by Sandi Lynn
“God no! She’s different. She’s a psychotic bitch who tried to hurt my family. Hailey isn’t like that. She’s a good person, Collin. She’s just lost right now.”
I let out a sigh. “I hope she finds her way back someday, but I’m not going to be the one to show her the way.”
“I understand.”
Amelia walked out on the porch as my mom gave me a kiss on the cheek and went back inside the house. I held out my hand to her.
“I’m sorry, Amelia. I didn’t mean to yell at you like I did.”
She sat down beside me and laid her head on my shoulder. “I know you didn’t. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that. I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
Chapter 14
Connor
My mom decided to take a little weekend trip to Cape Cod with Cassidy, Ben, and Camden. She asked me if I would go through my dad’s office and clean it out for her. She had already cleaned out his personal stuff, but the business was never her thing. She wanted everything out of there so she could turn his office into a sitting room. It was a Saturday morning and Ellery and I met Collin and Amelia for breakfast before we headed to the house. Collin drove himself, and after we finished breakfast, he drove us to the house while Ralph took the women into the city to do some shopping for the day.
“Thanks for coming and helping me with this, son.”
“No problem, Dad.”
While Collin was going through the filing cabinet, I cleaned out the bookshelf. As I pulled some books from the shelf, a white envelope fell from one of them and onto the floor. I bent down to pick it up and noticed it was filled with pictures. Sitting down in his chair, I opened the envelope and pulled out a picture of me and my brother Collin at the beach. It was taken the day he died. As I sat and stared at it, an overwhelming sadness washed over me.
“What is that, Dad?”
“A picture of me and your Uncle Collin.” I handed the picture to him.
“Wow. Look at the two of you. I know he was your twin brother, but you almost look identical.”
I gave him a small smile as I looked at the other photographs. There was one of our family and my mom holding Cassidy on her christening day.
“Dad, you dropped one,” Collin spoke as he bent down and picked it up. He stared at it for a moment before handing it to me.
“Is this you or Aunt Cassidy?” he asked.
I took the photograph from his hand and looked at it in confusion. It was a picture of my father holding a baby in front of a house I didn’t recognize. “It’s neither of us. My father is a lot older in this picture.”
“Then who is it? Is it Camden?”
“No.” I looked through the remaining pictures. I stumbled across one of me and my dad at a banquet when he won the Businessman of the Year award. I held it next to the picture of him holding the baby and he looked the same. A sickness rose inside of me when my mind went to the place of something I didn’t want to believe.
“Collin, I think my father had another child.”
He laughed. “Dad, now you’re getting crazy. Grandpa would never have cheated on Grandma.”
“But he did, son, and I knew about it.”
Shock swept over his face as he stood there and stared at me. “Who was she?”
“I don’t know who she was. All I know is that he spent a month with her in the Caribbean while Black Enterprises was failing.”
“Dad, I’m sorry.”
I looked down at the desk and tried to pull open the bottom drawer. It was locked and I couldn’t find the key.
“Go ask Juan for a screwdriver. I want to know what’s in this bottom drawer.”
A few moments later, Collin came back with a screwdriver. I shoved it in and busted the lock. When I opened the drawer, I found a file for the purchase of a house in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, dating back twenty-eight years ago. I gave the paper to Collin as I rummaged through the rest of the files.
“I didn’t know Grandpa had a house in Cherry Hill.”
“I didn’t either. Let’s go, son.” I got up from the chair and walked out of the office.
“Where are we going?”
“To Cherry Hill, New Jersey.”
* * * *
Collin pulled up to the curb of the house and we sat there a moment while I pulled out the picture of my father. It was the same house the picture was taken in front of. A small half brick, half vinyl-sided house with a bay window and a porch with a white railing. I swallowed hard as I got out of the Range Rover.
“Dad, what are you doing?”
“Hopefully getting some answers,” I replied as I walked up the driveway and to the steps of the house.
“You can’t just go up to someone’s house like that.” He followed behind me.
“I can and I will.” I knocked on the door and waited a few moments. There was no answer, so I rang the doorbell. Still no answer.
“Fuck!” I ran my hand through my hair as I stepped off the porch and looked around.
“Can I help you with something?” an older woman asked as she was watering her flowers next door.
“I was wondering who lived here,” I replied as I walked over to her.
“The Vines live there. Do you know them?”
“No. I don’t think so.” I handed her the picture. “Do you know this man and child?”
She looked at the photograph and then up at me. “You must be Mr. Black.”
I was stunned and then startled when my phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket. It was Ellery. “Excuse me one moment. I need to take this.” She nodded her head and continued to water her flowers.
“Hey, baby,” I answered as I took a few steps away from the old woman.
“Hi, Connor. I was just checking in to see how things were going. We’ll be heading to the house soon.”
“Don’t come to the house, Ellery. Collin and I aren’t there.”
“Where are you?”
“We’re in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. It’s a long story and I’ll explain everything tonight. Just have Ralph drive you and Amelia back to the penthouse and Collin and I will be there later.”
“Connor Black. What is going on?”
“Baby, please listen to me. I will explain everything later. I promise.”
“You have me worried, Connor.”
“There’s no need to be worried. Collin and I are just checking out something we found in one of my father’s files. I promise to tell you everything later, but now I have to go. I love you.”
“I love you too. We’ll be waiting at the penthouse for the two of you.”
I sighed as I hit the end button and placed my phone back in my pocket. As I walked over to the older woman, she set her hose down and invited me and Collin inside.
“Please come inside for some iced tea and homemade cookies.”
“Ma’am, I’m sorry but we—”
“Do you want your answers or not, Mr. Black?”
I gave her a small nod and swallowed hard as Collin and I followed her into the house.
“Have a seat in the living room and I’ll get the iced tea and cookies.” She smiled.
Collin and I took a seat on the floral couch. The room looked like it hadn’t been updated in over thirty years.
“Here we go.” The old lady smiled as she set a tray of cookies and iced tea down on the coffee table. “First off, we haven’t properly met. I’m Flora Dunsworth.” She extended her hand.
“I’m Connor Black and this is my son, Collin.” I lightly shook her hand and Collin did the same.
Flora took a seat in the wing-backed chair that sat across from the couch. Collin reached over and grabbed a cookie from the tray.
“Oh my God, Flora, these are amazing!”
“Thank you, dear. They’re my secret recipe. They’ve won all kinds of awards over the years.”
I shot Collin a look because we weren’t here to discuss how good her cookies were.
“Flora, you said you had answers
for me. Did you know my father and this child?”
“Yes, I did. The woman who lived next door was Charlotte Oaks and that boy in the picture is her son, Lucas. We became very close.”
I swallowed hard, finding it difficult to ask the next question. “Was Lucas my father’s son?”
She pursed her lips together and looked down for a moment. She didn’t need to say anything. The look on her face said it all.
“Yes. I had only met your father a couple of times. He didn’t come around much due to the fact that, well, you know, he had another family.”
My stomach twisted itself in knots and my heart raced at what Flora told me. I couldn’t believe this shit. My father had a bastard son that he kept hidden all these years.
“They don’t live there anymore?” Collin asked.
“No. Charlotte passed away about ten years ago and Lucas packed up his stuff and left. I felt sorry for Charlotte because she spent her life believing that your father would leave his family to be with her. I do remember an older gentleman who would come to the house to deliver some things to Charlotte over the years, but I can’t seem to remember his name.” She pressed her finger against her chin.
“Denny?”
“Ah, yes. Denny was his name. Nice man.”
“How old is Lucas?” I asked as the sickness in my stomach intensified.
Flora sighed. “Let me think. You know my old brain isn’t as sharp as it used to be. Lucas would be about twenty-eight now. Yes. That’s right because he had just turned eighteen when Charlotte passed away.”
“God, Dad. He isn’t too much older than me and Julia.”
I slowly shook my head, trying to absorb all the information Flora told me.
“May I ask how you found out about Charlotte and Lucas?”
“My father passed away recently, and as I was cleaning out his office, I found this picture and then the purchase agreement for the house.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, but I’m not.”
“Dad!” Collin exclaimed.
I got up from the couch and walked over to Flora, placing my hand on hers. “Thank you for your kindness and information. We have to get going.”
“You’re welcome, dear. I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”
“Me too. Let’s go, son.”
“It was nice to meet you, Flora. Would you mind if I took some cookies home to my wife?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Of course you can. Let me go bag them up for you.” She smiled.
Chapter 15
Connor
“You need to stop at the nearest bar. I need a drink,” I said as Collin pulled away. “And really? You asked her for cookies?”
“Dad, they’re amazing. Wait until you try one. Amelia will love them.”
“I have a good mind to slap you right now. I just found out I have a brother who my father kept secret and all you’re doing is thinking about cookies.”
“Sorry, Dad. I’m just trying to lighten the mood. I know how rough this is on you. It is on me too. Are you going to tell Grandma?”
“No. She is to never find out about this. I will tell your mother and Julia and that’s as far as it goes. No one else is to ever know.”
He pulled into the parking lot of the Westminster Hotel.
“What are you doing?” I asked in irritation.
“You said you needed a drink. I’m sure there’s a bar in this hotel.”
“Good thinking, son.”
We made our way inside the hotel and sat down at the bar inside the steakhouse restaurant. I ordered a double scotch and Collin ordered a whiskey sour. We sat in silence for a few moments as I thought about how to tell Ellery all of this. I pulled out my phone and sent a text message to Julia.
“I need you and Jake to come by the penthouse later.”
“Okay. Any special reason?”
“I just have something to talk to you and your mom about.”
“Okay. See you later.”
“Julia said she and Jake will be by later.” I took a large sip of my scotch.
“They’re going to freak out. Like I am, Dad. I can’t believe Grandpa.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not surprised.”
After I had another drink and Collin had coffee, we headed back to New York.
The elevator doors opened and Ellery and Amelia walked to the foyer to greet us.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Ellery asked with concern as she wrapped her arms around me.
I kissed her head and held her tight. I didn’t want to let go.
“What are those?” Amelia asked.
“Probably the best chocolate chip cookies in the world. Try one?”
I reached over and lightly tapped the back of Collin’s head.
“Ouch, Dad.”
“Connor!” Ellery snapped.
“Where are Julia and Jake?”
“Upstairs putting Brayden down for a nap. He’s really cranky,” Ellery replied.
“Collin, go up and tell them to come downstairs.”
I walked into the living room while Amelia and Ellery took seats.
“You are freaking me out, Connor. You better tell me what’s going on right now!” Ellery said in a stern voice.
I pulled the picture from my pocket and handed it to her as Julia, Jake, and Collin walked in the room.
“I know that’s your father, but who’s the baby?”
I stood there and looked away. I was angry. So angry that I couldn’t force the words out.
“That’s Lucas. Dad’s brother,” Collin spoke.
“Your father doesn’t have a brother, Collin.”
“He does now.”
I heard the gasps of my family, and when I looked at Ellery, she had a shocked look on her face.
“Connor?”
I took in a deep breath. “It’s true. My father has another child and his name is Lucas. His mother’s name was Charlotte and he bought them a house in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.” I cleared my throat for it felt like my heart was trying to escape through it.
“How did you find this out? Did you talk to them?” Ellery asked.
“No. We talked to the neighbor, Flora. She invited us in for iced tea and these amazing cookies,” Collin replied for me.
Julia got up and walked over to me and gave me a hug.
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I just can’t believe this.”
“You and me both, princess.”
“Does your mother know about this?” Ellery asked.
“No, and we’re going to keep it that way. Nobody outside this room is ever to find out about this.”
“What about Cassidy?”
“Elle, I can’t tell her. She’ll be crushed and devastated. You know how close she and my father were.”
“Secrets always come back to haunt you, Connor. You know that,” she spoke.
“This is different because today never happened. Do you all understand me? We never went to Cherry Hill and we never heard of Charlotte or Lucas Oaks. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go upstairs.” As I began to walk away, I looked at Collin. “You are to forget about those damn cookies.”
He frowned at me as I went upstairs and changed into my sweatpants and a t-shirt. I walked into the nursery and smiled at Brayden as he stared up at me and giggled. I picked him up and took him to my room, where we lay on the bed together. We both fell asleep.
I opened my eyes and Ellery was sitting on the edge of the bed, running her fingers softly through my hair.
“Did you have a nice nap?”
I stretched and looked over to see that Brayden was gone. “Yeah. Where’s the baby?”
“Julia and Jake took him home. Everyone left a while ago. I didn’t want to wake you.” She leaned over and laid her head down on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and softly caressed her back.
“I can’t believe him, Ellery. I can’t believe all of this.”
“I know
, baby. I can’t either. Collin said that Lucas is about twenty-eight now. My God, he’s not much older than our children.”
“I think Lucas was the one I saw at the funeral. I told you I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something was strange and it was the way he looked at me. He knew who I was.”
She lifted her head and ran her hand down my cheek.
“You want to know what the worst part of all of it is? Denny knew. He knew about my father’s affair and Lucas and he didn’t tell me. He was my best friend, Elle.” A tear started to form.
She got up and took my hand, pulling me into an upright position. “Come on; we’re going to take a long, hot bath together and talk.”
“I don’t want to take a bath.”
“Of course you do.” She smiled as she lifted off her shirt and removed her bra.
“Fine. We can take a bath.”
Ellery went into the bathroom and started the water while I got undressed. I climbed into the bubbly water first and she followed, snuggling into me with her back against my chest. The hot water felt good, but it felt even better holding her naked body in my arms. She knew this would relax me and she was right.
“I keep thinking about that letter Denny wrote me and how he said that I need to forgive my father as he grew older and all that shit about how people make mistakes and need to be forgiven. He was referring to Charlotte and Lucas because he knew that I’d eventually find out. Why didn’t he tell me?” I ran my fingers up and down her arm.
“Because it wasn’t his place to tell you. It was your father’s place and you need to respect that.”
“It still hurts, Elle.”
“I know it does, baby.” She kissed my arm. “Aren’t you even curious about him?”
“No. I’m not. Not in the least. Life will go on as normal as if we never found this out. As for my dad’s office, there’s nothing I want in there and it can all be trashed, with the exception of the books that I’ll have donated to the library. I’ll call a company first thing in the morning. I’ll be honest with you, Ellery, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at a picture of my father again.”
She laid her head back and stared up at me, bringing her hand to my face. “We will get through this together, and I respect your decision whatever it may be. I love you, Connor.”