The divorce was finalized three months after Liam was born. Mark was arrested at his mom’s house in Ohio two weeks after he left the hospital, extradited back to Oregon, and pled guilty to felony theft and misdemeanor child endangerment to avoid prison time. He was sentenced to three years probation, 100 hours of community service, mandatory domestic violence classes, and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution plus $1,850 a month in child support until Liam turns 18. He got a job at a gas station outside of Cleveland, can barely make his payments. The judge denied him any visitation rights at all until Liam turns 10, and even then, only if he completes all his probation requirements and stays out of trouble. Chloe doesn’t ever plan to let him meet Liam, anyway.
Six months after Liam was born, Eleanor is sitting on her back porch, holding him in her lap as he chews on a plastic teething toy, giggling at the seagulls flying over the ocean. He’s 12 pounds now, chubby and happy, with Chloe’s blonde hair and big gray eyes. Chloe comes out of the house with two glasses of iced tea, sitting down next to Eleanor on the porch swing, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I got a promotion today,” Chloe says, smiling. “They’re giving me a 20% raise. I can put a down payment on a little house here by the end of the year.” “Your grandma would be so proud of you,” Eleanor says, kissing Liam’s forehead. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t showed up that day,” Chloe says, her voice soft. “I thought my life was over. I thought I was gonna lose Liam.” “Nah,” Eleanor says, smiling as Liam grabs her finger, squeezing it tight. “Moms always show up. No matter what. Always.”
The sun is setting over the Pacific, painting the sky pink and orange, and Liam giggles, waving his chubby little hand at a butterfly fluttering past the porch. For the first time in three years, everything feels perfect.
