Page 27 of Mine to Keep

“Are you a father?”

“No,” he said. “But my mother had an affair, and it resulted in me. However, my parents didn’t think to tell me until two years ago. To add insult to injury, Steve, my biological father, is now dating my mom, and I’m just supposed to, all of a sudden, accept it all.”

Bryn’s eyes grew wide. Her lips parted, and she lowered her chin. “That’s a lot to take in.”

“It is. I’m also not very accepting. It’s why I barely speak to my mom. I don’t have a relationship with Steve, his kids, or my other brothers. And to be frank, all of this could have been avoided if some honesty had been shared from the beginning.”

“Affairs aren’t honest by nature.”

“Nope. But by the time I was born, my father knew that I might not be his.”

“So, are you not speaking to your dad either?”

He shook his head. “We’ve worked through our differences when it comes to the lie. I mean, he raised another man’s child after his wife cheated on him.”

She crossed her tanned, toned legs. Sometimes, it was hard to focus on anything but how pretty Bryn was, or maybe he was only using that to avoid the topic he’d brought up—which he slightly regretted doing.

“No offense, but that doesn’t make him noble. I’m not saying that he’s not a good man, but it doesn’t mean he gets to be held to a different standard.”

“No offense taken. However, in my mind, it does. Because he was trying to keep his family together.”

“All right,” she said. “But what do your brothers have to do with any of this?”

Jamison shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I’m working on my relationships with them, but there was a time, when all this first came out, that they didn’t see how it messed with who I thought I was. All they wanted was for Mom and Dad to be happy, and if that meant Steve was in our mother’s life, then so be it.”

“Well, I can see how that would be difficult for you.” She held up her finger. “How old are you?”

He narrowed his stare. “Thirty-seven. Why?”

“Because when you were born, your parents had to make decisions, both selfish and selfless in order to protect you.” She tapped her chest. “I know in my heart of hearts that I’m making the right decision for Zadie. If in thirty-some years, she meets up with her grandmother and ends up resenting me, I will still believe that I made the right decision in the moment, and I hope that Zadie will respect me enough to hear my explanation and try to understand what was going on at the time, at the very least.”

The chill that had coated his system heated to a boil. He wanted to do what he did when he was with his family and bolt from his chair. Maybe knock it over and cuss like a drunken sailor. He clenched his fists against his thighs. “It’s just that lying creates so many problems and hurt feelings.”

“Let me ask you this question,” she said. “Would you have preferred to be raised by Steve? Or by the man you call Dad?”

Jamison fucking hated that question. “We both know the answer to that, and it’s an unfair question. I had a lifetime of being Dalton Kirby’s son. That’s why it’s not going to change. Biology doesn’t make a person a parent. Which is why I get angry with my family. Steve knew of my existence. He knew I could be his. And instead of claiming me, he went off to Miami, got married, and had four other kids.” Jamison squared his shoulders. “Obviously, this is a tough topic for me.”

She scooted the chair closer and rested a hand over his. “I’m not saying that what your parents did was right, but there was more than one person involved. And while the way the truth came out really sucked, you’re now in control. That’s the key. You get to call the shots on how the relationships play out. But they had their reasons, and I suspect if you put yourself in each of their shoes, you might be able to understand.”

He understood his father. What he did made sense. And maybe his mom because she only wanted to keep her family together.

But Steve’s actions didn’t make sense, and he didn’t want to hear the man’s excuses. So, Jamison always refused. He’d had no family when he left town. He’d walked away from the woman he supposedly loved and a child that might have been his, and Jamison has always believed that actions spoke louder than words.

That action was pretty fucking loud.

“I appreciate what you’re saying, and you have a valid point. I’m honestly working on all of this. However, you asked why I had an adverse reaction to you not telling your late husband’s family about Zadie. Well, that’s my reason. No matter what was going on, that’s their grandchild.”

“I respect that as long asyoucan respect that I had my reasons.” She squeezed his hand. “I have to do what I believe is best for my daughter and me.”

He couldn’t argue with anything she’d said. He didn’t have to agree with everything. The fact remained that her point of view made perfect sense. Even when she framed it around his life.

That was a hard pill to swallow. “That was a little deep for an impromptu lunch.”

“Let’s try to keep those kinds of conversations to a minimum.”

He smiled. “I like the idea that we might have the chance to have a chat again. I enjoy your company.” He glanced at his watch. “Crap. I’ve got to go. I promised my grandmother I’d fix her television before her show tonight. I’m sure her TV is fine. It always is, but she manages to mess up all her remotes so I bought her an Apple TV where she can have all her streaming stuff in one place and use just one.” He lifted his plate. “Let me help you—”

“I can handle a few dishes.” She curled her fingers around his waist. “Don’t forget to get me all the information for your website. I’ll start on it tonight.”

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