Page 44 of Scarred Heart

“I don’t know how I feel about this,” he admitted, gruff but gentle as always.“All this time, you told us one story, and now we hear a totally different story?”

“Charles.”Mom shook her head gently, leaning over to give my hand a reassuring pat.“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.We both knew there was more to the story than Rowan was letting on.There’s no need to pretend.”

When I shot a look of pure surprise her way, she continued, “Come on.You told us you were dating some Hollywood nobody, yet that same nobody could afford a sports car, which we never saw because the accident was cleared up and all evidence was erased.This is someone who had the means to not only pay for your medical bills but to cover your tuition.Obviously, this was not a random nobody off the street.”

“We didn’t want to press you on it,” Dad continued, sounding almost relieved now that there was no need to pretend.“You had already been through so much, and we all knew you had a long road ahead of you.Not only with your injuries but with the baby on the way.It seemed kinder and healthier to let you move on in any way you could.”

What did I expect?They weren’t stupid.I should have known they had their suspicions, but it had been easier at the time to imagine I’d told a decent lie.

“All right, that’s settled,” I concluded, a little shaken and maybe slightly embarrassed.I honestly thought they’d bought it.“But how do you feel about needing security, just in case?”

“It doesn’t make me feel good,” Dad admitted, rubbing a hand over his neatly trimmed gray beard.“I would much rather take Hannah somewhere safe if that’s the concern.”

“I don’t know if that would help,” I admitted.“Granted, I don’t know much about any of this.He swears this is all going to blow over soon, and he’s only acting out of an overabundance of caution.He is deeply invested in Hannah’s welfare.”

“Convenient, so many years later,” Dad grumbled while Mom clicked her tongue at him.

“It’s complicated,” I murmured.For the sake of wrapping this up sometime tonight, I left out a lot of key details.They only knew Hannah’s father was a wealthy man from a wealthy family whose father had arranged for everything to be silenced.They didn’t know about the details of the document I signed or any specifics.I hadn’t even told them his last name.The less they knew, the better until we came up with a plan to move forward.

If I wanted to move forward.

The truth was, when I checked in with my heart, there was nothing I wanted more except for Hannah’s happiness and safety, of course.But it seemed like Spencer played a big role in that, at least when it came to happiness.They got along famously, like two peas in a pod.

I couldn’t pretend my mama heart didn’t swell when I saw them together.He was the missing piece of our puzzle.All I had to do was let down my guard and allow things to progress.

For both of them and us.

“You know I’m going to check on you ten times a day,” Spencer had told me as we parted ways at the hotel earlier that Sunday afternoon.Our bodyguards were in place.What a bizarre thought, but then Spencer had pointed out the fact that children of wealthy families often had a bodyguard around them.“I don’t want my daughter out there in the world unprotected,” he had insisted.

On one hand, it was sweet to know how invested he was in her well-being.On the other?I didn’t love the idea of my daughter belonging in a world where she needed protection.There was still part of me that wasn’t ready to accept this.

“Just ignore the guys sitting outside.You both will be safe,” I made sure to remind my parents.“But don’t be surprised if I check in with you a bunch of times.”I was starting to sound like Spencer.

I left them to process what I had just dropped on their heads, going upstairs to visit with Hannah before I left.She was lying diagonally across the bed on her stomach, her feet swinging back and forth in the air while she read a book.The sight of her being so carefree made my heart ache in a good way.If only I could keep her this innocent forever, this untouched by the world.

“I’m going to head out, kiddo,” I told her.“But I’ll be here Friday, same as always.And I’ll give you a call tonight, before bed,” I added, eyeing the flip phone Spencer had given Hannah earlier.It couldn’t hurt being able to get in touch with her, and it was—in her words—a dumb phone.It only made calls and sent texts.

“Back in my day, we just called a phone,” Spencer had remarked with a wry grin.“This is in case you ever need to get in touch with me or with your mom.For any reason, even if you just want to talk.Our numbers are already in there.” She had accepted the device happily enough, though I sensed her disappointment at it not being a smartphone.

“And can I call you anytime I want to?”she asked.I nodded, sitting beside her on the bed and kissing the top of her head.She rolled onto her back, looking up at me, her forehead creased like she had something on her mind.I waited, giving her space instead of forcing her to vocalize whatever was on her mind.

“Can I ask you something?”she whispered.

“Of course.”

“Is Spencer my dad?”

I knew it was coming.This was a smart little girl, insightful, somebody who never missed a beat.If anything, I might have been worried if she hadn’t put two and two together by the time our weekend at the Beverly Wilshire was over.He was so interested in her, almost voracious.He wanted to make up for all the time he had lost.

She wasn’t letting me off the hook, those expressive blue eyes studying me as I fumbled around, trying to come up with the right thing to say.Finally, I asked, “What makes you ask that question?”

“Mom.I’m not a baby.He’s, like, the only man you ever introduced me to.And there was that one time when we were having dinner last night when he was talking about something you guys did together a long time ago.Then there’s the same eyes and shaped face we share.”

Dammit.I knew she would pick up on that when Spencer had asked if I remembered a trip we took to San Francisco one night.He’d flown me there in the family jet to show off a little.He had laughed about how ordinary the trip was for him a decade later, how he had never expected at the time to build a business up there.He’d never expected to build a business in the first place.The Spencer I used to know had no ambitions.

I wouldn’t insult her by coming up with a well-intended lie.Instead, I gave her the sort of straightforward answer she always appreciated.“Yes.Spencer is your dad, honey.”There it was.No taking it back.After giving her a minute to process, I asked, “How do you feel about it?”

“I like him.“ The fact that she didn’t hesitate was a good sign.“He’s nice.He’s fun.He listens.And you like him.”

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