Page 84 of Truth

Smiling, I kissed Brianna’s shoulder. “Do you think you can find your way back to the house on your own, sweetheart?”

Brianna glanced up at me, worry in her eyes. I’m sure she had some idea of what my uncle wanted to discuss with me. She didn’t want to go. “Yes, I think so.”

“Just follow that path there.” I pointed to the opening in the trees Richard had emerged from a few minutes before. “As long as you stay on the path, it will take you directly to the gardens at the back of the house. I’ll be there shortly.”

She nodded and tentatively made her way over the rocky bank, past Richard, and up to the path. We both waited several minutes after we could no longer see her.

“Stephan.” There was a mixture of anger, frustration, and exasperation in his voice. “What are you doing?”

“I think it’s obvious.”

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Yes. It is quite obvious.”

We stood staring at each other for an extended period of time. His opinion of my relationship with Brianna didn’t seem to have changed.

Running his hands over his face, he sighed. “I know there is nothing I can say to make you stop doing what you’re doing, Stephan, but I’m still worried. I’m worried about her and how she’s dealing with what happened to her. She seems to be getting better, but is she really, or is she just learning to rely on you?”

Before I could comment, he continued. “And what about you? What happens if this gets out? What you’re doing. What you... are.” He whispered the last word as if he were sharing some well-guarded secret. In a way, he was, but no one was around. Even if there were, they wouldn’t have a clue what he was referring to. “You have a reputation, and people—a foundation—that depend on you. What about them?”

“I understand the risks, Richard.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

He shook his head and looked down at the muddy ground before making eye contact again. “What would your parents think?”

It was like a blow to the gut. I couldn’t believe he’d gone there.

“They’d want me to be happy.”

“At the expense of others? No.”

“It is not at the expense of others. I’m not hurting anyone.”

“I think that’s a matter of opinion.”

“We’re done here.” I’d had enough. I wasn’t going to continue to listen to his misguided condemnation.

I walked past him. He didn’t try to stop me.

When I reached the tree line, however, his soft tone halted me in my tracks. “I don’t want to fight anymore.”

Tilting my head back, I looked up through the canopy of trees to the barely visible sky, and took a deep breath. “Neither do I.”

“I know you’re not my son, but I do love you like one, Stephan. I don’t like what you’re doing. I don’t understand it. But... I won’t say anything more.”

I glanced over at him. He looked defeated. “Thank you.”

He nodded.

I waited a few more seconds and then continued up the path to find Brianna.

Monday morning brought with it the usual headaches. Jamie knocked on my office door around nine with a stack of mail and all the paperwork I needed for my two afternoon meetings. I hurried to get through everything so I could take a break before being trapped in a conference room for the rest of the day.

I was just getting onto the elevator to go grab some lunch when I caught sight of Lily. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She looked happy. I could only imagine the reason for that since Logan had been home this past weekend. “You heading to lunch?”

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