothing more than a wrinkle.”
“It’s going to be way more than that if it upsets my son’s happy new life. Or mine.”
“Don’t let it, Hope. He’s asking for an hour with Ethan. After that, he’s out of the picture for good. That seems like a small price to pay toward the ultimate goal.”
She agreed with him intellectually. Emotionally, however, the thought of seeing him even once was appalling to her. “I’ll talk to Paul and Ethan.”
“Let me know what you decide.”
“If we say no, do you think he’ll stop the adoption?”
“If it comes from Ethan, I don’t see that happening. He’s asked to see his son. If his son doesn’t wish to see him, he can’t exactly force him, especially with you having sole custody. Can he get vindictive and decide to withhold support of the adoption? Yes, that’s possible, but from what his attorney has told me, he’s concerned about Ethan’s best interests.”
“Then he ought to leave him alone.”
“I think he will. After he sees him.”