Page 59 of Secrets

Shrugging, she straightens her head and takes a drink. "Maybe one day. I'm not really looking for a relationship right now, but I wouldn't say no if the right guy came along."

The way he feels she's disinterested in him that way confuses him. She's not hitting on him or trying to convince him to be her knight in shining armor. Instead, she's just trying to point out he might be a little damaged. Which is not far from the truth.

"Why areyouhere? You get more free drinks at the clubhouse. I pay dues that pay for the alcohol, and you don't have to pay shit. You also don't have to put out like here."

She laughs. "I don't have to put out here if someone buys me a drink. It might be the expectation, but I don't trade sex for alcohol. You're a little on the crazy side, aren't you?"

"I might be a few drinks deep already. Tell you what... I'll buy your drinks, and you can put out if you want to."

"I'm good, thanks," she says and laughs again.

"So... why are you drinking here instead of the clubhouse?"

Her eyes narrow, and she regards him skeptically. "It doesn't feel like I'm really allowed to take advantage of that perk anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"You haven't heard?"

"Did the part about me avoiding the clubhouse unless I have to be there get missed? I only go for Church, and we don't really talk about personal issues in our meetings. It's not a support group."

His comment earns him a small smile. "I learned recently that Cannon's not my real dad."

Shit. "What?"

"Yep, my entire life has basically been a lie. My mom told me to forget who my real dad is because he's bad news, but people say the same thing about you guys wearing that leather. But I'm not ready yet. I don't know if I want to know him while I'm struggling to come to terms with the fact Cannon's not my dad."

"You'll drive yourself crazy if you don't at least look him up. Maybe check him out online to see if he's really that bad. We have a guy who can help with that."

Nodding, she looks down at the bar top. "Yeah, maybe."

"You don't want to meet him?"

"I don't want it to be true. Even after I found the letter in her stuff, I wanted my mom to say it was just something she wrote to hurt him. He was my dad for twenty-three years, and now... now he's not."

"He's still your dad, Sutton. I don't think the moment he learned the truth he just likeFuck, no kid! Free at last!In fact, I bet he's even more upset than you are. You're his pride and joy."

The drink slides along the top of the bar as she passes it between her hands, and she blows out air making her cheeks puff out. "You think?"

"Yeah, I do. He loves you. Loves you more than you'd ever think he does, and he's the one who loses everything. You have a new dad, should you want him. He doesn't have a new kid. No, he has no kid."

"I hadn't thought of it like that. But is it really fair to have him as my dad when he isn't? Doesn't he deserve to be free? I mean, he's spent over two decades with a daughter. Now he can be a single guy. Just a single guy."

The way Sutton looks at him interests Nelson. She has an air of innocence about her. She's not the type of girl he normally finds attractive, but she's hot in a really understated way. Or he's used to hooking up with scantily clad women, and Sutton looks more polished, especially for her age. Normally, he prefers the women he knows he doesn't have to put much work into hooking up with, and it hits him how Daphne may have been right about him after all.

"Look, here's the thing," he says, pulling his mind away from how good Sutton looks. "Cannon didn't actually have to be a dad if he didn't want to back when you were born. How many people do you know out there with dads who just aren't around? He was always there, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, he was."

"That tells me he doesn't want to be a man without a family. He wants you in his life, and I think his heart is just as broken, if not more, by this whole thing."

"It just feels wrong now."

"So what are you going to do?"

Sighing, she looks at the can in her hand. "I'm not sure. I do but don't want to seek out this Ryan Hennessey guy. It's naïve, but I kind of just want to ignore it and have it all go away. But I also kind of want to know about him. But not know him. Which is kind of why I came to the bar tonight. I forgot Marnie wasn't working."

"You don't have to do anything tonight. Go at your own pace, but just remember that if you keep putting things off that you think are uncomfortable, they only get worse later on. Trust me on that one."

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