“Is he in trouble?”
I hesitated.
“He’s made a mistake.”
Greta frowned.
“Everybody makes mistakes.”
I brushed a strand of hair from her face.
“That’s true. But when we make mistakes, we have to tell the truth and take responsibility.”
She considered this.
Then she asked, “Can he still come to my camp show on Friday?”
I didn’t know what to say.
Because despite everything, Owen had promised to attend.
And Greta had been looking forward to it for weeks.
“We’ll talk about that later,” I told her.
She nodded and hugged me again.
When I returned to the office, Owen was still there.
He stood when I entered.
I took a deep breath.
“You’re going to tell me everything. No more missing pieces.”
He nodded.
“And you’re going to give me time to decide what happens next.”
“Of course.”
“Most importantly, you’re never going to make a decision about Greta behind my back again.”
“I promise.”
I looked at him for a long moment.
Then I said, “Promises aren’t enough anymore, Owen. You’ll have to show me.”
The next few weeks were difficult.
Owen gave me copies of everything he had about Daniel.
Old photographs.
Letters.
Records of the years they’d been in contact.
He also agreed to speak with a family counselor so we could work out how to tell Greta the truth in a way she could understand.
I didn’t forgive him immediately.
There were days when I couldn’t even answer his calls.
But there were also nights when Greta asked why Owen hadn’t come over to fix the squeaky kitchen cabinet, or why he hadn’t called to hear about her swimming lessons.
I realized something uncomfortable.
I could be furious with Owen and still recognize that his love for my daughter had been genuine.
Both things could be true.
We eventually told Greta that Owen had known her biological father and had kept that information secret.
We didn’t burden her with every adult detail.
We answered her questions honestly.
At first, she was angry.
Then she was sad.
Then she asked whether Owen had only been nice to her because of Daniel.
I will never forget the expression on his face when she asked that.
“No, Greta,” he said, kneeling in front of her. “I was nice to you because you’re you. You’re funny and brave, and you always try to help people. I should have told your mom the truth. I’m sorry.”
