One evening, I agreed to look after my best friend’s son and that night changed my life forever. What I discovered made me see my surroundings in a completely different light. How can I now cope with the revelations that have shattered my trust in those closest to me?
My best friend, Kelly, asked me to look after her 8-year-old son, Thomas. I was thrilled because my husband, Ryan, and I had been thinking about having a child ourselves.
Kelly was only 24, but she had given birth to Thomas when she was just 16. She moved from another state when Thomas was born because she was bullied at school.
Kelly and Thomas had been through a lot, and I admired her strength and dedication to her son. However, Ryan never liked Kelly. He couldn’t understand why I agreed to babysit Thomas.
“I don’t see the problem,” I told Ryan while packing my things. I was getting ready to go to Kelly’s and stay overnight with Thomas. Kelly had a work event, and her company had rented a cabin out of town.
She didn’t plan to go because she had no one to leave Thomas with, but I convinced her to go and relax while I took care of him.
“Why are you looking after someone else’s child for free?” Ryan asked, clearly annoyed.
“Thomas isn’t just any child, and Kelly is my friend. I want to help her,” I replied, trying to keep my voice calm.
“Why doesn’t she just hire a babysitter?” Ryan continued, his frustration growing.
“Not everyone can afford a babysitter, and besides, it’s a stranger staying overnight in your house with your child,” I explained.
“You don’t even know how to look after kids; you didn’t have younger siblings,” Ryan pointed out, his tone sharp.
“First of all, Thomas isn’t a baby; he’s already 8. Secondly, this is a great opportunity to practice. You said you were considering having a child yourself,” I reminded him, feeling a bit defensive.
“Yes, but—” Ryan started to say.
“But what?” I cut him off. I walked over to him and put my arms around his neck. “It’s just one night, and I don’t understand why you’re reacting this way. By the way, you and Thomas are very similar. Or are you really unable to stay without me?” I teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Ryan finally smiled. “I married you so I’d never be apart from you. And now you want me to let you stay overnight with another man?” he joked back.
“The man is eight years old, and you’re a big boy who can sleep one night without me,” I replied, laughing.
“Alright, go,” Ryan said with a sigh, finally giving in.
I kissed him on the lips. “I would have gone anyway, but thanks for your permission, sir,” I joked, trying to keep things light-hearted. Ryan rolled his eyes and then kissed me back.
Twenty minutes later, I parked my car near Kelly’s house. Thomas ran outside to meet me. He jumped into my arms as soon as I got out of the car.
“Hey, little man, ready to have fun today?” I asked him, lifting him up.
“Absolutely,” Thomas replied, his eyes shining with excitement. “We’re not going to sleep all night!” he shouted.
“I don’t think so,” Kelly said, stepping outside with a smile.
“Oh, mom,” Thomas groaned, rolling his eyes.
“Of course,” I said, giving him a playful wink. “Thomas will be in bed by nine.” He smiled widely, his enthusiasm undiminished.
I grabbed my bag from the car, and we all went inside. The house felt warm and welcoming, filled with the familiar smell of Kelly’s cooking.
“You have no idea how grateful I am, Amanda,” Kelly said, giving me a hug.
“It’s no trouble at all. When was the last time you had a break?” I replied, setting my bag down.
“Don’t ask me that, or I’ll have a crisis,” Kelly joked, trying to look serious but failing.
“I’m really happy to do it. Thomas is a great kid,” I assured her.
“I hope I feel the same when I get back,” she said with a laugh, knowing she would miss him anyway.
“By the way, how did Ryan react to you babysitting Thomas?” Kelly asked with curiosity in her eyes.
“Strangely, he tried to talk me out of it until the last minute. I don’t know what got into him,” I said, shaking my head.
“Men,” Kelly replied with a shrug, understanding all too well.
“Alright, go already. We’ll handle everything,” I said, giving her a little push toward the door.
“Stop it, or I’ll feel like you’re trying to steal my child. You can, of course, but return him in a week. I’ll start missing him,” she teased, laughing.
“Kelly,” I said, rolling my eyes at her drama.
“Okay, okay. I’m leaving,” she said, finally grabbing her coat.
Kelly kissed Thomas and said goodbye to me, thanking me again. As I closed the door behind her and turned around, I saw Thomas standing there with a big smile on his face.
“Well, adventurer. Ready to have fun?” I asked, my excitement matching his.
“Yes!” Thomas shouted, his enthusiasm filling the room.
“Alright, what should we do first?” I asked, clapping my hands together.
“Can we play my new game?” Thomas asked, eyes wide with hope.
“Of course! Show me where it is,” I said.
Thomas grabbed my hand and led me to the living room. He pulled out a colorful board game from the shelf. We spent the next hour laughing and playing, the house filled with the sound of our fun.
In the evening, after several dozen games, a few meals, and Thomas’s boundless energy, I was sitting on the couch in front of the TV, feeling more exhausted than ever.
I couldn’t imagine how Kelly had the energy to do this every day. Thomas was sound asleep beside me, although he had sworn he would stay up to watch the movie and then some.
His little body was finally still, his breathing even and soft. I looked at his peaceful face and smiled, feeling a wave of affection for him.
I carefully got up from the couch, not wanting to wake him, and picked Thomas up to carry him to his room. He felt heavier than I expected, but I managed to carry him upstairs.
When I laid Thomas in his bed, his shirt lifted a bit, and I saw a familiar birthmark, just like Ryan’s. I stared at it for a moment, my heart pounding.
I thought it was a strange coincidence, but the longer I looked at Thomas, the more similarities I saw with Ryan. The shape of his nose, the curve of his chin—it all started to make sense in a very unsettling way.
I went downstairs, my mind racing. I grabbed the spoon Thomas had used for ice cream earlier, put it in a bag, and tossed it into my purse.
I hoped I was just imagining things, but it would explain Ryan’s odd behavior and Kelly’s question about his reaction. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this story.
I couldn’t sleep all night, my mind replaying the events of the evening and my discovery. When Kelly returned the next day, I quickly left, not trusting myself to keep calm.
When I got home, Ryan wasn’t there; I remembered he was meeting friends that day. I went into the bathroom and collected Ryan’s hair from the floor, my hands shaking. I decided not to wait and went straight to the clinic.
I handed over the spoon with Thomas’s DNA and Ryan’s hair and ordered a paternity test. The clinic said it would take a week to get the results. I sighed but had no choice.
I spent the entire week anxious, waiting for the DNA test results. Ryan couldn’t understand why I was acting so strangely, and I didn’t want to tell him anything because if I was wrong, he’d think I was crazy.
I avoided his questions, making up excuses for my nervousness. Every time my phone buzzed, my heart would race, thinking it might be the clinic.
Finally, one evening, while checking my email, I saw a message from the clinic. My hands trembled as I clicked on it. Taking a deep breath, I opened the email.
Underneath the data I didn’t understand, I saw what I had been waiting for: “Probability of paternity 99.9%.” My heart sank, and my head started spinning.
How was this possible? I felt a wave of emotions—anger, betrayal, confusion. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
I decided not to wait and resolved to deal with it right then. So, I texted Kelly and asked her to come over. I needed answers, and I needed them now.
As I sat there, waiting for Kelly, I tried to prepare myself for the conversation that was about to happen.
When Kelly arrived, I sat her and Ryan on the couch and placed the laptop in front of them. They looked at me, confused.
“What’s this?” Kelly asked, her brow furrowing.
“A paternity test,” I said, my voice steady. “For Thomas and Ryan.”
“WHAT?!” Ryan shouted, jumping up. “How did you…?”
“It doesn’t matter how I did it,” I said, cutting him off. “What matters is that you’re Thomas’s father, and I want to understand how this happened and why you didn’t tell me.”
“It was eight years ago,” Kelly said quietly.
“Don’t you dare,” Ryan warned, his voice low and threatening.
“So, you knew? You knew from the beginning of our friendship that my husband is the father of your child?” I asked Kelly, my voice shaking.
Kelly nodded meekly, tears in her eyes.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
“Because it didn’t matter. You and Ryan are happy, and Thomas and I are fine,” Kelly said, her voice trembling.
“It doesn’t matter? You two deceived me! How long have you known?” I asked Ryan, turning to face him.
“Why do you need to know?” Ryan said, avoiding my eyes.
“Answer me!” I shouted, my anger boiling over.
“Since I first saw Kelly and Thomas with you,” Ryan replied, his voice barely a whisper.
“Oh my God,” I said, feeling like the ground had been pulled out from under me.
“Amanda, it happened in high school. We were both kids, and Ryan didn’t even know about Thomas’s existence until we started being friends,” Kelly said, trying to explain.
“Why? Why didn’t you tell me everything right away?” I asked, feeling tears prick in my eyes.
“I was afraid of losing you,” Ryan said, his voice full of regret.
“You’re more likely to lose me now because of the lies, not because you have a son,” I said, my voice breaking.
“I’m sorry. We thought it was best for everyone,” Kelly said, tears streaming down her face.
“I can’t believe I was so blind all this time,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.
“Please forgive us,” Ryan begged, his eyes pleading.
“What happens next?” I asked, my mind racing.
“In what sense?” Ryan asked, looking confused.
“Thomas deserves to know who his father is,” I replied, my voice firm.
“No, wait, I—” Ryan began, but I interrupted him.
“You weren’t in his life for eight years. It’s the right thing to do for you to become his father now,” I said, feeling a strange sense of calm.
“Do you want me to leave you?” Ryan asked, his voice full of fear.
“What? No. You’re still my husband, and I hope you’ll remain so after I calm down. But Thomas deserves a father. You have no idea how wonderful he is; Kelly has done a great job,” I said, feeling a pang of sadness.
“So maybe we should ask Kelly if she’s okay with it?” Ryan said, looking over at Kelly.
“Kelly?” I looked at her hopefully.
“I don’t mind, but we need to do it gradually,” she said, her voice soft.
“Yes, of course,” I agreed, nodding. “I’m still very angry with both of you, but we’ll figure it out.”
Kelly and Ryan looked at me sadly, their faces full of regret. I thought about how quickly life could change and how much we had to move forward together, step by step. We had a long road ahead, but we would face it together.
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