His entire life crumbled when he was accused of fathering a child abandoned on his doorstep.
After spending a year working on an oil pipeline in Alaska, Kyle Greenbecker was finally heading home to his beautiful wife. He had never once regretted marrying Lisa when they were just nineteen, back in high school.
Kyle might have been a bit old-fashioned, but he took pride in the fact that Lisa was the only woman he had ever been intimate with. He had never wanted or needed anyone else. He believed Lisa trusted him completely—and she had every reason to.
As he stepped off the plane, luggage in hand, Kyle joined the stream of passengers flowing into the arrivals hall, his eyes scanning the crowd for Lisa’s face. But she wasn’t there.
He figured she’d gotten caught up at work, maybe dealing with an emergency. He quickly sent her a text to let her know he was on his way home, but she didn’t reply. He called an Uber and arrived at their house within the hour.
The lights were on, but Lisa wasn’t in the living room. Kyle walked toward the kitchen—and stopped dead in the doorway.
There, resting on the kitchen table, was a bassinet. A tiny arm was moving gently within it.
Kyle stepped closer. Inside the bassinet was a baby. A real baby. The infant stared up at him with wide, curious eyes, and Kyle, stunned, stared back.
Next to the baby was a folded sheet of paper. He picked it up and opened it. The first note, written in an unfamiliar hand, read:
“You had your fun, now take responsibility for your child.”
Underneath it was another note—this one in Lisa’s elegant handwriting.
Kyle, I found this baby on our doorstep yesterday, along with that note. I’ve always suspected you were unfaithful during your business trips. I never confronted you because I had my own affairs while you were gone. But this? Dropping a baby on me? This is where I draw the line.
I’ve already filed for divorce. I don’t ever want to see you again.
I waited until I saw you pulling into the driveway before I left. Don’t worry about the baby.
I plan to enjoy my life now, Kyle.
Kyle sank onto a chair, burying his face in his hands. This couldn’t be happening. He hadn’t cheated—ever. This child wasn’t his.
A soft gurgle drew his attention. The baby was cooing.
Kyle reached out instinctively. The baby grasped his finger with surprising strength.
“Well, kid,” he murmured. “Looks like it’s just you and me. And I have no idea what I’m doing.”
The baby cooed again, then turned red and scrunched up her tiny face. Kyle immediately caught a whiff.
“Oh man,” he groaned. “You need a diaper change, huh?”
Looking around, he spotted a large bag beside the table, stuffed with zippered pockets. Inside, he found diapers—and an overwhelming array of baby supplies.
He pulled out his phone, searched how to change a diaper, and watched a YouTube tutorial where a woman demonstrated on a doll.
Kyle tried to follow along, but nothing went smoothly. Unlike the tutorial doll, the real baby flailed her legs and squirmed in her dirty diaper. Still, Kyle managed to get her cleaned up. That’s when he realized the baby was a girl.
“I’m definitely not qualified to give you dating advice,” he told her solemnly, “but I can teach you how to ride a bike.”
It was in that moment Kyle realized—he didn’t want to let her go.
He gently picked up the freshly changed baby, holding her close. “You need me,” he whispered. “And I think… I need you too. What do you say, kiddo?”
Kyle returned to YouTube to figure out how to mix formula, then fed the baby as she nestled in his arms.
“You need a name,” he said thoughtfully. “How about… Celeste? Or maybe Lily…”
He settled on Lily. Unexpectedly, Kyle adapted to fatherhood better than he could have ever imagined. Lily had her tantrums, sure—but they found their rhythm.
He officially registered Lily as his daughter and enrolled her in daycare. He celebrated her birthday on the day he had found her.
But everything came crashing down again on Lily’s second birthday.
A woman knocked on his door.
“I’ve come for my baby,” she said.
Kyle stared at her. Tall, blonde, overly thin, and clearly enhanced with plastic surgery.
“Your what?” he asked.
“My baby,” she repeated. “I left her here two years ago? I was high, and my boyfriend lived just a block away. I must’ve gotten confused. You understand, right?”
Kyle replied coldly, “No, I don’t. I’ve never left a child on someone else’s doorstep. If I were you, I’d think about moving. Or I’ll call the police.”
The woman scowled. “Look, I realized I made a mistake like a week later—when Burt stopped answering my calls. But now I want my baby back.”
“Why now?” Kyle asked, voice rising. “What changed?”
“Well,” she said with a smirk, “Burt just signed a contract with Major League Baseball. And that baby? She’s my ticket to a few million dollars in child support.”
Kyle slammed the door. But he knew this wasn’t over.
A week later, he was summoned to family court. The woman—Cherish Vegas—had filed to overturn Lily’s adoption.
Kyle was hit with court orders, surprise visits from Social Services, and uncomfortable questions from friends and coworkers. Cherish was relentless in her pursuit of Burt’s fortune.
At the hearing, Kyle handed Lily to a social worker and entered the courtroom. Cherish was there—alongside a tall man with Lily’s same blue eyes. Burt, no doubt.
Cherish sobbed dramatically, claiming she’d only left Lily because of her “wild college years,” and had always missed her.
The judge, unimpressed, flipped through her documents.
“In your care?” she said. “You mean abandoned on Mr. Greenbecker’s porch, correct, Miss Vegas?”
Cherish blushed. “I’m still her mother! No one can take that away.”
The judge turned to Burt. “Sir, are you the father?”
Burt stood. “I… guess I am.”
The judge narrowed her eyes. “Are you prepared to raise this child?”
Before Burt could answer, Cherish interjected, “He just signed a three-million-dollar baseball contract—”
“Aha!” the judge interrupted. “Now we’re getting to the truth. Miss Vegas, what is your daughter’s name?”
Cherish looked confused. “Name? Well… she’ll have her father’s last name, I guess.”
Kyle stood. “Your Honor, may I speak?”
“Go ahead, Mr. Greenbecker.”
“Lily is my daughter. From the moment she came into my life, I have loved her. And she loves me.”
Just then, Lily, playing with the social worker’s necklace, spotted Kyle and squealed, “Daddy!” reaching out her arms.
The courtroom fell silent.
“Well,” said the judge, “it appears the most important voice has spoken. I hereby dismiss all custody claims from Miss Vegas and Mr. Burt, and affirm Kyle Greenbecker’s adoption of Lily.”
That evening, Kyle and Lily chased fireflies in the backyard.
“Stars!” Lily giggled.
Kyle looked at her, heart full. She was his brightest star.