Page 132 of Forbidden Fruit
My world is shattering, but I still have the presence ofmind to feel Calvin beside me, solid and silent, like a lighthouse during a hurricane. He doesn’t reach for me. Doesn’t speak. He just silently supports me, lets me handle it, and I appreciate it more than he knows.
“Are you sure, sweetheart?” my mom asks, worry in every line of her face. Her voice is gentle, cautious, as if she’s trying not to spook a wild animal.
I nod. “I’m sure. I want to meet him. I’m done being kept in the dark about my own life.”
She steps closer, brushing a kiss across my forehead with trembling lips. “Just… please don’t shut us out,” she whispers. “We’re still your family, Blair. That hasn’t changed.”
My dad speaks next. “We love you. We will always love you.”
I don’t say a word. I can’t. The silence stretches between us until they quietly turn and leave. The elevator doors close behind them with a quiet ding.
Calvin’s arms are around me instantly, grounding me in a world that suddenly feels paper-thin.
“I’m proud of you,” he murmurs into my hair. I melt into him. For the first time all day, I let myself lean. I don’t care that Abigail is still in the room. Or that she’s texting, probably Ryan. She has to know by now. The secret’s out. And honestly, I’m too shattered to care.
Abigail finally looks up, voice shaking. “Blair, I’m so sorry. I hope one day you can forgive me. Forgive all of us.”
She walks toward me, but I shake my head, the hurt swelling too thick in my chest. “Don’t,” I rasp. “You lied to me my entire life, Abby. Do you get that? My whole life. You don’t just come back from that.” My voice trembles, but I keep my spine straight. “I’m not ready to forgive you. Honestly, I don’t know if I ever will.”
Her shoulders collapse beneath the weight of my words,and tears slide freely down her cheeks. But before she can respond, the elevator chimes again, and this time, the room goes still.
The doors part, and a man steps through.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Sun-kissed skin. Crisp white shirt tucked into tailored charcoal slacks. He looks like he just walked off the pages of a business magazine.
And then I see it, the curve of his smile, the shape of his eyes.
My smile.
My eyes.
He doesn’t speak right away. He just stands there, eyes locked on mine like he’s memorizing every inch of my face.
Abigail’s voice cracks. “Blair… this is Ryan. Your… your father.”
The word lands with a thud, and I flinch. My stomach knots. I already have a dad, I want to say. But my dad is apparently my grandfather. And the reminder slices through me all over again.
Ryan takes a cautious step forward. His voice, when it comes, is lower than I expect. “Wow,” he breathes. “It’s really you.”
I say nothing, stunned into stillness.
He must see the storm in my eyes because he raises his hands slightly, like he’s approaching a wild thing. “Listen,” he says softly. “We don’t have to jump into anything. I know this is… a lot. For now, I’m just Ryan. I’d be honored to get to know you, if you’ll let me.”
Then he smiles. That quiet, crooked smile I’ve seen in the mirror my entire life.
And I nearly break.
My voice is barely a whisper when I say, “Okay.”
Calvin squeezes my arm gently, grounding me again. “I’llgive you two some space,” he says, kissing my temple before stepping away.
“Abigail,” he calls over his shoulder, tone clipped. “Can we talk?”
Abigail hesitates, glancing between me and Ryan… Ryan, my father. The title feels foreign, like it doesn’t belong to him yet. But then something unexpected happens. Ryan wraps his hand lightly around Abigail’s waist, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he leans close.
“We’ll be fine,” he murmurs softly. Abigail bites her lip, and for a fleeting second, she looks almost my age. Interesting.
The moment they’re gone, Ryan turns back to me, his eyes searching and cautious. “Is it okay if I sit?”
