I watch him cautiously, wondering if he just started talking jibberish because I seriously have no clue what he’s talking about. “What puzzle? What are you talking about?”
“It’s about your mom,” he warns.
My back straightens, instantly on alert as hundreds of unwelcome thoughts start swirling through my mind. Every last one of them to do with Aria. “What about her?” I question, feeling a wall come down within me, preparing myself for the worst. That bitch better not be coming to take my sister.
Dad rubs a hand over his face, clearly letting me know that whatever he’s got to say isn’t easy. “Since Aria’s been here, I’m sure you’ve been noticing a few slight…differences.”
Huh? What the fuck is he going on about?
“How do you mean?” I question. “There’s been heaps of difference. Our whole world is different now.”
“No, no,” he rushes in. “I don’t mean those differences. I mean differences between the two of you.”
“Ummm…what?”
“Your appearances. She has my blonde curls while you have a dark, golden color and straight hair.”
“She has your eyes,” I add.
“Exactly,” he murmurs.”
“What are you talking about, Dad?” I ask, not liking where this is going at all. “Are you trying to tell me that you’re not my dad because if you are, you can walk straight out of here. I’m so not prepared for that kind of shit.”
“No, no, no,” he says, holding up a hand, hoping that can somehow slow down my thought process. “What I’m saying is that she’s not your mom.”
“What?” I grunt, blinking a few times as I watch his features. He’s got to be fucking with me, right? Not my mom. Bullshit. That has got to be some twisted joke to follow up my ‘dad’ comment. “Are you on crack? What the fuck are you talking about? How can she not be my mom?” I question as I start to ramble, wondering if I need to knock on his head to check that he’s got a brain in there. “Every single photo we have of me as a baby has her in it. I mean, were you even there? Are you remembering this correctly?”
“Henley, if you could give me two seconds to speak, I’ll be able to explain.”
I shake my head. “No, this is too…no. Not possible. I look just like her.”
He arches a brow. “Do you though?”
I stop for a second. “Of course, I do,” I say a little slower than I had before as I truly think about it. She’s blonde and blue eyed just like me, but her blue is more of a greyish blue where mine is a stormy ocean blue. She has a natural wave to her hair and is a short ass. I’m leggy with straight hair. I don’t resemble her features and I sure as hell don’t have the same mannerisms.
Dad’s claim starts to have little merit. “You need to start explaining,” I tell him as my world begins crumbling around me. What the hell could he mean that she’s not my mom? She was there from the very start. This doesn’t make sense. Of course, she’s my mom. I mean, I’m not exactly thrilled about it, I didn’t exactly hit the mommy jackpot, but it is what it is.
Dad clears his throat, preparing himself for the explanation of a lifetime and though I know I should be paying complete attention, all I can do is repeat four little words over and over again in my head. ‘She’s not your mom.’ ‘She’s not your mom.’ ‘She’s not your mom.’
“As you know,” Dad starts as a shade of green seeps into his features. “I’m not exactly one for having a woman in my life.”
I scoff.
“I’ve always been this way,” he tells me. “Before you were born, I was living life to the fullest, or what I thought was the fullest back then. I was young. I was partying every night, staying out drinking, getting high. I hated the thought of being tied down to a woman, but then, I liked women, a lot of women.”
“Dad,” I grunt, scrunching up my face in distaste.
“What I’m trying to say is that I had spent a night with a woman, and nine months later, she’s knocking on my door with a beautiful little girl in her arms. The same as what happened with Aria, so you can believe my shock when that happened,” he chuckles to himself before shaking his head. “I’m getting off track, but Squish, you blew me the hell away. You were only a few days old and your mom…your real mom said she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t fit to be a mom so she handed you over and I haven’t seen her since.”
My mouth drops open. “Are you shitting me, right now? This couldn’t be true. I don’t believe it.”
“Henley, why would I lie about this? I don’t like the idea of hurting you, but with Aria here, you were soon going to realize how different you both are, how you don’t have the same features.”