Damien: My family has finished moving into my house. Can you meet me at Sinn Manor?
Leigh: Okay. Shoot me the address…I’m heading out now.
“Hey, I’ve got to leave for a little bit.” I looked up at Jenny after sending Leigh the address to Sinn Manor.
“I figured—your phone was blowing up.” Jenny nodded in understanding.
“Yeah…” I sighed and started to stand.
“When do I get to meet her?” Jenny raised an eyebrow. “She must be pretty special if you’re spending this much time with her.”
“I’m not sure yet.” I shrugged and pushed my phone into my pocket.
I really hope I get a chance to introduce her to you soon—but her messages are worrying me.
There was a nervousness in my stomach when I left my house and headed to Sinn Manor. My mind was trying to come up with every worst-case scenario there was—even if they didn’t make any sense. The night I spent with Leigh meant everything to me, and I was almost certain she felt the same way. I couldn’t make sense of the situation without talking to her, so I tried to quell my thoughts as I drove. The radio didn’t offer enough of a distraction, even when I turned the volume up and found a song that I liked.
I was the first to arrive at Sinn Manor. It was as empty as it was when I left earlier that day. If my father had someone watching it, then he must not have decided to move in immediately. That was a relief. I was coming to terms with biting my tongue for Jenny’s sake, even if the thought of it was eating me up inside. It wasn’t fair for our father to bring devastation to our lives and have it completely ignored, but I could be the bigger man. I couldn’t focus on that anyway—there was too much worry over whatever it was Leigh needed to talk to me about. I couldn’t lose her. I had suffered enough loss for several lifetimes.
She’s here. Hopefully, I’m not about to live out one of those worst-case scenarios.
I walked to the door and opened it when Leigh parked her car. I could sense a difference in her demeanor as soon as she stepped out of the car. There was no confidence in her walk—like she didn’t want to take a single one of the steps she took as she approached. Her posture was one of defeat, and when she raised her head, I saw turmoil in her eyes—and she only made eye contact with me for a second before she looked away. I tried to remain calm. I didn’t want to say something wrong when it was clear that there was a problem.
“Come on in…” I took a step back from the door so she could enter.
Leigh walked into the foyer and stared at the floor when she finally turned to face me. She was fidgeting. Her skin looked paler than normal, like the color had been drained from it. I felt my protective nature begin to overwhelm me. Seeing her like that intensified my nervousness, but all I wanted to do was hug her. It didn’t matter what she had to say. No problem was too big for us to overcome if we cared about each other. I ignored her body language and closed the distance between us, so I could wrap my arms around her. She practically melted into my embrace. That told me the problem wasn’t us—she didn’t try to pull away.
“Whatever it is, we can work through it.” I lifted my hand and put it on the back of her head. “You can tell me when you’re ready.”
“It’s bad.” Leigh grabbed my shirt and twisted the fabric around her fists as she buried her face against my chest. “Really bad…”
“I’ve had my fair share of really bad.” I exhaled sharply. “I’m practically an expert in it.”
“I had no idea this was going to happen.” Her voice was almost raspy. “It wasn’t even something I could have imagined in my worst nightmares…”
“Whatever it is…” I moved my hands to hers and leaned back. “We will figure it out together—just tell me what happened.”
If someone hurt you, we may be working it out while I’m standing trial, but I need to know regardless…
“Our worlds were always destined to collide.” Leigh squeezed her eyes shut. “I just had no idea that they were already on a collision course when I met you.”
“I don’t understand what that means.” I tilted my head inquisitively.
“I know who your father left your mother for.” She slowly opened her eyes, and I saw tears in the corner of each one. “He married—mine.”
“What?” I let go of her hands and took a step back. “What are you saying?”
“My mother finally came home last night.” Leigh’s lips trembled. “She had a wedding band on her finger—and then she introduced me to her new husband.”
“My—my father?” It felt like all of the wind was sucked out of my body as soon as the words left my lips.
“Yes.” Leigh nodded and looked down at the floor. “Edgar Sinn…”
I was shocked into stunned silence. I didn’t know how to respond. Leigh had told me a little bit about her mother and said that she was away on a trip with her new boyfriend—it seemed to be a rather common occurrence. I wasn’t one to judge, even if I did think it was strange that Leigh’s mother randomly disappeared on a regular basis without keeping contact with her daughter. The pieces began to fall into place in my head, but none of it made sense. My father didn’t strike me as the kind of man who could love anyone, much less have a whirlwind romance with someone that turned into an abrupt marriage.
“There has to be more to it.” I shook my head back and forth. “Does your mother have anything he could be after? Money maybe?”
Surely, he has enough of it after raiding Jenny’s trust fund…