A single man who wanted to raise children badly gets his chance when someone leaves him a basket containing a baby girl — imagine his shock when he discovers who her mother is years later.
Paul Matthews knew the benefit of hard work; he was a workaholic from San Francisco, California, where he was the head of a tech company he built from scratch.
The company was doing well, but he soon started to feel lonely, after which he realized that his focus on his company’s growth had left him no chance to do any socializing.
He first had the thought at 30, but it had not mattered much then. When he clocked 42, it was all he could think about.
“Come now Paul, that happens to everyone. People usually assume their lives are over once they hit a certain age and I think it’s normal for you to be worried about it. Don’t lose your cool though, you still have a lot of time,” Dr. Liv Weaver, his therapist, told him when he opened up to her.
“You talk like it’s so easy to put yourself out there,” Paul muttered.
“It’s not, and it’s not something you can force. But what I will say is that when you meet the right person, falling in love is as natural as the first snow in winter. Who was your last girlfriend anyway?”
“Her name was Rose. We haven’t spoken in months. We shared a lot of similarities theoretically because we are both professionals in tech. But when it came down to it, we couldn’t work,” Paul replied.
“Precisely. You forcefully entered a relationship with a woman you thought would be suitable. That’s all I’m saying, Paul. You can actively put yourself out there, but what happens after has to flow naturally. Or else, it won’t work at all,” Dr. Weaver told him.
Paul knew what the doctor said made sense, but he was an ambitious man, and patience was not his strong suit. He turned it over in his mind as he drove home.
He was still thinking about it when he pulled into his driveway and got out of his vehicle. He had just taken a few steps forward when he noticed a basket in front of his door.
As he moved closer, he saw that it contained a lot of blankets. He was wondering how it got to be there when he suddenly saw the blankets move, and he heard a baby’s whimper.
“What?” he thought. “Someone left a baby on my doorstep?” He parted the blankets, and sure enough, there was a tiny little child with enchanting blue eyes staring up at him.
Paul went on his knees and started making cooing noises at the baby, who stared at him tearfully with her tiny hands uplifted, begging to be picked up.
“I can’t leave her out here,” the man thought. So he took the basket inside and carried the child.
“There. There. It’s ok, sweetheart. You’re fine, I got you.”
To his surprise, the child stopped crying, and even though he didn’t plan to, Paul fell in love with the little girl. Still, he knew he would have to alert the cops; she was still very young, so she would be quickly adopted.
“Would I be allowed to take her in, though?” he wondered, but it seemed implausible that social services would let a single workaholic man raise a child.
He resolved to try. “The worst they can do is rule me out,” he told himself.
That decided, Paul called the non-emergency line and spoke to a friendly dispatcher. Finally, after an hour, some policemen arrived with a social worker named Tonia.
“Pardon me, madam. Will it be possible for me to adopt this baby?” he asked her specifically.
“Do you have a wife?” Tonia asked immediately, and when Paul revealed he did not, she frowned. “I don’t know, Mr. Matthews. It might be difficult.”
“But this child was abandoned on my porch. There must be a reason for that, right? What if her birth parents return for her?”
“Do you have any idea who might have left this baby here, Mr. Matthews?” one of the officers interrupted their conversation to ask.
“I have zero idea. But my intuition says to keep that baby with me. It’s not something I can explain. Please, Tonia. Is there really no way?” Paul begged the social worker.
“Ok, Mr. Matthews. Why don’t we do it this way; if your story checks out and if no one comes back to claim this baby, we can start the official adoption process,” Tonia conceded.
Paul was grateful, and he thanked her for everything. Tonia took the girl with her until she could be placed more permanently, but Paul didn’t mind; he just focused on preparing to become a dad.
A couple of months later, the paperwork was signed, and Paul officially became her foster parent. Tonia pulled through for him even though many families had wanted the child.
Paul was aware of this, and he promised himself to be the best father a child could ever ask for. Now he just had to pick a name for the kid to go by.
Paul decided on Angel. He wasn’t exactly a religious man, but the child was a gift he believed fell from heaven, and Angel was a fitting name.
Once the paperwork was done, Paul threw himself into his new life as a dad, and even after twelve years passed, he still thanked God for the Angel he sent down to make his life more meaningful.
Paul had been a hands-on father, and the only time he ever needed someone to babysit his Angel, the doting father would employ a nanny service in the area. His housekeeper, Mrs. Jones, also pitched in to help sometimes.
The only issue Paul did not know how to deal with was his daughter’s frequent questions about her mother. He avoided telling her the truth at first and held off on that until she was ten.
On her tenth birthday, he revealed she had been adopted and told her the circumstances that preceded that. She didn’t freak out, but Paul knew she would always have questions about wherever her mother was.
“I’m sorry I don’t have a lot of information on her, Angel. I wish I had more answers for you, but we don’t know who she is because we never met her,” he explained gently.
“It’s fine, Dad. I was just curious. Perhaps when I’m older, she’ll come find me,” Angel said.
“Never say never,” Paul said.
One sunny Saturday morning, Paul was getting ready for an outing when he heard the doorbell buzzing. His housekeeper answered the door and called for his attention downstairs.
“I’m not expecting anyone, who could it be?” Paul wondered as he descended and walked to his front door. He was shocked to see his ex, Rose, standing there.
“Hey, Paul,” she said softly, a nervous smile playing on her lips.
“Rose. Wow, hi. It’s been a minute. What are you doing here?” he asked, shocked by her unexpected visit.
“Yes, it’s been some time. May I come in?” she asked timidly.
“Of course, please. Mrs. Jones, bring us some snacks, please.”
“Yes, Mr. Matthews,” the woman replied and rushed off to the kitchen while Paul led Rose to his living room.
“Ok, now that we’ve gotten pleasantries out of the way, let’s hear your reason for being here. I heard you left town a while after we ended things. What happened?” Paul asked.
“Paul, It’s difficult to say this. But after we split, I discovered I was pregnant,” Rose started, causing Paul to look at her sharply.
“I couldn’t get rid of the baby so I had it, but I had no idea what to do with it. I was an ambitious woman in my 40s. I never saw myself caring for a child. It was all very overwhelming for me and I just couldn’t deal with it. Which is why I did the only thing that came to mind.”
Paul was shocked. If Rose had told him back then that she was pregnant, he would most likely have remained with her, and they would have had the child together.
I wanted a child so badly, and she was pregnant the whole time! Paul thought, incredulously, then he spoke. “You put the child up for adoption? What agency? I know some people in that area. We can track the baby down. Oh Rose, why didn’t you tell me? I would have helped.” He groaned.
If his biological child was out there somewhere, he would locate the kid. His Angel would not mind having a sibling.
“No, Paul! Ugh!” Rose exclaimed in frustration. “I can’t believe you’re so successful because you’re really quite dumb.”
“What?”
“I didn’t give the child up for adoption. I left YOU the baby,” Rose confessed, stunning Paul a third time that night. He just couldn’t believe it.
“You’re saying Angel is my child? Is that the truth?” Paul asked tearfully. He was happy Angel was away at a sleepover.
“It’s the truth Paul. I should’ve told you. It would have made everything easier for you. But the truth is I left her on your porch because I was suffering from postpartum depression at the time. I still can’t believe I did that,” Rose said, crying.
Paul was still shocked, but the resemblance Angel had to Rose was clear. This was great news, but he didn’t know why the woman was coming forward now.
“Ok, I believe you. We’ll take some tests just to be sure, of course. But before all that, tell me why you are here now?” he asked seriously.
“I want to be a part of your life again, Paul. I’d like to meet her and be her mother if I can. Also…,” she began but paused.
“You’re already demanding a lot. What else do you want?” he asked, suspicious.
“I want us to get back together. We’re both in our 50s and I would rather not be alone anymore. Don’t misunderstand. I love being a career woman. But if there’s even the slightest chance I could have a complete family, I have to take it!” Rose confessed passionately.
It was the fourth time Paul was getting shocked by Rose. She was offering him the same thing he had been craving more than a decade ago. He was at a loss for words, but she was not.
“I know it’s a lot to ask. But please consider it. We could be together and continue to raise Angel as a family. However, if you can’t accept that, I’ll take this to court to get my child back if I must,” Rose suddenly said.
Before Paul could say anything else, Rose rushed on. “I’ve got legal proof that I was not in the right state of mind when I left her, and my lawyers believe I can win custody of her—”
Paul cut her short with a dry laugh. There had been a catch after all. “How dare you come into my home spewing such nonsense? A threat?! If you really think you stand a chance in court after 12 years of staying away?! You need a better lawyer!”
“Best to calm down Paul, don’t speak to me like that! That child is MY DAUGHTER!” Rose screamed.
“Did you forget you just told me she’s mine too? You should get out of my house before I call the police, and don’t you ever return!” Paul yelled, pointing at the front door.
Rose gave him a scowl then left without saying another word. After her exit, Paul tried to calm his anger. He knew things could not end like that because Rose really was Angel’s mom.
His daughter had always wanted her mother, and now she could meet her. Paul had no desire to go to court, so he reached out to Dr. Weaver for advice.
The wise doctor urged him to make up with Rose for their daughter’s sake. “She deserves to meet her mother and have a relationship with her. You need to make that happen before things truly go south between you two,” she said.
Paul knew she was right, so he called Rose later on and apologized for his outburst. She also reciprocated by admitting that she went over the line.
“I know it looked like a threat. But I’m just really set on becoming a great mom. Please, Paul, give me a chance,” she begged and cried over the phone.
The two discussed for several hours and decided they would take things slow. Angel would meet her when she was ready, but Paul decided a relationship with her would not happen.
“We can co-parent but nothing more. Our argument today showed me that it’s better that we not try again. Families come in all kinds of forms, Rose. We don’t have to be married to make it work,” Paul told her.
Rose tried to argue, but in the end, she accepted his decision. Then after some time, they ran a DNA test that confirmed they were both Angel’s biological parents, and Paul explained everything to his daughter after.
Angel was a bit hesitant with Rose at first, but Dr. Weaver helped mother and daughter strike a balance. In the end, Paul and Rose co-parented well, and Angel grew up to become an even better success than they were.
Years later, Angel let Paul know he did the right thing. It had been on her wedding day.
“I never expressed my gratitude back then, Dad,” she said. “It must have been tough to learn what really happened back then. You probably hated mom when she told you. But you made it work because you knew I wanted to meet her. Thank you,” Angel told him.
“You’re my child. My only aim after I met you was to make you happy,” he said tearfully as he walked her down the aisle, hoping that the man waiting for her at the altar had the same thing in mind.
