Page 144 of All We Need

For some, it might be the birth of their children or the day they marry their soul mate.

Not all moments are happy, and it could be the loss of a loved one or being told your days are being cut short.

Every moment teaches us something and builds resilience.

I learned two things today.

The first is that depending on others fortifies you.

By simply having one or one hundred people to turn toward during your time of need is a gift.Asingle word or lengthy talk with one of those people makes you feel invincible.What’smore powerful is they don’t need to be present to bring you solace.Existingis enough.

When my calls toBoothwent straight to voice mail, that old insecurity tried to creep its way in.

Relying on people is more hassle than it’s worth.

You don’t need to involve him in this.

This time, my walls went up for a different reason: to keep those thoughts away.Ididn’tneedto involve him;Iwantedhim there.DependingonBoothdraws out an inner strengthIdidn’t know was possible.

He hasn’t let me down once, and would have been here in a heartbeat.AsIsat in my car, staring at the red truck parked next to me, imagining whatBoothwould say and do gave me the courage to step outside and tap my knuckles against the solid oak door.

The second thingIlearned is thatHarveywanted to be here.

To meet me.

The daughter he never knew existed until today.

“He’s in here,”Martinsays as we stand outside the living room door. “I’llgive you two some space.”

I blink at the door handle.Then, beforeIoverthink it,I’mwrapping my arms aroundMartin’smiddle and squeezing. “Thankyou.Foreverything you’ve done to make this happen.”

He doesn’t move at first, then after a second, he relaxes and returns my hug. “It’syouIshould be thanking,Aly.Hadyou not come toSuttonBay…”Hisvoice catches. “I’mnot sureIwould have ever seen my son again.I’venot only reunited with him, butI’vegained a granddaughter.”

My body stills.

Martin quickly pulls away, head jerking side to side as he mutters, “Sorry.Ididn’t mean to imply we were family or any?—”

“We are family.”Mysmile wobbles, hands tremble, but a new warmth seeps into my chest. “Youmight not be the family that raised me, but you’re the familyI’vebeen lucky enough to gain.”

His distress melts, and the lines in his face deepen with a smileI’venever witnessed before.Thatalone gives me the final dose of courage to walk through the door.

I inhale deeply, close my fingers around the handle, and step inside.

Harvey flies to his feet the secondIenter, almost knocking over a glass of water in his flurry to stand.FamiliareyesI’veonly seen in photos blink back at me as he wipes his shaking hands on his jeans.He’stall, black curly hair disheveled like he’s been pulling at it.

We both stand stock still, studying one another silently.Mymouth is so dry,Iworry sand will pour to the floor whenIspeak.

Thankfully, he speaks first. “You’re…gosh, you’re—”Heclears his throat. “Alessandra.You’reAlessandra.I’mHarvey.”

My heart clenches as he thrusts his hand toward me and then frowns at it with flushed cheeks. “I’mnot sure about the protocol for this type of thing.”

BeforeIknow whatI’mdoing, my hand is in his andI’mshaking it lightly. “Youcan call meAly.”

“Aly.Right, yeah.It’sa beautiful name.”Hissmile is awkward but genuine as our hands drop. “Mywife,Sandra, has gone out to get a pie from the bakery in town.Mart—my dad tells me you live above it.”

My dad.

An unexpected sense of fulfillment hits me.Threelives changed massively today, and if my journey has helped reunite a father with his son, then at least the trials and heartacheI’veexperienced weren’t in vain.

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