Part 32 (2/2)
Tammy did some typing and a Web site came up. ”First of all, your mother wasn't a . . . well . . . what that guy said. She was a really sweet girl named Dora. She was just sixteen when she got pregnant by her high-school boyfriend. She was being raised by her elderly aunt and uncle, and they insisted she give her baby-you-up for adoption.”
”Are you sure? How do you know all that?” Dirk asked.
”I kinda hacked into some files I wasn't supposed to. Once I had her name, I found some blogs where she'd posted messages. Dirk, she's been searching for you for years.”
”Really? She has?” This time, Dirk didn't pretend it was fuzz in his eyes. Tears spilled down his cheeks, and he didn't bother to wipe them away.
Savannah stepped up behind him, put her hands on his shoulders, and kissed the top of his head.
”Yes, she has,” Tammy said. ”So has your father.”
”My father?”
”Yes, her high-school boyfriend. As soon as they graduated, they ran off together and got married. They live in Seattle and have three other grown kids. Two sons and a daughter,” Tammy told him.
”Oh, honey,” Savannah said, starting to cry herself. ”That means you have brothers and a sister of your own!”
”They're quality people, Dirk. They really are,” Tammy told him. ”And they want you. They've always wanted you. Would you like to see their pictures?”
He couldn't even speak. He just gave a quick nod.
With a few more clicks, Tammy had filled the screen with photos of his family: a father, who looked remarkably like him, a pretty lady, with kind eyes, and three siblings-all with a striking family resemblance to him and to each other.
”Your parents just recently retired,” Tammy said. ”Your mom was a registered nurse for twenty-five years. And you're not going to believe what your dad did.”
A few more clicks and the picture on the screen was of a young man, who could have been Dirk, in a policeman's uniform.
It was too much. Dirk was simply overwhelmed.
He turned in his chair toward Savannah and buried his face in her chest. She held him tightly as he wept against her.
”It's all right, darlin',” she said, stroking his hair. ”This is such good news. Everything's gonna be all right.”
Finally he regained some of his composure and turned back to Tammy. ”Have you . . . have you contacted them yet?”
”No, of course not. It had to be your decision. But I have everything here for you, if you choose to-their addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses. I printed out the blogs where your mother posted messages looking for information about you. You can read them first, if you want to.”
Dirk leaned over, grabbed Tammy, and gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. ”Honey, you don't know what this means to me. You'll never know. But thank you. Thank you so much!”
Tammy smiled at him sweetly. ”You're welcome. I tease you a lot, but you know I love you.”
”Yeah. I'm kinda fond of you, too.”
He ruffled her hair and stood, though he seemed to have wobbly knees. ”Gee whiz,” he said. ”I go from being a grumpy old bachelor, living in a house trailer with n.o.body, to having a wife, two cats, a man cave, and two families. What am I gonna do with all of ya?”
Savannah wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed away the tears from his cheeks. ”That's easy, babycakes. You're gonna love us, and fight with us, and tolerate us, and annoy us, and occasionally enjoy us. You know . . . the way other families do.”
He smiled, and it was one of the few times Savannah had ever seen Dirk truly, deeply happy.
”It sounds good to me,” he said, holding her so close it took her breath away. ”In fact, baby, it sounds very, very good to me.”
ISBN: 978-0-7582-7651-3.
Books by G.A. MCKevett.
Just Desserts.
Bitter Sweets.
Killer Calories
Cooked Goose.
Sugar and Spite
Sour Grapes
Peaches and Screams
Death By Chocolate.
Cereal Killer
Murder a' la Mode.
Corpse Suzette
Fat Free and Fatal
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