And what the hell was it she said about my mother? My mother was just elitist enough to do what Serena accused her of, and yet at the same time, I couldn’t trust one thing Serena said.
Needing some time to sort out the chaos in my head, I started walking. When I passed a bar, I stopped in for a drink. By the time I finished, I was antsy to get started on this new phase of my life, which meant going to my parents to tell them the news.
I called for a car, and twenty minutes later, I was walking up the steps of my parents’ home.
Here goes nothing, I thought as I worked my way to my father’s study. I stepped in and assessed the progress on turning it into a bedroom. It still had his desk and books, but a bed was positioned in the far corner.
There was no reason for my father to be navigating steps, and while there were other options such as a stair chair or installing an elevator, it seemed best to create one level living for him. Since my mother hadn’t slept with him in years, it didn’t put her out.
I stopped for a moment as I considered my parents. They didn’t have a marriage built on love, but they didn’t dislike each other. I suppose they saw their marriage as a business relationship. They’d each done their part and so the partnership worked. The only expectation was to always put the family and business first. Maybe they’d been smart to keep love out of it.
“Devin.” My mother frowned. “You look like hell? Is something wrong?”
“Yes. We need to talk.”
She looked at my father, who was sitting at his desk, while she was helping him sort through papers.
“According to your father, you should be pleased about the board meeting.” Her tone suggested she didn’t like my father’s report of how I ran the meeting. That was the least of her concerns now.
“It’s not about the business.” I pulled out my phone and texted my sister, asking if she was in the house to come down to Dad’s study. She responded that she’d be right down.
I went to the bar next to my dad’s desk and poured another drink.
“What’s going on, Devin?” my father asked.
“Let’s wait for Bri. I want to tell you all together.”
“Oh goodness, you’re not running off or doing something crazy again, are you?” my mother snapped.
I looked at her and knew that while Serena had lied about Andrew, she’d been honest about my mother.
I downed my drink and poured another.
“Go easy on that, son,” my father said.
The doors opened and Briana breezed in. “You rang?”
I nodded. “I have to talk to you all about something.”
She quirked a brow. “Sounds ominous.” She took a seat on the couch. “Can’t wait to hear it.”
I stood looking at them wondering how to start. Did I just blurt it out? I’m a father? Did I confront my mother first?
“Devin?” my mother prodded.
“Five years ago, before I left for Europe, I met a woman.” I turned my attention to my mother, wanting to gauge her reaction. Her eyes narrowed slightly, but I didn’t see anything that suggested what Serena accused her of.
“Ooh, I’m liking the sound of this already?” Bri said, her eyes glinting. Jesus, did she know how tortured I was feeling?
“I asked her to come with me, but she didn’t.” I watched my mom. She held my gaze defiantly. She did remember.
“Is she the first woman to say no to you? Oh wait, Evie doesn’t want you—”
“Brianna!” my mother snapped.
Bri rolled her eyes and sat back waiting for me to continue.
“When I got back, I ran into her again. And like before, I was drawn to her.”