Page 11 of The Tempo of Truth
Winnie watched the way I flinched with a frown and asked, “Are you all right?”
“I’ll live.”I shifted my weight and made the plastic under my ass squeak.“What happens next?What’s your plan after today?We play house and pretend to be a happy family?You tell Lowe I’m his father, and I act like I know what that means or how to do anything that resembles being a parent?”I couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice.
She stared at me without blinking.She no longer wilted like a delicate flower when I was harsh with her.Now, Winnie looked at me like I was the pathetic one out of the two of us.It became crystal clear in that moment: I no longer had the upper hand when dealing with her.
“Whatever happens next only happens if it’s in Lowe’s best interest.I told you, I firmly believe he has the right to know his father.But if that father is going to put him in danger and cause him to doubt himself and make him question if he is loved or not, then he’s better off thinking you’re nothing more than his mommy’s loser friend.There are ways for you to be in his life that require less responsibility than fatherhood.”She narrowed her eyes at me.“I’ve known you for a long time, Ky.Do you think I wouldn’t have anticipated you wanting to take the easiest way out?”She pushed her hair over her shoulder and reached for the chipped coffee mug in front of her.“Even if you decide to keep Lowe in the dark about his parentage right now, when he gets older, he’s going to notice his resemblance to you.The press has already started connecting the dots between us.They even dug up the story from the night I got rescued from the docks after my grandfather kidnapped me.You’re the only person I’ve been linked to since I was a teenager.The rest of the world is speculating that you’re Lowe’s father.It won’t stay a secret from him for very long.”
I couldn’t deny that I felt trapped.
When we met at the park, Winnie made it seem like I had options and she would never ask anything of me.But the writing on the wall was telling a different story.Regardless of what choice I made concerning the little boy, the world already recognized me as his father.And the only thing that could do more damage to my already tarnished reputation was being a low-life deadbeat who wanted nothing to do with his son.Instead of playing at being a scumbag, I’dactuallybe one if I walked away now.
“Did you tell your fancy-ass media department from Halliday Inc.that there hasneverbeen anything romantic between us?Not now.And not then.”I was maliciously pleased with myself when my words caused Winnie to flinch.She might be the one calling the shots, but I still had the power to get under her skin.Regardless of her status, she’d never been able to make herself indifferent to me.I still had the power to wound her.“If I tell you that I want to spend time with Lowe, is it always going to be like this?”I gestured to the stoic security guards who filled the diner.“I feel like I’m in the middle of an FBI convention.”
Winnie sighed and leaned back in the booth.She set the mug she was holding down with a click on the table and gave me an impatient look.“Yes.If you want to spend time with him, someone will supervise all your visitation time.There will be a strict schedule and an NDA in place.If you want to introduce him to anyone in your family or from your life, they will have to go through rigorous background checks beforehand.”She pursed her lips and tapped her fingernails on the table.“There’s room for negotiation in the future should things go well and Lowe remains safe.You have to prove yourself, Ky.Your current lifestyle choices andcareer,” she scoffed when mentioning my questionable form of employment, “aren’t the best options for having a child in your life.Since your son just happens to be so high profile, it makes things far more complicated.Truthfully, it’s best if you come and spend time with him at the brownstone.It’s already secure, and he’s happy there.”
I grunted a noncommittal sound and stared at her until she squirmed.“Didn’t youhategrowing up under theexactsame restrictions you’re putting on Lowe?You ran away to Europe so you could escape the oppression of being a Halliday.Why are you shoving our son into the fishbowl you did your best to shatter?”
Winnie looked away, her eyes locking on the tiny figure who had whipped cream all over his hands and face.He tossed his head back and laughed at something the broody, intense security guard said to him.
“I didn’t fully understand Uncle Win’s concerns until I had Lowe.He did what he did because he loved me.Being in a fishbowl is much safer than swimming with sharks.I will do anything to keep Lowe out of the hands of the ill-intentioned, even if it leads to having him resent me and rebelling against me when he’s older.I cross my fingers and hope he’s smarter than me and has a better sense of self-preservation than I did.I pray he learns to follow his head and not his heart.”
It went unspoken that it was her foolish heart that led her to follow me high and low when I was trying to land with a professional club.She was raised too well and had so much going for her that no other part of her would’ve allowed her to become an unhinged stalker.
It made no sense that two people as different as we were kept colliding and creating such big waves.Maybe she was right, it was safer to swim in a small bowl than try and survive in the vast and turbulent ocean.
“You’re not going to ask me to stop fighting?Or working for Lev?”I leaned closer to her and lowered my voice.“I’m sure you know he has some serious ties to the criminal underground.”
She shook her head, and some of the dark red strands of hair slid across her cheek.The sun filtering through the window made the rich color glow and gave Winnie a slight halo in the light.She looked like a Renaissance painting: pale skin, plump curves, luscious hair, and the inherent aura of wealth and class.Her image would fit right in next to the classics hung in Paris and Florence.
“I’m not even going to ask you to stop dating girls who go on TV and act ridiculous and shameless for entertainment.I plan to use my association with you to my advantage.I think having someone like you in my life makes me relatable and sympathetic to a different demographic than most Hallidays reach.”The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled at me, viciously flashing her teeth.“There are a million stories out there of rich women being taken in by a handsome face and then being left high and dry after being taken for all their worth.I have an uphill battle convincing people I’m trustworthy enough to take over Halliday Inc.I don’t intend to bust my ass proving my worth to crotchety, judgmental old men.I twisted myself in knots for years trying to gain my grandmother’s praise, and I was never good enough.If I step into the CEO role lugging all my complicated baggage for everyone to witness and comment on, I get to set the tone of my leadership role.Having you in my life and acknowledging we share a child outside of a relationship makes me more human in the eyes of others.It makes me seem more approachable and sympathetic.Who doesn’t have a few regrets when it comes to love?If I’m not ashamed of my flaws, no one else can use them against me.”
I vaguely understood her reasoning.She’d always been more complex in her thoughts and feelings than I was.Which made it difficult for me to decipher how much of what she was saying was the truth and how much was what she thought I wanted to hear.
I sighed in silent surrender.“I’ll come to you to visit Lowe and get to know him better.”I squinted my eyes at her and tilted my head to the side like I was considering a problem I couldn’t solve.“Be honest with me, Winnie.You didn’t put all of this in motion to maneuver me back into your life, did you?”
She froze, and her hazel eyes sharpened like a deadly weapon.“If I wanted to force you to be in my life, I would’ve threatened to release the proof I have that shows you took the fall and started throwing games because your mother was the one with the gambling problem, Ky.I will never use Lowe as leverage.You escaped criminal charges because you were famous back then, and the evidence against you was pretty weak because someone behind the scenes cleaned up after you.The same can’t be said for Julie.Fans of your previous team would make your mother’s life a living hell if they found out you threw their season to protect her.”
I froze, and felt the blood drain from my face.
I was convinced no one knew what my real motivation was when everything came crashing down around me.I kept my mother’s involvement under lock and key.There was no way Winnie could know any of it unless… “Were you the person behind the scenes who helped control the outcome and kept me out of a foreign prison for the rest of my life?”
She didn’t respond, but she didn’t need to.Who else in my life had that sort of pull and power?I should’ve realized her fingerprints were all over my salvation from the start.She saved me in more ways than one back then.
Winnie slipped out of the booth, collecting the crayons and drawings Lowe left behind.She smoothed a hand down over where her skirt had wrinkled and gave me a bland smile along with her parting words.
“I don’t need you to be anyone other than the Ky I’ve always known when you’re interacting with me.But I hope the best version of you shows up for your son.He’s going to imitate and emulate everything that we do.Start thinking about the type of young man you want to set free into the world when he’s older.”She fished out a pair of sunglasses that covered half her face when she put them on, and I watched as all the black-clad security moved as if one entity at the same time she did.It was honestly an intimidating show of force and unity.“I’ll be in touch, Ky.”
I nodded and shouted across the empty diner, “It was nice to meet you, Lowe.I look forward to our first game.”
The kid waved wildly over Winnie’s shoulder after she picked him up, as the security team ushered them outside to a blacked-out luxury car.
It’d only been a little over an hour, but I felt like I’d taken a beating and gotten stomped more than in my last fight.Dealing with Winnie left me bruised and battered in places no one else could see.
I had a sinking feeling that the sweet and innocent girl from my memories had grown into my toughest opponent, and she’d learned not to pull any of her punches.
Winnie
“Are you sure you want to get tangled up with that kid again?He turned your life upside down more than once.How do you plan on explaining to Lowe that his daddy may have helped kidnap his mommy?The rumors around what happened that night, even though a decade has passed, are still a common topic of discussion in the circles you’re going to be moving in as the head of the company.”
