Chapter 11 #2
“See my son,” he finishes.
“What’re you doin’ here?” I cross my arms, then firmly stand next to Laney.
“You didn’t think my only son returnin’ to town wouldn’t make its way to me, did you? I had to see for myself.” He straightens his tie and bores his eyes into mine.
“Well, here I am. Now you can leave.”
The amused expression on his face makes me want to shove my fist in it.
“You’re done playin’ around in the hay fields, huh? Finally ready to be a dad and husband?” He crosses his arms, firmly planting his feet as if to say he’s not going away that easy. He’s used this intimidation tactic my entire childhood, but it no longer works on me.
I step closer, pulling Laney out of the way so I’m face-to-face with my piece of shit dad. “I know what you did. So take your schemin’, lying self off Laney’s porch and go drive into a ditch. You’re the reason I left in the first place, and you know it.”
“Don’t blame me for your actions, son. If you truly loved her, you could’ve come back to check on her. Then you would’ve known much sooner that you had a child.”
“Don’t talk about my daughter. You’re nothin’ to her.” My teeth grind so hard I feel a piece chip off in the back.
“Who are you?” Serena comes up next to me. I curse under my breath at her for not listening and staying put in the kitchen. Laney tries to intervene, but it’s too late.
My dad kneels with a conniving smile. “I’m your grandfather.”
“Go,” I tell him harshly. “You’re not welcome here.”
Serena pulls on my shirt. “Why not?”
Swallowing hard, I tell her the truth. “Because he’s the reason I left.”
My father clears his throat. “I’m the reason she lives in this house and goes to an elite private school.”
Laney gently takes Serena’s hand. “Go to your room, sweetie. I’ll be right there.”
“But, Mom—”
Laney gives her a firm look. Serena nods and then walks away. Once I hear her feet echo in the hallway, I turn toward Laney.
“What’s he talkin’ about?”
“She didn’t tell ya?” My father’s amused voice is followed by a chuckle.
“I was just about to,” Laney whispers. “Before he showed up.”
“How convenient.” He laughs. “While you were busy playin’ rancher boy, I was here—supportin’ your child.”
“You mean the one you threatened to take from her mother...” I hiss.
This makes no sense. Why would he try to get custody and then give her money for Serena?
Control.
If he couldn’t take her, then he’d play puppet master instead.
“How much?” I ask Laney.
She blinks. “What?”
“How much has my father given you? I’m gonna pay him back every penny so he has nothin’ to hold over us. So...how much has he paid over the years?”
“I don’t know...” she murmurs, shaking her head.
My father chuckles devilishly. “Well, let’s start with the house. Fifty thousand for a down payment. Even with a fake husband, you didn’t think a twenty-year-old single mom with a part-time income could buy her own house, did you?”
“What else?” I ask firmly, ignoring the urge to bash his head into the door.
“Four years of private school at ten thousand a year.”
Another forty.
“Keep goin’,” I say, adding it up in my head.
“Twenty thousand in supplies, clothing, and private tutors. Sixty thousand for her SUV.”
“That it?” I keep my lips in a firm line, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of how pissed off I am.
“Pretty much. We’ll call the rest gifts from her grandfather.”
“Great, I’ll send ya a check. Don’t come near me or my girls again. I’ll be the only one to support my family from now on. Not that you ever knew how to be a part of one.”
“You can’t afford their lifestyles from workin’ up in Tennessee shovelin’ horse shit. You should be grateful, son. I’m the reason they didn’t end up homeless or eatin’ out of a dumpster. They live in a nice, safe neighborhood. I’ve kept them protected.”
In exchange for what? My father does nothing for free.
Narrowing my eyes, I keep my feet glued to the floor so I don’t do something stupid that’ll get me thrown in jail. Knowing my father, he’d press assault charges the moment I touched him.
“I’ll be grateful the day I get to bury you six feet under and spit on your grave,” I tell him, then step back and slam the door in his face.
“Ayden, that’s a hundred and seventy thousand dollars.”
“I know.” I walk to the kitchen, grab the empty glass on the counter, and fill it with juice for Serena.
“You don’t need to pay him back. He gave me that money because he felt guilty knowin’ he’s the reason you left in the first place. He’s just tryin’ to ruffle feathers now that you’re back.”
I slam the jug of grape juice down. “I do not want to give my father any leverage over me. He didn’t do it because he felt guilty. He did it because it was his way of controllin’ the situation.”
“What’re you talkin’ about?” She folds her arms, leaning against the counter.
“As soon as news broke out you were pregnant with my child, his grandchild, he wasn’t about to let the community see you struggle. That’d reflect badly on his reputation. His reelection campaign. It was to save his ass, not yours. He doesn’t give a shit about either one of you.”
It’s why Serena didn’t know who he was. If he truly cared, he would’ve asked to meet her years ago.
“I’m sorry, Ayden. I was about to tell you. Truthfully, I did need that money. I hated that I did, but I figured as long as he wasn’t harassin’ me with custody papers or asking to see her, it wasn’t hurtin’ anything.”
I take the glass and walk it to Serena’s room, then softly knock on her door. “It’s me.”
She opens it with a frown. “Can I come out now?”
“Here’s your juice.” I hand it to her.
“Daddy and I need to talk, sweetie. Put a movie on, and we’ll get you shortly for supper.”
“Fine,” she mutters, then takes a sip of her drink and closes the door.
“If you’re insistent on payin’ him back, then at least let me help.
I make enough money. Plus, I’m gettin’ a portion of Howie’s inheritance.
I didn’t need your dad’s money once the store took off, but he kept insistin’.
Tellin’ me to send her to the best schools, hire top-notch tutors, and make sure she had nice clothes for church.
I started savin’ some of it in an account for her. ”
“You’re not usin’ a cent of your money to pay him back,” I tell her with finality.
“Ayden, please...” She follows me to her bedroom.
“Laney, I said no.” I turn around, and she bumps into me.
“Stop bein’ stubborn.” She puts her hands on her hips, brow furrowed.
“My father knew where I was, Laney. He knew and didn’t bother to tell me I had a daughter.
He continued to throw money at you and keep his reputation shiny and clear.
So no, you won’t give him a damn thing. I have savings from years of workin’, never buyin’ anything new, and keepin’ it for a rainy day.
I’ll pay him back for what he provided, so I never owe him a damn thing again.
You need anything for Serena, you ask me.
She needs money for school, I’ll pay the tuition.
Let me be her father and support her now, okay? ”
She steps back with a confused brow. “How do you know he knew where you were?”
“Because he said up in Tennessee and mocked me for workin’ on a horse ranch.”
“Someone could’ve told him? Serena’s been tellin’ everyone who’ll listen that her daddy’s a rancher,” she reminds me.
“Trust me, I could see it in his face and hear it in his voice. I don’t know how he found me or why he didn’t do anything once he did, but everything he does is calculated and precise.
He knew as long as I stayed away, he could keep his reputation clean.
Lettin’ me stay gone was his way to prevent me from runnin’ my mouth about what he did to Gabby. He knew I wouldn’t stay quiet forever.”
Although he could only run for two terms as mayor, he still had his prestigious law firm. A scandal as big as knocking up a high school girl and then forcing her to get an abortion would not only ruin his reputation and family, it could put him behind bars.
“I’m sorry, Ayden. I wish I hadn’t taken a dime from him. But I was scared and worried he’d do something bad if I didn’t accept it.”
“It’s not your fault, Lane. I’m not mad at you.” I hold her close, rubbing my hands up and down her arms. “I’m gonna pay him back and kick him out of our lives for good.”
The worst part of this revelation? He could’ve told me I had a child years ago and didn’t. Just like he’s done my entire life, he chose himself.
While I thought I was hiding from him in fear, he knew where I was all along.
And I hate that I spent years away in fear of him.
The bastard was going to pay.