Page 27 of The One Who Changed Everything

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I checked to make sure Mr. Henley was out of sight before I pulled it out. A text message illuminated the screen.

Evan: I want to meet Sophia. Tomorrow.

His words, short and direct, felt more like a command than a request. My heart raced, and the device in my hand suddenly seemed as heavy as the decision it carried.

I closed my eyes, summoning the strength that had carried me through countless challenges before. "Tomorrow," I echoed, the word hanging in the air like a verdict.

Tomorrow?

I wasn’t ready.

But it didn’t matter. The time for hiding had passed.

For thirteen years, I’d built a life where it was just Sophia and me. I’d fought through exhaustion, scraped by when money was tight, and carried the weight of every decision alone. I had never let myself wonder what it would be like to have help—to have someone else carry even a fraction of the burden. Because there had been no one.

And now, suddenly, there was.

Evan.

A man who had been absent, not by choice, but by manipulation. A man who had spent years searching for me while I had spent years convincing myself I had done the right thing by keeping him in the dark. Why had God brought Evan to Minden after all these years?

I wasn’t just afraid of his involvement—I was kind of angry that it was even an option now. Where had he been when I stayed up nights trying to soothe a fever? When I had to choose between paying for groceries and fixing our car? When Sophia asked,Why don’t I have a dad like the other kids?

And now, just like that, he wanted to spend time with her.

My stomach twisted. How was she supposed to react? She didn’t know him. He was a stranger. Would she be excited? Hurt? Would she resent me for keeping him from her?

I swallowed hard and sank onto the large, stuffed chair I used for story time, my fingers gripping the phone as if it couldsomehow give me answers. Evan wasn’t just passing through Minden. He washere. And if I knew anything about him and his family, it was that they didn’t back down.

Neither did I.

But this time, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to fightforsomething oragainstit.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, my mind racing through a dozen ways to respond. I could say no. I could tell him Sophia wasn’t ready. But the truth was,Iwasn’t ready.

And I wouldn’t let him blindside her before I knew exactly what he wanted.

Samantha: Not happening. We meet first. Just us. Tonight.

I hit send before I could second-guess myself.

The response came almost immediately.

Evan: Where?

I blew out a breath. At least he wasn’t arguing.

Samantha: The Bistro. 8 PM.

It was neutral, public, and familiar. And it gave me a few hours to pull myself together.

The coffee shop was quiet when I arrived, the usual evening crowd thinning as closing time crept closer. I spotted Evan immediately through the window. He was sitting at a small booth in the corner, back straight, eyes scanning the room. He looked like a man on a mission.

I squared my shoulders and walked inside.

His gaze locked onto mine the moment I stepped through the door. There was something in his expression—determination, maybe a hint of wariness, but also something deeper. Something I wasn’t ready to name.

He gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit?"

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