A man is accused of being the father of a baby abandoned on his doorstep, and it costs him his marriage and changes his entire life.
Kyle Greenbecker had spent a year working on an oil pipeline in Alaska, but he was finally coming home to his beautiful wife. He and Lisa had met in high school, and Kyle had never regretted marrying her at nineteen.
He may have been old-fashioned, but Kyle was proud that Lisa was the only woman he’d ever been intimate with. He didn’t need or want anyone else. It never occurred to him that Lisa would doubt him—and with good reason.
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When his plane landed, Kyle collected his luggage and left with the other passengers, scanning the crowd for Lisa’s beloved face, but she wasn’t there to pick him up.
Probably, Kyle thought, he’d been delayed from work by some emergency. He sent her a quick text saying he was on his way home, but got no response. He hopped in an Uber and within an hour was walking toward her front door.
The living room lights were on, but Lisa wasn’t there. He walked into the kitchen and stopped in the doorway, stunned. On the kitchen table was a bassinet, and Kyle could see a small arm flailing aimlessly.
He took a step closer. There was a baby in the bassinet on his kitchen table! The boy was looking at Kyle with that look of wonder babies have, and he looked back just as amazed.
Then she saw a folded piece of paper on the table next to the bassinet. She picked it up and unfolded it. Inside was another piece of paper with a message written in handwriting she didn’t recognize: “You’ve had your fun, now take responsibility for your daughter.”
Meanwhile, the note addressed to him in Lisa’s elegant handwriting read:
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Kyle, I found this little girl on our doorstep yesterday with that note attached. I always suspected you were cheating on me during your work trips, but I didn’t hold it against you; after all, I had plenty of affairs while you were away. But burdening myself with someone else’s child is too much. I’ve filed for divorce and sincerely hope I never see you again.
PS And about the baby, don’t worry, I only left when I saw you coming up the path. Enjoy your life, Kyle, I certainly plan on enjoying mine .
Kyle sat down and dropped his head into his hands. He couldn’t believe this was happening to him. This little girl wasn’t his; he’d never cheated on Lisa, ever! A soft cooing made him lift his head.
The baby was waving her hand in the air, so Kyle brought his hand closer, and to his surprise, the toddler grabbed onto his index finger with incredible strength.
“Well, baby,” Kyle said. “I guess we’re just the two of us, and I don’t know what to do with you!”
The baby cooed and gurgled again, then screwed up her face alarmingly and turned bright red. “Oh my God!” Kyle cried. “What’s going on?” A certain smell quickly made things clear.
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Yes, it was diaper time. But was there even a diaper? On the floor next to the table was a large backpack with several snap-on pockets he’d never seen before. Inside, Kyle found a bewildering array of items, including the diapers.
She quickly Googled diaper changing and watched closely as a woman on YouTube demonstrated how to change a diaper with a doll.
Kyle began to follow her instructions, but things weren’t going so well. The woman’s doll didn’t move its legs or dig its heels into the stinking, nameless contents of the dirty diaper. After cleaning the baby, Kyle realized it was a girl, and he didn’t know anything about girls!
“I’m not going to give you dating advice,” she told the baby solemnly. “But I can teach you how to ride a bike.”
Kyle realized at that moment that he intended to keep that baby.
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He picked up the newly diapered baby and said, “You need me, and I guess I need you, too. What do you think, baby?”
Kyle consulted the YouTube baby guru again to prepare the formula and tucked the baby into the crook of his arm to feed her.
“You need a name, you know that? What do you think… Celeste? Do you like it? Or Lily…”
If someone had told Kyle he’d adjust to parenthood so easily and seamlessly, he never would have believed it. Lily had her moments and tantrums, but somehow things worked out.
Kyle registered Lily as his daughter and enrolled her in daycare. For him, her birthday was the day he found her. But it was on Lily’s second birthday that Kyle’s world came crashing down.
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A woman knocked on his door. “I’m here to get my baby,” she said. Kyle just stared at her. She was tall, blonde, and slim, with enormous breasts that were obviously the work of a plastic surgeon.
“Your what?” Kyle asked.
A true father is one who loves and appreciates his child.
“My baby,” she blurted out. “I left her here two years ago. I’m sorry, but I was a little high, and my boyfriend lives on the next block, and I got confused. You know how it is.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what that’s like because I’ve never abandoned a child on anyone’s doorstep,” Kyle said coldly. “If I were you, I’d leave before I called the police.”
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“Now look here,” the woman said sharply. “I figured I’d made a mistake a week later, when Burt didn’t answer my calls, but now I need that girl!”
“Do you need it?” Kyle asked angrily. “What do you need it for?”
“Burt just got a major league contract,” the woman said. “And that baby is going to make sure some of those millions end up in my bank account!”
Kyle kicked the woman out, but he had a feeling he hadn’t seen the last of her. And he was right. A week later, he was summoned to family court. A certain Cherish Vegas was contesting his adoption of little Lily.
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Suddenly, Kyle was being bombarded with court orders, receiving visits from Social Services at odd hours of the day or night, and his friends and coworkers were being interrogated. Cherish was desperate to get her hands on those millions!
The day of the hearing finally arrived. Kyle nervously handed Lily over to the social worker for the duration of the hearing and walked in. Cherish was there, of course, and a tall man with Lily’s blue eyes was on her side of the courtroom. It could only be the famous Burt!
Cherish cried and whimpered and told the judge how much she loved and missed her baby, and how her wild college days (now past and deeply regretted) had led her to place her in Kyle’s care.
The judge looked at the papers in front of her. “By your care, you mean on your porch, isn’t that right, Miss Vegas?” the judge asked.
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Cherish blushed. “Well, I’m still his mother! No one can deny it!” she cried.
The judge looked at Burt. “You, sir, are you the father?”
Burt staggered to his feet and said, “I guess I must be…”
The judge stared at him. “Are you prepared and capable of assuming parental responsibilities for this child?”
Cherish shouted, “Sure you do, Judge, you just signed a three million dollar contract to play ball…”
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“Oh!” cried the judge. “The truth is finally out! Tell me, Miss Vegas, what did you name your daughter?”
“Name?” Cherish asked, confused. “Well, she’ll have her father’s last name, since he’ll be paying child support!”
Kyle stood up. “Your Honor,” he said. “May I address the court?”
“Yes, Mr. Greenbecker,” the judge said. “Please do so.”
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“Your Honor, my daughter’s name is Lily, and she has her father’s last name: mine. From the moment that girl came into my life, I’ve loved her, and she loves me.”
At that moment, Lily, who had been playing with the social worker’s necklace, noticed Kyle standing up. “Dad!” she cried and held out her arms.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, it appears to me that the case has been decided by the principal,” the judge said. “I hereby dismiss all claims to custody of the child Lily Greenbecker and confirm custody and adoption of Kyle Greenbecker.
That night, Kyle celebrated his victory in the trial, and he and Lily spent the evening chasing fireflies in the garden. “Stars!” Lily shouted. But for Kyle, the brightest star of all was his little girl.
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What can we learn from this story?
- A true father is one who loves and cherishes his child. Kyle took care of Lily and always loved her as if she were his own.
- A heartless woman will use anyone, even her own child, for profit. Cherish didn’t want Lily, she just wanted Burt’s money.
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If you enjoyed this story, you might be interested in reading about a son who learned a valuable lesson in compassion, kindness, and understanding from the way his father treated his mother.
This story is inspired by the daily lives of our readers and was written by a professional copywriter. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images shown are for illustrative purposes only. Share your story with us; it could change someone’s life. If you’d like to share yours, please send it to [email protected] .
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