Beneath the Night Tree — Nicole Baart

"Do I have a child?"

Julia DeSmit knew she would face the question eventually, but she didn't expect it now. At twenty-four, she is finally content with the way her life has unfolded. A single mother to her son and young brother, she works at the local grocery store while chipping away at a two-year degree. All her free time is spent with her unorthodox family -- her boys, her grandmother, and her boyfriend of five years. It's not perfect, but Julia is happier than ever.

So when she receives the cryptic e-mail from her son's father, Julia's world is turned upside down. She hasn't heard from Parker since he left her in a college parking lot nearly six years ago. But one look at her son -- the spitting image of his father -- is enough to convince her that, for better or worse, Parker is a part of their story. Faced with this new reality and an unexpected tragedy, Julia begins a tightrope walk between what was and what is, what she hopes for and what will be.