Page 53 of Sinful Sharing

“But Taylor is assured that it was a phase and is currently seeking professional help for his trauma.” He looks up at Mom. “It’s a rough draft, but I can have it polished and ready by midday.”

Mom makes a face. “I don’t want to bring anyone’s attention to his father. What’s the next option?”

Stephen’s expression tightens. Something about his grimace puts me on edge. “We could say that Taylor got drunk, and his uncle—who has been estranged from the family for twenty-four years—took advantage of him—“

“Fuck no.” I stand. Anger unfurls in my stomach.

A pained look crosses Mom’s features. “Taylor.”

“I’m done hiding. And I certainly won’t make people believe Roman is a monster.”

“Honey, your uncle lives twelve hundred miles away. He’s unaware of anything happening on this side of the country,” she points out. “What he doesn’t know won’t affect him.”

“Well, I would know. And I couldn’t live with knowing I betrayed him, not after everything he has done for me.”

Mom cocks her head. “What has he done besides taking advantage of you, Taylor? Tell me.”

Is she for real? “Mom, you asked him to take me in. His business is struggling, yet he took on another mouth to feed, someone he’d never even met. And you want me to repay him by throwing him under the bus.”

She chuckles, throwing her head back. I don’t see anything worth laughing about. “Oh, sweetie...” She dabs at the corner of her left eye. “Roman did nothing out of the goodness of his heart.”

“Okay, so maybe he was a little grumpy—“

“I made him an offer.” Her expression turns to stone. “An investment in his business. All he needed to do was keep you busy and out of trouble.”

She snorts. It feels as if someone punched my stomach. “He kept you busy all right. And clearly, he’s the kind of trouble I wanted to avoid. It’s funny how he didn’t even want you there, not until I offered him money. I should’ve followed my instincts when he said no.”

Stephen’s eyebrow shoots up. His mouth forms a tiny o. “I’ll give you two a minute,” he says, backing toward the door.

As it closes behind him, Mom grabs my hand. My brain is still trying to make sense of what I just heard. “Honey, please think about this. Don’t jeopardize my chances for an opportunist.”

An opportunist. The words slice through me. A short, hollow sound escapes from my mouth. God, I’m such an idiot. I’d believed Roman had taken me in because, beneath all those rough edges, he had a good heart. I’d believed Jude wanted me around because he genuinely enjoyed my company. I’d believed they wanted me. No—I wanted to believe they wanted me. I’d convinced myself their actions meant more than they actually did, all because I was so desperate to belong somewhere.

“Taylor.” Her eyes are pleading. “He doesn’t care about you. All Roman wanted was my money.”

An unpleasant feeling coils in my stomach. Were they acting? Did they laugh about it after I went to bed? Was I just some pathetic kid they entertained because my mother was footing the bill?

“Let me release that statement, Taylor,” Mom begs.

Fuck, I thought they were different. I thought I’d finally found people who saw me instead of what they could get from me. To think I even started having feelings for them. The admission makes me physically ill.

“Sweetie...”

With sadness, I stare at the woman who spent years putting criminals behind bars. A woman I thought had integrity. Honesty. I hate how politics has changed her, and I can’t allow it to change me, too. Although Roman hurt me, I won’t return the favor.

“You’re intelligent, Mom.”

Her shapely eyebrows furrow. “Huh?”

“You’re intelligent,” I repeat, squeezing her hand, tears welling behind my eyes. “You’re resilient. Reliable. Forward-thinking. Those are traits that matter. People should support you because of what you have to offer. If they can’t accept that your son has his own life, then they don’t deserve you.”

A dry sob escapes her mouth. She bows her head. “You’re saying no.”

“I’m saying trust the process. Trust that people are wise enough to choose you.”

Her shoulders shake as her sobs increase. “I can’t, Taylor. Mr. Riddleston... I need his support.”

Everything inside me goes still, not because of those words. It’s what she hasn’t said. It’s what she has always done. Her career has always meant everything to her, and my needs always came second.