Stanton Box Set

“You ok presh?” He sighs as he flops onto the bed and holds his arm out for me to join him.

I shake my head. “No Josh. I know something.”

He frowns. “What do you mean?” he asks.

My heart starts to hammer in my chest. “I have had a conversation with your mother about paternity.”

He frowns. “What do you mean?”

I try really hard but I can’t help it and the tears of guilt break the dam.

“Answer me Natasha!” he demands

I shake my head frantically. “I don’t actually know what’s true anymore and I haven’t told you before because I didn’t know whether it was true and…” I swallow the lump in my throat again. This is coming out all wrong.

“And what!” Joshua yells, making me jump.

“Margaret told me that she had a very hard time when Scott was a baby.”

He walks over to the window and stares out to sea with his back to me. “Go on,” he murmurs.

I twist my hands together in front of me nervously. “She and your father had grown apart and your mother thought he was having an affair.” His eyes snap around to me, and I shrug. “But I don’t know if that’s true anymore,” I whisper.

He slumps back onto the bed and runs both of his hands through his hair, unable to make eye contact with me.

“She told me that she had an affair and that you were another man’s child.”

Joshua’s horrified eyes meet mine. Dear god, help me.

Chapter 4

Joshua frowns. “What do you mean?”

I swallow the huge lump in my throat. “I don’t know if it’s true.”

“What are you talking about?” he sneers.

“Just like I said,” I whisper, frightened.

“When?” he snaps.

The tears start to flow. “Your mother came to me when we were broken up.” I drop my head in shame.

Joshua stands deathly still as he inhales deeply.

“You never thought, not once, to tell me this!” he yells.

I jump at his venom as I break into full-blown tears. “Joshua, I’m so sorry,” I sob. “I didn’t know if it was true or if it was a test to see if she could trust me.”

He frowns as he listens to me. “You think this is a test?”

I shrug. “It can’t be true Joshua, you and Will have the same blood type. Her secret was a lie.”

He frowns as he drops to the bed and puts his head into his hands.

“It wasn’t my place to tell you. This is a family matter. I was so mad at your mother for telling me this.”

He looks up at me as a thought crosses his mind. “She told you this before you came to me?”