Page 38 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

And that brought him fully back. “No, don’t be. You’re right.”

“Even if I was right, I had no business attacking your parents.” She gave a helpless shrug. “I guess I’ve been alone too long and forgot how to interact with humans.”

“Not at all.” He drank the coffee anyway, and it was fine. Warm enough. “Every time I see my mom’s name pop up on my phone, I ignore it. I tell myself I’m in the middle of something. Or when she asks me to come home for Christmas, I tell her I can’t. That I’m working on a deal.” He shook his head. “But honestly, I haven’t dealt with the fact that my childhood was a lie. And it’s been easy to put all the blame on her because my dad’s gone. How can you be angry at a dead man?”

Okay, that was some heavy shit.

But it was good. It was a relief to get that out in the open.

Hellcat opened the microwave and pulled out the last bag of popcorn, ripping it open and adding it to the bowl. It mounded the top, a few pieces dropping to the floor. She looked like she was busy, like she wasn’t paying attention, but he was starting to figure her out. She was giving him space to talk.

Other than George, he didn’t open up to anybody. With his clients, he was the advisor, the counselor, the bondsman, the valet, the lawyer.

He surrounded himself with people who needed him but didn’t care enough to ask him personal questions. Because he wouldn’t risk it again, getting close to people and finding out he was more invested than they were.

Self-fulfilling prophecy? Probably. But it was better than going through the hurt all over again, finding out his friends didn’t give a shit about him.

Getting close to people required deep conversations.

And he didn’t want that.

Because I never want to think about the fact that the man I admired and loved lied to me.

That my childhood, my family, was fake.

But Hellcat brought it up, and now it was there, lying exposed out in the open. And now, he had no choice but to face it.

“You’re right.” The jagged-edged words scraped his throat.

She was crouched on the floor, picking up popcorn, and she got up slowly, as if any sudden movement might shut him up.

“Truth is, I’m stuck in that moment.” He leaned his back against the counter and held onto the cold tile. “When I found the papers and confronted her. When I found out the truth.” He could remember vividly that sensation of losing his footing on the slippery fiberglass edge of a boat. And he’d been shutting his mom out ever since. “I’m avoiding her because I don’t want to hear what she has to say.”

“She’s your mom. You know she loves you.”

“And she’ll do anything to protect my feelings. I need to hear it from my dad. He wouldn’t sugarcoat anything. If I could look into his eyes, I’d see the truth.”

He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with a stranger. Maybe because he’d never see her again. But more likely because he trusted her. Which didn’t seem logical, but still.

Hellcat…she seemed real. Maybe with his friends he was naïve and not paying attention to the signs of true friendship, but he was hyperaware now. And this woman cared.

“You did.” She said it softly but firmly. “You looked right into his eyes, and you saw his pride and his love. The reason you were blindsided is because hedidlove you like his own son. If he didn’t, I guarantee you would’ve felt it. Maybe you couldn’t have put your finger on exactly what was wrong, but your gut would’ve told you something was off.”

His heart raced, and his skin prickled at the memory.

I love you. His dad said it to him all the time.I’m so damn proud of my boy.

He blinked away the sting of tears. Not once in his life had he doubted his parents’ love or the closeness of his family.

“What did your mom say?” She came closer to him. “How did she explain it?”

“She said they came from a small town in Upstate New York where everyone knew each other, and she didn’t want me to grow up with a stigma around me. They didn’t want it to come out in conversation somewhere or for some kid at school to say something. So, they moved to a small town in Wyoming where no one knew them.”

“Well, from everything you say, your dad was a good man. If he chose not to tell you, it’s not because he wanted to deceive you. He had to truly believe you were his son. And your mom…I can only guess she was worried it would change your relationship if you knew. That you’d see him differently. Maybe they just wanted you to feel down to your bones that you were his son.”

“And I did.” He didn’t even know the weight he’d carried all this time until her words lifted it. He wanted to reach for her hand and tug her up against him. He wanted to plant his mouth over hers and kiss her. Desire burst hot and fiery at the base of his spine, and he grabbed the bowl of popcorn. “Let’s get busy. This tree’s not going to decorate itself.”

They settled back at the table, him threading the fishing line through the popped kernels while she used the tip of the scissors to jab holes in her snowflakes.

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