Page 123 of Perfect Pitch

And it will destroy what serenity my mother has managed to earn.

My hand flies to my mouth when bile surges upward when my mother orders, “Will someone please take Austyn out of the room while I read the files?”

“Mama, what?” I shout.

Her head whirls in my direction. “I made most of the decisions about your life based on the information your grandfather placed in front of me. Please, give me this, Austyn.”

Angie stands. “Come on, Austyn. Let’s give your mother a few moments.”

“Don’t shut me out,” I plead as Angie reaches me.

Her hand shoots out and grabs onto my shoulder. The rest of the occupants of the conference room disappear as my mother’s erratic heartbeat registers with me. Then her words penetrate. “I have to, Austyn. I need to protect you. One day, when you’re a mother, you’ll understand.”

Seconds later, Angie’s closing the door behind us.

* * *

“Why did my mother first react as if she knew you?” I ask Angie the minute we sit downstairs with coffee and food.

Angie doesn’t hesitate to explain. “The second night you were DJ’ing at Redemption? Your mother stepped into an unknown situation because she thought I was in trouble.”

I lift my cup to my lips. “That sounds exactly like her.”

Angie briefly explains what happened—the noise, the sound, the lights, and her reaction to all of them before declaring, “She couldn’t know Ward wouldn’t hurt me, but there she was.” Angie’s voice holds a note of wonder as if no one has ever stuck up for her before. “She’s pretty remarkable. You’re really lucky to have her for a mom.”

“I know I am. She’s given up everything for me, Angie. The question is, was I worthy of it?” My phone vibrates just as I say that. I quickly yank it from the small body clutch I wear to find two messages from Mitch.

Mitch:

Thank god, Beats. Call me when you get this.

Mitch:

Baby, I’m about to be behind the wheel. Text me instead. I’ll answer as soon as I can.

I find myself slipping the phone back into my purse. As calmly as I can, I purge to the woman across from me the knowledge that to my grandfather, I’m an abomination. “Tyson Kensington has been a man to whom I’ve held up all others. He’s strong, smart, and still handsome. How can I trust the judgment about him from people I barely know?”

“You listen to your heart and you get proof before you make any decisions that will alter the course of your life,” she tells me.

I appreciate her wisdom. “You know him?”

“Your father?”

I nod, unable to acknowledge Beckett Miller as such. Not yet. “You heard the story my mother told Carys upstairs. What do you think?”

Angie looks me straight in the eye. “Your father was destroyed when he realized who you were, Austyn. What he did.”

I take another sip as I try to calm my racing heart. “Should you be telling me this?”

“No.”

“Then why are you?”

“There are moments that can break us in our lives. What hurts more is when we refuse to heal because we’re too stubborn to accept the future may hold something more lasting than our pain.”

She has no way of knowing her words apply to more than just my biological father. “That’s awfully wise.”

“Don’t worry. I just learned it myself a few weeks ago.”

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