“No. I don’t,” I say, squeezing her arm where my hand is still resting.
“Dad has told you, though?” she presses.
“Only recently,” I admit.
Fuck, I’m treading on dangerous ground.
“Have you spoken to your mum, your dad?”
She shakes her head. “I tried to speak to Mum while I was in Italy.”
Lottie wraps her arms around her waist.
“Mum said Dad is now my dad. He officially adopted me as part of their divorce settlement. She said I need to forget what I overheard. But is it really surprising I want to know where I come from? Dad will always be my dad and Mum my mum, but?—”
Shit. Bloody hell Darra.
This is not something I can be involved in. This is between Elijah, Darra and Lottie. Elijah will skin me alive, and the last thing I need to do is get on Darra’s bad side. It’s not that I know any more than anyone else.
“Maybe Mum slept around behind Dad’s back and doesn’t know. That’s why she palmed me off on Dad.”
Fuck, that is the last thing Lottie needs to think!
Bloody Darra. Does she not realise Lottie’s growing up? Of course, she has questions.
I put my arm around Lottie’s shoulder and pull her into my side.
“Have you spoken to your dad?”
“I can’t do that. It would hurt him. He’ll think he’s not enough.”
She bites her lip, her eyes filling with unshed tears.
“Not if you explain to him. Your dad is a very pragmatic man,” I say, although I understand her predicament.
But shit, this is putting me in an awkward position.
We sit in silence for a moment.
“Is it wrong I want to know where I came from?” she asks eventually. “Don’t you ever wonder about your dad?”
I suddenly realise why I’m getting these questions.
I pull back and turn towards Lottie, taking her shoulders in both my hands.
“Knowing your bio dad is not necessarily all it’s cracked up to be. Take it from someone who knows,” I say, knowing I sound cynical, but I want Lottie to realise there are often two sides to a story. “I’m going to let you into a little secret. Nobody knows this. Only Danika.”
Lottie sits up straight, inclining her head.
“Not even my dad?”
I shake my head.
“Why does only Danika know?”
“Because she’s my friend as well as my PA and was here the day it happened.”
I let go of Lottie’s shoulders and we slump back on the sofa, facing one another.
