Chapter Thirty-Seven #3
Mum sniffles. “She said Loretta came to them when Annie was about five years old. Apparently, the man who ran the adoption agency was fired for taking b-bribes.” Her voice cracks.
“People were giving him money… and sexual favors, in return for information about their children. It was a huge scandal, but they buried it so the media wouldn’t find out.
They hoped nothing would come from it, but over the last few years, there have been multiple reports of birth parents finding their adopted children because of him.
” She lets out a shaky breath. “God, I hate him right now.”
A shudder runs through me as I think about what Loretta may have done just to find out where I was.
“That’s disgusting,” Dad says, his voice hard. “I don’t know how I feel about any of this. Loretta seems genuinely interested in getting to know Annie, but why leave it so long? Why not come to us when Annie was five?”
I have wondered the same thing.
“I know,” Mum cries. “I don’t trust her, Colt. And what scares me most is that Annie is open to all of this. She’s guarded, yes, but if Loretta really is her mother, how are we supposed to stop her from taking Annie away from us?”
“Dee, that’s not going to happen.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do,” Dad says firmly. “Annie loves us. She’s sensible.
She makes bad decisions sometimes, but she’s smart, and she can see Loretta for what she is.
Loretta Banks isn’t someone we need to worry about when it comes to Annie.
She’s not going to walk away from this family and go live with her.
” Mum makes a broken sound. “I hate to say it like this…” Dad continues, “… but Annie has been spoiled her entire life. Going from what we have given her to whatever Loretta could offer would be a massive drop in standards. Annie isn’t going to leave you for her, baby. ”
I nod silently because he’s right.
“I know she wouldn’t go and live with her,” Mum says, her voice trembling.
“She won’t even hug her. But, Colt, I’m scared.
This whole maternity test thing… it’s bringing everything back.
I thought after what happened with Caleb, after all the paternity testing and the hospital and the waiting, we would never have to do anything like this again.
I hate it. I hate all of it.” She starts crying again, and I bite down hard on my bottom lip.
“Baby,” Dad says softly, “I know the whole Macy and Caleb situation destroyed you. I know how hard it was walking back into that hospital and going through testing again with Annie. Of course, it brought everything back. But, Dee, I swear to you, if Loretta is Annie’s mother, I will do everything in my power to make sure Annie is protected.
I don’t trust Loretta either, but we can’t stop Annie from seeing her if that’s what she wants. ”
“I just love her so much,” Mum sobs. “How am I supposed to cope with the fact that Annie not being mine is being thrown in my face again? All I ever wanted was to have your children, and I couldn’t.
Then we got Annie, and she was mine. My baby girl.
I’ve loved her and raised her and watched her grow for twenty years, and now this woman walks in, and suddenly the world is reminding me she isn’t mine at all.
” My throat tightens. “She is mine,” Mum cries.
“But she’s legally an adult now. If she decided she wanted nothing more to do with me and only wanted her birth mother, she could do that.
What if she does, Colt? What if she leaves me? ”
I can’t take any more. Tears blur my vision as I rush into the kitchen, startling them both.
Mum and Dad look up as I hurry straight to Mum and wrap my arms around her.
“Mum, I’m not going anywhere,” I say, holding her tight. “You will always be in my life. You will always be my one and only mother. I know you’re scared. I’m scared too. But I promise, she will never mean more to me than you do.”
“Were you listening, Annie?” Dad asks.
I nod, pulling back as Mum wipes at her face. I drag out a chair and sit beside her, keeping hold of her hand.
“How much did you hear?” he asks.
I grimace. “Enough to know Loretta gave sexual favors for information.”
Dad closes his eyes. “You shouldn’t eavesdrop, Annie.”
“No,” Mum blubbers, shaking her head. “We didn’t want you to know that about her.”
“I think I need to know everything about her,” I say gently. “She’s claiming to be my mother. If I’m going to make an informed decision about whether she has a place in my life, I need the truth.”
Mum nods, her eyes glassy.
“I’m sorry you’re upset,” I whisper. “But please believe me. I’m not leaving you.”
Aston walks into the kitchen and stops dead when he sees us. “Oh… sorry. Do you want me to leave?”
Mum shakes her head, wiping her cheeks. “No, sweetheart. You’re part of this family, and when we have a family crisis, you should know about it.”
Aston comes over and sits beside me, his hand immediately finding mine beneath the table. “What’s going on?”
I look at Dad, because I don’t think I can explain it.
And Mum definitely can’t.
Dad exhales, then leans forward, his expression serious. “We found out how Loretta tracked Annie down.”