“She asked me to keep him.”
“For how long?”
“At first? Temporarily.”
Daniel looked at her.
“And now?”
Rachel tightened her arms around Caleb.
“Now I’m his legal guardian.”
Daniel stared.
“You became the legal guardian of a child and didn’t tell me?”
There it was.
The real problem.
Rachel’s expression collapsed.
“I tried.”
“No.”
“I did.”
“When?”
“I told you Melissa was struggling.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“I know.”
“You told me you were helping your sister. You did not tell me there was a baby living in our house.”
Rachel looked at the floor.
Daniel continued.
“You definitely did not tell me I was apparently becoming his father.”
Rachel’s eyes filled.
“I wanted to.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
“Because every time I tried, something happened.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“That’s an excuse.”
“Yes.”
Rachel looked up.
“It is.”
That stopped him.
She was not defending herself.
“I was scared.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Everybody’s scared.”
“I know.”
“I was overseas thinking about coming home to my wife.”
“You were coming home to me.”
“And apparently a son.”
Rachel flinched.
Marcus remained near the doorway, silent now.
Daniel pointed toward him.
“And where does he fit into all of this?”
Rachel looked confused.
“I told you.”
“You said he helped.”
“He did.”
“How much?”
Marcus finally spoke.
“A lot.”
Daniel turned.
Marcus did not look away.
“Rachel had a baby show up in her life overnight. She didn’t know the first thing about custody, daycare, state paperwork, medical coverage, any of it.”
“And you did?”
“My sister works family services.”
Daniel remembered that.