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“I’d like to know anything you want to tell me,” Emily said. “And if after this meal we don’t talk again, I’ll understand. My daughter will want to meet you. I can’t always hold her back. I haven’t told her your name or anything, but she’s sneaky. She has a way of finding information.”
Chloe laughed. “I’m used to being around sneaky persistent people.”
“Our lives are that of strangers. I understand,” Emily said. “Crystal is young and sometimes has stars in her eyes, but she’ll listen to me too if you end up not wanting to go any further than just finding out some information.”
She wasn’t sure what she wanted. “I’ve got a family,” she said. “And support. I’m not looking for another one.”
Emily nodded her head. “I’m just happy to hear that you are doing so well in life. I’m not looking to disrupt what you’ve got or had coming. Please don’t feel that way.”
“Even though my child would technically be your grandchild?” she asked
Emily’s eyes closed briefly. “I gave up all those rights over thirty years ago. I know that.”
“That wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be,” Chloe said over an hour later. “I didn’t know what would happen.”
“You still don’t,” he said. “She might decide to not give you the name. And if she does, it sounds like it could be a big deal in your life. What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “What I gathered is the guy is older and took advantage of a young girl. You heard her: he gave her money for her silence and an abortion. Her parents didn’t even know about it.”
“Yeah,” he said. “It took her a while to come out and say that. That trail of money leads back to him though. And I’m sure if her parents knew they would have figured out who he was. I can’t believe she never told anyone.”
“She told her husband,” she said. “She used that money to get an education and then build a future.”
Chloe didn’t ask the amount and didn’t care. It meant nothing to her.
“I know you weren’t happy with what I said,” he said.
“You were showing your support. It means a lot, but I don’t need to drag you or your family into this. Very few even know I’m pregnant. That is going to just put the spotlight on so many things. Even if she gives me the name, I don’t think I’ll do anything with it just yet. If at all.”
“That is for you to decide. But please, don’t worry about me or our family. This is about you.”
“It’s about us,” she said. “It has to be about us. I can’t make any decision without you being part of it now.”
“Nothing has to be decided now though. Just remember that.”
She would try to, but there were just so many things going through her mind.
How the hell had life become this complicated?
38
What Would Be Would Be
“Ican’t believe I missed your engagement,” Chloe said to Megan at the end of May. They’d shown up for a Memorial Day party at the Fierces. She was moving a little slow this morning and got here late.
She wasn’t showing with the baby other than looking like she’d put a few pounds on, but she and Royce decided last week to let everyone know.
There wasn’t going to be a good time to do it or an easy way either. They had to just pull the Band-Aid off and she started with Raina and Megan and then told Jade.
Jade thought it was a riot and congratulated her. But she wanted to find out if there was any way that wasn’t embarrassing about letting Grant and Garrett know.
Then she wondered why she cared. She wasn’t embarrassed she was having a baby with Royce. She was happy and almost moved into his house completely.
The only thing she wasn’t happy about was that she hadn’t heard from Emily yet about her biological father’s name. But she wasn’t going to push. It was out there and what would be would be.
“I can’t believe you’re pregnant,” Megan said. She’d said that a few times in the past few days too.
“Guess life just happens that way sometimes. I didn’t think Jonah would propose in front of everyone.”
