Page 102 of My Brother's Enemy
“Did you know that you were what my cousin was? Did you know from your schooling?”
I shook my head. Everything hurt. “I—that’s counseling and family therapy. It’s not my specialty. I—I didn’t know.”
He glanced down to the table and was quiet for a moment. He was so still, his shoulders drew in on themselves. I found myself waiting, my muscles primed, because what else was coming my way?
His shoulders lowered and his head raised and I saw a sheen of emotions staring back at me. He tried blinking away the wetness, but they wouldn’t leave. When he spoke, his voice was so rough. “My P.I. also found something else.” He closed his eyes, drew in some air, and delivered, “For a short period of time my father knew your mother.”
“I—” I closed my mouth. Mystified. “I didn’t know.” I shook my head. “I know very little about my mom. She died when I was six and no one talked about her to me. How did they know each other?”
“He took piano lessons. He taught me growing up, said it was something he learned to teach my grandmother before she passed. She had dementia, but she loved the piano. It was a time when she was a bit more coherent. He said he always felt it soothed her soul. So he took piano lessons from a local teacher. Your mother.”
The wetness dried away and he was staring at me clearly. So focused. “My parents’ marriage was always on the brink of divorce. Apparently, that never changed. There were moments of infidelity on both sides. There was even a stretch where they were separated.” His head inclined a little, but he kept his eyes on me. “During that time was when he met your mother. They had an affair.”
My insides were wheeling.
“I didn’t know until my P.I. was looking into your family. He looked into your mom. My dad is the one who told me about the affair. He said my mom was aware of it, that they were separated, but your mom ended things between them. She apparently had gotten pregnant and wanted to try again with her husband. He asked if there was a chance the child was his, and she adamantly denied that possibility.” His voice softened. “I’m sorry. I had my P.I. do a DNA test. You look like my dad.”
I’d been staring down to process all of this but then looked up.
He tried giving me a smile. It somewhat fell flat. “I’m your half-brother, Rain.”
60
RAIN
Isat there for a full five minutes, trying to comprehend all of this. Mal came in, took hold of the floor underneath me, and whipped it away. I was no longer grounded. I was floating in the air and feeling like a fish trying to get oxygen that wasn’t there.
“You’re my brother?”
“Half.”
“So.” I was thinking about what else this meant. “Dane and Daniel are my half brothers?” Was this why he hated me so much? My father—no. Not my father. Keith Connors loathed me growing up. Was this why? Was this the “bad” thing about me? What was so inherently wrong with me? Because I wasn’t actually his child.
As if he were following my train of thought, Mal leaned closer and spoke, “As far as my P.I. could find, Keith never knew. He stepped out regularly on your mom, but from what my investigator could find, the only affair she ever had was with my father. Keith would’ve had no reason to suspect your mom of cheating on him. My investigator couldn’t find anything indicating Keith knew you weren’t his real daughter.”
“Other than how he treated me.”
“Other than that, yeah. But knowing how Keith Connors is, he would’ve said something to you. He never did?”
I shook my head. He was right. Keith would’ve shoved that information in my face the second the funeral was done. “He would’ve kicked me out if I wasn’t his kid.”
“I know this is a lot.”
I started laughing. It was high-pitched and tight, and my goodness, I was having a nervous meltdown in this bar. In front of my boss who wasn’t just my boss, but also my brother? And oh my God, I had a dad. A real dad.
“Your dad—” What did this mean? All of it.
Mal’s smile was so gentle. “He’d like to meet you, but only when you’re ready. He’s a good dad. He wasn’t a great husband, but after we lost Miriam, he made a lot of changes in his life. His family was his first priority. He and my mom decided to end things, but both are happy. They’re in good relationships with new partners. It’s why I took over the team. It was a family venture, but I’m the CEO of the family businesses.” He paused another second. “When we found out about you, we had you added to the business. Technically, you own a small fraction of the team as well.”
My mouth dropped all the way to the table. “What?”
His grin was small, but authentic. “It’s a small percentage. Not enough where you really have a say so you’re not in violation of any ethical concerns. The team’s board met and decided to terminate your contract with us, effective immediately. They’re using the morality clause, saying you violated it not only once with your relationship with Griffin but twice because of ‘whatever Daniel Connors is referring to.’ Those are their exact words.”
I couldn’t stay numb any longer. I was trying, but something had changed. Now I felt all the pain, all at once.
“Want to know what the team had to say about that?” Mal asked.
My eyes lifted.
