Tessa.
Nathanâs fiancĂ©e.
Our sonâs fiancĂ©e was arranging secret dates with my husband? I knew that I had to see it with my own eyes.
The next day, I watched until Jason left the house at 5 P.M.
I got into my car and followed him. I parked outside the restaurant, where Jason jumped out of his car and hugged Tessa, who was waiting outside, scrolling on her phone.
I could see them clearly through the large windows. There they were, sitting across from each other, laughing, heads close.
I felt sick.
My breath came in short, choppy gasps.
What the hell was this?
And then, to make it worse, Jason reached out and took her hand, his expression softening in a way I hadnât seen in a long time.
That was it.
I couldnât sit there and watch them share a secret that was tearing me apart.
If this was killing me, what would it do to Nathan?
I threw open the car door, marched right into the restaurant, and stopped in front of them, crossing my arms as I glared at them both.
Jason looked up, shock forming all over his face.
âLilyâŠâ
âWhat is this?â I demanded, my voice barely holding together as my eyes darted between him and Tessa.
âIâm your wife, for goodnessâ sake, Jason! And you! Youâre my sonâs fiancĂ©e!
Are you both out of your minds?â
Tessaâs eyes widened; she looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here. I could feel every eye in the restaurant on us, but I didnât care.
Jason stood up, almost knocking over the bottle of wine that had been delivered to the table as I walked in.
âLily, wait, this isnât what you think it is!â he said, his hands hanging limply at his side.
âOh, itâs not?â I shouted, crossing my arms. âBecause it looks an awful lot like youâre seeing your sonâs fiancĂ©e behind my back.â
Tessaâs lip trembled as she looked down.
She looked like a sad child who just wanted a hug.
âLily, sit down, please,â Jason said. âIâll tell you everything.â
I stayed standing, eyes locked on him, waiting for any explanation that could possibly make sense.
Jason looked at Tessa, then back at me. Tessa nodded and sighed.
âThis is difficult to explain, Lil,â he said.
âButâŠTessa is my daughter.â
His words hit me like a physical blow.
âWhat?â I shouted. âHow? When?
What?â
Jason lowered his head, taking a long breath.
âLily, I only just found out myself,â he said. âI didnât know I had a daughter. But Tessa and I took a DNA test two weeks before she got here.
The results came in yesterday. Sheâs mine.â
I looked over at Tessa, whose face was red, her eyes misty. She nodded slowly.
âItâs true.
IâŠI wanted to tell Nathan when we found out, but I didnât know how. My mom saw a photo of your whole family on socials. She wanted to see if she could get a âvibeâ from you guys before letting me come here without her.
She recognized Jason.â
The poor girl sniffed.
Jason took over from her, his voice wavering.
âTwenty years ago, before I met you, Lily, I dated someone briefly. She left suddenly. She moved to another state, but I never heard from her again.
I had no idea she was pregnant. It turns out that she was in another relationship, and when she eventually found out that she was pregnantâŠâ
âShe told my dad that I was his,â Tessa finished off.
âTessa didnât know I existed until Amanda saw that family photo. Not until recently.â
âUntil recently?â I whispered.
I felt dizzy, the edges of the world blurring.
âSo, Nathanâs dating his sister,â I asked.
Tessa put her hand over her mouth, and Jason reached for my hand, his touch gentle and comforting now that I knew he wasnât having an affair.
âWeâre going to tell him tonight. I wanted to talk to you first, Lily, but you saw us here before I could. We just wanted to get our story straight first.â
I sank into a chair, finally.
I couldnât speak; I could barely breathe. For years, Jason and I had been inseparable, sharing everything. And now this?
This felt like an impossible nightmare that I couldnât comprehend.
But.
If I was being honest, this didnât really change things.
It did, but it didnât.
Because.
I couldnât have children myself, so both Nathan and Sophie were adopted as babies and raised as our own. There was no biological connection between Tessa and Nathan.
But I knew this would still break my sonâs heart. My mind raced through all the horrible scenarios that could unfold.
The heartbreak Nathan would feel, and the chaos that this could cause for our family. But looking at Tessa, I saw her pain and confusion, a young woman caught in a secret she hadnât chosen.
âIâm sorry, Lily,â Jason whispered. âIâm so, so sorry.
We didnât mean for this to happen.â
That night, we gathered as a family in our living room, the gravity of the moment pulling the air tight around us.
I watched as Jason and Tessa shared the truth with Nathan, watching as his face shifted from confusion to shock.
He sat silently, staring at Tessa, his fiancée, the woman he planned to marry.
âYouâre my sister?â Nathan asked, his voice hollow.
âIn theory, Nate!â Jason chimed in. âRemember, youâre adopted, son. There is no connection biologically.
Weâre just so sorry that you both had to endure this. Especially at the beginning of your lives togetherâŠâ
âHow long have you known?â Nathan asked, ignoring Jason.
âTwo weeks. Since my mother agreed to me coming over for the weekend,â she said.
The pain and conflict in my sonâs face were almost too much to bear, but slowly, he took a breath, running his hand over his face.
I just focused on the peace lily on the coffee table.
âI need time, Tessa,â he said. âThis is a lot.â
But he held Tessaâs hand, squeezing it gently as though to assure her that, somehow, they would get through it together.
Later that night, I sat on the porch, trying to wrap my thoughts around everything. I know that nothing between Jason and me changed, well, not really.
I still think he should have told me, but he hadnât contacted Tessaâs mother.
So, how was he to know?
But what about Nathan and Tessa now?
âMom?â Nathan asked from behind me. âCan I sit with you?â
âOf course, you can,â I said, scooting over.
âWhat do I do?â he asked. âI mean, really?â
âDoes this change anything?â I asked.
âAsk yourself honestly.â
âNo,â he said quietly. âIt should, shouldnât it? But it doesnât.
Tessa only knows who Dad is, but she doesnât know anything about him. Not really. Theyâre basically strangers.
But weâre in love and happy.â
âThen fight for your fairytale, son,â I said. âI just want you to know that Iâll support you through all of this. Itâs not Tessaâs fault either.â
âYou know, I never thought Iâd say this,â Nathan said, looking amused.
âBut thank God Iâm adopted!â
He started laughing, and before I knew it, I was laughing along with him.
In the weeks that followed, Nathan and Tessa chose to stay together despite everything, deciding that the bond theyâd built wasnât something they wanted to lose.
And as their wedding approached, I saw something new in Jason. There was a deeper gratitude for a daughter heâd never known and an even greater love for Sophie, who he started giving more attention to.
Now, Iâm a stepmom and mother-in-law to Tessa, which isnât as wild as it sounds. But one thing is for sure: that sweet girl completes this family.
What would you have done?
Source: amomama
