Man Hears Lullaby His Future Daughter-In-Law Sings to Her Kid, Realizes She’s Actually His Niece – Daily Drama
A man falls in love with a heavily pregnant woman he meets at a cafe, and it's only after having dinner at his parents' house that he realizes the love of his life is his first cousin.
It was a bright, sunny afternoon when Peter walked into the cafe down the street from his office to finish his marketing report. He ordered a latte, and when he took the first sip, glancing around, his eyes fell on the heavily pregnant cashier behind the counter.
"Natalie," her name badge read, and she was as sweet as the first snowfall of the season, Peter thought. He forgot he hadn't ordered a cold coffee and that he was there for work for a brief moment. He took a second sip of the burning caffeine, his gaze fixed on her, and screamed an "OUCH!"
She looked at him for a moment, their eyes met, and he forced a silly smile on his face. She smiled back and shook her head.
"Would you like some water?" she asked kindly, pointing to a glass of ice, and he said, "No, I'm great. Thanks!"
They exchanged numbers before Peter left the cafe that day, and deep down, they were aware of the instant attraction between them. Little did they know they were making a terrible mistake, a blunder, and that they shouldn't have started it all in the first place…
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
Natalie met Peter when she was seven months pregnant, and her tragic story drew him closer to her. Her boyfriend had abandoned her because he didn't want to raise a child, and she was too embarrassed to tell her parents about her pregnancy, so she relocated to another state.
Natalie never expected to find love again after starting a new life as a cafe cashier in a city. To put it mildly, she had lost faith in love. But Peter made her feel otherwise and he was everything she could have wished for. He loved not only her but also her unborn child and promised to look after both of them.
Everyone is part of God's plan. Sometimes that plan isn't all roses, and other times it's bittersweet.
The only problem was that Peter was concerned that his parents would object to him dating a girl who was pregnant with another man's child.
"I have a feeling they won't approve of our relationship," he told her one day. "But I can't leave you, Nat. I… I love you and the baby."
"I'm ashamed to tell them about it as well, Peter," Natalie said. "I can't say they're wrong. My parents would be disappointed too."
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"But this is our life, Nat," he said. "We're adults, and they can't tell us what to do. Accepting us or not is their choice, but my choice is that I want to live my life with you and the baby that's growing inside you. I love you both."
"I don't know, Peter…" Natalie said. "I have a feeling that something's not right. You know, this pregnancy, we being together like this… Something's amiss… Something is very wrong, and I can't put my finger on it."
"I think it's just the anxiety of it all... the baby and our relationship," Peter consoled her. "We'll take it slow, Nat. Don't worry. We'll get through this together. Everything's going to be OK."
Peter and Natalie decided to put everything else on the back burner until Natalie's delivery. Two months later, when the most awaited day arrived, and she welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Peter cried. He held the little life in his hands, amazed at how small she was.
"She is beautiful…" he said, teary-eyed. "The most beautiful baby I've ever seen! I'm terrified, what if... what if I drop her?"
"All babies are small, Peter!" She laughed weakly. "And you won't drop her! Oh, I love you both so much. I love you even though you're so silly!"
Natalie and Peter were happy in their small world. A happy couple. They had no idea a storm was on its way to destroy their peaceful existence. They had no idea the foundation of their relationship was flawed and that it should never have started...
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Months later, Peter proposed to Natalie in the most romantic setting, and she said yes despite her heart's reservations. It was then followed by a romantic dinner date at a French restaurant, and they were on cloud nine, the happiest they could be—or so Peter thought.
"I… I didn't know you had it on your mind! When did you even plan everything?" she wondered, her gaze fixed on the ring that now adorned her ring finger and made her more uncomfortable.
"Forever," Peter replied. "I've always wanted to do something like this! I love you, Nat, and I want us to be together until death separates us. But… are you all right? You seem worried. Look, hey, I know things are difficult for you after what happened, but trust me when I say I won't abandon you. Never."
"I know…" she said with a smile, then whispered to herself, "I know you won't leave, Peter."
"But I don't feel this is right, and I don't know why… I so wish I was happy with all of it."
Peter was a good man, and best of all, he loved her daughter. So Natalie embraced him and ignored the worries in her heart, thinking it could be because she was feeling overwhelmed. That was the safest conclusion she could draw about why she wasn't really happy.
That night, after dinner, Peter and Natalie decided it was time he introduced her to his parents. Natalie was anxious his parents would say no, and so was Peter. The couple was surprised when Peter's parents invited them home to dinner and supported their relationship.
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"What made you think we would say no? Oh, look at that little baby… Heartless is what you are, Peter! For keeping this beautiful secret from us!" his mother, Lydia, said with a complaining smile, cradling Natalie's daughter. "Oh my god, do you see her, Derek? Isn't she lovely?" she asked her husband. "She's a tiny angel!"
"I think it's about time this man got some responsibilities!" Peter's father announced over dinner. "Welcome to the family, child!" he told Natalie. "As you can see, we absolutely love our little granddaughter. We never expected Peter to bring home a girl, but everything happens for a reason! Doesn't it?"
"It's a pleasure to meet you both finally," Natalie said shyly. "And I'm delighted to be a part of the family. Peter is a really good father to Anne, and I appreciate him for that."
Despite the constant worry in her heart, Natalie was glad to be a part of Peter's family. After all, the Marrows had been very kind to her and baby Anne. But Natalie knew deep down that her heart wasn't at ease.
Why does this feel wrong? Why can't I be really happy even though I want to be? Is it just my anxiety, or there's more to it?
The rest of the dinner made for a pleasant evening, and no one could get enough of cradling little Anne in their arms until she started crying and demanding her mama's attention.
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"I think she's hungry. I'll feed her and be right back," Natalie said as she excused herself and went to another room to feed her newborn.
Minutes later, Anne was quiet and peacefully enjoying her mama's milk. While she was at it, Natalie was gently rocking her and singing her a lullaby, which caught Derek's attention.
For a moment, he was perplexed about where he had heard the song. He was aware of the melody, but it wasn't until he closed his eyes and focused on it that he realized what it was.
"Jesus… is that really what I think? No, this can't be! How would Natalie know the song?" Derek wondered.
"Honey, is everything OK?" Lydia asked. "Did you forget to take your meds today?"
"Peter," said Derek, opening his eyes. "Do you know this song too? Did I ever mention it to you?"
Peter looked up from his phone and shook his head. "What song are you talking about, Dad?"
"The lullaby…" said Derek. "Don't you hear that?"
"Well, how would I know something like that, Dad? I don't remember any songs Mom used to sing to me when I was a kid!"
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Unsplash
"That song… I don't know… How would Natalie know that, dear?" he told his wife. "If she does… Oh, no, that can't be!"
Peter and Lydia couldn't understand why Derek seemed so worried after hearing Natalie sing the lullaby to her baby.
"What's going on, Derek?" Lydia finally asked. "I've never seen you so worried over a simple song! It's a lullaby, and so many mothers would know it!"
"NO!" said Derek. "That's the thing! Not many people or anyone apart from my sister would know!"
"My mother had made it, especially for my younger sister. My sister was so fussy as a baby, you know… If my mother were alive, she would know it too. But she's dead, and I hear this girl singing the same melody. Could it be that Natalie knows my sister? Can I find her after all these years? Jesus!"
"Hey, Dad, relax. You can ask Natalie when she's back," Peter said calmly.
"I need to…" Derek said. "I want to know where she heard it. I heard this song all my childhood, so I absolutely could not confuse it with anything else."
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***
Natalie took her time returning to the living room, where everyone was expecting her. She had been putting Anne to sleep. When she entered the room, she was surprised to hear that Derek recognized the song she was singing to Anne. Unfortunately, it was then that all the worries in her heart started to make sense.
"Are you sure, Mr. Marrow?" she asked with tears in her eyes. "Are you certain that's the song? I… I still can't believe you're asking me that of all people."
"I can't be wrong, dear," Derek said with a heavy heart. "My mother had made that melody for my younger sister. Do you know someone named Marla? If you ever—"
"My mother," Natalie cut him off, tears rolling down her cheeks. "She's my mother, and I'm your niece," she revealed, startling everyone.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Pexels
"It was all wrong from the start, Peter," Natalie continued. "I should've stopped you. I should've stopped our relationship! It's all a mess now!"
"That's an awful joke, Nat! What the hell are you talking about?" Peter asked, unable to believe his ears.
Natalie sobbed and shook her head. "My mother's name is Marla, and she is your father's sister, Peter. My Gran wrote this song, according to Mom. Mom had once told me she had lost contact with her family due to a feud. I had no idea this was how I would track down her family. Mom was always angry that her family didn't care about her."
"I don't know what to say, but… we can't get married! We are COUSINS, Peter!"
Peter felt like someone had hit him with a ton of bricks. Derek and Lydia were both taken aback. They had no idea how to deal with the situation.
"Dad… is this all true? What in the world is going on?" Peter asked desperately.
"I think it's time everyone gets to know what happened decades ago. It all started after my parents died, Peter," Derek said in a serious tone. Then he confessed the truth to the family.
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It turned out he and Marla had a feud over their late parents' inheritance. Their parents had left significant assets in Derek's name, which enraged Marla, and she cut all ties with them. Derek tried to reach her for a long time but gave up after it didn't yield any results.
Derek had no idea Marla was married and had a daughter, Natalie. He was relieved to hear from Natalie that Marla was content with her life, but he regretted what their feud had done to their children.
"This is insane," Peter exclaimed, burying his face in his hands.
"We… we even kissed, Dad! I'm glad we didn't go too far. This is awkward!"
"For me as well, but Peter..." Natalie spoke up. "We're still family, aren't we? We still have Anne, and no matter what our parents did, we can embrace a new beginning. I believe it was God's way of reuniting us all in this way. Let's put the past beside us, and I'll talk to Mom. What do you all think?"
They all looked at each other, then at Anne, who was peacefully sleeping in the stroller in front of them.
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The wedding was, of course, called off. But Derek and Marla reconciled after all these years. While Marla still doesn't know Peter and Natalie were engaged, she and Derek have overcome their differences and reunited as a BIG, happy family for their and Anne's sake. They don't want the little baby girl to miss out on a family's love due to a silly fight that happened decades ago.
What can we learn from this story?
- Listening to your heart can sometimes save you from going down the wrong path. Natalie had a constant voice in her heart telling her that her relationship with Peter was wrong. If she had listened to her heart, things would not have turned out so badly for them.
- Everyone is part of God's plan. That plan isn't always roses; sometimes, it's bittersweet. While Peter and Natalie's relationship ended tragically, little Anne was never deprived of a family's love. In fact, she found a BIG family who adored her.
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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a father who cried for the first time in front of his kids when he heard his late wife's lullaby behind him at a graveyard.
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