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Jasper POV
Normally I loved our Saturday night outings. It was something we did once a month; we would pick a Saturday night where Emmett, Edward, Carlisle and I would go out together to spend some time with each other, just us guys. And while we were out, Rosalie, Bella, Esme, and Alice would do something together just for the girls. When our kids had been younger, Carlisle and Esme would occasionally sit out and leave us to our brotherly or sisterly bonding and they’d keep their grandkids. Now that they were all grown and they could stay home alone, that wasn’t necessary anymore. But it had always been nice to have some time to bond without the children.
Normally, I loved our monthly outings, but tonight I had too much on my mind. Carlisle noticed. “What’s wrong Jasper?” he asked as we sat down at a table in the restaurant of Edward’s choice.
“It’s Clarissa,” I started. Clarissa was my daughter, and though most people called her by her middle name, Lataine, I preferred calling her by her birth name, Clarissa. It was something special we shared.
“Is she misbehaving? Is she sick?”
“You know Emmett, you really shouldn’t guess,” I told my older dork of a brother.
He shrugged. “Just ruling out the usual suspects.”
“Then what’s up?” Edward asked, joining the conversation.
“It’s a long story,” I sighed. I didn’t exactly want to dampen everyone’s mood with my personal issues.
“Then give us the abridged version,” Edward suggested.
“Or you could share the whole thing. We’ve got all night, bro,” Emmett disagreed. “Leave it to the therapist to want to bottle something up. You should know better.”
I smirked but turned to Carlisle for his opinion. “What you share is up to you, son.”
After placing our orders for food, I jumped into the tale. “I’ve noticed the last couple of weeks that Clarissa has been spending a lot more time on the computer than usual. More suspiciously, every time Alice or I would go into her room, she would minimize whatever she had been working on. At first, I thought maybe she was just reading email or talking to one of her friends online and I can understand why she might want to keep some of that private. But it kept happening consistently.
“So, a few nights ago, after she had gone to bed, I took her laptop from her room. I started worrying that maybe she was doing something online that she shouldn’t be doing so I checked her internet history. And it’s nothing like that at all. She’s found her birth parents. And I don’t mind that she’s found her biological family and has an interest in them, but I don’t know what to do from here. I don’t want her to feel like she has to hide that from us.”
“Well, we’ll start with the big elephant in the room: Did you tell her she was adopted, or did she find out on her own?” Emmett asked.
“Does she know why you adopted her? Why her parents gave her up?” Edward added.
“We told her she was adopted, and she knows why we adopted her. She doesn’t know why her parents gave her up.”
“I think you should tell her that you met her mom before she was born. You also need to tell her why her parents gave her up. But before that, you need to admit why you know she’s been looking this stuff up. I don’t see it as a problem, but you’re big into the whole respect your child as a person stuff and she will likely see that as a violation of her privacy.
“I also think that if she wants to meet her parents and her siblings, you shouldn’t keep her from that. It may be hard for you and Alice, but it will really show that you trust her to make her own decisions and that you love her.”
“I’m happy to let her meet her birth family. I’m more worried she might face rejection. And that’s what I’m not sure how to handle.”
Carlisle spoke up. “I agree entirely with Edward. He should know what it’s like to go through this as the teenager. It wasn’t really an issue with the rest of you guys. When I adopted you and Rose, you didn’t have parents to go home to. When Bella and Emmett were adopted, the family situation wasn’t stable after Renee and Charlie divorced. Neither could make up their minds over who was going to keep the children. Alice was adopted after being given up anonymously to emergency services. Edward was adopted because his birth mother was just a kid, and she wasn’t ready to raise a child herself.
“He went through a phase when he was 16, so he was Lataine’s age, where he wanted to know his parents and why they had given him up. I explained everything I knew about his biological mother. I told him that if he wanted to meet up with her, that was fine with me. He changed his mind in the end.”
“I feel helpless. I mean, I knew this would eventually come, but now that it’s actually happening, it’s rough to go through,” I said.
“High school is rough,” Emmett added. “It’s a time when a lot of teenagers start doubting themselves. When you and Rose were adopted, you didn’t have much to doubt. You knew your parents loved you, so when Carlisle adopted you, he left off where your parents had before their deaths. For me and Bella, we were a little doubtful. Our parents had just divorced and neither of them could make up their minds over who was going to have custody. We’re not estranged, but at that time, it felt like everything else was more important than we were. When you’re a teenager, that can make you feel insignificant and unloved. For Alice, she’d never known anything different. If I remember, she was given to emergency services because of a domestic violence situation in her mother’s home, but that’s all anyone knew.” Emmett said analyzing all of my siblings except for Edward. I was impressed that he was able to make an observation that deep.
“It’s hard when your parents give you up and you don’t know why. I know that from experience,” Edward said. “When I started researching my mom it was about the time that rumors started going around about me being gay. The more that rumor spread the more people found out that I had been adopted. The gossip and the rumors hurt, and I started doubting that Carlisle and Esme really loved me. Maybe I was just a guilt adoption. Was that logical? No, but when you’re a teenager, you think with your emotions, not logic. And trying to fit in is important.
“I’m not saying that she’s being called gay or that she’s being bullied in any way,” he said, obviously picking up the look of panic that my daughter was being bullied and not telling me. “But she is a high schooler now. She’s going through a lot. And if you ever feel like you don’t know what to do, ask. And if she ever wants to talk to me, she can call me.”
The conversation had lifted a weight off my chest. For the rest of the night, I enjoyed myself. On the way home later, I mentally prepared myself for what I knew was to come.
Lataine POV
Mom and I had been home for about an hour when I heard the door close, meaning Jas had gotten home. I was sitting on my computer on Facebook talking to Nessa and my friend Jonathan on chat. I was now looking at my mom’s Facebook profile. Not Alice, my birth mom. I so wanted to send her a friend request, but I wasn’t sure how that would end up. Alice and Jasper both had Facebooks and they would see her on my friend list. And I didn’t want to make them feel like I didn’t love them. I just wanted to know my mom. I had so many questions.
There was a knock on the door. I quickly minimized Facebook expecting Jas to come in, but he just stood at the door. “Clarissa, can you come downstairs for a minute, hon? I want to talk to you with your mom.” And with that he was gone. I put my computer into hibernate and then left it on my bed. I walked out of my bedroom and down the stairs. My parents were in their bedroom sitting on their bed talking quietly.
I stepped over the threshold quietly. “Come here, sweet girl,” Jasper said, gesturing. I walked over to him and climbed up on the bed, facing them both. “You’ve been looking up your mother and siblings,” he said. It was a statement, not a question.
“How did you know?” I asked, feeling a bit panicked.
He smiled softly. “My career is behavior. You think you can hide sneaky computer habits from me?” He sighed. “I noticed you started slamming your laptop shut every time your mother and I would walk into a room you were in. Fearing the worst, I checked your browser history. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy, but I had to ensure whatever you’ve been hiding was safe.”
Alice wasn’t interested in the logistics of why they knew. “Lataine, why didn’t you just tell us?” she asked. She didn’t sound sad. Just worried.
“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. I just want to know why my parents gave me up. Why did they not want me?” I brushed away an unexpected tear.
Jas gestured for me to come forward, so I moved closer and readjusted so I was now sandwiched between them.
“It has nothing to do with not wanting you. I promise you that.”
“How do you know?”
Alice began the explanation. “Your biological mother, as you’ve probably figured out, had five other children when she was pregnant with you. Unfortunately, your biological father passed away during the second trimester, and your mother decided she couldn’t take care of a newborn and five other children while grieving. She wanted to ensure you were well taken care of.”
Jasper sighed. “Your adoption was arranged. Your mother and I flew to your hometown the week of your birth, so we were there the day you were born. And back then, keeping in contact through technology was much more difficult than it is now. But we decided then that we would tell you that you were adopted when you were old enough to understand, but we would wait until you were ready to tell you why.”
“So,” I paused a minute to think. That explained why I was given up, at least. But… “Why did you guys decide to adopt me?”
It was Alice who answered. “Because I medically can’t carry a child. But I still wanted to be a mom and Jasper really wanted to be a dad. Adoption has always been a major part of our family, and it seemed like the right way to go about having a baby.
“So, when we found your mother was looking for a family, we knew you would perfect for us. We got the newborn experience I craved without putting my health in jeopardy.”
Jasper spoke up softly. “Darlin’ is someone making you question things? I don’t want you to think that because you’re adopted that we don’t love you. Because it’s not true. If anything, it’s the opposite. We went out of our way to find you. Adoption was a choice that we are proud of every day.”
I sat for a minute and thought. It was silent, but not uncomfortable. I leant into Jasper and Alice moved to wrap her arms around both of us.
“If you would like, you can send friend requests to your real parents, though you don’t need my permission. And if you ever need to talk to someone besides Alice or I, you can always call Edward. He’s been in your shoes.”
Edward POV
I hadn’t been home for more than a couple of hours when my phone rang. I picked it up off the counter and looked at the caller ID. It was Lataine. “Hello?” I said, answering the phone.
“Hi, Uncle Edward, this is Lataine,” a small voice said from the other line.
“Hey sweetheart, what’s up?” I had a feeling I knew. I left my wife and daughter in the living room so I could have a bit of privacy with my niece.
“Daddy talked to me about being adopted and he told me I could call you.”
“What did he tell you?” I asked. She quickly summarized the conversation for me. “I see. What are you feeling now that you’ve gotten a chance to talk everything through?”
It was silent for a moment. Had we been disconnected? But then, “I don’t know. I guess that’s why I called you.”
I smiled. “Lataine, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what you are thinking sweetheart.”
“I don’t want to hurt them,” she said softly, barely discernible through the phone.
“Hurt who? Who do you think you’re hurting?”
She sighed. “Alice and Jasper. They went out of their way to make sure I had a home and a family and basically everything. I don’t want them to think I don’t love them or appreciate them for everything, but I also want to meet my real parents.”
“Lataine, you don’t have to feel guilty. They love you and they will understand if you want to go meet your real parents. I can tell you; your dad has been worried sick about you, and your Uncle Emmett and I probably didn’t help with that tonight, giving our unsolicited advice,” I chuckled. “Both Jasper and Alice love you no matter what. And it’s okay to have a relationship with your biological mother too. That doesn’t change your relationship with your mom and dad.”
She was quiet again. “Did you ever meet your birth mom?”
“I did. She graciously met up with me and Esme one weekend when I was about your age. When I met her, she had a husband and two daughters. We still talk occasionally, but I got the closure I needed and I’m happy she was able to move on and have a happy, safe marriage.
“You have the benefit of living in a world of technology that I didn’t have at your age. Start by sending her a Facebook friend request and if she accepts, spend some time chatting with her. Maybe, like me, you’ll get your fill with a few interactions. Even after that though, if you still want to meet them, Jasper and Alice will understand. You won’t hurt their feelings.”
She sighed again. “You promise?”
I smiled. “Yes, I promise. Everything will be okay. Because we love you.”