Blake looks as sick as I feel. Wade gives her a knowing look. I’m sure it’s something he’s had to deal with time and time again.
Suddenly, Sorrow gasps, her eyes flying to Wade’s. “It was Mark, wasn’t it? He was the father of his sister’s baby?”
“Jesus Christ. Tell me she’s wrong,” I hiss.
Wade shakes his head. “Can’t do that. Turns out Mark had been raping his sister since she was a little girl. When the truth came out, the father shot and killed Mark before handing himself in to the police. He did eight years in prison, eight years into a fifteen-year sentence, before he had a heart attack and died. Mom upped sticks with Greta before the trial even started. Nobody heard from them again until a few years ago, when the mayor was informed that the mother and Greta had died in a house fire. That left just the son.”
“Denny Dickerson,” Kellen deduces.
“One and the same. He was never given the family name for obvious reasons, instead adopting his grandmother’s maiden name. He moved back after they died. After taking the relevant courses to become a police officer, he started at Tempest PD so he could investigate what happened to his family. I guess that his mom and grandma answered just enough questions to spark his curiosity, but kept him mostly in the dark about what really happened. I can’t say I blame them. How do you tell your child something like that?”
“Fuck if I know.”
“I don’t understand what any of that has to do with me unless you’re going to tell me he had an affair with my mom, too.” Sorrow grimaces.
“No, Sorrow. It had very little to do with you to begin with.”
“So the chief ordered Denny to mess with Sorrow. And he just agreed, so he didn’t rock the boat and lose his position at the PD? And by default, his ability to dig up his family tree?” Kellen scowls.
“No, he enjoyed messing with me. It felt personal.” Sorrow folds her arms.
“Sorry, I meant it wasn’t personal against you. It was very personal for Denny because the person he loved asked him to get you out of town by any means necessary. And after losing everyone else, he wasn’t prepared to lose them too.”
Wade looks at me then, and I shake my head. “No, my mom was a lot of things, but she’s always been loyal to my dad.”
Sorrow groans. “Shit.”
“What is it? You remember something, don’t you?”
She looks up at me and bites her lip. “Before he shoved me, he said something like I ruined everything because now he was gone too.”
The wheels turn as I try to piece together what she’s saying, when Wade speaks. “Your mom was always loyal to your dad, but can you say the same about him?”
My eyes jolt to his as everything clicks into place. “You’re saying my dad was having an affair with Denny?” I choke out.
“I got the information from the mayor himself after I found a trail from him to your parents. When questioned, he spilled everything he knew, as if he’d been waiting for the day he could.”
“What kind of trail?” Blake asks, but his eyes are on me. I can’t respond. For once, I’m shocked stupid.
Sorrow slides her hand up my throat and cups my jaw. She doesn’t do anything else, but somehow, that one simple gesture grounds me.
“Large chunks of money were donated to the mayor while he was on the campaign trail. And I’m talking his personal account. Maybe he could find a way to talk himself out of that predicament, but later on, he was paying regular amounts of money to your parents.”
“You think they were blackmailing him like they were Stephenson.”
“He admitted as much, though he was cagey on what he was being blackmailed over.”
“What’s the odds they had something on him all along, that’s why they funded his campaign. If they had him in power, they could control him.” Kellen sighs.
“You okay?” Sorrow asks, her hand that’s still on my face, pulling me closer.
“I hate that I never knew them at all. Everything was a lie, and I was so fucking blind to it all. What kind of asshole does that make me?”
“Do not take that on, Jake Bannerman, do you hear me?” she snaps as I lean my forehead against hers.
“I hate that I even share the same name as them.”
“Well, the way I see it, you have two options. You can marry me and take my name, which is just as freaking bad, or you can keep the Bannerman name because they’re just two people that sucked. You and Katy are Bannerman’s too, and I think you’re both awesome. I also remember you telling me how much you loved your grandma and grandfather. Don’t let those assholes ruin a legacy that our children deserve to be a part of.
