Page 24 of Tainted Blood

“That’s fine.” I only need enough to get through the day. If I can’t have Calista by my side at the moment, I honestly just want sleep.

My brother helps me out of the vehicle and into the house, and my bag from the hospital falls on the floor, reminding me that I have no idea what happened to my phone. “Where’s my phone?”

Connor pats my forearm after scooping up my bag. “Calm down. It’s with your belongings, but it was smashed so Jack’s grabbing you a new one.”

“Thanks,” I tell my brother.

“Let me help you to your room.”

“I’ll get cooking,” Claudia says with a cheerful enthusiasm that makes me feel a little better.

“Thanks, Claudia.” We haven’t quite hit it off, but she’s proving to be a wonderful woman and an asset to this family. I tell my brother that as we head upstairs. “She’s a great woman.”

“Thanks. I’d love to believe so. You keep being nice to her, and she might even agree to bake a wedding cake for you and Callie.”

“Fingers crossed,” I tease, but my mind goes straight to tying the knot. The thought of having Calista as my wife would be a dream come true. I remember the ring I have put away in my bedroom safe. It was something my mother gave me when I was eighteen. She said it belonged to her mother, and she wanted me to have it. Of course, I asked why not Jack or Connor, but she said she had other gifts for them.

It was beautiful, and I’ve treasured it for so long.

“Find the one you love. Never marry out of duty.”

I chuckled at the time because I’d never have that sense of loyalty to my father.

I lie down in bed and pass out before my sister-in-law comes up. When she does, she lightly knocks on the door, waking me. I slowly move into a sitting position, giving her a soft smile. “Thank you, Claudia.”

She gently hands me the bed tray. “Do you have it?” I nod, and she releases it. I adjust the tray and then smile again at her.

Claudia straightens up and says, “Please let me know if you need anything else.”

I tip my chin, giving a polite nod, and she moves to the door. “Wait,” I call out.

“Yes?”

“I want to apologize, properly. You have been wonderful to my brother, and I might not have been as accepting as I should have been.”

“You don’t need to apologize, Ian. I understand that this entire situation is complicated. Especially everything that happened with John and my former father.”

“So how are you handling that? Jack and Connor explained that situation to me.”

“It’s a little hard, but it explains so much. He was so in love with your mother, and my mother’s deception had ruined his hopes of stealing her away. Apparently, her death is the reason my parents split up.”

“Are you serious?” I tilt my head and furrow my brows.

“Yes, my father was so devastated, and his hatred for the both of us grew. He’s apologized to me for his unrelenting dismissal, but I can’t say I blame him. I’d never forgive Connor for something like that, and I sure as hell wouldn’t accept his child into my life.”

“So do you know when this picture was taken?” I ask, taking it out of my pocket and handing it to her.

“This?” She gasps, shaking her head and smiling. “I can’t believe it. He had this on our mantle, but your mom wasn’t in it. It’s just him. He loved to stare at this picture, and I wondered how he could be so self-absorbed. It was taken in 1981.” We thought it was old because my mom is really young, the style of clothes and hair… but damn. That would put the timeframe right before I was born. My mom isn’t pregnant here or at least not showing.

“So he imagined my mother at his side the entire time?” I questioned.

“I suppose so. I asked him about it once, and he grumbled that it was the best night of his life.” I stare at the photo a little too long, and she gasps while looking at me.

“How old are you?” she asks me, eyes trained on my face.

I’ve already put two and two together as memories of the past are triggered. Images of the governor coming into my head from the television and watching my mother’s face shift from happiness to sadness to blank in a flash the moment you’d ask her about it. “You think he’s my father, don’t you?”

She bites her lip as if she’s afraid to say what she’s thinking, but as I stare her down, she finally relents. “Well, you have the same stare he does.”

---