Page 84 of The Billionaire's Virgin

“We had far more in common than I could have ever imagined,” Reed continued when I didn’t speak. “Who would have thought? My father and your stepfather… it’s the stuff of novels. I expected to be reading about this kind of thing sooner than I thought I’d be living it.”

“Reed—”

“Is that why you came to work for me?” Reed asked before I could finish. “And if so… what was the goal? Were you just trying to play games with me?”

“Reed, please,” I said quickly. “I know this seems bad, but the truth is I didn’t know.”

“Please,” he snapped. “How could you not have known? You asked for his name. You knew his name. I told you myself.”

“That’s when the truth dawned on me,” I insisted, walking up to him. He seemed to cringe away from me, but I stood my ground. “Until that conversation, I had no idea who you were, and I certainly didn’t know when I responded to your online profile. You were a stranger advertising for a nanny and I needed a job. I promise you… I didn’t know. I found out months after you’d hired me… and when I realized… I didn’t even know how to process it. I freaked out—”

“But you didn’t tell me?”

“No,” I said, hanging my head down. “I didn’t tell you. And I know that was wrong. I’ve been trying to pluck up the courage to tell you for weeks, but…”

“But what?”

I sighed deeply. “The honest truth? I didn’t tell you because I was scared it would change things between us. I was scared that this new information would be a deal breaker for you and you wouldn’t want anything more to do with me. And I know that’s a lame excuse. I know it’s weak and cowardly, but that’s the only reason I didn’t tell you.”

Reed shook my head and turned away from me like he was trying to figure out whether to believe me or not.

“I had no ulterior motive, Reed,” I promised. “I just… I met you and I liked you and then things… got serious between us. We had just slept together; do you remember? And then you were sharing stories of your childhood, and you mentioned that your father used to threaten you… ‘Get over here so I can iron your face out.’ Those were his exact words. Well, they were the same words he used on me… time and time again. That’s why it struck a cord, and that’s why I wanted to know your father’s name.

“I wanted to know if my stepfather was your father. I mean, I had no idea you would confirm it for me. It just seemed so out of the realm of possibility. It felt surreal; I didn’t know how to process it, and my first instinct was fear. I told you before… I never imagined that a man like you could ever be interested in someone like me. So I didn’t want to give you any more reasons to… leave me.”

Reed was looking at me intently, but I still couldn’t read his expression. I wondered if that look spelled the end of our relationship or the beginning of forgiveness. I wanted to reach out to him, but I was scared it was too soon. If I pushed him, he would recoil, and even though I had no right to get hurt, I couldn’t deny that that was exactly how I would feel.

“Reed?”

He closed his eyes for a second and then sighed deeply. He turned back towards the Manhattan skyline, and his expression was thoughtful.

“Please,” I said. “Say something. Yell at me if you must. I deserve it.”

“I don’t want to yell at you,” he said at last.

“But you don’t know what to do?”

Reed shook his head. “Do you know how hard this is for me?”

“I know it’s a lot to process,” I said. “But… it’s not like we’re related, you know? He was your biological father, but he—”

“You think that’s what I’m worried about?” Reed asked.

I froze. “Isn’t it?”

“I understand the connection, Taylor,” Reed said. “You’re not related to me, you never were. That’s not what’s hard for me.”

“It’s because I didn’t tell you the moment I suspected.”

“Yes.” Reed nodded. “You kept it from me; you hid the truth, and that makes me wonder… how much else are you keeping from me?”

“Reed—”

“I know this may seem like a small mistake to you. But the fact is it takes a lot for me to trust anyone, especially since the people I’ve trusted lately haven’t turned out to be worthy of that trust. I took a huge leap of faith by allowing you into our lives the way I have. I’ve trusted you with the one thing that means the most in the world to me—Jenna. And now to find out—”

“I know,” I said emphatically. “And you have every right to feel as betrayed as you do. I don’t expect to earn back your trust or your confidence immediately. But please, Reed… don’t banish me from your life or from Jenna’s. I love her… and I love you. I know that’s a flimsy reason, but that’s the only reason I’ve got.”

Reed was quiet for a long time. His silence seemed to spell out my faith, but then he turned to me, and his eyes seemed to have softened.