Kyle Greenbecker had spent a long, grueling year working on an oil pipeline in Alaska, but at last, he was going home. Home to his wife, Lisa, the love of his life. They had met in high school, fallen madly in love, and married young. Kyle had never once regretted it.<\/p>\n
Unlike some of his colleagues, who partied hard and had flings during their business trips, Kyle had always been faithful. He had eyes for only one woman. He couldn\u2019t wait to see her, to hold her again after so many months apart.<\/p>\n
As his plane touched down, Kyle eagerly grabbed his luggage and stepped out into the busy terminal, his eyes scanning the crowd for Lisa\u2019s familiar face. But she wasn\u2019t there.<\/p>\n
Odd, he thought. Maybe she got stuck at work.<\/p>\n
He quickly sent her a text: \u201cJust landed! Can\u2019t wait to see you. On my way home.\u201d<\/p>\n
No reply.<\/p>\n
Shrugging off a strange feeling in his gut, Kyle hailed an Uber. The drive home felt longer than usual, and his excitement was now tinged with unease. Something didn\u2019t feel right.<\/p>\n
When he finally reached his house, he saw that the lights were on.<\/p>\n
\u201cLisa?\u201d he called as he stepped inside. No answer.<\/p>\n
Then, in the kitchen, he froze.<\/p>\n
On the kitchen table sat a small bassinet. A tiny hand waved in the air, a soft cooing sound filling the room.<\/p>\n
Kyle blinked. What the hell\u2026?<\/p>\n
Slowly, he approached, staring down at the infant inside. Big, innocent eyes stared back at him, round and astonished.<\/p>\n
A baby.<\/p>\n
On his kitchen table.<\/p>\n
His heart pounded as he noticed a folded piece of paper next to the bassinet. Hands shaking, he picked it up. There were two notes\u2014one written in an unfamiliar scrawl and another in Lisa\u2019s delicate handwriting.<\/p>\n
The first note read: \u201cYou had your fun, now take responsibility for your child.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kyle\u2019s stomach twisted.<\/p>\n
Then, he unfolded Lisa\u2019s letter.<\/p>\n
Kyle,<\/p>\n
Yesterday, I found this baby on our doorstep with that note attached. I always suspected you cheated on me during your business trips, but I let it slide because, honestly, I had my own flings while you were away. But this? Dumping someone else\u2019s child on me? That\u2019s too much.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve filed for divorce. I hope I never see you again.<\/p>\n
P.S. Don\u2019t worry about the baby\u2014I made sure to leave only after I saw you walking up the driveway. Enjoy your life, Kyle, because I certainly plan to enjoy mine.<\/p>\n
Kyle felt like the air had been punched out of his lungs. He sat down, head in his hands, struggling to breathe. His wife had left him. For something he didn\u2019t even do.<\/p>\n
A soft cooing sound made him lift his head. The baby reached out, grabbing his index finger with surprising strength.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, kid,\u201d Kyle muttered. \u201cLooks like it\u2019s just us now. And I have no idea what to do with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The baby gurgled, then her face scrunched up. She turned bright red. A second later, Kyle\u2019s nose was assaulted by a very distinct smell.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh my God,\u201d he groaned. \u201cIs this\u2014? Oh no.\u201d<\/p>\n
He spotted a large backpack on the floor, stuffed with baby supplies. Digging through it, he found diapers. Thank God for that.<\/p>\n
He fumbled with his phone and searched, \u201cHow to change a diaper.\u201d A YouTube video popped up, and Kyle watched carefully as a cheerful woman demonstrated on a life-like doll.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright,\u201d he muttered. \u201cHow hard can it be?\u201d<\/p>\n
Turned out, very hard. Unlike the motionless doll in the video, this baby kicked her legs, wiggled non-stop, and somehow managed to plant her tiny feet right into the mess. Kyle gagged as he wiped her clean.<\/p>\n
When he finally got her fresh and dry, he sighed in relief.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, baby girl, you win. I\u2019m keeping you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He scooped her up in his arms. She yawned, then nestled against him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need a name,\u201d Kyle murmured. \u201cHow about\u2026 Lily? Yeah. I like that. What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n
The baby yawned again and smacked her lips.<\/p>\n
\u201cLily it is,\u201d Kyle decided.<\/p>\n
For the next two years, Kyle dedicated himself to raising Lily. He legally adopted her, enrolled her in daycare, and celebrated her birthday on the day she had come into his life. He adored her. And Lily adored him.<\/p>\n
Then, on Lily\u2019s second birthday, his world shattered.<\/p>\n
A sharp knock at the door.<\/p>\n
Kyle opened it to find a tall, thin blonde woman standing there. Her fake lashes were long, her lips plump, and her body clearly enhanced by a plastic surgeon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve come for my baby,\u201d she announced.<\/p>\n
Kyle stared. \u201cYour what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy baby,\u201d she snapped impatiently. \u201cI left her here two years ago? My bad. I was kinda stoned and got mixed up. My boyfriend lived on the next block, you know how it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kyle\u2019s blood boiled. \u201cNo. I don\u2019t know how it is because I would never abandon a child on a stranger\u2019s doorstep.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman huffed. \u201cLook, I figured it out a week later, but my boyfriend wasn\u2019t answering my calls. But now? I need that baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kyle\u2019s jaw clenched. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBurt just signed a Major League contract. And that baby? She\u2019s gonna make sure some of those millions land in my account.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kyle slammed the door in her face.<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t over.<\/p>\n
A week later, he was served court papers. Cherish Vegas\u2014Lily\u2019s so-called mother\u2014was suing for custody. The battle was brutal.<\/p>\n
In court, Cherish played the victim. \u201cI\u2019ve changed! I just want my baby back!\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge frowned. \u201cYou mean the baby you abandoned on a porch?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cherish flushed. \u201cI am her mother!\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge turned to a towering man next to her\u2014Burt, no doubt. \u201cSir, are you the father?\u201d<\/p>\n
Burt scratched his head. \u201cI guess I must be\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd are you prepared to take responsibility?\u201d<\/p>\n
Cherish jumped in. \u201cOf course he is! He just signed a three-million-dollar deal!\u201d<\/p>\n
The judge sighed. \u201cThere it is. The truth.\u201d She turned to Kyle. \u201cMr. Greenbecker?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kyle stood. \u201cYour honor, my daughter\u2019s name is Lily. And she does have her father\u2019s name\u2014mine. I\u2019ve loved her since the moment she came into my life, and she loves me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right then, Lily spotted him. \u201cDaddy!\u201d she squealed, reaching out her arms.<\/p>\n
The judge smiled. \u201cWell, that settles it. Custody remains with Mr. Greenbecker.\u201d<\/p>\n
That night, Kyle and Lily celebrated by catching fireflies. \u201cStars!\u201d Lily giggled.<\/p>\n
Kyle hugged her tight.<\/p>\n
She was his brightest star of all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Kyle Greenbecker had spent a long, grueling year working on an oil pipeline in Alaska, but at last, he was going home. Home to his wife, Lisa, the love of his life. They had met in high school, fallen madly in love, and married young. Kyle had never once regretted it. Unlike some of his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26864"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26865,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26864\/revisions\/26865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newzdiscover.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}