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My hand covers my mouth in shock as the reality of his words sinks in. “You’re the anonymous benefactor? You’re the family member Walter left his fortune to.”
He smiles and tucks a loose tuft of hair behind my ear. “I told you, I’m not into anything illegal.”
His explanation brings relief. Not that I could ever bring myself to believe Brady was doing something illegal, but I couldn’t come up with any answers for his abundance of money. I realize this is much bigger than just his newfound fortune.
“So that’s how Sheila ended up as CEO.” I'm stating a fact more than asking a question.
“Yes. She was working for Gibson Capital in an entry-level position when my mother got pregnant. She’d been the one to introduce Walter to her sister. When their parents disowned my mother, she told Sheila everything. Sheila confronted Walter and made some demands he had to fulfill if he wanted to keep his little secret.”
That bitch! She negotiated her sister’s grief to further her career. It’s a guess, but I know I’m right. Thinking of how many times I'd wished my own mother was like Brady’s stirs guilt deep inside me. I'd admired and looked up to this woman my entire life, and it’s all been a lie.
“I told you that she’s a self
-absorbed bitch!” Brady spits. The rage in his voice laced with hate, though completely warranted.
I shake my head, feeling angry and betrayed for Brady. He had a right to know who his mother and father were. Sheila used her sister and Brady. “I just can’t believe she’s capable of doing something so horrible.”
“I’m not surprised. Sheila’s a very good actress. She’s fooled all of us for a long time. She blackmailed Walter, threatening to tell his wife and expose his scandalous affair unless he furthered her career exactly as she requested and took care of my mother. He reluctantly agreed, providing my mother with a place to live, healthcare, and an allowance to live on. When my mother died during childbirth, he threatened to end Sheila’s career, but she reminded him that DNA didn’t lie.”
“That’s crazy, Brady. She’s insane.”
Brady pulls me close to him, softly laughing under his breath. “She is insane. Sheila and Nate raised me, but not out of love, or even obligation. They did it to further Sheila’s career. I think Nate just went along with it because he has no spine, but he was in on it. I’ve always felt it. Like they were different with me than they were with Liv and Tug.”
I’m so overcome with anger that I want to march into the house and confront her, make her answer for herself. I don’t, though. For one thing, she’s been out of town and I’m not sure if she’s home yet, and two, Brady’s finally opening up, and I want to hear everything he has to say. “How did you find out?” I ask.
“When Walter died, Sheila informed me that I was his son. It was very matter-of-fact, like it was just another business transaction. We met with Walter’s attorney. The attorney advised me that since Walter’s wife had passed and he had no other children, Walter had left his estate and his company to me. The bastard actually thought I’d want to run his company. I was in complete shock, and my so-called mother stood so tall and confidently. I assumed she was the one who had an affair with Walter, and that’s when she told me about my real mother.”
I hug him as tightly as I can, letting him know I’m right here with him. “I don’t know how you’ve handled things as well as you have.”
“Not easily,” he admits. “After she told me about my father, she said if I didn’t want to be involved in the company, it would be hers to run. I wanted nothing to do with anything my father’s name was on. It was for that reason I’ve let Sheila run the company. But only on the condition that Liv and Tug never find out. They have their mother on a pedestal. I tell myself it’s so they can keep her there, but there is also a part of me that’s afraid I’ll lose them.” His voice finally cracks, and although I don’t look up, I know he’s crying.
I have to reassure him that Liv and Tug love him unconditionally and nothing will change that. “Liv and Tug love you. You would never lose them. So they’re your cousins and not your siblings. You’re still family. It’s Shelia that should be worried about losing them, not you, Brady.”
“I’m not sure she cares. She never loved me. I was nothing more to her than a bargaining chip for her career. I think that’s why I’ve always had such a short fuse and got into trouble. I just wanted her to fucking notice me. I’ve spent my entire life trying to fill a void. That’s why I was so drawn to you. When you were around, I never felt empty.” I smile and squeeze him hard again. “I’ve hated her with everything in me since her confession. I only let her run the company because I hate my real father more.”
“That company belongs to you, and letting her have it means she wins.” I sound childish, but damn it, I’m pissed!
He shrugs against my cheek. “Yes, but it’s tainted. I didn’t want anything to do with the money at first either, but then I saw it as an opportunity to help others. I chose to invest my father’s fortune in things that are worthwhile and that piss Sheila off in the process.”
I lift my head up to see his eyes bright. “The Center?”
A huge smile stretches his face. “Yep. After I found out, I spent some of it on frivolous things. Got into a little trouble partying. Ironically, at one of those parties, I met Rodrigo. I couldn’t think of a better way to stick it to my father or Sheila than investing in a center that helps poor unwanted children in Mexico.”
I smile, and my fingers trace along the script of his tattoo. “Brady, what does this say?” He shifts uncomfortably, and I wish I never asked. Things are so right between us. “I’m sorry. It’s none of my business.”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s okay. It’s Latin. It says, ‘Once a man is broken, only love can pick up the pieces and glue him back together.’”
My heart squeezes. I’ve thought he was broken before too, but it bothers me that he believes it. And that he has for so long. “Brady, you’re not broken.”
He smiles and presses his lips to my head. “Not anymore.”
I draw a line over the wings on the angel tattoo. “Is this your mom?”
“Yes. I saw the design in my friend’s shop, and it spoke to me. I had to get it.”
“It’s beautiful,” I say. I bet this one riled Sheila when she saw it. Good. “What about the door? What’s that one all about?”
He groans. “It’s stupid.”
