Chapter 104

Over the next few days, Matt and I tirelessly combed through public records, old photographs, and any trace of information that might lead us to my father. It was a journey filled with dead ends, false leads, and frustrating moments, but we refused to give up.

I didn’t have much to go on. I didn’t know his name and I had no pictures that I could show to anyone. I literally knew nothing of my father other than what he currently looked like. The hours of research had been grueling.

There wasn’t anyone I could ask either. Jack made me stay away from the rest of our family. The only one I had contact with was my brother. I wasn’t even sure if he spoke to the family. They had certainly never reached out to us.

Late one evening, while I was poring over a stack of dusty old newspapers in the local library, my eyes fell upon a familiar face in a faded photograph. It was my father, younger, smiling, and standing with a group of people I didn't recognize.

The caption beneath the photo identified the event as a community gathering from over two decades ago. There weren’t any names in the newspaper, but it was something. It was an actual, solid lead.

Excitement surged through my veins. I knew I was getting closer. I snapped a picture of the article with my phone and rushed to share the discovery with Matt. He hadn’t been able to come with me tonight. We had decided the library was too public. Someone would have seen them together.

"This is it, Matt!" I exclaimed when he picked up the phone. "I found a photo of him, and there's a date and location. It's a lead!"

Matt's voice crackled with energy on the other end of the line. "That's incredible, Celeste! Let's get to work on tracking down anyone who might have known him back then."

I nodded enthusiastically and then realized that he couldn’t see me. “Yes, let’s do that! Oh, Matt, I can’t believe we finally found something!”

Matt laughed, my excitement apparently contagious. “You mean you finally found something.”

I blushed at the compliment and another piece of my heart melted. I could feel myself warming up to the idea of being with Matt. Of truly being with Matt as myself and not as some made up person who didn’t exist.

Maybe when this was all finished, Matt and I could start over. We got away with being together when I was Rose. It shouldn’t be too hard to be with him as Celeste. Although, Jack had gotten increasingly worse the past few weeks.

I shook my head. I had other things that I needed to focus on. I couldn’t let myself get distracted by a future that I may never get.

We spent the next few days tracking down leads, making phone calls, and visiting the places mentioned in the old article. Slowly, a clearer picture of my father began to emerge – a man who had once been deeply involved in his community, a man who had friends, connections, and a life that had been inexplicably lost.

My heart pounded in my chest as she stood on the doorstep of the small cottage, clutching the faded photograph of my father. The old, worn image showed a younger version of him, his eyes full of life and laughter.

Someone had finally been able to tell me his name and where he had lived before he had gotten married and had children. It was a long shot, I knew, but we didn’t have anywhere else to go after this. Maybe the person who bought the house knew my father.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. It creaked open slowly, revealing a tall, broad-shouldered man with kind eyes. "Can I help you?" he asked, his voice warm and gentle.

I hesitated for a moment before speaking. "I'm looking for my father. His name is Henry Schreiber. I was told he used to live here."

The man's eyes widened in recognition. "Henry? Yes, he used to live here. But he moved out a long time ago. We lost contact years ago."

My heart sank at the news of her father's absence. Matt put a comforting arm around my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze.

I thanked the man for his time and turned to leave, but something made me stop. "Would you mind if I looked around? Maybe there's something here that could give me a clue."

The man studied me for a moment, then nodded. "Of course, feel free to look around. I'll be in the garden if you need anything."

As I explored the cottage, I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. I turned around and found Matt observing her from a distance, a faint smile playing on his lips. His presence was comforting, and she couldn't deny the connection she felt with him.

“What?” I asked and winced at how breathy my voice sounded. Matt’s smile grew wider. Of course he had been able to hear it. Stupid werewolf senses.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered and my face got so hot that I had to press a hand to my cheek to make sure that it wasn’t on fire. I turned around quickly to hide from Matt and pretended to look at the bookshelf next to me.

“You’ve already looked there,” Matt said and I jumped. He was right behind me. I hadn’t even heard him move, but now that I knew, I could feel his body heat against my back. I had to fight very hard to not lean back into him.

I watched in silent fascination as Matt’s arms rose and boxed me in between him and the bookshelf. His breath skated across my neck and goosebumps erupted over my arms. I sucked in a breath, my body tense.

“I know you’re probably not ready and this might not be the best time, but I just want to tell you that I love you, Celeste. I haven’t said it in awhile and I needed to correct that mistake,” Matt said, his lips just barely touching my earlobe.

Then he was gone, back across the room before I could even bat an eye. I hated to admit it, but that had been extremely sexy and it was not doing any favors for my frame of mind.

For the next hour, Matt and I combed through the cottage as much as we could. Unfortunately, we didn’t turn up any clues. It had been a long shot. My father hadn’t lived there in years and he probably hadn’t left anything behind.

When we left, my spirits were low. The only real lead we’d had in days hadn’t led anywhere. When I hadn't wanted anything to do with my dad, he had been everywhere. Now that I actually wanted to see him, he was nowhere to be found.

As soon as they got in the car, Matt cupped my face with his hand and turned my head towards him. His eyes bore into mine. "Celeste, you're not alone in this search. We'll find your father together, I promise."

Tears burned behind my eyes, but they were tears of gratitude and hope. Matt made me feel so cherished and cared for in a way that warmed my heart. He made me believe that we really could find my father.