Their child therapist, Dr.
Nia Morgan, helped me choose simple language.
We showed them a photograph of Nathaniel from the airport and explained that some grown-ups hadn’t shared important information at the right time.
“Is he a grandpa?” June asked.
“No,” I said.
“He’s your biological father.”
Hazel considered that.“Like how everybody has a birthday?”
“Sort of,” Dr.
Morgan said gently.
“It’s a part of where you came from.
It doesn’t change who loves you.”
Rose asked whether he knew about whales.
I told her we could find out when everybody was ready.
The parentage test later confirmed what the dates and their faces had already suggested.Nathaniel was their biological father.
I felt an odd combination of vindication and grief when Simone called.
The result answered one question, but it couldn’t restore four years of missed bedtime stories.
Nathaniel began with a short meeting at a public family center, accompanied by a specialist.
