I called for a car, and twenty minutes later, I was walking up the steps of my parents’ home.
Here goes nothing, I thought as I worked my way to my father’s study. I stepped in and assessed the progress on turning it into a bedroom. It still had his desk and books, but a bed was positioned in the far corner.
There was no reason for my father to be navigating steps, and while there were other options such as a stair chair or installing an elevator, it seemed best to create one level living for him. Since my mother hadn’t slept with him in years, it didn’t put her out.
I stopped for a moment as I considered my parents. They didn’t have a marriage built on love, but they didn’t dislike each other. I suppose they saw their marriage as a business relationship. They’d each done their part and so the partnership worked. The only expectation was to always put the family and business first. Maybe they’d been smart to keep love out of it.
“Devin.” My mother frowned. “You look like hell? Is something wrong?”
“Yes. We need to talk.”
She looked at my father, who was sitting at his desk, while she was helping him sort through papers.
“According to your father, you should be pleased about the board meeting.” Her tone suggested she didn’t like my father’s report of how I ran the meeting. That was the least of her concerns now.
“It’s not about the business.” I pulled out my phone and texted my sister, asking if she was in the house to come down to Dad’s study. She responded that she’d be right down.
I went to the bar next to my dad’s desk and poured another drink.
“What’s going on, Devin?” my father asked.
“Let’s wait for Bri. I want to tell you all together.”
“Oh goodness, you’re not running off or doing something crazy again, are you?” my mother snapped.
I looked at her and knew that while Serena had lied about Andrew, she’d been honest about my mother.
I downed my drink and poured another.
“Go easy on that, son,” my father said.
The doors opened and Briana breezed in. “You rang?”
I nodded. “I have to talk to you all about something.”
She quirked a brow. “Sounds ominous.” She took a seat on the couch. “Can’t wait to hear it.”
I stood looking at them wondering how to start. Did I just blurt it out? I’m a father? Did I confront my mother first?
“Devin?” my mother prodded.
“Five years ago, before I left for Europe, I met a woman.” I turned my attention to my mother, wanting to gauge her reaction. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but I didn’t see anything that suggested what Serena accused her of.
“Ooh, I’m liking the sound of this already?” Bri said, her eyes glinting. Jesus, did she know how tortured I was feeling?
“I asked her to come with me, but she didn’t.” I watched my mom. She held my gaze defiantly. She did remember.
“Is she the first woman to say no to you? Oh wait, Evie doesn’t want you—”
“Brianna!” my mother snapped.
Bri rolled her eyes and sat back waiting for me to continue.
“When I got back, I ran into her again. And like before, I was drawn to her.”
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” my mother said. “You should know by now that lust isn’t love.”
I whirled on her. “What do you know of love?”
“Devin!” My father slapped his hand on his desk. “Have some respect.”
“Respect? Today I found out I’m a father.”
“What?” Bri shot up from the couch.
My mother’s lip curled as she turned away.
“You knew, Mom. She came to you five years ago.”
“What?” My father looked up at my mother. “What’s he saying, Katherine?”
When she looked at my father, her expression had softened, like this situation was nothing.
“I had no way of knowing if she was telling the truth. She was probably just mad that Devin left her. She wanted money.”
“If that’s true, why didn’t she take the money you offered to make her go away?”
“Oh, Mother, you didn’t.” Bri said.
“You have no idea if that child is yours. She left. Didn’t even take the money. That’s proof the child isn’t yours, as far as I’m concerned. And now she’s probably trying to get back at you or me. Or get support for the child.”
I pulled out my phone and opened my picture app. “Look at him.” My mother turned away. “Look at him!” I commanded. “Tell me he’s not mine.”
I held out the phone showing a picture I took of Andrew in the cockpit of the plane the day I took him and Serena to the museum.
My father stood and leaned toward me over his desk. Bri moved next to me and looked as well.
“Oh Devin, he’s cute. He’s definitely yours,” Bri said.
“You can’t know that for sure,” my mother snapped. “You need a DNA test.”
“Stop!” I clenched my fist. “Why would you do this? I’ve missed four years of his life.”
“I told you why. I had no way of knowing she was telling the truth. I was protecting you.”
“Bullshit!”
“Devin,” my father warned.
“No. She wasn’t protecting me. She was protecting her reputation. Everything this family does is about maintaining an illusion. It’s exhausting.”
“He’s right about that,” Brianna said as she took my phone and studied the picture. “Is that the plane?”
I nodded. “He wants to be a pilot.”
“So, you’ve been spending time with him but didn’t know he was yours?” Bri asked.
“Yes.” My jaw hurt from being so tight.
“The mother didn’t tell you?” Brianna looked at me.
“No.”
“See, he may not be yours,” my mother said matter-of-factly.
“Stop!” I slammed my hand down on the desk. Everyone jumped. “For once in your life, could you have some empathy? My fucking world just crashed and you’re a part of
