“And I suppose you think I’m heartless?” Leah asked.
“Aren’t you?” Avery asked, rising from her seat and coming toward her. “How could you give up your baby girl without even looking at her?” Avery’s voice rose with each question. “How could you?”
“Because if I saw you, I’d never be able to give you up!” Leah yelled back at her. With how she’d felt about Richard, if she’d held Avery, the child they’d created, Leah wouldn’t have been able to go through with the adoption.
Avery wished she could believe that. “And now? I’m here now…”
Leah swirled around to face Avery’s tearstained face. Avery waited for Leah to open up her arms and envelop her, but she didn’t. Instead she vehemently shook her head. “I’m sorry. I can’t, Avery. I know this must hurt you, but I can’t.”
The spark of hope Avery had been keeping alive was extinguished. “Why not? I’m here now. Why can’t you embrace me now?”
“I have a new life now, Avery,” Leah replied. “A family. A husband. I’m not the same Leah Gordon that I was back then.” She felt guilty and selfish for thinking about herself, but there it was.
Avery seethed with mounting rage. “The family you speak of is my family, too. They are my brothers and my sister.”
“Who have no idea that you exist,” Leah returned matter-of-factly. “You see, I never told my husband that I had another child. Do you know what this would do to my marriage? To my children?”
“Your children!” Avery shouted. “I’m your child, too. Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?”
“I’m sorry, Avery,” Leah cried, turned her back and wiped away the tears with her hand. “But it can’t be avoided. I am so sorry, but I can’t acknowledge you. We can’t have a relationship.”
Avery wiped a tear from her cheek. “Fine. Fine. If that’s the way you want it. Fine. But I want to know who my real father is.”
“Avery, no!” Leah immediately swung back around.
“Either I leave here with his name,” Avery countered, “or I will shatter this perfect little family that you’ve created. I want his name, Leah, and I want it now.” Deep down, Avery knew she would never tell a soul, but Leah didn’t know that. Avery wouldn’t want her siblings to feel the kind of pain she was feeling at this very moment, this feeling of being betrayed by the people you loved most. But emotional blackmail was all she had to get the truth out of Leah.
Leah turned her back and considered her options. Her husband would most certainly leave her if he ever found out she’d had another child and had lied to him throughout the course of their marriage. He was a proud man and well respected in the community. “All right,” she said, turning around. “I’ll tell you.”
Avery folded her arms. “I’m waiting.”
“I’ll tell you, Avery, but you have to know that he’s a very successful businessman now and I doubt things will turn out any differently than with me.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Avery said. “Now that you’ve shown me what to expect, I won’t have any expectations.”
Leah felt as if a knife had been stuck in her heart, but she had no choice. “His name is Richard King,” she finally offered.
“Richard King?” Avery repeated the name and blinked in bafflement. Of all the names in the world, she certainly had not expected that one. The words sent her pulses spinning. How could her father be the very same man Quentin was doing a photo exposé on, the man his friends despised? The very same man who could walk away from the woman he loved and his own child, an inner voice responded.
Leah continued speaking even though Avery’s mind barely registered the information. “I’m sure you’ve heard of him. The King Corporation is well known throughout Manhattan.”
Avery nodded. She was in complete and utter shock. Richard King was her biological father? So Leah had had an affair with a Caucasian man? Well, that explained a lot. She’d always felt she must be mixed, but now she knew.
“I’m sorry, Avery,” Leah continued. “I wish we could have a relationship, but given my husband’s standing in the community, if this came out, it could damage his career.”
“And I wouldn’t want to do that. Thank you for the information.” Avery slung her purse over her shoulder and headed toward the kitchen exit.
“What do you plan to do?” Leah asked, dreading Avery’s answer.
Avery couldn’t believe her nerve and swerved around to glare at her biological mother for what would be the only time they’d ever meet. “That isn’t any of your business, now, is it?” Avery asked. She gave Leah one final withering look before storming out of her perfect life forever.
The ride to the airport and the subsequent flight home were a blur for Avery. How could she not be in a fog when Leah had chosen to abandon her for a second time and her biological father turned out to be a lying, ruthless snake like Richard King? Once she’d landed at the airport and turned her phone back on, Avery noticed that Quentin had called several times, but she couldn’t talk to him right now.
She was having a hard enough time processing the news, let alone trying to explain it to another person. She was deeply hurt that Leah wouldn’t acknowledge her. She had turned her back on her again. She hadn’t expected a miracle or for Leah to throw her arms around her, but she hadn’t thought Leah wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her either. Leah didn’t even want to touch her. Would her presence have truly been that disruptive? Avery would never know because Leah had an icebox where her heart should be.
“Quentin, is everything okay?” Dante asked when his friend kept staring at his cell phone every few minutes.
“I’m sorry, Dante,” Quentin replied. “I’m just waiting for a phone call.” He’d been waiting for Avery to call him back and tell him how the meeting with her biological mother went, but she hadn’t called. He’d left several messages and she still hadn’t responded. He was worried.
“From Avery Roberts, I presume?” Dante asked. “For someone who claimed this was only a bet, you sure have spent a lot of time with the lady.” Dante wasn’t blind. Quentin had fallen for the art buyer, but refused to admit it to anyone including himself.
“I suppose I have,” Quentin said. “Dante, Avery has surprised me. I thought she was cold and haughty, but now that I’ve gotten to know her, she’s the exact opposite. She’s really quite warm and sincere and did I mention extremely passionate?”
“And we know how important that is to you.” Dante smiled. “Seriously, though, I’m glad you’ve found someone to make you happy even if it did start with a bet. Did you tell her about that?”
“No, I haven’t. I doubt she’d be too thrilled with me.” Worse yet, Quentin was afraid that Avery would dump him on the spot. He should never have made the bet to begin with. It was a juvenile thing to do and now he was forced to live with his actions.
“You never know. Maybe she’ll take it as a compliment that you wanted to get to know her,” Dante said, trying to sound optimistic.
“I doubt that.” Quentin shook his head. “She’d take it as an insult, because initially I did think she was all those things, but I was wrong.”
“Then admit that, too,” Dante suggested. “Honesty is always the best policy.”
“Where did honesty get me with Malik?” Quentin hadn’t seen a hair on Malik’s head since the meeting with King. “It got me nowhere,” he continued, answering his own question.
“You have to end this war with Malik, Quentin.” Dante was tired of this feud. Growing up, they’d had fights before, but this was different. He’d never seen Malik so angry, so distant, so brooding.
“Any suggestions on how I might accomplish that?”
“Well…talking it out might help.”
“He doesn’t return my calls.”
“Then confront him and don’t let up until he stops being so stubborn,” Dante said.
“Thanks for the advice.” Quentin pulled his wallet out and slid a ten Dante’s way for the beer. Maybe
Dante was right. If he didn’t let up, eventually Malik would cave in and forgive him.
“What are you doing?” Dante pushed the money back his way.
“Listen, my friend—” Quentin left the money on the bar and walked to the door “—you need all the paying customers you can get. Why don’t you stop being so stubborn and take the money, ya hear?” He pointed at the cash before leaving.
“I’ll do that.” Dante smiled and put the money in the register.
Quentin had decided to wait to call Avery again until the next day. He’d thought about it last night and perhaps she was emotionally drained and needed some time to herself. It wasn’t every day you met the mother who’d given you up for adoption.
Quentin focused his energies that morning on his last shadowing session with Richard King before the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce crowned him Businessman of the Year on Saturday night. Quentin was glad this assignment was nearing its end and he could finally repair the damage that had been done to his relationship with Malik. He just hoped it wasn’t too late.
“I know you’ll be working in an official capacity, Quentin, but will you be bringing a date to the gala?” Richard inquired after his meeting had ended.
“I hadn’t really thought about it,” Quentin replied. He was there to do a job, not socialize. He’d done the honorable thing and abided by the commitment his agent had made for him. He didn’t want to spend more time with Richard King, because try as he might he was finding it hard not to like the guy.
“You should bring a date,” Richard returned. “You can sit at my table with me and my wife, Cindy.”
“That really isn’t necessary.”
“I insist.” Richard was not a person to take no for an answer. He was used to getting what he wanted and for some reason this photographer had intrigued him. It was clear he didn’t want to be here, so why did he stay? Why had he kept this assignment even though it was obvious Richard stood for everything he was against? The question had puzzled Richard the last couple of weeks and he was dying to know the answer. Perhaps his date might shed some light on the man.
“All right. I’ll ask her and if she doesn’t have any plans, we’ll be there.”
“Fair enough. I look forward to meeting the lovely lady.” Richard held out his hand to Quentin. For a moment, Quentin thought about not shaking it, but always the professional, he accepted Richard’s proffered hand.
“I’ll see you Saturday night,” Richard said. He strutted out of the room with his adviser right behind him.
Once Richard had left, Quentin wasted no time in getting on his cell and calling Avery. His call immediately went to voice mail, which meant she had her cell phone turned off. He tried the gallery next, but the intern told him that Avery had called in sick. So Quentin tried her home phone and when her answering machine clicked on, he knew something was wrong. Avery had gone a full twenty-four hours without telephoning him and now she hadn’t gone to work. And for her to take a day off with the way Hunter had been riding her left Quentin concerned. Had something happened to her in Buffalo? He quickly packed up his belongings and exited the building.
Outside, he hailed a taxi and had him drive straight to Avery’s apartment. “Put your foot on it,” Quentin ordered. He was anxious to find her. He shouldn’t have waited. He should have listened to his instincts and checked on her yesterday. As soon as the taxi stopped, Quentin paid the fare and hopped out.
He raced past the doorman and took the stairs instead of the elevator. Despite his athletic physique, he arrived out of breath at the tenth floor and banged on Avery’s door. “Avery! Avery, are you in there!”
Avery was in bed when she heard Quentin knocking on the door. At first she thought about not answering, but then he kept banging, so she had no choice but to throw off the covers, slip on her robe and head to the foyer before one of her neighbors called security.
“Quentin, go away, please,” Avery said through the door. “Please just go away. I just want to be alone.”
“Avery, please open up,” he insisted, placing his hand on the door. He could feel her pain even from the opposite side. “I don’t know what happened between you and your biological mother. But whatever happened—you can talk to me.”
Avery could feel him, too, and put her hand on her side of the door. She needed him, but she couldn’t let him see her this way. See her so devastated. So crushed. “I can’t see you right now, Quentin. Please just go away.”
“Avery, let me in or I’m going to break this door down!”
She thought about it and she had no doubt that Quentin would do exactly that if she didn’t comply. “Fine!” she yelled, unlocking the deadbolt and swinging the door open. “Are you happy now?” she said, facing him with tearstained cheeks. “I just wanted to be alone. Why couldn’t you give me that?”
“Because I was worried about you,” Quentin returned, closing the door. And with good reason. Avery was a mess. Her hair hung flat and limp at her shoulders; her eyes were red and puffy; she was wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and a stained NYU T-shirt underneath a funky old robe. “What happened with Leah, Avery?” Instead of answering him, she turned on her heel and fled to her bedroom, flinging herself on the bed.
Determined, Quentin followed behind her and stood in the doorway. “Avery, I asked you a question. And I’m not leaving until I get an answer.”
She bolted upright. “She rejected me, okay?” She cried as tears glistened on her eyelids. “You were right. She didn’t want to have anything to do with me. Don’t you want to say you told me so?”
“Avery, I’m so sorry,” Quentin rushed over to the bed. He pulled her into his arms and smoothed her hair with his hand. “I didn’t want to be right. I hoped that she would welcome you with open arms. Surely, you must know that,” he said as he patted her back and tried to soothe her.
“But that didn’t happen, Quentin,” Avery croaked. “I don’t know why I expected anything to be different thirty-three years later. I was an inconvenience. She didn’t want me then and she doesn’t want me now.”
“What can I do?” Quentin asked, cupping her face in his hand. He wanted to ease her pain, but he didn’t know how. “What can I do to make this better?”
“There’s nothing you can do,” Avery replied, bitterly wrenching herself out of his arms. “It is what it is. And I just have to accept that.” Avery threw herself to the bed and turned away from him.
“Then I’ll just stay here with you for the rest of the day and all night if I have to,” Quentin returned, untying his shoelaces. He took off one shoe and then the other before joining her underneath the covers.
“You don’t have to do that,” Avery said over her shoulder.
“I know I don’t have to.” Quentin snuggled behind her until her bottom was resting firmly against him. “But you’re stuck with me, so just accept it.” He wrapped his arms tightly around her. He wanted her to know that despite Leah’s shortcomings, Avery could count on him.
When Avery awoke the next morning, she found her bed empty. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock. It read 10:00 a.m. Had she really slept that long? And when had Quentin left? He could have at least told her instead of sneaking out. Avery didn’t know why she was upset. Perhaps because he’d come to mean more to her than she cared to admit? Last night, he’d been a rock. A tower of strength. He’d let her talk or cry or vent or just remain silent. She’d needed him and he’d been there for her more than any man ever had. That was why it was so upsetting to find him gone in the morning light.
“Maybe he’s in the kitchen,” Avery said aloud and padded to her galley kitchen. When she arrived, she found it, too, was empty. She was heartbroken.
“Great, thanks for nothing, Quentin.”
Downtown, Quentin stood in front of the Robertses’ Park Avenue door and rang the bell. In the dawn, he’d been struck with the best medicine to cure Avery—and she opened the door a few minutes later: her mother, Veronica Roberts.
“Hel
lo, Mrs. Roberts.” Quentin smiled. An older, more sophisticated version of Avery stared back at him. “I don’t know if you remember me from Vegas Night…”
A light came into Veronica’s eyes. “Oh yes, you’re the gentleman that accompanied my daughter to the charity gala. How can I help you?”
“Well, it’s not me you can help, Mrs. Roberts. Right now, Avery needs you.”
“Why? Is something wrong?” Veronica asked. “Did something happen to my daughter?” Worry creased her forehead.
“It’s more like who happened to your daughter,” Quentin returned.
Veronica knew exactly what he meant. “Let me grab my purse.”
They arrived twenty minutes later at Avery’s apartment and Veronica used her key to let them in. “Avery!” she called out to her daughter.
From her bedroom, Avery heard a voice that sounded oddly familiar. It sounded like her mother, but she thought she was hearing things until she heard her name again. “Mom!” Avery rose from her bed and peeked her head outside the bedroom door.
Quentin and her mother were standing in the foyer. When she saw her, Avery ran and her mother enveloped her with open arms. “My baby,” she crooned in Avery’s ear.
“Mama,” Avery cried, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” Avery hugged her even tighter. “I should never have done it. You warned me. Please forgive me.”
“It’s okay, Avery. I’m here now and that’s all that matters. And there’s no forgiveness needed. I’m your mother and I will always love you.”
When Avery looked up at Quentin with tears in her eyes and mouthed the words thank you, Quentin felt like the king of the world. Quietly, he stepped back and exited the apartment to give the two women some much needed bonding time.
Chapter 12
“I’m in love with him, Jenna,” Avery revealed two days later when she joined her for coffee. Now that she’d faced the past and reconciled with her mother, Avery felt like a giant load had been lifted off her shoulders and she could finally breathe again. Sure, she still hadn’t adjusted to the news that Richard King was her father, but that was another story entirely.
Playing for Keeps Page 14