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“Strictly biologically, you are my nephew.”
Wait…what? Colton struggled to comprehend what his father was saying. “Nephew?”
“Your mother and I took you in after her sister gave birth to you.”
His mother wasn’t his biological mother either? He hadn’t even considered this, and the news made his mind reel. “Mom has a sister?”
“Had. Her name was Laura. She passed away when you were five.”
Colton blinked, unable to take in another breath. “My biological mother is dead?”
“I’m sorry. There’s more. Please let me explain.”
Colton nodded. “Go on.”
“Laura had a lot of issues. She got involved with some bad people when she was in high school. Got into drugs. She was in and out of trouble with the law. She quit school and traveled around the country with these people. I don’t know the details. All I know is that she ended up pregnant and in jail.”
This was so much worse than Colton had imagined. “Go on,” he said after a moment.
“Laura called us after you were born. She’d sobered up in prison. All she wanted was to give you a chance. They were going to take you away. She didn’t want you raised in the foster care system. We had a stable home. She pleaded for us to take you and raise you as our own. After careful consideration, we agreed it was the best thing for you.”
“How did she die?”
“There was a fight in prison. I don’t know all of the details, but she somehow got in the middle of things trying to break up the fight. She got stabbed.”
A sick feeling enveloped him. “So, my father…?” Colton almost didn’t want to know the rest of it.
“We asked about him when we agreed to take you, but Laura refused to tell us who he was. Only that he was a dangerous man. We tried to find out who he was, but it was impossible, and everyone she had been running around with had ended up in prison or worse.” His father took in a large breath and then exhaled.
“We felt like we had no choice. We found someone who was willing to forge your birth certificate. We did it to keep you safe. We weren’t sure what else to do. We didn’t want some jerk coming and taking you because he shared your biology.”
A sick feeling grew in his gut. “But now he’s coming forward and wanting money to keep all of this quiet.”
His father shrugged. “Looks that way. But we don’t even know if this man is really your father. We have no proof. I hired a private investigator but haven’t heard anything back yet.”
“You haven’t called the police?”
“No,” his father said, shaking his head. “I don’t think the police would be able to do anything. Besides, then our situation would be all over the news. It would be bad publicity.”
Colton couldn’t believe his father was saying this right now. “Is publicity what’s important right now? What if he hurts you?”
“It could be empty threats.”
“Or he could be really dangerous.” Colton sat back in the seat, his head beginning to hurt. This was not at all what he was expecting.
“Yes,” his father said. “This is why I must find out all I can about who this is.” He stared at Colton, his gaze hardening. “And why we must keep this a secret. You have to tell that girl she can’t talk about those notes. Not to anyone.”
“Remi wouldn’t.”
“I’ll write up a non-disclosure agreement.”
Heat flashed through Colton. Would his father really force her to sign a contract? “Dad! You don’t need to write up anything. I trust Remi.”
His father stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’ll have the document written up. You can get her to sign it when you tell her you’re not going to see her again. As your manager, I know what’s best for you. Please do as I say.”
Colton couldn’t believe his father. He was banning him from seeing Remi? He jumped up and crossed the room, fire igniting in his belly. This was not going to happen. His father wouldn’t be controlling his life anymore.
A memory flashed into his mind. He was walking with his father on a summer day, on their way to get ice cream from the downtown shop. He couldn’t wait to order his cone. They came to the street and his father grabbed his arm, yanking him backwards, not allowing him to cross. He must have been four or five years old, but he could still remember the way his father commanded him to stop. Two seconds later a truck sped by. The sound of the tires on the pavement sent an eerie feeling through him. He would have been hit had he kept walking.
