Page 55 of Unwrapping Romance

After Ellie’s bath, she and Sierra joined me at the piano. Ellie climbed on the bench and sat between my legs as I played classical music.

“I had no idea you were this good.” Sierra smiled, and I winked at her.

“Do you know how to play My Heart Will Go On?” Ellie asked.

“By Celine Dion?” My brows furrowed.

“Yeah.”

“It’s been a while, but I’m sure I still can.” I positioned my fingers on the keys and began to play. At the precise moment, Ellie began to sing the lyrics.

I looked up at Sierra, whose eyes were wide and trying to contain the tears like mine. My daughter belted out the words as if it was no big deal while I played the music. Once again, I looked at Sierra and noticed the tears streaming down hercheeks. After Ellie sang the last lyric and I played the last key, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly.

“How do you know that song?” I asked her.

“My mom always played it. Celine Dion was her favorite.”

“Do you sing a lot?” Sierra asked her, wiping her eyes.

“Yes. I sing all the time. Everyone told my mom I have a natural God-given talent.”

“You are very talented.” I squeezed her. “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.” I picked her up and carried her to her bedroom.

After tucking Ellie in and kissing her goodnight, Sierra and I left the room. Grabbing hold of her hand, I led her to my bedroom.

“We’re going to have that talk now,” I said.

Chapter Twenty

Sierra

Jack and I climbed on the bed and sat with our backs against the headboard. Reaching over, he grabbed my hand, and everything felt right.

“Talk to me, Sierra.”

“It was Christmas Eve, and I was five years old when my mom left me at midnight mass in a church full of people. She got up from the pew, told me she’d be right back, and that was it. I never saw her again.”

“Jesus Christ, Sierra. I’m sorry. What about your father?”

“I have no clue who my father is. I’m guessing he took off when she told him she was pregnant.”

“Isn’t his name listed on your birth certificate?” Jack asked.

“No. The only name is my mother’s.” I lay my head on his shoulder. “I had never been so scared as I was that night when my life changed. I was bounced around to different foster homes until I was ten, when a couple, Madison and Julia, wanted to adopt me. I lived with them for less than a year, waiting for the adoption papers to go through when they were killed in a car accident. Then, it was back into the system, where I stayed in a group home. After I graduated high school, I worked two jobs totry and survive, sometimes three. I dated on and off, but I had a habit back then of choosing the wrong guys. Then I met Wesley, and we fell in love. I didn’t even hesitate when he asked me to move to New York with him. And then, six months later, he was killed—killed on November 28th.”

“That’s why you hate the holidays so much,” Jack said.

“Yeah.” I inhaled a breath. “When Claire showed up and then took off, I felt like I was reliving my past through Ellie, hence the panic attacks. I could feel her pain. She had the same sadness in her eyes that I had for years. But the difference is that she has you, her father, to make things right and make her feel safe. Since she’s only four, she may not remember the day her mother abandoned her. And I pray to God she doesn’t because that shit sticks to you like glue.”

“I’m sorry for everything you went through,” Jack said, kissing the top of my head.

“Now that I’ve told you about mine, I want to hear about yours.”

“After my mother passed away when I was seven, my father sent me away to boarding school. He told me to concentrate on my studies and work hard, and one day, Atlas Enterprises would be mine. Every year, I would ask him if I could come home for the holidays, and the answer was the same. He was going on a trip and wouldn’t be around. He dated all kinds of women after my mother passed—women who were more important to him than his own son. So, every Christmas, I stayed at boarding school with a couple of other kids who also got left behind. I resented my father for that, and I hated him. When I was eighteen, I went to Harvard to study business. By then, I’d hated the holidays so much that I didn’t even bother. All the decorations, joy, and celebrating only reminded me of the shitty Christmases I had since I was seven. My father was kind enoughto send me Christmas cards with a note saying that my gift was deposited into my bank account.”

“I guess we both suffered the same trauma around the holidays,” I said.

“When Claire told me she was pregnant, I was scared. I knew I couldn’t be the kind of father that Ellie needed me to be. I was too afraid I’d be like my father. I mean, after all, he was my role model. I let my past define what kind of father I’d be. Maybe if I fought for Claire to stay in New York, I could have had a better relationship with Elianna, and she wouldn’t be struggling with abandonment issues as we have. I love my daughter, Sierra. All I wanted was a better life for her than I had because I was too scared I would fuck her up in the long run.”

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