CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
jake
The next evening, Kate grabs the remaining items out of the kitchen for dinner as I do a quick replay in my head of the conversation I had with the private investigator, not wanting to forget any of the details he shared about her father.
Although I wanted to tell her right away, I’m grateful she asked me to wait because it gave me time to fully process everything and let the shock wear off. I need to be a pillar of strength for her when I share the news, not showing any of the anger that was raging inside me when I first found out.
“Dinner smells great, Kate.” Chelsi reaches for the salad bowl, giving herself a healthy serving. “When you move out, I’m going to miss you the most. But your cooking is a close second. Don’t be surprised when I unexpectedly show up for dinner sometimes.”
I chuckle, knowing that, with Chelsi, it’s very likely to happen.
Kate smiles softly. “You’re always welcome at our house.”
“Yeah. Just knock or call first. Otherwise, I can’t promise you won’t get a show with your dinner,” I tease, winking at Kate.
“Jake!” Kate blushes and lightly smacks my arm.
“What? It’s true,” I reply, taking a bite of the crispy chicken parmesan. “And she’s right, your cooking is amazing.”
Chelsi and Kate chat back and forth, smiling and laughing like they probably do every night, making me wonder how they’ll handle living apart when the time comes.
I focus on inhaling my food, wanting to get eating out of the way so I won’t be distracted when I tell Kate about her dad.
All day, I’ve debated on when to tell her and decided that dinner with Chelsi was probably the best option.
As soon as there is a lull in the conversation, I clear my throat, and Kate’s eyes snap to my face. It’s like she subconsciously knows I’m about to say something important because the smile on her face slowly fades into a look of concern.
“What’s going on, Jake?” Kate asks nervously, setting her fork down.
Chelsi’s eyes dart back and forth between Kate and me, trying to assess the situation and anticipate what’s coming.
I exhale deeply. “We need to talk about what the PI found out about your dad.”
Kate tenses, clasping her hands in front of her and keeping her eyes focused on me.
“I’m here for you,” Chelsi adds, taking Kate’s hand and squeezing.
I reach for Kate’s other hand, intertwining our fingers. “The good news is he’s alive and seems to be healthy. He lives in Arizona and has for almost twenty years.”
Kate nods silently, tears forming in her eyes.
“He remarried shortly after he moved there and had a son with his new wife about a year after their marriage,” I explain calmly, trying to keep my tone devoid of any emotion.
I want Kate to be able to feel whatever she wants about this news, not have it colored by my reactions.
“Your half brother is seventeen. Your dad is very active in his life. Coached his little league baseball team. Goes to all of his games. Recently took him on a round of college visits.” I pause briefly, wanting to give her a moment to process what I’ve shared before saying the last piece of information—the one that made me furious when I heard it.
“By all accounts, your dad seems to be very happy with his wife and son. He also doesn’t acknowledge that he has any other children, claiming he only has one child. ”
Kate’s face falls, and her shoulders slump as tears stream down her cheeks.
She lets out a soft sob, covering her mouth with her hands as she breaks down.
Chelsi glances at me, silently communicating, with daggers in her eyes that she’s ready to open a can of whoop ass on Kate’s father.
She’ll need to get in line because I get first dibs.
I can’t believe any man would cut his child out of his life and pretend she never existed while acting like an ideal parent to another.
It’s infuriating, and I can only imagine the impact learning this news might have on Kate, given her lingering insecurity about not feeling worthy.
“I’m really sorry, Kate,” I say softly, getting up from the table, pulling her chair out, and crouching in front of her.
I gently remove her hands from her face, wiping away her tears, and looking into her hazel eyes.
“Don’t let your father’s action affect how you feel about yourself.
He’s the one who has missed out on having an amazing woman in his life all these years. It’s his loss, not yours.”
Kate nods, her chest heaving as she tries to calm herself down by slowly inhaling and exhaling. I rest my forehead against hers, channeling love and positive energy her way, wanting her to know she’s not alone. Chelsi and I are here for her.
Kate shudders, expelling a long breath. “I expected it would hurt if we found him and learned he’s been fine this entire time, choosing not to see me.
I never expected—never thought—he’d have another family,” she whispers, her warm breath hitting my face.
“He’s a good dad. All my memories of him being the best dad growing up were real.
I guess he just didn’t want to be a dad to me anymore. ”
Her words break my heart, hating that she’s going through this after everything that happened this weekend.
She leans back in her chair. “I’ve wanted to look for him for a long time, but I never had the nerve.
Too worried about what my mom would say or what I might find.
” She sighs, brushing away the remaining tears on her face.
“Although what we learned from the PI really fucking hurts, I’m glad we did it. I needed to know.”
“Do you think you’ll ever want to reach out to him?” Chelsi asks, reminding us that she’s still in the room since it’s highly unusual for her to be this quiet.
“I don’t know.” Kate adjusts her chair to face the table again. I follow her lead and sit back down in mine.
“You don’t have to make a decision now.” Chelsi takes a drink of her red wine.
“No, you don’t. Take as much time as you need,” I reply, agreeing with Chelsi.
“I know. I don’t want to think about it anymore. Let’s talk about something else,” Kate says, reaching for her glass of wine and taking a small sip. “Anything else.”
Chelsi’s eyes light up. “I could tell you about my date from hell last week. You always love hearing about my horrific first dates. This one was a doozy.”
Kate laughs hard, almost spitting out her wine. “Yes, please entertain me with a tale.”
Chelsi launches into a detailed story about her date, who initially seemed like a normal guy. Handsome. Good job. Polite. It wasn’t until she noticed that he kept looking at someone in the corner of the restaurant, making her suspicious he was checking out another woman.
“It wasn’t another woman, Kate. He brought his mom. His fucking mom came on the date and was watching us from the corner of the restaurant!” Chelsi exclaims, gesturing widely with her hands.
Kate and I lose it. Full-on belly laughing. So hard, we almost topple out of our seats.
Chelsi takes a drink of her wine, shaking her head. “Let me know when you’re done, and I’ll tell you the best part.”
“There’s more?” Kate asks, placing a hand over her heart as she struggles to catch her breath.
“He introduced me to her. His mom. On our first date. She joined us for dessert,” Chelsi replies.
Kate’s mouth drops open, shock written all over her face, and mine probably mirrors it. Meeting the parents is a big deal, definitely not first-date material.
“I tried to go along with it until she asked how my ‘baby-making parts worked’ because she wants grandchildren soon. I was rendered completely speechless. Grabbed my phone and left. Didn’t say another word.”
“Oh my God. Why are all the weird men so attracted to you?” Kate blurts out through bursts of laughter. “It’s like you’re a magnet for the ones with the oddest idiosyncrasies. “
“No idea. I’m probably going to end up alone, talking to my plants, and herding a bunch of cats. Harassing the two of you every day.” Chelsi shakes her head like she can’t believe her dating life is this absurd.
“I’d be happy to set you up. There was plenty of interest in you when you joined Kate on tour.
Numerous guys have asked about you, practically begging for your number,” I offer, curious if she might actually be interested in dating someone closer to her caliber.
“You’re always welcome to join us any weekend.
Get to know some of the guys better and see if there’s any sparks. ”
“Are you talking about Jimmy? I refuse to date him. He’s a walking red flag that even I can see, which isn’t saying a lot,” Chelsi retorts.
Shaking my head, I throw a wink at Kate. I’ve kept her up to date with the guys’ interest in Chelsi; we’re both biding our time until she’s ready to seriously date someone, because we have just the guy in mind. “Oh, Jimmy is definitely interested in you. But he’s not the only one.”