They had met in high school, and Kyle had never regretted marrying her when they were just nineteen. He considered himself old-fashioned, proud that Lisa was the only woman he had ever been with. He trusted her completely and never imagined she might doubt him.
When Kyle landed and gathered his luggage, he scanned the crowd, expecting to see Lisa’s familiar face—but she wasn’t there. Assuming she had been delayed by work, he sent her a quick text saying he was heading home but received no response. Taking an Uber, he arrived at their house an hour later.
The lights were on inside, but Lisa was nowhere to be seen. Kyle stepped into the kitchen—and froze. On the table was a bassinet, with a small arm waving aimlessly. He stepped closer. A baby? On his kitchen table?
Beside the bassinet lay a folded note. Kyle opened it to find two letters—one written in a messy, unfamiliar scrawl, the other in Lisa’s elegant handwriting. The first note read:
“You had your fun, now take responsibility for your child.”
Lisa’s note was even more devastating:
“Kyle, I found this baby on our doorstep yesterday with the attached note. I always suspected you cheated during your trips, but I didn’t make a fuss—I had my own flings too. But this? Dropping someone else’s baby on me? I’ve filed for divorce. I hope I never see you again. P.S. I only left when I saw you walk up the drive. Enjoy your life—I’ll certainly enjoy mine.”
Shocked, Kyle sank into a chair. He had never cheated on Lisa. He couldn’t understand how this had happened. The baby made a soft coo, and Kyle reached out his finger—only to have the infant grasp it tightly.
“Well, little one,” he murmured, “it’s just us now. And I have no idea what to do with you.”
The baby gurgled again, scrunching her face and turning red. A whiff confirmed it—diaper duty. Kyle spotted a large bag on the floor, filled with supplies. He quickly looked up a tutorial on how to change a diaper, fumbling his way through the process as the baby squirmed.
Once cleaned, Kyle realized the baby was a girl. “I may not know much about girls,” he told her, “but I can teach you to ride a bike.”
That moment, he made a decision: he would raise this child. He fed her formula and rocked her to sleep, thinking, “You need a name. How about Celeste? Or Lily…”
Kyle registered Lily as his own and enrolled her in daycare. Her birthday became the day he found her. Life settled into a routine—until Lily’s second birthday, when everything changed.
A woman knocked on his door. “I’m here for my baby,” she said. Kyle stared. Tall, blonde, and clearly the product of cosmetic surgery, she explained:
“I left her here two years ago? Sorry, I was stoned, and my boyfriend lives nearby. It was a mistake. You understand, right?”
Kyle responded icily: “I don’t know how anyone could leave their child behind. I suggest you move away before I call the police.”
Angrily, she retorted, “I realized a week later, when Burt stopped answering my calls, but now I need that baby.”
“Why?” Kyle demanded.
“Because Burt just signed a major league contract,” she smirked. “That baby guarantees I’ll get a piece of the money.”
She left, but Kyle knew she’d be back—and she was. Soon, he found himself in family court, fighting to keep Lily. Cherish Vegas, as the woman was called, had teamed up with Burt, a ballplayer with Lily’s same blue eyes. They claimed custody, but it was clear Cherish was more interested in the money than in Lily.
At the hearing, Cherish cried and claimed to regret her youthful mistakes. The judge, however, saw through her. When asked what her daughter’s name was, Cherish faltered. “Uh… she’ll have her father’s last name,” she stammered.
Kyle stood. “Your honor,” he said. “This little girl is my daughter. I’ve loved her since the day she came into my life, and she loves me.”
Lily, playing nearby, looked up and called out, “Daddy!”—spreading her arms toward him.
The judge smiled. “Well, it seems the most important person in this case has made her decision. I dismiss all custody claims and confirm Mr. Greenbecker’s adoption of Lily.”
That night, Kyle and Lily celebrated in the backyard, chasing fireflies. Lily pointed to the sky. “Stars!” she said. Kyle smiled. She was his brightest star.