Kyle Greenbecker had spent a year working on an oil pipeline in Alaska, and he was finally on his way home to his beautiful wife, Lisa. They had met in high school, and Kyle had never once regretted marrying her at nineteen.
Maybe he was old-fashioned, but Kyle took pride in the fact that Lisa was the only woman he’d ever been with. He didn’t need anyone else and never even imagined she’d doubt him.
When his plane landed, Kyle collected his luggage and walked out with the other passengers, scanning the crowd for Lisa’s familiar face—but she wasn’t there to pick him up.
“Maybe she got caught up at work,” he thought. He quickly texted her to let her know he was on his way home, but didn’t get a reply. He hopped into an Uber, and about an hour later, he was walking up to his front door.
The lights were on in the lounge, but Lisa wasn’t there. He made his way into the kitchen and froze in the doorway. On the kitchen table was a bassinet—and a tiny arm waving aimlessly in the air.
Kyle took a step closer. There, in the bassinet, was a baby, staring up at him with wide, curious eyes. He was too stunned to react at first.
Then he noticed a folded paper on the table beside the bassinet. He picked it up and unfolded it, revealing a note in handwriting he didn’t recognize: “You had your fun, now take responsibility for your child.”
The other letter, written in Lisa’s elegant script, read:
“Kyle, yesterday I found this child on our doorstep with that note attached. I’ve suspected you cheated on me during your trips, but I never held a grudge. I’ve had my own flings while you were away. However, saddling me with someone else’s child is too much. I’ve filed for divorce, and I hope I never see you again.
P.S. I waited until I saw you arrive before I left. Enjoy your life, Kyle. I know I’m going to enjoy mine.”
Kyle sat down, head in his hands. He couldn’t believe it. This baby wasn’t his, he’d never cheated on Lisa. He couldn’t wrap his head around what was happening. A soft cooing brought him back to reality.
The baby was waving her tiny hand in the air. Kyle reached out, and to his surprise, the baby grabbed his index finger with remarkable strength.
“Well, baby,” he said, “I guess it’s just us two. I don’t know what to do with you!”
The baby cooed again and then scrunched up her face, turning bright red. “Oh my God!” Kyle exclaimed. “What’s happening?” A certain smell quickly gave him the answer.
Yep, it was diaper time. But was there even a diaper? On the floor next to the table was a large backpack with several snap pockets. Kyle dug through it and found an assortment of items, including diapers.
He quickly Googled how to change a diaper and followed along with a YouTube video where a woman demonstrated the process using a life-like doll.
Things didn’t go as smoothly as he’d hoped. The doll in the video didn’t kick or wiggle its legs like the baby in front of him. After some trial and error, Kyle eventually cleaned her up, realizing she was a girl. “I don’t know anything about girls,” he muttered.
“I won’t be giving you dating advice,” he told the baby solemnly. “But I can teach you how to ride a bike.”
In that moment, Kyle knew what he had to do. He was going to keep this baby.
He picked up the freshly diapered girl and said, “You need me, and I guess I need you too. So, how about it, kid?”
Kyle turned to the YouTube guru again, following her instructions to prepare the formula. He settled the baby in the crook of his arm for her feed.
“You need a name, you know that? How about… Celeste? Or maybe Lily…”
If anyone had told Kyle that he would embrace fatherhood so easily, he would never have believed it. Lily had her moments, of course, but somehow things worked out.
Kyle officially registered Lily as his daughter and enrolled her in daycare. He considered her birthday to be the day he found her. But on her second birthday, Kyle’s world took a sudden turn.
A woman knocked on his door.
“I’ve come for my baby,” she said.
Kyle was taken aback. She was tall, blonde, and thin, with large, obviously augmented breasts.
“Your what?” Kyle asked.
“My baby!” she snapped. “I left her here two years ago. Sorry about that, but I was a bit stoned, and my boyfriend lives on the next block over, and I got confused. You know how it is.”
“Sorry, I don’t know how that is. I’ve never abandoned a child on anyone’s doorstep,” Kyle said coldly. “I’d suggest you leave now, or I’ll call the police.”
“Look, I made a mistake, okay? A week later I tried to reach Burt, but he wouldn’t take my calls. Now I need that baby back.”
“You need her?” Kyle’s anger grew. “What exactly do you need her for?”
“Burt just got a Major League contract,” the woman said. “That baby’s going to make sure some of those millions land in my bank account!”
Kyle ran her off, but he had a feeling this wouldn’t be the last he saw of her. He was right. A week later, he was summoned to family court. Miss Cherish Vegas was contesting his adoption of Lily.
Suddenly, Kyle was overwhelmed with injunctions, social worker visits, and questions from friends and co-workers. Cherish was relentless in her pursuit of the baby, convinced that Lily’s connection to Burt’s new baseball contract meant big money.
Finally, the day of the hearing arrived. Kyle nervously handed Lily over to the social worker and entered the courtroom. Cherish was there, of course, with a tall man—Burt, the alleged father.
Cherish sobbed and told the judge how much she loved and missed her baby, claiming her wild college days led her to leave Lily with Kyle.
The judge looked down at the papers in front of her. “By ‘in his care,’ you mean ‘on his porch,’ isn’t that right, Miss Vegas?” she asked.
Cherish blushed, her voice rising. “I’m still her mama! No one can take that away from me!” she shouted.
The judge turned to Burt. “And you, sir, are the father?”
Burt stood up awkwardly and muttered, “I guess I must be…”
The judge narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you prepared to take on parental responsibilities for this child?”
Cherish interjected. “Of course he is, judge! He just signed a three million dollar contract to play ball!”
“Oh!” the judge said, raising an eyebrow. “Well, now the truth is out! Tell me, Miss Vegas, what name did you give your daughter?”
“Name?” Cherish asked, confused. “Why, she’ll have her daddy’s name, of course, since he’ll be paying child support!”
Kyle stood up, his voice calm but firm. “Your honor,” he said, “my daughter’s name is Lily, and she has her father’s name—mine. Since the moment she came into my life, I’ve loved her, and she loves me.”
Just then, Lily, who had been playing with the social worker’s necklace, looked up and noticed Kyle standing. “Daddy!” she cried, reaching out her arms.
“Well,” the judge said with a smile, “I believe the case has been decided by the principal party. I hereby dismiss all claims of custody and confirm Kyle Greenbecker’s custody and adoption of Lily Greenbecker.”
That night, Kyle celebrated his victory in court with Lily, and the two of them spent the evening catching lightning bugs in the garden. “Stars!” Lily shouted, but for Kyle, the brightest star of all was his little girl.