Undecided

Chapter 1

I held the envelope firmly in my grasp that my former best friend had given me a week prior, right before the disappearance that had everyone wondering. Nobody has any idea where, why, or even if the police know anything but won't share.
Inside this white envelope was a letter and stating what only I was trusted with:

I need you to bring my daughter home.

The shock wasn't the fact he trusted me to do this. The shock was that he had a daughter. I'd been best friends with him for 15 years, and only in the last 5 years were we just casual friends. I got married and he went to college far enough away we never saw each other. And I had no inkling that this would be the huge thing he wanted my help with.
I continued reading.

She's only 5 years old and lives with her mom. She has decided that she can't care for her anymore and wants me to take her. I don't know what to do. I've met her once. I don't know how to raise a kid, or be a dad for that matter. But I don't want her going into foster care as she has nobody else.
Holly's husband died right after the baby was born. She was engaged when we met and led him to believe the baby was his and he only knew the truth when she was born.
She's decided to move and leave all memories behind, including our daughter. She says I have 2 weeks to decide or she's leaving her to fend for herself and I don't know if she's serious or not and I can't take a chance, especially if she is and then this sweet child will be all alone and helpless.
Please, you need to help me. I don't know who else to ask. You can tell your husband. Just not anyone else. Only you and my pastor know.
I've attached a picture of her that I was sent a couple weeks ago.

I took the photo out of the envelope and it was like I was staring into his sisters eyes. Those blue piercing eyes were so innocent.

I need your help. Leighah does too.

I stopped reading and felt a tear slide down my cheek. Leighah. Not spelled like my middle name, Leah. But still pronounced that way. The unwanted woman. Of course her name was that. I wiped the tear away and kept reading.

Yes, that's her real name. And yes, I know what it means. I guess that's why it's so important to me. I couldn't do right by you and I messed up horribly. I just want to try not to mess up with her and prove that names don't matter, it's who you are that does.
I know I killed our friendship. And I don't even know if you still hate me for what I did. But I know your heart and even if these kids don't ——

I stopped reading again and closed my eyes. I should have known it wasn't just one kid. I looked back in the envelope and, sure enough, there was another photo. A woman, a little girl and an older boy. Not the woman's son, but obviously related. The back of the photo read: Me, Leigh, and
The last name had been crossed out, but I would guess her brother. I sighed and continued

——don't live with me, you'll do the right thing. They need someone watching out for them. And I can't afford time off work.
Please. Help my daughter. We need you.

I folded the envelope, closed my eyes, and took a deep, shaky breath. I had a week to get these kids before they would be up for grabs to anyone. I should have known something was up with Westley. He never did anything like this without it being big and usually got me in deeper than I needed to be. But he was completely right. I couldn't read this letter and not do anything. They needed someone and I could be that person for them, even if it was only for a little while.
"Why now?" I rubbed my temple. "Things were just starting to get better. I was doing better for the first time in a long time and everyone knew that. They knew I was okay. Why couldn't it be puppies? It's two kids. Two innocent kids who probably feel like they have no hope left. This isn't fair to me." I spoke to no one, just vented to the room.
"Doesn't he know how hard I've been working on getting through this. The obstacles that I've had to jump over just to feel like I'm not dying inside." I squeezed my eyes shut and wiped my nose with my sleeve as tears escaped my closed eyes. "He killed my spirit. He killed all the friendships I had with any guy in my life. And he expects me to forget it and do this for him? Because of my heart? Doesn't he know it's the same heart he ruined and I don't trust anyone anymore? He doesn't know me anymore. But how does he know me enough to know that I will do whatever it takes to make sure this little girl is okay and that her life matters?
"I want her to have hope that her world isn't going to be like this her whole life. That people aren't just going to leave her the first chance she gets. And that talking to a wall may let out your frustrations, but it doesn't help the matter. I just look like I'm talking to myself, which I am."
"Are you okay?" My husband of just over two years walked into the kitchen to find me sitting on the floor.
I shook my head. "I tried, Shane. I tried so hard and was doing so good and he ruined my life again." I tossed the letter at his feet. "I need to go find two kids or their lives will haunt me for the rest of my life. And no, I'm not exaggerating. This is the real world and I already fell in love with the little girl."
Shane opened the letter and quickly read over it and I could see the shock he had on his face, probably about what I felt like. He closed the letter and put it back in the envelope and looked at the picture of the three of them and of just Leighah. I could see he was sucked in by her blue eyes too and when he looked at me, I knew he had made a decision for the both of us.