Page 5 of Raise 'Em Up

My mom is crying now, tears streaming down her face. “Since I found out I was pregnant with you.”

Betrayal punches me in the gut, knocking the air right out of my lungs. “Nineteen years. You’ve known all this time and you didn’t tell me!”

“I was young and scared. I knew he had a whole future planned out for himself, and we weren't a part of it.”

“I was never given that choice!” James growls. “You, I could understand why you did it,” he tells my mom, then turns to the man I guess is my grandfather. “But you… You knew. You knew I had a child, and instead of telling me, you chose to keep it a secret. You gave the mother of my child a job, a place to live, and never once told me about my daughter's existence.”

“No.” I shake my head. “Nope. Not happening.”

“What do you mean not happening?” James looks at me.

“I’m not dealing with this right now. I can’t. I just… I can’t.” I grab my bags and get the hell out of there.

“Rylee! Please. Come back and we can talk about this,” my mom calls after me as I rush down the hall.

I’m trying really fucking hard not to cry again. This is the last fucking thing I need right now.

My mom. My best friend. The only person in my life that I thought I could depend on has lied to me my whole life.

I have a father. A really fucking rich father from the looks of it. Not that I know anything about this James guy. I want to feel for him, I do, but I can’t find it in me to care about anyone else right now.

Getting to the front desk, I grab my credit card. “I need a room. As high up as you can get me.” I need to be as far away from my mom right now.

“Put your card away, dear.”

Spinning around, I find Mr. Sanderson standing behind me. “What?”

He looks to the receptionist. “Put her in the penthouse. This is Rylee, my granddaughter.”

I gape at him, the receptionist sporting a very similar look. “So now we’re just going to start tossing that out into the world? Now that your son knows I’m no longer a dirty little secret.”

He chuckles. “Rylee, dear, I never once thought of you that way. I wanted to help as soon as I found out about you. But your mother, she’s a prideful woman. She had a right to be weary about James. He was a party boy back then. He's a smart businessman, but he didn’t know how to keep it in his pants.

“A child was the last thing he would have wanted. I wanted to be more involved, but your mother insisted we keep you out of this, to give you the best life she could. A normal life. I respected her wishes, as long as she let me help in some way.” He gives me a smile that crushes my heart.

“I’ve watched you from afar though. Watched you grow up to be such a smart, amazing young lady. I’m proud of you, Rylee.”

And now I’m crying like a baby in the middle of the hotel lobby, with my long-lost grandfather, who happens to be the owner of the hotel we’ve lived in my whole life. What the fuck even is my life anymore?

I’ve lost a lifetime with this man. This man who seems so damn nice. I could have had a grandfather growing up.

“I know this is a lot to take in. And I don’t expect you to just jump on board with it all straight away. I’m just asking you not to cut me out of your life, to give me a chance to spend some time with you. I’m not getting any younger, you know.” He chuckles. “I’d love to get to know my granddaughter.”

More sobbing. I can’t shut off the water works.

Unable to speak, I nod. He pats me on the arm and tells me to call him if I need anything, and that everything is on the hotel, before walking away.

I head up to the penthouse suite like my body is on audio pilot, crying the whole way there.

When I get into the room, I drop my bags and head for the bed. I collapse, my mind, body, and soul unable to take anymore.

I just lay there and cry until I pass out.

I’m alone. I have no one, and everything I thought I knew about my life is a lie. I’m on this crazy train and I’d really fucking like to get off now.

I’m really starting to hate my life.

CHAPTER THREE

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