Page 77 of Forbidden Mistress

The taste is sharp, with a little spicy kick to it, but also sweet. I suck on it for a few seconds and follow his directions to chew on it slowly.

He sets aside the container and lets out a long, resigned sigh. “I was at Oxford, and yes, I dated. I had relationships. Nothing lasted very long. I didn’t want it that way. It was hard when every woman I dated I compared to you and they always fell short.”

I blink, listening carefully to the tone of his voice, trying to detect the obvious lie or manipulation there. But I can’t. He sounds exhausted and resigned, like he’s decided to lay everything out on the table, then allow me to decide his fate. Hopefully, he can accept the outcome when it comes to that.

“By the time I finished University, you’d already started school out here so I opted to go to the East Coast—”

“—to work for Dad’s company and plot its takeover, right?”

I throw that accusation out there because the raw honesty in his voice is already starting to get to me. He seems to have an explanation for everything, and for some reason, that scares me more than anything, because I need the anger. I need the resentment. Without them, I’m afraid of what feelings might creep into my heart for Liam. And I can’t allow that. The last several weeks have proven just how dangerous Liam is to my heart.

I fold my arms tightly over my chest and refuse to look at him, staring at the darkened ceiling instead.

He’s been silent while I seethe, but suddenly he moves and my eyes dart to him. He dips his head, his face falling into his hands, and he rubs his eyes.

When he speaks, his deep baritone cracks with emotion. “He wasn’t my biological father, Cass, but I couldn’t have loved him any more if he was. Patrick Fitzgerald was the best man I’ve ever known.”

None of this is news. I was always aware of the special bond between my dad and his stepson. Those feelings were mutual, and yes, sometimes I resented him for that, feeling like sometimes Liam stole the spotlight from me. They were close, and now that I think about it, I can’t tell whether I resented Liam for that closeness with my dad or resented my dad for his closeness with Liam. I blink, my mind swirling with confusion.

“And that’s why telling you this secret is the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do. It means breaking a promise I made to Dad before he died—something I’d always intended to take to my grave…” His voice fades, and a cold silence stretches between us.

Secret? I swallow past the dryness in my throat. My dad wouldn’t have kept secrets from me. No way. I wasn’t as close to him as Liam was, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t open and honest with each other. Still, by the way Liam is talking, I can tell he’s telling the truth. Whatever Dad told him, it was something heavy.

I sit up slowly, my heart in my throat. “What secret, Liam? Tell me.”

Chapter 31

The Entire Truth

Liam picks up the container of ginger slices and, without a word, offers it to me as if that’s the price I have to pay to keep him talking.

Not wanting to stop and argue about it, I take another ginger slice and chew on it. Besides, they’re tasty, and I can already feel the queasiness start to fade.

Liam sets the container down and rubs his forehead. “The business was failing, Cass. When he died, he was in reorganization. I was working with the trustees for chapter eleven—”

“What? No. That can’t be true.”

He heaves a sigh. “I wish it wasn’t. I wish I didn’t have to tell you this. He was deeply ashamed and swore me to secrecy. He said it would kill him if you or Mom found out. Despite the stranglehold in cash flow, he struggled to keep you two in the lifestyle to which you’d been accustomed—one he couldn’t afford anymore. I tried to talk sense into him, tried to convince him that both of you were strong enough to understand, but the man had his pride. And he flat out refused when I offered to help him.”

I shake my head, confused. “You are one of the wealthiest people in the country, Liam. Articles have been written about your success, for God’s sake. How is that possible if Dad’s business was bankrupt?”

“I had an inheritance, as you already know, from my grandmother. It was held in trust because she didn’t have a good relationship with my biological father and she didn’t want him touching it. I came into the money when I turned twenty-one…” He shrugs. “And I’ve invested it wisely.”

I blink. “So that money…is all yours? What about Dad’s company?”

“It still exists. When Dad died, I paid off his debts, purchased the company and bailed it out. But it hasn’t been profitable for a while.”

I swallow. “So what does Lori live on, then?”

“I set up trusts for both her and for you. She lives off her trust and…” His voice fades again, and my eyebrow arches.

“You set up a trust for me out of your own money?”

“Yes. To cover your college and living expenses for the first few years out of college.”

“Why am I only hearing about this now?”

I can practically hear him swallow, and I tense, suddenly aware that he’s about to serve me another tough pill to swallow.

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