“Before your mom came along, your dad played the field. He was young and having fun. He met Ophelia and they had a fling. When he met your mom, he cut it off because he only had eyes for your mom. Ophelia took the breakup hard and to punish him, didn’t tell him he had a son. It wasn’t until years later, when she was sick, she decided to tell him.”
What the fuck… “Are you telling me I have a half-brother out there somewhere I’ve never known about?”
“When she approached your dad, your mom was also sick. She had cancer and was going through chemo. Your dad was pissed this information was kept from him for years, but he didn’t want to upset your mom when she was in such a fragile state, so he made the decision to keep the past in the past.”
I blow out a harsh breath, dropping onto a tub. “I can understand why he would want to protect my mom, but damn, to deny his son? I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“He was doing what he felt was best. Was he right or wrong? I’m not going to judge him. We all have to make decisions in our life we hope are the right ones, and live with the ones that aren’t.”
“Can you find out about Ian for me? Where he lives, what he’s doing with his life. Maybe after all this shit is over I can reach out to him. He’s the only blood family I have left.”
“Yeah, I’ll look into it. How’re you holding up? How’s Camilla?”
I glance at her sitting on the floor, rubbing her belly. In the last few weeks since we’ve been here her bump has grown significantly. She’s begun to feel the baby fluttering inside, but I’m not able to feel it on the outside yet. While we’re worried about the fact that nobody can seem to find Noah, we’ve spent the time together making up for lost time.
“We’re good. Any news?”
“No. Aside from him asking about Camilla when she first disappeared, he’s been silent. We searched his house, but he hasn’t been there. I’ll let you know if I hear anything. And I’ll have Ian Perry looked into as well.”
“Thanks, Frank.”
We hang up, and I tell Camilla what Frank told me, and of course, she agrees with him about my dad. “He’s not alive, so you can’t ask him what happened, but you knew your father. Do you believe he would just ignore his own child without reason?”
“No, I don’t.” My dad was a tough man, but he was also a family man. I don’t believe he would deny his son without a good reason. I don’t know why he never reached out to Ian after my mom was better, but there had to have been a reason.
“I’m starving,” Camilla says, changing the subject. “What do you say we take a break and eat lunch and go for a swim?”
“Sounds perfect.” I help her up and we head downstairs. She’s been on a chili kick lately, so I heat some up for us, while she toasts a few pieces of bread and slices up some fruit. Then we take our food out onto the patio since it’s a beautiful fall afternoon. All too soon winter will be in full swing, so we’ve been soaking up the sunshine while we can.
While we eat, she flips through her pregnancy journal, so she can tell me what’s happening with the baby today. For every day, it gives you a tidbit on the baby’s growth. “Today, I’m twenty weeks,” she begins, then stops, her eyes going wide. “Oh no! I’m twenty weeks.”
I immediately go on alert, unsure what the hell that means, aside from it being halfway to her due date. “What’s wrong? What do you need?”
“Oh, nothing is wrong. I had a doctor’s appointment scheduled…” Her face twists into a grimace. “With the OB/GYN Noah found for me.”
I sigh in relief. “Jesus, woman. You scared me half to death.”
“Sorry.” She blanches. “But I do need to see a doctor. I can’t believe it’s already been over a month since my last appointment.” She glances around and smiles. “I was thinking… Since the building where we used to live in was ruined, and we’re going to need somewhere to live and raise our baby… What about staying here?”
The idea of being here used to make me sad. It was hard to walk around, knowing my parents would never be in this home again. But a lot of time has passed and since I’ve been here, it’s felt like I’m a little closer to them. “You want to make this our home?”
“Yeah.” Her smile widens. “I love how peaceful it is out here, and it’s safe for a child to run around and play. We could remodel it to our liking, since it needs some updates, but it’s a beautiful home that’s meant to be lived in.” She shrugs. “It’s just an idea.”