AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“My name is Evan Cook. My mother was Barclay Reed’s secretary for three years. She died when I was five, but from everything I’ve gathered, they had an affair and that man is my biological father. Harlow and I were born three days apart.” He clenches his jaw, looking as if he’s trying to keep himself together. “I have no other family and…I just want the chance to know her.”
I’d call bullshit…except he seems utterly serious. And when I look for some family resemblance to validate his claim, I can’t deny that his eyes are the same green as Harlow’s.
Oh, shit.
“Have you tried to contact her in the past?” I don’t want to talk to this guy anymore if she’s already slammed the door in his face.
“No. I only decided to get in touch with her about two weeks ago. But she’s been impossible to find. Reclusive. Then I saw the news about the two of you. Social media said you’d had an appearance in Honolulu today, so I thought I’d try to talk to you first. I even bought a ticket to Maui in the hopes that she would see me…and you would help me break the news to her. I couldn’t get a seat on this flight, but I’ll be on the one after, that arrives late tonight.”
Oh, fuck. How will Harlow feel about potentially meeting the product of her father’s infidelity? Does she even know she may have another brother in the world?
As I sit again and he sinks down beside me, I’m torn.
“What about Maxon and Griff?”
“Who?” He looks confused. “I don’t know them. My mom’s journal mentioned my half sister. She wrote that Barclay’s wife, Linda, was expecting a girl at the same time and that they’d eventually named her Harlow. If he had other family, I’m not aware.”
“Have you tried to talk to your biological father?”
“Does he sound like anything other than an asshat to you? He knew my mother was pregnant. She said he was there the night I was born. But where was he after my mother was shot in a store robbery and I became a ward of the state of California? Child Protective Services contacted him and asked if he wanted to exercise his parental rights. He declined. If he didn’t care then, I don’t care now.”
From the little bit I know about Harlow’s father, I’m not surprised. I don’t mention her older brothers again in case this guy is a crackpot. But if he’s legit…will Evan come as a surprise to Maxon and Griff?
“All I’m asking is if you’ll talk to her, find out if she would be willing to see me. I’ll arrive about three hours after you. Here’s my number.” He hands me a business card. “I’m thinking of moving my home and the base operations of my firm to Hawaii, so I’ll be here for at least a few weeks. I’d really like the chance to meet her. I won’t take up more of your time.”
With that, he stands and walks away, leaving me to wonder what I’ll tell Harlow when she’s already raw and shell-shocked…and how she’ll react.
* * *
Night has fallen by the time I pull up to my driveway. I peer at the huge house, trying to see whether Harlow is still here. From this angle, the place is dark. My heart pounds furiously. What will I do if she’s gone? Call Maxon and Griff and insist they let me see her? Maybe. Probably. I can’t let her give in to her fear and lick her wounds in private.
I can’t give up on her. I’ve never had quit in me and I’m not about to start now.
Instead of hitting up the front door, I walk around to the patio and see Harlow perched on the sofa, playing her video game. My relief at locking eyes on her petite form still under my roof is palpable. I let out a pent-up breath.
Doing my best to seem casual, I stroll in through the open accordion doors and drop a kiss on her head. “Hi, baby.”
She pauses her game and stands to face me. But she makes no move to touch me. “Hi. How was everything?”
“The high school visit was good. The ‘after’ part, we’ll talk about in a bit. Did you eat dinner?”
“Yeah. I grilled some chicken and tossed together a fruit salad. I put leftovers in the fridge.”
“Thanks.”
I’ll get to it eventually. Right now, I have no idea how I’m going to break this news to Harlow. I’ve wrestled with the decision to tell her and realized that Evan may want my help in breaking this to her, but he’s not going to let me stop him. If I say no, he’ll simply go around me—and maybe give her an unexpected shock she’s not ready to handle.
She nods my way. “It’s…um, been quiet all day. I just had a few phone calls with some colleagues about your next assessment. Tomorrow good? I want to nail down as much as possible before I decide on a course of therapy.”
“Sure.” I let out a breath. “Can I have a hug?”
Harlow fidgets, then nods. We meet halfway, and I wrap her in my arms. She’s a little stiff but not resistant. I can’t help myself from brushing a kiss across her lips, settling against her mouth for a heartbeat to feel her, before pulling back just enough to study her face.
“What’s up?” She frowns.
I should realize she’s getting good at reading me, too. “I need to talk to you. Why don’t we sit?”
“If it’s about the other night, I don’t have anything to say. I’m still…processing.”
