Page 62 of Whatever You Need

I shook my head, thinking about how hard that was for her to admit that. “You’ve got a lot riding on this deal too.”

“I’m ashamed of myself.” She looked up at the ceiling and back to me. “I know that I’ve disappointed you, but the truth is, I’m more disappointed in myself. As my daughter, you should have always come first. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how I could have handled things differently. But, Amelia, your dad and your grandparents never wanted you to find out. Regardless, Greg West will always be your father, not Marcus.”

I closed my eyes, not wanting to hear that man’s name. The man who knew about me but didn’t want me. I was curious about him, but it felt like I was being disloyal to my father just by entertaining the idea. Yet, the desire to learn any little bits I could about the man who created me dominated my thoughts.

“Tell me about Marcus.”

Her eyes slid shut. “It’s not a pretty story, and I don’t want to hurt you any more than I already have.”

“I want to know. I deserve to know.” I had to remind myself that what she said about him didn’t matter. He obviously kept his distance from me all these years for a reason.

“Okay.” She hung her head in defeat and patted her legs. “What questions do you have?”

So many, I thought, but I was almost too afraid to ask.

“Where does he live?”

“In Boca.”

I blinked at her, almost too stunned to talk. “Is that why you moved to South Florida?”

She laughed, but there was no humor in her voice. “No, that was just pure coincidence.”

I swallowed, feeling an unpleasant knot settle in my throat. “What does he do?”

“He runs a popular Irish Pub in downtown Boca, but I think that’s just a little hobby, because he makes most of his money in real estate.”

A pub owner didn’t sound like her type, but real estate mogul did. And trust me, nobody knew my mother’s type better than me.

“Does he have any other children?”

“I promised myself that I would not lie if you asked me, so yes, he has three children.” The tears that slipped from her eyes caught me off guard. She reached over and grabbed a pack of Kleenex out of her purse. “When I told him I was pregnant, he was furious. He said he already had his family, and he didn’t want any more kids, especially one that wasn’t his wife’s. He gave me an ultimatum, I either get an abortion or I never contact him again.”

My mouth opened and snapped shut. I didn’t know how someone I never met could hurt me so deeply. He sounded like a piece of work and if he had any redeeming qualities, I sure as hell didn’t need to find out.

“I think I’ve heard enough.” I cleared my throat and rearranged a few things on my desk. “But thank you for telling me.”

She pressed her fingers to her eyes and took a deep breath. “Of course. I’d like to work on our relationship. I know it may be too little too late, but I’d still like to try.”

I stared down at the floor. “I don’t know what to say.” This was all so unexpected and I was unsure of what to do here. Not to mention, I still didn’t trust her.

“How about we start small. Maybe lunch or dinner? Let’s spend some time really getting to know each other. I know I placed a huge burden on your shoulders. Let’s see if there is anything that can be done to get you out of this mess.”

She seemed determined to make things right between us, and I didn’t have the strength to carry this grudge any longer. I closed my laptop and decided that a good meal and a short conversation wouldn’t hurt.

“I haven’t had lunch yet, so if you’re still interested in checking out that new menu in the main dining room, I’m free.”

She pushed to her feet and picked her purse up off the ground. “I would love that.”

I held my hand out. “Lead the way.”

The elevator ride downstairs felt awkward, but by the time the doors opened to the lobby, I was actually looking forward to spending some time with her.

“Hello, ladies,” Denzel, one of our head waiters, said as he approached our table. “Can I start you off with something other than water?” He placed our menus down in front us and filled our glasses. We were seated at a corner table that overlooked the Christmas market outside city hall. My heart deflated at the memory.

“I’ll just have a Diet Coke with lime, please.” I placed my napkin on my lap while my mother ordered a glass of sauvignon blanc.

“Of course.” He tipped his head and moved toward the bar so he could punch in our order. I set my phone face down on the table so I wouldn’t be tempted to glance at it every time I got a notification.

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