Page 24 of Exquisite Temptation

"That’s great, Pumpkin. Is he from a good family? Does he have his own house? Is he ready for children?" She fires the questions without taking a single breath.

"Woah, Mom. Hold your horses. We haven't been on a date."

"You have no time to waste. At your age, I was married with two young kids. What if he is one of those ‘fuck them and leave them’ type of guys?"

"Eww, Mom." I scrunch my face, not in the mood to have the same conversation with her, which would ultimately lead to an argument because she always twists my words.

"What?" She shrugs her shoulders, gazing at me as if it's normal for a mother and daughter to have this type of conversation. "We are both adults, and you know I’m right."

"Sometimes I feel as if I'm a prize horse you want to sell to a wealthy owner," I blurt out, giving myself a mental slap as soon as I realize what came out of my mouth.Damn it, Heidi. You are the best at making things worse with your big mouth.

She winces in protest. "And why would you say such a hurtful thing, eh? I’m your mother and have your best interests in my heart. What is wrong with me wanting you to find a stable and dependable husband, just like your father?"

"Have you asked me what I want? What if I don’t want to marry and have kids? Maybe I want to travel the world or have a harem of men." I rip out the words impatiently, clenching my lips tight. She releases a gasp, staring at me as if I've lost my marbles.

"Oh, my God. You wouldn’t do this to me." Is she serious?Breathe and walk away.She doesn’t get it.

"Okay. I'm going back to my room. We clearly have a problem understanding each other." I exhale a sharp breath, get up, and leave.

Closing the door, I throw myself on the bed. You shouldn't have gone to talk to her when you know every conversation always turns back to her. Imagine if I brought home four Doms. She would have a heart attack and disown me. Lucky for her, I’m a one-man woman. One sexy as sin, tall and blond Dom, is enough for me. My phone pings with an email notification, disrupting my inner monologue. I open my emails, noticing among the new ones an email from Ancestry DNA, inviting me to view my results.

Jumping off the bed, I fire up my laptop and sign into my account. The photos in the DNA matches draw my attention, and I click on it, expanding the section. I blink repeatedly, my brain working hard to process what it’s seeing.

I push myself up and pace around the room, wearing down the carpet with my overactive feet. My heart bangs inside my chest like a tiger raging against the cage that stole his freedom. Shit! Have I gone to sleep last night and awoken in an alternative universe? What on earth is going on? Plodding back to the laptop, I glance at the close relatives section, noting that Sebastian and Eleanor Ecclestone’s names haven’t magically disappeared. A surge of intense, distressing emotions and nausea rolls through me in sickening waves. Everything I ever thought was true turns out to be a lie.How could they not tell me? Why?You always knew, Heidi. No matter how hard you pushed your memories away, they kept popping up in your dreams,my heart reminds me. Allie told me Sebastian’s parents were dead, and, after, his sister got adopted, and he vowed to find her. I’m his sister. He’s been searching for me all this time. I rub my chest as a stabbing pain shoots through my heart.

Why did my parents move to San Diego when Carter was born in Seattle? Was it to keep me away from my brother? Blind rage coils in my stomach like an angry cobra ready to strike. Angry tears find their way down my face. Wiping them away, I stomp through the house and jump in my car, driving away with no idea where I’m going. Tonight, our lives will change forever.

I ended up driving to the Swami beach, spending the entire day wandering aimlessly and throwing stones in the water to keep the anger roaring through my mind in check. Once the anger subsided, blessed numbness infused my body. I parked my ass on the sand and stared at the ocean foaming against the sand, rough or calm, reflecting the inner battle inside me. While I watched the breathtaking flames of the setting sun paint the sky in orange and pink, for a hot moment, I had the crazy idea to ask Allie to give me Sebastian’s number. Thank God I talked myself out of it. It wasn't the time or place. But knowing that my gut feeling was right when it told me I could trust him and he would never hurt Allie made me weep with relief. I’ve misjudged friends and boyfriends too many times, and, for the first time in my life, I didn't.

I huddle in my chair, drawing a lungful of air to keep my raw emotions in check. My mother sets the homemade wild blackberry crumble on the table and flops on the sectional next to my father. The heavenly scent hits my nose, making my mouth water despite the waves of nausea, turning my stomach upside down. Every Friday night, we used to gather in the cozy family room, eat blackberry crumble, and watch a movie. It was their time to unwind from their busy week.

"What do you want to watch, ladies?" My father flips through the channels.

"Erm, can we take a rain check on the movie? I need to talk to you." He glances at me, his hazel eyes glinting with curiosity.

"Sure, what’s on your mind, Petal?" I breathe in and out a few times to calm myself down. Plus, Capricorns are direct and blunt, cutting to the chase rather than sugar coating things. So, I go straight for the kill.

"Okay, Mom and Dad. Carter and I did a DNA test for the family tree he is working on, and the results showed we aren’t biological brother and sister."

My mother covers her mouth to smother the inarticulate, throaty gasp escaping her lips while my father’s face loses color, growing ashen. The air stills, suspended with unspoken words and unanswered questions.

"I’m so sorry, Petal. We should have told you when you were a child, but we couldn't find the right time. And as time went on, it became harder and harder." He lets out a hard sigh and closes his eyes. "You have every right to know where you come from. Go on and ask us questions. We are happy to answer them honestly and truthfully." He runs his fingers through his hair, lowering his chin to his chest.

My entire body quivers with indignation, and again, anger singes the corners of my control.These are the people who fed you, put clothes on your back, a roof over your head, loved you and raised you into the woman you are today, my mind reminds me.Yet, they continued to deceive me, hiding behind excuses ‘we didn’t want to lose you’.

"You have Carter. Why did you decide to adopt another child?"

"Our daughter died from a rare type of leukemia at two. We tried everything to get pregnant, but I couldn’t. In the end, we decided to adopt." She takes shallow yet audible breaths, making no attempts to wipe the tears streaming down her cheeks. Wrapping his arm around her, my father pulls her closer to him.

"I’m so sorry, Mom." The lump in my throat gets tighter, and no amount of swallowing can shift it. "What made you choose me?" Growing unusually quiet, she rubs her forehead as if pondering how to answer the question.

"We were still grieving when we met you. But your sunny smile and friendliness won us over, reminding us so much of our Heidi." She darts her gaze to my father, laying her hand on his thigh. "Didn’t she, John?" He nods in agreement but doesn’t offer a further explanation.

A gamut of perplexing emotions hit me with full force, knocking the breath out of me. I stare at them, too shocked to say anything and fighting hard to regain my control. What the fuck is going on? They changed my name to their daughter’s? Are you kidding me? Who does such an insane thing? Why would you do it? I had a name my biological parents chose for me.

I mask my inner turmoil with a deceptive calmness. "What was my birth name, Dad?"

"Micaela Laurian. Please believe me, you were never a replacement, Petal. We loved you for who you are and as fiercely as we loved her."Micaela.I share my name with my favorite Archangel.

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