Page 48 of Whatever You Need

“There was a boy I dated when I was younger.” She wiped the moisture from her eyes. “Your father and I were going through a rough patch and I ran into Marcus at a friend’s wedding. We were both married, but that didn’t matter because I was head over heels in love with the man.”

“You had a husband!” I reminded her, wondering how she could be so calm when it felt like my entire world was crumbling around me. “What about your husband?”

“I loved Greg, but not the way I loved Marcus. For those few weeks we were together, I was happy, but his wife found out about our affair and he left me.” She took a few deep breaths like she was wrestling with regret, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. “Your father agreed to raise you as his own. He loved and cared for you in every way that mattered.”

Tears ran down my face as I tried to hold myself together. I brought my hand up to my heart; it felt like there was a crushing weight sitting on top of my chest.

I was young when my father passed away, but I was old enough to remember him. My grandparents always made a point to tell me stories and keep him alive in my memories. He’s been gone for twenty years, so why did it feel like I was losing him all over again?

“You kept this from me all these years?”

“I know this is a lot to take in, but I hope you understand why when I tell you the full story.”

My stomach dropped. “There’s more?” It felt like things were falling apart around me, and I had no idea how to stop it. I had a million questions because none of this made sense.

She reached for my hand, but I pulled it back. “I know you’re hurt and you have every right to be.”

“I’m not just hurt. I’m confused. I’m devastated.” I tried to keep my voice even. “Are you sure that this man is my biological father?”

“Listen to me. Greg never wanted you to know. He swore me to secrecy and made me promise that I would never tell you. He wanted to protect you.”

“Why would he do that and what would he need to protect me from?”

“You know he survived a bout of cancer in his youth?” She looked at me for confirmation and all I could do was shake my head. “He always believed that he wasn’t going to live a long life. He loved you from the second you were born and wanted to make sure you were always provided for.”

I pushed to my feet and started to pace. Never had my life felt so out of control. Never had I felt so lost. All these years I believed that Greg West was my biological father, and if he wasn’t my father… then that meant that I wasn’t the sole heir of Jeffery West. OH. MY. GOD! The pieces of this bizarre fucked-up puzzle were falling into place.

My head snapped to hers with that realization. The grandparents I loved and adored… the two people I admired my entire life, weren’t my blood relatives.

“Greg was left sterile by the chemotherapy he had when he was treated for cancer as a teenager.” I knew that he was diagnosed with leukemia at fifteen and after chemotherapy, he had a successful bone marrow transplant, he was in full remission until his mid-thirties. The disease is what ultimately took his life. “He knew that you weren’t his. When I found out I was pregnant, he took it hard, but then we talked it through and made the decision to raise you together. He always wanted a child of his own.” She cleared her throat and looked away. “The problem was, your grandparents were also aware of his infertility.”

I stopped pacing so I could stare at her. “So, you all lied to me?”

“No, we loved you and tried to give you the best life possible.” She shook her head. “Your grandfather was angry as hell when he found out and wanted your father to divorce me. But your father would hear nothing of the sort and gave his parents an ultimatum. They either accepted you as their own flesh and blood or he would cut them out of his life forever. Your father was an only child, and your grandparents nearly lost him once, they weren’t going to risk it again.” She turned her eyes away briefly, as if she were trying to control her emotions. “Over time, your grandparents grew to love and accept you. When Greg passed away, you were all they had left of him.”

I hung my head. My chest hurt with a pain like I’d never felt before. “I don’t understand. I’m not sure how I feel about all this. How do I know what’s true and what’s a lie?” I glanced around the room; there were so many memories in this house. My eyes got misty as they landed on the chair and small table near the window where my grandmother and I had tea parties. We would play on the stairs, and I would dress up in her fur coats and pearls, and we would eat finger sandwiches and do crafts. My gaze moved over to the desk in front of the fireplace where my grandfather used to read me stories before bedtime. Most of the time, he would end up falling asleep before me because he was so tired after a long day. But he never missed story time, no matter how busy or exhausted he was. So many damn memories. I was struggling with so much. So many lies on top of lies.

My mom stood from the couch. She stepped closer and looked ready to reach for me again but thought better of it and wrung her hands together. “Don’t ever doubt your grandparents’ love for you. You might not have Greg’s blood running through your veins, but you are an extension of his heart. You were a part of him, and your grandparents loved you without conditions.”

I shook my head, trying to process what this meant. “What does all this have to do with you pushing me into marrying Owen?”

“You can’t tell your grandfather this or I will lose everything. He made me promise to never tell you or I would be cut off financially.” She rubbed her hand over her forehead. “Can you promise me that?”

“You are in no position to ask that of me right now.”

I always wondered how she could afford her lifestyle. My father left her a little bit of money, but most of it was left in a trust for me. I guess now I know.

“Marrying Owen is the only way to ensure that you can hang on to your shares of the company. Edward Eastan does not know that you are not Greg’s biological daughter. If he found out that your grandfather lied to him, then your ownership in the company could be challenged after the transfer and your grandfather could lose everything.”

I pushed my hands through my hair in frustration. “I can’t believe this.”

She sighed. “Sweetheart, your last name might be West, but Greg never officially adopted you. If the Eastan family were to somehow find out, they could challenge your paternity and the contract could be null and void. In the eyes of the law you are considered a stepchild and stepchildren are not considered legal heirs.”

“But, I’m his beneficiary.”

She nodded her head and swallowed. “You are correct, however, if for any reason, your biological father wanted to establish paternity, and it came to light that your grandfather knew that you were not his legal heir, the Eastan family could contest the contract due to fraud and misrepresentation.”

My mind went back to that fucking contract that I have yet to sign. “Why didn’t Dad just adopt me?”

“We weren’t thinking that far ahead. This succession was planned out fifteen years ago. By that time, Greg had already passed.”

I ran my hand through my hair, hoping my world would stop spinning. Up until this point I thought I was in control of my life, now I couldn’t believe how wrong I was…

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