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Michael had done
for her.
    But all of that changed
the night of the rape. She knew she couldn’t stay in her apartment after what
had happened to her. She didn’t feel safe there. The only place she felt safe
was on the coast, where she and Michael discovered their future home together.
She had stayed in a hotel for a week while she packed up her apartment. She
kept only a few things, such as her clothes, and the dishware set her mother
had passed on from her own mother. The rest she either sold or gave away. She
resigned from her job and drove out to the house that Michael had lovingly
bought for her.
    Shortly after
Kat moved in, one of her new neighbors kindly brought over a blueberry pie to
welcome her to the neighborhood. Rhonda Burns had a way of making people feel
special that Kat had taken an instant liking to her.
    Rhonda was a few
years older than Kat, but the two shared much in common. Both had similar
interests in books and music, and had parents who were deceased. Rhonda’s
parents had died when she was in her early twenties so she understood how much
Kat missed her own parents. While Rhonda was happily married, she was
compassionate when Kat told her about Michael.
    Both women
wanted families and Rhonda excitedly shared with Kat that she and Robert would
be bringing a little boy into their lives in the next few months. She explained
that since she and her husband were biologically unable to have children, they
would adopt. It was God’s plan, they believed.
    A few weeks
later when Kat discovered she was pregnant, she was initially repulsed by the fact
that she was carrying her rapist’s baby. She seriously considered giving it up
for adoption as she didn’t believe in abortion; however, after much soul
searching, God had answered her prayers. He had a plan for her, too.
    She believed He
wanted her to raise her innocent baby and give it the love it needed and
deserved, the love that a mother gives her child, the love that Michael never
had from his own mother.
    It all made
perfect sense now. God had answered Rhonda and Robert’s prayers of having a
family of their own. Wasn’t He essentially providing the same for Kat? Was it
possible that Rhonda was an angel sent by God to influence Kat’s final decision
when it came to her baby?
    In honor of
Michael, Kat decided to raise her child with all of the love she had to give.
She believed fate had led her to change her last name to Brennan before her
trauma. It was all coming together now. Kat would carry on Michael Brennan’s
legacy through her love for Tyler.
    As she studied
her portfolio, her mind kept drifting to the memories she had of Michael. She
remembered their laughter as they chased each other on the beach. She recalled
how he would buy her ice cream with sprinkles. He would tease her by telling
her the ice cream shop was out of cherries, when in fact, he had eaten them
himself. They were a perfect fit for each other and were inseparable until
death parted them.
    A tear slowly
trickled down her cheek as she recalled a time when Michael shared his
childhood dreams of having a family with her someday. He didn’t seem bitter
about the fact that his mother gave him up, nor was he embarrassed to learn
that she had been promiscuous and didn’t know who his father was. As far as
Michael was concerned, Kat’s parents were his parents too and he loved them as
much as they loved him.
    Kat’s parents
had also left her money. Upon their death, Kat and her sister each inherited a
sizeable inheritance. Before her parents and Michael died, Kat had a savings
account with a modest sum tucked away. The income she made from her job was
more than enough to cover her monthly expenses. Kat did not believe in credit
and paid for her purchases with cash whenever possible.
    Most individuals
would love to be in Kat’s shoes as she was debt-free, owned her house, and had
substantial savings. Most of all, she had a well-mannered and happy child who
was the light of her