“All this has been weighing on me, Aiden. It’s all just clear right now. I know it won’t be easy, but… my children hate me, my husband in name only has Cancer, and the man I love is refusing to leave his wife. I have to be pragmatic. I didn’t think I’d come in here and get a chance to fix things with you, but if there’s the smallest chance…”
I stare at her. And then I let the rest of the truth fly. “For the past year, I’ve had DNA test results in a safety deposit box, afraid to open them, afraid to find out that Auz and me aren’t Quentin’s children, that one or both of us are Mitchell Carmichael’s kids.”
Her mouth drops. “I… I wasn’t with anyone but your father until you were both in high school.”
I stare at her.
“You’re Quentin’s sons. Both of you. Honest, Aiden. I…” she’s pale. She has no idea I’ve been carrying this around with me.
I shake my head. “I know. We opened the envelopes last week. Auz did. I opened mine last Saturday with Dad there.”
She clutches at her throat and sits down on the couch beside me.
“Aiden, I’m sorry.”
She sounds sincere. Is she?
“I’m sorry you carried that for… a year?”
“A year.”
“Honey…”
“Save it.”
She’s silent a moment, and then she speaks. “I was using Bella to try to gain information about you when I was trying to determine if you knew about Roger or not. I’ll meet with her tomorrow and give her a pay-off to make her go away.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll deal with Bella.” I’m grinding my teeth. “She was
a bad call, Audra. She involved the security guard who used his master key to get into the apartment and stole Carly’s grandmother’s jewelry and the sick perv stole Carly’s panties. They cloned my phone, too.”
“If it helps, I’m sorry to hear that.”
“He’s been arrested. We got the jewelry back. But, no, Mother. It doesn’t help.”
“I’ll leave now, go think about how to best move forward with my life. I hope there comes a time when you and I can---”
“Don’t bet on it. Come clean with Dad, though. He needs to know about Roger. Either from you or from me. That’s his best friend and---”
“I’ll come clean. And don’t bet on it? At least it’s better than a no.”
She gives me a look of pain and walks by me toward the door, stopping and touching my cheek briefly before she goes.
***
I sit for a minute, then I get up and knock on Carly’s door and open it.
She’s on her bed with earphones on, headbanging as she’s scrolling on her phone.
Fuck, she’s cute. She’s done her best to give me privacy. I’ve done nothing to deserve this girl but, fuck… I’m pretty sure at this moment that despite that, I’m not going to let anything fuck this up. She’s real. She’s beautiful. She’s smart. And she’s right up there with my sister and with Suki in terms of being good and genuine to her core.
I decide that we need to go back to New York next month, I want her with me, Auz, and Adele when we take Suki out for her 70th birthday dinner.
Carly spots me so she pulls her headphones off.
“Good song?” I ask.
She nods. “AC/DC. Back in Black.”