“Oh wow.”
“I couldn’t believe what I’d heard, and I stood for what felt like forever, just lost in all the years he was absent from our lives. Evie argued that she was there because she wanted to meet me, but my father being the controlling son of a bitch that he is, took the matter into his own hands, calling me to come meet her.” I paused, letting my truth linger.
“I was pissed, and I told him that I was going to tell my mother. That this was the end of his lies and bullshit. My mom deserved better, and I wasn’t going to cover for him. He’d made his bed, and now he needed to lay in it. I never expected what happened next. He pulled a folder from his desk and demanded that I take a look before I did anything.”
Her eyebrows pinched together. “What was in the folder?”
Inhaling a deep breath, I shared, “It was your mom’s secret about your real father.”
She grimaced, gasping.
“He threatened that if I told my mother, then he would tell you that your dad wasn’t your real father.”
“How did he know?”
“After the Christmas party when he ordered us to stay away from each other, he started digging into your mom’s life. You know he’s a powerful man. He found out the truth and has been holding it over my head this entire time. I didn’t know your mom had confessed to you. If I had, I would have moved heaven and earth to find you.”
“Oh my God. I can’t believe he kept us apart this whole time.”
“I called Evie this morning and told her to meet me in my hotel room. She lives in Atlanta but wants to move to Texas to be closer to me. She also wants to meet Ben and have a relationship with him and you. She’s been begging me to just tell you the truth, but I couldn’t do it. I know how much you love your dad. He’s my coach… I was in between a rock and a hard spot. As much as I wanted you to know that I never cheated on you, I couldn’t hurt you again. I refused.”
“Jax, I don’t know what to say. This isn’t what I expected when I heard you on the phone with her this morning.”
“So you Nancy Drewed your way here?”
She smiled, loving the book reference. “Yeah.”
I laughed. “You got some arm on you.” I referred to her throwing the vase at my head.
“My dad always wanted a boy.”
I nodded, continuing, “I wanted to talk to Evie and tell her that you knew the truth about your father, and I was going to tell you everything when I got home after this game.”
“I feel so stupid. I can’t believe I thought you cheated on me.”
I swept the hair away from her face. “I don’t blame you. My reputation speaks for itself.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that I should have trusted you. We wouldn’t have lost all these years if I had.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. We’re here now, and all I want is a future with you and Ben. I want the life I always dreamed of having with you.”
“Really? You dreamt about that before you moved to Miami or after?”
I didn’t hold back, professing my last truth…
“That night before my dad called, I was going to tell you I loved you and ask you to marry me, Sophie.”
“What? Is that why you were so calm and nonchalant about moving? I thought you just didn’t care we weren’t going to see each other every day anymore.”
“It was the only way I could leave you, knowing you were going to be my wife.”
“I’m speechless.”
I grabbed her hand. “The ring you’re wearing, I bought it for you then.”
“Jax,” she breathed out, shaking her head. “This ring is extravagant. How did you afford it?”
“The trust fund my grandfather left me before he passed away. I couldn’t touch it until I was twenty-one. He was my mom’s dad, and he fucking hated my father. I think he knew I’d eventually want to cut ties with my old man, and he was helping me in the only way he could. My mom kept the trust from my father. He didn’t know about it.”