We called Tree. I hated telling her, but she didn’t say I told you so. She just got quiet and then said, “Let’s get your profile back in the mix. The right story will find you.”
Maybe. I didn’t know anymore. But I nodded anyway and wiped my eyes.
And we started over. Again.
It was one of those golden, breezy summer evenings where everything felt warm and slow, like time was stretching just for us. The sun was dipping low over the water, casting long shadows across the porch. The cicadas were humming, kids were running barefoot in the grass, and my mom was plating another round of grilled corn while someone passed a bowl of salad around the table.
We were all there—my parents, Austin and his girlfriend, a few of my cousins who came into town for the week. It was a soft, peaceful kind of night. The kind that feels like it shouldn’t be interrupted.
And yet… Travis looked at me, gave a little nudge under the table, and I knew it was time.
I cleared my throat, resting my arms on the picnic table’s edge, and said, “So… we have a story. A we-got-scammed kind of story.”
Everyone sort of looked up at once, forks pausing midair. My dad tilted his head. “Scammed?”
Travis chuckled under his breath and reached for my hand. “Yeah. It’s not funny. But… it’s kind of funny.”
“Only now that we’re on the other side of it,” I added. “We thought we were going to be adopting twins.”
Austin blinked. “Wait, twins?”
We nodded. “Boy and girl. A woman reached out saying she was pregnant and looking for adoptive parents. We thought it was real—she had ultrasound photos, a story that felt… believable. She said she was struggling and needed help.”
My mom’s face fell. She knew what I was saying before I even finished.
“She got some money out of us,” Travis explained gently. “And then disappeared.”
My dad’s jaw clenched. “Did you call the police?”
“We tried,” I said with a tired smile. “But you’d be surprised how slippery this kind of thing is. She never gave us a real name. It was all burner accounts, fake numbers, and photos pulled straight off Google.”
Austin sat back with a heavy breath. “Damn.”
“It wasn’t just the money,” I said, and my voice cracked. I pressed my lips together for a second before continuing. “It was the hope. It was thinking, this might actually be happening. And then realizing we got played.”
No one spoke for a moment.
The kids screamed with laughter somewhere in the backyard. Someone’s sparkler fizzled out near the steps.
Finally, my mom reached across the table and touched my hand. “I’m sorry, baby.”
“I just feel stupid,” I whispered.
“You’re not,” she said quickly, firmly. “You’re just human. You wanted to love a baby. That’s not stupid.”
Travis squeezed my hand under the table. “And now we know. We’ll be more careful. But we’re not stopping.”
I nodded, brushing away a tear with my knuckle. “Tree got our profile back out. We’re doing it the real way now. Through the agency. All the background checks, the paperwork, the wait list. The whole thing.”
“You’ll get there,” my dad said. “And when you do, it’ll be the right kid. The one who’s meant to be yours.”
I smiled at him. It was small, but it felt real.
“I just want to be a mom,” I whispered.
“You will be,” my mom said. “I don’t know when, or how, but you will be.”
The sun slipped below the horizon and the fireflies came out, blinking like tiny stars. And for a moment, with Travis beside me and my family around me, I believed her.
---
Just as I was crawling into bed, hair still damp from my shower and one of Travis’s oversized shirts hanging off my shoulder, my phone buzzed with a FaceTime call.
Kylie’s Chaos Crew 💕
I almost didn’t answer. I was tired—emotionally, physically, the kind of tired that doesn’t have a bedtime. But something in me knew… they’d notice if I ignored it.
I hit accept.
Immediately, the screen exploded with three smiley, wild-haired little girls screaming, “AUNT TAYYYYY!”
I forced a smile. “Hey, my girls. How are my favorite troublemakers?”
“We wanna see the baby!” the littlest one blurted out, her face pressed way too close to the camera.
My heart clenched.
Behind the chaos, I could hear Kylie’s voice—muffled but sharp.
“Dammit—why is there glitter on the—No! Don’t lick that!”
Travis, who was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, popped his head out when he heard the call. I tried to keep my face from changing, but he saw it instantly.
“Aunt Tay, show us the belly!” another chimed in.
I swallowed hard, adjusting the phone a little. I opened my mouth—then closed it.
And then Kylie’s voice came through louder this time. “Girls, stop yelling about the baby—” she paused, “Oh… crap.”
The girls all looked confused for a second.
One of them whispered, “What’s wrong? Did the baby already come out?”
That did it.
I blinked quickly, trying not to let the tears spill over.
“There’s no baby anymore, sweethearts,” I said gently, my voice barely steady. “She was really little, and… sometimes little babies don’t get to stay.”
They didn’t say anything right away. Just looked at me, wide-eyed, trying to process.
Kylie appeared suddenly behind them, her face full of regret and softness. “Hey, girls, why don’t you go brush your teeth? I’ll finish talking to Aunt Tay.”
One of them nodded slowly. “Okay. But tell the baby we love her, even if she’s not here.”
I didn’t even try to stop the tears that time. I nodded. “I’ll tell her. I promise.”
They all waved, and then the screen shifted as Kylie picked up the phone and stepped into the hallway.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, looking just as teary. “They’ve been asking all week, and I didn’t think they’d actually… I should’ve warned them.”
“It’s okay,” I said, voice thick. “They didn’t mean anything by it. They’re just… kids. Hopeful.”
Travis came over quietly, sitting behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. I leaned back into him, holding the phone closer to my face.
“We told the family,” I added softly. “But sometimes it still hits me like no one knows.”
Kylie nodded slowly. “Well… I know. And I’m here. Always.”
I nodded, lip trembling. “Thank you.”
We hung up a few minutes later. I laid the phone on the nightstand and leaned fully into Travis’s chest. His hand found mine, lacing our fingers together over my stomach.
No more baby.
But somehow, still surrounded by love. Even in the hardest places.
Even in the quiet.
YOU ARE READING
Invisible String
FanfictionWe always thought it would be easy - or at least, easier than this. Starting a family was the next chapter we were so ready for. After years of tour buses, locker rooms, sold-out stadiums, and quiet nights tangled up on the couch, we finally looked...
