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“How did she get your number?” I interrupted him.
“We had exchanged numbers at the end of the summer before we parted.”
“Did you ever call her?”
He hung his head. “No.”
“But you had sex with her,” I said bluntly.
He lifted his head slowly. “I know. It makes me sound like a cad. But I was young and we lived so far apart.”
“Did you care for her at all?” Tears filled my eyes.
He scooted closer. “Yes. That summer was the most fun I’d had up to that point in my life. Your mother had a zest for life that I had needed at the time. I thought of it as a summer affair. I had no idea it was more than that.”
“She fell in love with you. Did you know that?”
He reached into his pocket and handed me a handkerchief. I didn’t even know men carried those around anymore. I took it and dabbed my eyes. It smelled like fresh brewed coffee and aftershave.
“Ariana, I’m not proud of my actions. She did tell me that she loved me, and in the heat of the moment I returned the sentiment. But honestly, I didn’t know what love was back then.”
I held my stomach. I don’t know why, but I guessed I’d always hoped I was conceived in love.
“I was careless, I know,” he shamefully admitted.
“She thought you were going to get married.”
He leaned back, surprised. “I don’t know how she got that impression. I never mentioned marriage. I was only twenty-one with a lot of years of school ahead of me.”
I started questioning everything my mother had ever told me about him. “Were you a premed student?”
He gave me a closed lip smile. “I was. I ended up going to medical school and practicing for a while, but to my father’s chagrin, it didn’t make me happy. I decided business was more my style. I currently own a company that makes state-of-the-art ultrasound equipment.”
Of course he did. Was everyone in my life going to be a freaking genius? “Where’s this business?”
“I still live in Chicago, with my wife and two sons.”
I grabbed one of the throw pillows and hugged it to me while glass crashed onto the floor in the kitchen. I could hear Kinsley and Dani scrambling to clean it up. I was sure they were as shocked as me.
When the commotion died down, Dean continued. “You have two brothers, Maxwell and Sebastian. They are eighteen and twenty, respectively,” he beamed with pride.
“Oh,” was all I could manage. Why hadn’t I ever thought of having siblings I didn’t know about?
He patted my knee. “I know this is a lot to take in, but why don’t we get back to the crux of the story. Shall we?”
I nodded.
Dani and Kinsley had apparently all but forgotten about the coffee. They came closer and stood, holding hands, eager to hear what Dean had to say.
Dean clapped his hands together nervously. “When my father heard the news that your mother was pregnant, he pretended to be me, dismissed her claims, and told her I wanted nothing to do with her.”
My hand flew to my mouth.
“It was an awful thing to do.”
“Do you know what my mother said?” I asked.
Dean shook his head. “All I know is that she didn’t contact him until the next year, on Christmas Eve. I believe you were about seven months old, if I’m correct. Your birthday is in May, right?”
“It is. How do you know that?”
“I’m getting there, I promise,” he responded uncomfortably. “The second time your mother called, she informed my father, who she thought was me, that he had a daughter named Ariana,” he said my name, his mother’s name, with such emotion. “It took my father by surprise.”
“Do you know why she gave me that name?”
“I think so. I’d talked of my mother often that summer. She was a wonderful woman and I missed her dearly. Your mother was a good listener, and I believe I told her that if I ever had a daughter, I wanted to name her after my mother. I’m not sure why your mother honored my desire. I thought maybe you would know.”
“My mother rarely spoke of you. I believe she grew to hate you.” I had too, but I didn’t mention it, yet.
Dean’s face flushed. “I don’t blame her.”
“Is that the only reason my mother called?”
“No,” Dean gave me an uneasy smile. “She begged for money. She was in poor circumstances, I believe.”
“We always were.”
Dean cringed. “You don’t know how much it hurts me to hear that, especially since you didn’t have to be.”
“What do you mean I didn’t have to be? I had no other option, thanks to you and your father,” I spewed angrily.
“Ariana, I don’t blame you for being upset, but please hear me out. I meant that my father did send her money.”
