His other girls. He hadnt called them his girls. He hadnt made them sound exclusive. He had said other. Something in me warmed. In his mind I was one of his girls. I didnt know him. I hadnt even known about him until a few days ago. But he had always known I existed.
"Did you know that I was a girl . . . before you heard from Glenda?"
A frown creased his forehead, then a small smile touched his lips. "Yeah. She told me. After you were born she told me she held you. That you were perfect and that shed given you away. I got drunk that night. Real drunk. Wrecked my dads car and almost lost my scholarship. I went a little self-destructive for a while. I was a kid myself but I kept seeing this small baby whose face I had never seen, and I knew she was mine. But Id never held her. Id never been able to kiss her. " He shook his head. "It was the hardest thing Id ever experienced. Then Glenda moved. Without a word of explanation she was gone. I didnt see or hear from her for over thirteen years. Then one day she called me. She wanted to find you. I didnt want to. It wasnt because I didnt want to see you, because I did. I was just afraid to see her. She, uh . . . " He cleared his throat and tugged at his collar. "Shes my one that got away. You never quite get over that one. "
I felt like pointing out that she hadnt gotten away, that hed sent her running, but I didnt. That ship had sailed. They were both married with kids. "What are your daughters like?" I asked. I had never had siblings. Not ones that I remembered. To know I had half siblings in this world was hard to comprehend. I was curious about them. I wanted to know if they were anything like me.
Glendas daughter was young but she had a free spirit. Shed told me I looked like a princess. She asked me if I could fly a plane and told me that one day she was going to fly planes. I had been fascinated with her. All her long blond hair, like her fathers. Her name was Samantha but they called her Sammy. I liked knowing she was my sister. That what she was could have been me. I could have been like that as a child. I could have been so free. Knowing she would get a chance to live her dreams and have a family around her that loved her made me happy. It made the heaviness on my shoulders ease.
"Three of them are difficult but theyre fun too. Jasmine is the oldest by one minute and fifty-six seconds, and she doesnt let the other two forget it. Jocelyn is the middle child and shes the most like me. She plans to be a basketball star. Then there is my baby, July. Thats the month I met their mother. Shes what warms me when I need it most. July is the perfect name for her. Shes also the sweetest and most forgiving. "
"They all have J names," I said, smiling at the idea.
"Their mothers name is Jillian. "
I liked that. "I would like to meet them," I said.
Niles smile grew. "I would love that. So would they. I told them about you after I got the call from Glenda. Jillian already knew about the baby . . . about you. So, she stood behind the idea of me meeting you. She would like to meet you too. "
"Okay," I replied.
The server appeared and we ordered our drinks and Nile asked if I wanted an appetizer. I wasnt really hungry at the moment so I told him no. Once the server left he turned his attention back to me. "What was your life like growing up, Della?"
This was a question that Glenda hadnt asked me. I had been prepared for her to ask me but she never did. Because of that, I had let my guard down with Nile. He was different. He wanted to know. He wasnt afraid to hear the answer. I could tell that Glenda was afraid of the truth.
"It wasnt easy. I wanted to meet you because I needed to know what the people who created me were like. I needed to know I was going to be okay. But Im not ready to share my past with you. Honestly, I dont think you want details. If I were you, I wouldnt want to know. "
Niles face paled at my words and his jaw worked back and forth. I picked up my water and took a drink. I was more honest with him than I had planned on being. But the words had come out without a filter.
"Youre wrong. I want to know," he said in a quiet tone.
I shook my head. "No, you think you do but you dont. And I dont like talking about it. Im still working through some things. Meeting you and Glenda and seeing with my own eyes that you have healthy, happy children is what I need right now. It eases fears that Ive lived with a long time. "
Nile leaned his elbows on the table and studied me. "Youre scaring the shit out of me," he said.
He had no idea.
"Nile, I want to get to know you. But I plan on taking that slow and doing it when I can deal with it. One day Im sure Ill be ready to tell you about my life. Until that moment, I dont want to discuss it again. "
He took a long, deep breath through his nose, then nodded. "Okay. Fine. But the father in me wants to fix things. "
He wasnt my father. He was someone elses but he wasnt mine. He just provided the sperm that helped create me. "The male in you wants to fix things. Not the father in you. "
He started to say something and stopped. A smile broke across his face and he leaned back. "Who is he? The man who wants to fix things for you?"
I fidgeted with the napkin in my lap. "Im not talking about that, either. "
"Why not? Did he hurt you?"
I shook my head. "No, he never hurt me. "
Page 29
Woods
I stood looking out the window of the conference room while I waited on my new board members to arrive. I had now talked to all of them. Everyone I had asked had agreed. Well, everyone except one of them. He would come around though. In time.
My thoughts went back to Della. I had twenty-four more hours before I was going after her. She would arrive here by then or I was going to Georgia and Braden could get over it. I had agreed with her at first but I didnt agree now. It was taking too long. Every day Della was away from me, she convinced herself even more that I didnt want her.
"I feel like a badass," Jace drawled.
I turned to look at him. He was standing in the doorway with a cup of coffee and a grin on his face. "When did we get so damn old?" he asked, then chuckled and walked inside.
"Were not old," I replied.
"Whos old? Im not fucking old," Thad said as he followed Jace into the room.
I had debated asking Thad to be a part of the board. He was rarely serious and he still thought he was seventeen most of the time. But he was one of us. His father had been a board member. He should be one too.
"Im old. Thats whos old," Darla announced as she walked into the room with her iPad in her hands
, typing away at it. She was always working. That was why she was the best.
"No, youre not. Youre wise," I assured her.
She snorted and barely glanced up from what she was working on before she took her seat.
"This kind of feels like the knights of the fucking round table," Grant said as he sauntered into the room with a grin and a glass of what I assumed was bourbon. He really was drinking a lot more these days. I wondered if Rush knew about this.
"This needs to be quick. Nates checkup is in two hours. I have to be there. They weigh him and shit. I dont want to miss that," Rush said as he walked into the room, followed by Dean.
"Im not missing it either," Dean said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes.
"No smoking in here, Dean," I told him.
He grumbled. "You bunch of prejudiced asses. No one lets me smoke anywhere around here. Its fucking insane. I need to go back to home where I can smoke a joint on that street if I get the urge. "
I ignored his rock star hissy fit. We were all here. At least the ones who were in Rosemary. We were missing two. One would take her place soon. The other still had his shit to figure out.
"Are you drinking bourbon this early?" Rush asked, looking at Grant with a frown.
Grant rolled his eyes and leaned back, propping his feet on the table. "Yeah," was his response.
"Really? Youve started drinking whiskey before lunch?" Rush wasnt giving in and I really didnt want them having this fight in here.
"Hes fucking your sister. Hell, anyone that stupid has to drink to stay sane," Dean said in a bored tone.
Shit. This was gonna go downhill fast.
"Dont respond to that, either of you," I said, standing at the head of the table.
"Its okay. Its true," Grant said, and held up his drink with a grin that didnt reach his eyes.
Rush swore under his breath.
"Harlows too damn sweet for you. You know that, dont you, boy? She dont need Nans seconds. Shes too good for that. Shes the kind of girl you can look at but cant touch. Theyre too unattainable for guys like us. Only those who can reach the pedestal shes on can touch her," Dean said.
"Harlow? Rush asked, looking at his dad in confusion. "Whats Harlow got to do with this?"