I stared at the words.
“Antonio?”
He nodded.
“We adopted her.”
I stared at the words.
He said they’d begun the adoption process more than a year earlier.
Hayden had been in foster care after losing her mother to illness. Her father wasn’t in her life.
Ashley and Antonio had spent months getting to know her.
The adoption had become final two weeks before Ashley returned my tie.
Her father wasn’t in her life.
“She’s legally our daughter,” Antonio said.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Ashley wanted Hayden to settle in before meeting more family. Then she wanted to surprise you at the wedding.”
I looked at the photo.
“Where is she?”
“With my mom. She’s having trouble understanding what happened to Ashley.”
“Where is she?”
I returned to the letter.
“Dad, I wanted you to walk me down the aisle first. I wanted that moment for us. Then, we introduce you to Hayden. I’ve told her about the paper tie and everything about you. She asked if grandpas were like dads.
