Page 44 of The Addendum

“Sounds good. Can you tell me any more about the family?”

“Richard and Katy are great people. He has always been open and friendly with me, even when I was a kid. He would sit and talk to me like an adult, you know? And Katy is a mother to all. As sweet as they come. He is crazy about her even after all these years.”

“They sound lovely.”

He nodded, checking over his shoulder and changing lanes. “A really nice family. Five kids. Gracie is the oldest, then Heather. There is a set of twins and another son. Gracie and Heather live here, and I know them best.” He flashed me a smile. “Especially Heather.”

I laughed. “Your best friend’s fiancée. Not surprising.”

“I know tonight will be a bit overwhelming, but honest, love, these people are all unassuming and nice. You’ll like them. And I won’t stray far from your side.”

“I like the sound of that.”

He lifted my hand and kissed it. “Me too.”

I was in awe as we drove through the gates and into the complex. The building where the party was being held was impressive. As we approached the door, the laughter and music were loud. Inside, it was spectacular. The room was big and spacious, with soaring ceilings and spectacular views. Food and drinks were set up. People mingled. Luc stopped often, hugging and greeting people, introducing me. They were all friendly and open, and I was welcomed warmly, but it was overwhelming just as Luc warned. I had never known anything like this. Luc had explained they were all friends who became a “found family,” as he called them. Four generations made up the blended group. The love was obvious. It soaked into the room, their joy echoing as they laughed and talked, the noise level incredible. I felt adrift, unsure of myself—an outsider in this room of familiarity. I gripped his hand tighter as we made our way around.

Luc chuckled at my expression, squeezing my hand. “Ah, here is the man of the hour.”

Richard entered the room, obviously shocked by the party, his eyes wide as he swept his wife into his embrace, not at all reticent to show his affection to her. He was gregarious and friendly, hugging everyone, accepting backslaps and good-natured ribbing. I heard his deep voice as he spoke, listened to his caring ways as he greeted people. He was a good-looking man, tall and strong. His laughter boomed, his smile was wide, and he was obviously well loved. A feeling came over me as I studied him. He seemed familiar somehow. I assumed it was because I had met his daughter Heather, or perhaps he’d attended an event I had run. That had to be it.

Nothing prepared me for the next few surreal moments.

I watched as he hugged Luc, and I greeted Reed and Heather, pleased to see a couple of familiar faces. Then I turned to say hello to Richard. As Luc introduced him to me, something inside me tightened. A strange sensation flowed through me as our eyes met. I felt nervous—apprehensive. As if I was on a precipice and was about to fall over into something I couldn’t explain. His eyes were hauntingly familiar, and it took me a moment to figure out why. They were the same as my own unique irises.

Richard was effortlessly charming. His greeting was warm, his pleasure at seeing Luc obvious. I knew Luc thought of all these people as his extended family. Never having experienced anything like this room full of love, I was already feeling a bit off-kilter and overwhelmed when Richard offered me his hand to shake. His wide palm closed around mine, warm and solid.

I glanced down where our hands clasped, and what met my incredulous gaze hit me as hard as our similar irises and effectively changed my world forever. Richard’s jacket sleeve had ridden up, exposing the cuff of his shirt. A thick black monogram was sewn into the cuff. A monogram I recognized because it was burned into my memory.

“Is it yours, Mommy?”

“No, it-it was your father’s.”

Those words circled in my mind, and for a moment, I could only stare, transfixed. I couldn’t be seeing what I thought I was seeing. Except it was right there. The same monogram I had stared at longingly as a child and wondered about as an adult. I stared at Richard’s hand, the fingers long and elegant for a man. They resembled my own. My mother had always complained about her short fingers.

I yanked back my hand, wiping it on my dress, meeting the confused gaze of Richard. His similar eyes met my gaze, making me dizzy. I had my mother’s almond-shaped eyes, but the color was all his. The room tilted and my heart raced. My mouth felt dry, and I wanted to turn and run. I wanted to scream. My emotions were all over the map. I wasn’t sure what to do next, but Richard’s wife appeared, bringing him food and introducing herself. She seemed lovely and genuine. Adored by her daughter and husband alike. Watching them together made my throat burn. Feeling the love they had for each other, the assurance of that love hitting me like a wrecking ball.

Anger took hold. Unexpected hatred shot through my veins, but I reined it in. When Heather wrapped her arm around Richard and called him Daddy, I’d had enough. I excused myself and went to get a drink to calm down and rationalize what had just happened. Maybe the monogram was something to do with the make of the shirt. Many other people had the same unusual eye color as Richard and his daughter. Perhaps they were all coincidences. Maybe I was simply reacting to the already overwhelming feelings of being among this group that considered one another family. Except every time I looked his way and he met my eyes, something inside me told me my first reaction was right.

I had just met my father, and he had no clue who I was.

14

ASHLEY

Another thought hit me as I headed to the door. If he was my father, then I had half-siblings in the room—Heather, with eyes like my own, one of them. The thought made me stumble, and I hastened my steps, needing to get out of there.

I slipped outside to the deck, inhaling the cool night air, telling myself not to jump to conclusions. There were probably hundreds of businessmen who wore shirts with monograms on them. Who had hazel eyes. I needed to calm down and be rational. I mean, what were the chances that, out of the blue, I would find my father?

Luc appeared beside me.

“Hey,” he murmured. “What happened in there?”

“Sorry. I got dizzy. I, ah, I didn’t eat lunch, and suddenly I was a little light-headed.”

Instantly, he was concerned. “I’ll get you a plate. You stay here and sit.”

He hurried away, and I walked to the window, my gaze finding Richard immediately. He was laughing and talking, seemingly not bothered by our meeting. It certainly hadn’t affected him the way it had me. He met my gaze through the glass, a confused frown on his face. He lifted his hand, running it over the cowlick in his hair, smoothing it back. There was another similarity—his cowlick was in the same place I had one. It had frustrated me my entire life, always refusing to be tamed. Now, thanks to expensive product and a hair straightener, I kept it under control, but it was still there. Just like his.