Page 48 of Hot Shot
“I was going to introduce her to the family after the divorce.”
“We would have loved getting to see you again. Loved meeting her.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the other day. When I explained about Celeste. But talking about Laura…”
I lean to the side and rest my head on his shoulder. “I get it. Why you kept this last skeleton until now.”
“If I tell them…I don’t think I can do it on my own, without you there. I want you there.”
The thought of telling my brothers cramps my stomach, churns until I think I might be sick. They were so vocal about Bran’s supposed betrayal I can’t imagine either of them will take the news about Laura well.
“If you decide to tell them, I think you need to tell Mom and Dad first. They’ll know how to handle the twins.”
“I don’t want to cloud the excitement surrounding the Rogues with this.”
“It won’t. For a start, this news is not for public consumption, and I’m not sure my parents will even agree with telling Corbin and Landon.”
“I’ll defer to them on this. If we tell anyone at all.”
“I think you need to tell them, the twins. But it’s up to you. It’s just, I think this secret is part of the reason you’re still living up here, hiding away, refusing to face another hard situation no one has a hope of winning.”
“You’re right. No one in this situation comes out on top.”
“Okay. So you tell my parents and get their advice on telling the twins.”
“I have to be honest, part of me wants to keep quiet, not mention Laura, not even think about Celeste, but I know that’s to protect myself. To keep her mine a little longer.”
“Keeping it all bottled up doesn’t help you, Bran. It just festers and turns more poisonous. I think your instinct to come out here, in the sunshine, the fresh air, to tell me you weren’t Laura’s biological father was spot on. She deserves to be in the light. And people,herpeople, need to know about her. I get why you want to keep her for yourself, but she deserves to be shared.”
“I should never have cut you all off. If I hadn’t, Celeste might have told me sooner, Laura might not be gone.”
“There’s no point playing what if. So many things could have been different. If Celeste had gone to either of my brothers, they would have stepped up. I don’t understand why she didn’t.”
“I don’t think she wanted to. She didn’t want the baby. I spent months making sure she ate right, took her vitamins, got enough sleep. I had to search the house regularly for alcohol, dump it down the drain when I found it. I think she thought I’d just give her money.”
“You did.”
“But it came with conditions. She had to have the baby. Marry me so I had some control over the situation. I went to every doctor’s appointment I could, something else she bitched about all the time.”
“She picked the wrong guy for a quick fix.”
“She picked the wrong guys to sleep with too. Corbin or Landon, whoever she chose to tell, would have pushed for the same as me. To be honest, I didn’t believe Laura could be theirs at first but when I thought about it, when I looked at the million and one pictures I took of her in those short weeks, she has the twins’ eyes. Your eyes.”
“She does?” I want to ask to see, except I don’t think I’m ready for that. Maybe in a few hours—tomorrow.
“I’ll show you when we go back to the house.”
“I understand why you hate Celeste.”
“I don’t hate her. Idespiseher. The trauma she inflicted, on me, on her daughter, it was cruel, and I will never forgive her. I’m glad she’s dead. If she wasn’t, I don’t know if I could stop myself from strangling the life out of her. I’d gladly do the time for it.”
“I’d come visit you. Then again, with what I know now, I’d probably be in my own cell.”
“I don’t want to ask, but I have to. Are we okay? Does this ruin what we’ve started here?”
“What? No!” I tip my head back to look at him. “Of course not. Why would you even think that?”
“I’ve lied to you so many times.”
