She was **no older than ten**, bundled up in a red coat, her small hands gripping the **yellow umbrella** that should have been held by someone else—by *her.*
*”She’s not coming.”*
His heart pounded. **She’s not coming.**
The girl looked up at him with large, **familiar blue eyes.**
Eyes that **looked just like hers.**
*”Who… who are you?”* he asked, barely able to get the words out.
The little girl hesitated before whispering, **”My name is Lily.”**
**Lily.**
The weight of that name **crashed** into him. His high school sweetheart’s name was **Lilian.**
Before he could say another word, Lily reached into her coat pocket and pulled out **a folded, slightly crumpled letter.**
She held it out to him.
**”My mommy told me to give you this.”**
### **The Letter**
Peter’s hands **shook** as he unfolded the letter.
> **My dearest Peter,**
> If you’re reading this, then you kept your promise. And I wish more than anything that I could have kept mine.
>
> Life has a way of pulling us apart, but I never stopped thinking about you. I never stopped wondering if you were happy, if you found love, if you were okay.
>
> When my family moved to Europe, I thought we’d find a way to stay in touch forever. But fate had other plans.
>
> A few years ago, I got sick. I fought hard, Peter. But I knew I wouldn’t make it to Times Square this Christmas Eve. So I sent my **greatest gift** in my place.
>
> **Lily.**
>
> She’s yours too.
Peter’s vision blurred. His hands clenched around the paper as his legs threatened to **give out.**
He looked at Lily, his mind racing.
*”She’s yours too.”*
Lily.
**His daughter.**
He swallowed hard. “I… I have a daughter?”
Lily **nodded slowly.**
“My mommy always said you were the best man she ever knew,” she whispered. “She told me all about you. She said if I ever felt lost, I should find you.”
Peter dropped to his knees in front of Lily, his breath uneven.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks. “I didn’t know… I didn’t know about you.”
She **gave him a tiny, sad smile.**
“It’s okay,” she said. “I found you now.”
### **A New Beginning**
Peter looked around **Times Square**, the place where he had expected to reunite with his first love. Instead, **fate gave him something else.**
Someone else.
*”Ten years ago, I promised to come here for her.”*
**Now, he had a reason to stay.**