Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 108141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108141 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
When I get to my dad’s office, his door is open, so I walk in without knocking. Instead of sitting behind his desk, where he usually is, he’s sitting on the couch—with my mom.
“Hello, sweetheart,” my dad says, standing and walking over to give me a hug.
“I thought it was going to be just us,” I whisper, so my mom doesn’t hear.
“She showed up and refused to leave,” he replies before releasing me.
I should’ve known she would pull this crap.
“Mom,” I say, walking over to give her a hug.
“Nevaeh.” She stands and rakes her eyes down my body in disgust. I raise a brow, daring her to say something about my choice of clothes, but she keeps her mouth shut. Which is probably for the best since I’m no longer the girl who would cower at her insults and go running home to change.
“Mr. Hansen, your food has arrived.” Glenda walks in holding three boxes in one hand and a bag in the other. She lays the boxes out then sets out the drinks and utensils that were in the bag.
“Thank you, Glenda,” my dad says, gesturing for me to sit on the love seat adjacent to the couch he and my mom are sitting on.
The three of us open our boxes filled with food from the deli we love and start eating. Mine has all my favorites: shrimp eggs benedict with home fries, fruit, and a toasted blueberry muffin on the side.
For the next few minutes, we eat in silence. I’m not sure how to start this conversation. Do I bring up what I came here to talk to my dad about—what my brother told me? Since my mom is here, it’s probably best if I include her in the conversation. I also need to tell them about my tumor.
Setting down my fork, I clear my throat to get their attention. “I came here to speak to Dad about something Stephen told me before he died.” I look at my mother. “I tried to speak to you about it, but you didn’t want to talk. Since you’re here, I would rather hear it from you.”
Mom’s face goes stoic, and I can tell she’s already raising her walls, but she nods once for me to continue.
“Stephen told me he came across a journal of yours that insinuated he wasn’t Dad’s son.”
Mom gasps.
Dad’s face whips around to look at my mother, his eyes bulging.
“Is this true?” he asks.
“No.” She shakes her head. “I promise, Stephen was—is—your son.”
She stands, glaring daggers at me. “How dare you accuse me of cheating on my husband!”
“I didn’t accuse you of anything,” I say, trying to remain calm. I knew she would react this way. God forbid she have a conversation like a mature adult, without freaking out and being dramatic. I can feel a headache looming and I’m trying to avoid it, so I can get through everything I need to say. “I’m asking you if this is true.”
“And I’m telling you it’s not.”
“So, he made it up? You didn’t have a journal…”
“I told you he was your father’s son!” she shouts. “If you don’t want to believe me that’s up to you.”
“Susan, you did used to journal,” Dad points out. “If there’s something—”
“I can’t believe this,” she cries. “You’re going to take her side? You know how messed up Stephen was, and Nevaeh refused to see it. And now she’s married to that thug who owns a club.” She spits out the last word like it’s a curse word.
“Mom…” My head is pounding and I’m starting to see stars.
“No, I’ve had enough.” She gathers her coat and storms off, leaving my dad and me alone.
“I’m sorry.” He sighs.
“You don’t have to apologize for her. You aren’t responsible for the way she acts.”
“No, but if I had stood up to her more, maybe I would’ve known Stephen was in trouble sooner and I could’ve helped him.”
“You knew?”
“Yes.” He nods. “After he passed, I went through his accounts. Everything was burned in the fire, so I had his mail forwarded to the office. He was in debt. Gambling with the wrong men and spending every dollar available on his credit cards. He was several months behind on rent.”
I’m in shock. Does he know Ethan is one of the men Stephen owed? I want to ask, but at the same time I don’t want to bring it up if he doesn’t know. At first, I wanted to blame Ethan for Stephen’s death, but I quickly learned killing people isn’t how Ethan does business. Stephen’s death was one hundred percent Logan and even though he isn’t rotting in jail for it, he’s still going to spend many years locked away for other reasons. As much as I’d like to add to his sentence by going to the police and telling them it was Logan who shot my brother, I would never risk Ethan getting caught up in that.