“Jillian…breathe.” Theo brushed the side of my cheek with his hand. “It’s okay.”
“Well, what about Thomas? What do I say?”
“Tell them the truth.”
I looked up at him, searching for any hesitation in his eyes, but there was none.
“Are you sure?”
He nodded. “I thought about it a lot after you left, and he’s just as much their grandson as he is my nephew. They have a right to know. I know Kate may have had her reasons for not saying anything to anyone, but I don’t think there should be any more secrets. Especially when something or someone can bring happiness to others. Do you?”
I shook my head, then stood on my tippy-toes and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
“Happy birthday, Jillian.” He leaned down and whispered in my ear.
My insides pulsed with contentment just knowing that someone like him even existed. “Thank you so much for bringing happiness to me…just by being you.”
To say Evan’s parents were a basketful of emotions after learning the news was an understatement. After I told them the entire story from start to finish, I too felt as if I had an extreme emotional workout. But in the end it was worth it to see them interact with Thomas, their first and only grandchild. This child who had been a secret for so long had become a blessing to so many. I didn’t think it was possible to admire Theo any more than I already had, but watching the patience and kindness he showed while interacting with Evan’s parents, I found that admiration to explode to a whole new level. I was certain that Evan’s parents had acquired that same respect for him as well and were quite content with him caring for their grandson.
Understandably, they wanted to be a little part of Thomas’ life, and Theo assured them they would be. When I walked them to their car as they were leaving, his mother took my hand and said, “You’re a good girl, Jillian. I know you and Evan had your problems in the end, but you handled this very delicate situation with class and grace. You should be so proud of yourself for that. I’m sure my son is looking down and thanking you for it as well. I wish you nothing but the best.” She braced my shoulders and stared into my eyes. “Theo is a really great guy, and you deserve to be happy.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. She had no idea how much her words had meant to me. It was the next best thing to hearing it spoken from Evan’s lips. The winds of change were set in motion, and instead of going against them, I was going to flow with them, unafraid of any uncertainty that may blow my way. I had faith now that I could handle anything, and if there was something that became too much for me to bear, I had Theo to help guide me through it.
CHAPTER 31
THEO, THOMAS, AND I spent the next few days going on little adventures. Thomas had taken his first official trip into the city. I was hoping it was the first of many to come. We had so much fun walking through Central Park, visiting the Children’s Museum, and of course stopping off at FAO Schwartz. We spent the next day having a picnic at a nearby lake. Thomas expressed a keen interest in swimming when he tried running in the water, getting not only himself but Theo soaked in the process. I laughed so hard, I had tears running down my face. On the way home, we stopped off to buy Thomas a kiddie pool, and I introduced Theo to another must-have experience when in America—Walmart. Thomas spent the rest of the afternoon splashing around in the backyard with the smile never leaving his face. I was finding the smile never fading from my face either when I was with the two of them, and I was loving every minute of it.
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Evan’s parents spent the following afternoon with Thomas, giving Theo and me the chance to hit some antique shops in the area and then take advantage of the beautiful weather by enjoying an outdoor lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. It was then that I revealed to Theo my plans for the following day.
“I don’t think I ever told you Evan donated his organs when he died.”
“No, you didn’t,” he replied, taking a sip of his wine.
“At first, I didn’t even want to think about it. I thought it was kind of morbid to have his body parts functioning in another person’s body when they couldn’t even help keep him alive. I guess I was bitter…angry. But then once I found out about Thomas, I realized the biggest part of Evan lived on, the same way part of him is living on in those people who received his organs.”
Theo listened thoughtfully, giving me time to collect my thoughts and get my emotions in check.
“I’m going to meet two of the individuals who received his organs tomorrow—his heart and his corneas. The transplant coordinator emailed me the letters they each sent. The woman who received his heart is a single mom with three children, who would more than likely be dead and her children left without a mother if it weren’t for the transplant. The cornea recipient served two tours in Afghanistan. He got caught in a roadside bombing and had severe scarring from the burns to his eyes.” I reached for the linen napkin on my lap and dabbed my eyes. “I wanted to see if you’d be okay with Thomas coming along to meet them as well?”
“Of course,” he replied without hesitation, reminding me of why I had fallen so quickly and so hard for him.
“Thank you.” I reached over and squeezed his hand, never wanting to let it go.
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Theo stayed back at my house to participate in a
