Thirteen of a Kind: Kind Brothers Series, Book 18

Chapter 1

Claire

My eyes opened as I heard the ringing sound of my phone. Looking around, it took me a second to figure out where I was.

“Shit.” I jumped out of bed and ran to the living room, where my purse was. “Hello.”

“Claire, it’s Gina. It’s almost time. I think you better get here.”

“I’m on my way.”

“Who the hell is calling you in the middle of the night?” A rough voice spoke as he stood naked in front of me.

“I have to go. I can’t believe I fell asleep.” I walked past him and back into the bedroom. “Thanks for last night, um?—”

“Tony. It’s Tony.”

“Right. Tony.” I pulled on my jeans.

Grabbing my bra from the floor, I put it on and slipped my shirt over my head.

“Can I call you?” he asked, following me to the living room.

“No. This was a one-time thing, Tony. I have to run.” I grabbed my purse and flew out the door.

Climbing into my car, I drove to the hospice center where my mother was. Stepping inside the room, I walked over to her bedside and placed my hand on hers. With a slight turn of her head, a gentle smile framed her dry, cracked lips.

“My sweet daughter.”

“Hi, Mom.” Tears filled my eyes.

“They’re here.” She looked straight ahead at the wall. “I’m sorry for lying to you, my sweet girl.” She placed her hand on my cheek.

“Lying to me about what? What are you talking about?”

“About your real father. I’m sorry. You have the right to know, and I hope you can forgive me.” A gasp emerged from her as her hand that rested on my cheek fell, and the machine erratically beeped until Gina walked over and turned it off.

Tears streamed down my face as I laid my head on her arm.

“I’m so sorry, Claire.” Gina walked over and softly rubbed my back.

“Me too.” I lifted my head. “But she’s in a better place now and no longer suffering.” I wiped my eyes.

“Claire, is she?” I heard Richard’s voice in the doorway.

I turned and nodded my head as the tears continued to fall. He walked in and wrapped his arms around me.

“I’m sorry. She was a good woman and didn’t deserve any of this. Let me drive you home.”

“I have my car here.” I broke our embrace. “Her last words were her apologizing for lying to me about my real father. She said I had a right to know and hoped I’d forgive her. Do you know what she’s talking about?”

“I’ll stop by the house in the morning, and we’ll talk. Go home and get some rest.” He hooked his arm around me as we left the room.

“I have to call the funeral home and let them know first thing in the morning,” I said as Richard walked me to my car.

“I’ll take care of that, sweetheart.” He kissed the side of my head.

I stepped into my childhood home, flipped on the lights, walked over to the bar in the living room, grabbed the bottle of scotch, and poured a glass. My eyes closed as the soft burn lined the back of my throat. Turning off the lights, I went upstairs and climbed into bed, tossing and turning without much sleep.

The following morning, I showered and dressed before Richard arrived. The house had never felt so empty as it had the last six months since my mother entered hospice. After brewing a cup of coffee, I heard the doorbell ring. I opened it, and Richard kissed me on the cheek before entering.

“Did you get any sleep?” he asked.

“No.”

“Me either. I brought beignets from her favorite French bakery.” He set the white box on the table.

“Coffee?” I asked.

“Yes, please. With?—”

“Two sugars and a splash of almond milk. I know.” I smiled.

After making his coffee, I set it before him while he opened his briefcase. Taking the seat across from him, he slid a white envelope across the table.

“This letter is for you. It’s from your mother. She dictated it to me a couple of weeks ago and asked that I give it to you upon her death.”

I picked up the envelope with my name on it and opened it, pulling out the folded stationery she always kept in the top drawer of her desk.

Dear Claire,

My sweet girl. My only daughter and the love of my life. I tried to be the best mother I could be. You’re a wonderful and beautiful woman, so I think I did an excellent job. The one thing I loved about our beautiful mother/daughter relationship was that we never kept secrets. But there was one I held onto since I found out I was pregnant with you. In the wall safe in my office is your original birth certificate stating the name of your biological father—the one I was given right after you were born. I know I told you that when I got pregnant, your father walked out and never came back. That was a lie. I never told him about you. My life back then was so different. I was young and naive, and I loved him. When he left Paris, and I found out I was pregnant with you, I followed him to Los Angeles. I gave up everything for that man, only to discover the truth of who he really was. He was married to a woman named Barb, and he had four small boys, quadruplets. After we spoke, I knew he was not a good man. All the things she told me were the truths to his lies. Your birthright is to know your family—your blood. And I’m sorry I kept that from you all these years. I was so happy and in love with Joseph that I never gave Henry a second thought and never looked back. Do what you will with the information you’ve been given. I hope that after reading this, you can forgive me. I had to do what was in the best interest of both of us. I love you, my sweet girl, and I know you’ll always be the strong, brave girl I taught and raised you to be.

Love, Mom

I wiped the tears from my eyes as I set down the letter and looked at Richard, who stared at me sympathetically. Reaching into the box, I pulled out a beignet and bit into it.

“Are you okay?” Richard asked.

“Did you know about any of this? You two were very close.”

“No. Not until she told me as I wrote the letter for her.”

I stood up, went into her office, took the portrait of myself down, and opened the wall safe, combing through all the papers until I found my original birth certificate.

“Henry Kind?” I asked Richard as he stood in the doorway with his hands tucked into his pants pockets. “She said in her letter that he had four small boys, which means I have four brothers.” I cocked my head.

“Come and sit down.” He held out his hand. “I did some digging.”

I returned to the kitchen, sat at the table, and pulled another beignet from the box.

“You actually have five brothers,” Richard said. “All of whom are six years older than you. Apparently, your father got another woman pregnant while his wife Barb was pregnant with the boys.”

“Wow. He sounds like a real winner.” I shook my head.

“You also have a sister named Nora. She was born a few years ago by his current wife, Celeste. Unfortunately, Henry passed away when Nora was just a baby, as did the child’s mother, a couple of years ago.”

“He’s dead?”

“Yes, Claire. He died of a massive heart attack.”

“And my brothers? Where are they?”

“They’re living on a beach in Venice, California. Your father owned Kind Design amp; Architecture, which your brothers Sam and Stefan now run. Your other brother, Sebastian, is a chef and owns three restaurants: Four Kinds, Emilia’s, and Kind Brewhouse. Your brother, Simon, is a detective for the LAPD, and your other brother, Shaun, is the CEO and owner of Sterling Capital. All five of them are happily married with children.”

“So, I’m an aunt, too?”

“You are.” He smiled.

“And what about my sister? Where is she?”

“That I couldn’t find. I would assume your brothers are taking care of her.”

“You said they’re living on a beach in Venice. All of them?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Yes, all of them. Including all of their cousins who are also your cousins.”

“This is way too much to process.” I grabbed the sides of my head. “I have this whole other family out there that I never knew about. How the fuck could Genevieve keep this from me?” I shouted.

“She was trying to protect you. She did tell me one other thing.”

“What?” I cocked my head.

“Henry’s wife at the time knew about the fifth boy and never told him. She also paid your mother a lot of money to leave town and never return or speak of you.”

“What?” I shouted. “And Genevieve just took it?”

“She didn’t have much when she followed Henry from Paris to Los Angeles. And when she learned about his lies, wife, and sons, she knew you couldn’t be a part of that life. So, she took it and went back to Paris. She needed the money for you, Claire. You know she didn’t have any family left. You were all she had, and she was working as a secretary for that law firm. She barely made enough to support you.”

“And she told you all of this right before she died?”

“Yes. I’m just as shocked as you are. You know I loved your mother and have for many years.”

“And you’ve been a saint to stick by her for as long as you have, considering she never would give you a chance.”

“You know how she was after Joseph died. I’ve known you since you were a little girl, Claire. I will support whatever decision you make regarding this situation.”

“I need time to think, Richard. This whole thing makes me sick.”