Page 54 of When Forever Falls Apart
Aston lapses into silence, leaving me to check my phone to see if the call is still connected. “Are you still there?”
“Yes,” he answers, barely above a whisper. “What if I turn out like your father?”
I stare at my reflection in the mirror, reminded once again how much our lives changed once we found out the truth. Aston and I looked similar, but he had a particular look that was different from my father’s and mine. Mom confided in me that Aston looks a lot like his biological father, and it was a reminder of what she left behind to give her children the life we supposedly deserved. I still remember the conversation like it was yesterday…
“Your brother reminds me so much of Sawyer,” Mom says wistfully while we both sit at the edge of Aston’s boat, dangling our feet into the water.
I tilt my head. “Sawyer?”
“His biological father.”
“Oh…” I mouth, desperate to learn more. Mom isn’t exactly a woman who opens up easily. For my entire life, she shadowed my father as if she was his puppet in a play. “So, this Sawyer. Do you know where he is?”
The sounds of the water crashing against the boat mask her weighted sigh.
“I lost contact a long time ago. Your father made it clear I was to never see him again.”
“But you’re separated now,” I point out, battling my own turmoil over this situation. My father wasn’t a nice husband, but then again, an affair is an affair.
“Sweetheart, there were a lot of layers to this. I understand how much this has impacted our lives, but it’s also hard for me to unpack this all after years of being forced to bury it. What’s important is that Aston knows the truth. I love my son and only want him to be happy.”
To think that for all these years, for my whole entire life, all these secrets were kept and I had no idea the lies we were all living.
“Did you love him?” I blurt out.
Mom pauses, fixating on a flock of birds flying in the sky. “Yes, Madelina, I did. I also loved your father very much. You have no idea…”
Honestly, it was a clusterfuck of a situation.
It still feels raw, and to no one’s surprise, my father has swept it under the rug, disappearing off the face of this earth.
No calls.
No nothing.
As for my mother, with her secret out, the burden she carried for Aston’s entire life is finally lifted, so now she’s living her best life. Plus, she’s no longer with my controlling father.
“You’re going to love this baby so much, and you know why? Because you’re having a baby with the woman you love. And even though you don’t need an ego boost, you are and have always been a protective and loving older brother.”
A sharp knock on the door snaps me back to reality. I grab my phone and beaded clutch, hurrying to open the door, but careful not to trip over my dress.
Elliot stands in the doorway, a picture of casual elegance in tan pants, a crisp white dress shirt, and brown leather shoes. His sleeves are lightly rolled up, exposing his muscled forearms, and, true to his signature style, his ash-blond, tousled curls fall just above his eyes. I suck in a breath, caught up in how sexy he looks wearing such a simple outfit.
“Uh, Aston, I need to go,” I say into my phone, my thoughts unsteady.
“Are you coming into the city next week? Eva mentioned something about setting you up on a blind date with someone.”
I cast a glance at Elliot, only to be met with a sudden change in expression.
“No blind dates,” I tell Aston firmly. “Look, I really have to go. Bye!”
I hang up, releasing the breath I’d been holding in and turning my attention back to Elliot.
“Wow, you look…” My words tumble out, but I pause momentarily so I won’t sound like a stalker. “You look handsome.”
“I suppose a thank you is in order.” Elliot grins. “You look…”
“Don’t say handsome,” I chuckle, snatching my keys from the nightstand.
