Page 219 of His Virgin Romance Series

“But you were pregnant,” I pointed out.

“Yes, I found out I was pregnant a few weeks after I moved in with your father.”

“And you’re not going to address that?” I asked.

Mom sighed. “What would you like me to say, Ryder?” she asked. “Yes, there’s a possibility that Godwin might be your father? Fine, then I’ll say it. Yes, there is a possibility Godwin might be your father. But just for the record, you should know that having raised you, having spent a good portion of my life with your father, I believe that you are his son and no one else’s. But that is my instinct alone… so yes, it is possible.”

I cringed at her words as my body tried to fight against them somehow. Could it really be possible? Life wouldn’t be that cruel… would it?

“You’ve always looked just like your father.”

“Is that a fact?” I bit back. “Or are you just seeing what you want to see?” I bit my lip. “You never wanted to find out for sure?” I asked.

“It wasn’t me,” Mom said, shaking her head. “Your father is the one who didn’t want to find out.”

“Maybe he should have,” I said.

“Why?”

“Because he clearly wondered about it my whole life,” I said. “He clearly believed that I was Godwin’s son.”

“Why do you think that?” Mom asked.

“Why else would he have been so hard on me?”

Mom sighed and shook her head. “Sometimes it shocks me that neither one of you can see it,” she said. “The two of you are so alike in so many ways, Ryder… is it any wonder you butt heads so often?”

“Come on, Mom… that’s a simplistic argument.”

“Maybe so,” she nodded. “But that doesn’t mean it can’t be true. Your father loves you to death, Ryder… he’s just not the type of man to ever say that out loud. I’ve been with him for two decades now, and he has never once told me he loves me. But why should that bother me? I feel like he loves me. So why should words be necessary for me to believe that?”

“I don’t need words,” I said. “I never needed words. But he was always so… harsh, so angry with me.”

“Oh, Ryder,” Mom sighed. “He was never angry with you. He was angry at the world—and sometimes he took it out on you—but it was only because he was trying to prepare you. He wanted to make sure you were ready.”

“For what?”

“For life, for adulthood, for the lifestyle we’ve chosen to live,” Mom replied. “A part of me thinks he was even preparing you to deal with Godwin.”

I frowned. “Was he really scared of that?”

“Yes,” Mom nodded. “Godwin is not a man who forgets a slight. He’s hated your father ever since I ran away with him. He couldn’t strike back because the cost would have been too high. So your father feels he’s just lying in wait… trying to find the right moment to strike. And what better way to strike back than to target you.”

“Does he… does he suspect?” I asked.

Mom raised her eyebrows. “Does he suspect what?”

“Does Godwin suspect that I might be his son?”

“It wouldn’t matter either way,” Mom replied. “You were raised by his enemy; you call him Dad. Even if it turns out you’re his son, he’s not going to feel like you’re his son. Ryder… I know you think he treated you differently because of this, but he would have been the same with any son we might have had together. Trust me…”

I looked at Mom and wondered what made her choose this life. She was a quiet woman, and she blended easily with other people. If anyone saw her on the street, no one would assume she was the wife of an MC leader.

“Why did you stay with Dad?” I asked bluntly.

“Because he loved me,” she replied.

I was slightly taken back by her response. I had expected her to say the more conventional ‘because I loved him’ line.

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