Page 96 of Filthy Rich

“Is that eyeroll a yes or a no?”

“Definitely a no. You have to at least talk to Dave and Seren first, or you’ll be too scared to go, even with me as your shield.”

“Fine,” he says. “But you have to come with me.”

I smile, because I was hoping he’d ask.

Chapter 22

Jake

On the day I came to live with the Fansees, they sat me down. The other kids had already gone to bed. Emerson was always a total nerd, so one word sent him away. Bea initially argued to stay with me, but she disappeared after the look. Seren still has the power to make all of us listen, at least while we think she’s close enough that she could come after us. I’m not sure what I think she might do, but that look still promises something very, very bad.

Sitting alone, across from the people I’d tried to steal from, and whom I was now through a bizarre twist of fate living with, I remember thinking that I would never believe a single thing they told me. I had a lot of guesses about what they’d say now that everyone else wasn’t watching.

No social workers.

No friends.

No semi-siblings.

No one would believe a word I said, but I knew how to handle that. One of the first things my dad taught me to do was record a conversation without the people who were listening knowing. Then, whatever they said—or did—I could prove it. If I had to, I could use it to get a new home placement. Better yet, I could use it to blackmail them into doing what I wanted in the future.

“I’m sure you’re scared,” Seren said. “I’m sure you’re hurting. I’m so sorry that your father had to go to prison.” She was actually crying. I was very impressed. Legitimate con artists sometimes have trouble summoning believable tears without a lot of irritating histrionics first.

Dave patted her shoulder.

She shook her head and swiped at her eyes. “Tonight, I’m going to tell you a few things, things you might be horrified to hear. I’m going to tell you my deepest fears and my deepest secrets, because you’re family now.”

Was she serious? I thought they were sly, but I was beginning to think they were idiots. Revealing secrets to people they barely knew? Dad would, at least, be pleased.

“A few years ago, before I ever met Dave, I was married.” She sniffed. “I was the one who rented the car for a family trip we went on. I was married, and my husband and my parents, my grandparents and my siblings all went on a trip with me.” She bit her lip. “And I knew my dad had been drinking. Not much, and I thought he was fine, but I should have asked.”

I blinked. “Asked what?”

“He had back pain,” she said. “Chronic back pain. I should’ve asked whether he’d taken a pain pill that morning and exactly how much he’d had to drink. But he was my dad. It might have embarrassed him in front of my husband, so I kept quiet.” Her tears are quietly rolling down her cheeks now.

Dave’s eyes welled with tears, too. Those two were a real pair.

She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, and then she sniffed again. When she looked back at me, she nodded slowly. “If I had said something, my dad might not have gotten in a wreck. Because I kept my mouth shut, everyone in our van died, and everyone in the car we hit died too. Everyone except me.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Including my unborn child.” Her hands went to her belly.

In that moment, I realized she was serious. This wasn’t made up.

“I—” She dropped her face in her hands for a moment.

“When we met, Seren thought she’d never have kids, and that was all she’d ever wanted,” Dave said, taking over while she calmed down.

I could see her having ‘mother’ as her highest goal in life. Kind of sad, I thought.

“Because of the surgery they did to save me, doctors told me I could never have children in the future either. I had done it to myself—I had killed everyone I ever loved.” Seren leaned toward me, her face puffy, and her lip trembling. “When I tell you this, know I mean it, Jake. You’re going to make mistakes. You might even do bad things on purpose to see whether we really mean what we’re saying.”

“I thought it sounded nuts at first,” Dave said, “when Seren told me she loved Emerson. She’d just met the kid, but she knew.”

“I felt the same way about Bea,” she said. “And also, when we met you and realized what you’d be dealing with.”

I can’t help my snort. There’s no way these people could love me. They might hate me, but we just met. You can’t love someone you just met.

“I know love sounds like a big word,” Dave said. “And believe me, I was as skeptical as you, but I’ve learned to trust this woman and her big heart. The moment she saw Emerson, her heart said mine. I thought she was a little crazy then, but she was right. God has given her children, and even if she didn’t give birth to them, when she sees them, her heart knows.”

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