They had all been excuses so his grandfather could see another woman. Thad threw his head back and closed his eyes tight, struggling to stave off the tears that suddenly burned his eyes. He could think of a thousand other thingshis grandfather could have been involved in—embezzlement, underground gambling—and none would hurt as much as this.
“How could you have done this to Grams?” Thad said. He pushed the computer aside and propped his elbows on the table, then ground the heels of his hands against his eyes. His stomach clenched with the abrupt onset of nausea.
He felt like a kid who’d just found out his favorite superhero was really the villain.
Thad picked up his phone to call Nadia. He couldn’t keep this from her any longer. He clicked into his favorites, then set the phone back on the table.
This wasn’t the type of thing you shared over the phone. His sister would be here in less than a week for Reshonda’s wedding. His conversation with Nadia could wait.
Buthecouldn’t. He had to talk tosomebody.
Thad picked up the phone again and sent Ashanti a text.
Puddin’ is missing Duchess. You think she’s up for a walk?
The fact that his mind went to Ashanti instead of Von was telling. He’d fallen far past deep when it came to this woman. He was in the Mariana Trench.
I’ll meet you at Crescent Park, came Ashanti’s reply.
It was just after nine p.m. when Thad pulled into the parking lot next to the crescent-shaped bridge that led to Crescent Park. He saw headlights flash in his rearview mirror a moment before Ashanti’s SUV slipped into the spot next to his. Some of the ache that had settled in his chest immediately started to dissipate. She was better than aspirin.
They opened their doors at the same time. While he retrieved Puddin’ from his harness, she did the same with Duchess. They met at the spot between their two front bumpers.
“Something’s wrong,” she said.
“Can I kiss you before we talk?” he asked. “I haven’t done that in far too long.”
“Is someone hurt?” she asked.
“No,” Thad said, shaking his head. Just his heart.
She nodded. “Okay, you can kiss me.”
He leaned forward and captured her lips in a slow, sweet kiss, like the one he had been aching to give her for days.
“That’s better,” Thad said once he finally released her. “Let’s walk, and then we can talk.”
They crossed over the bridge and into the park that ran along the bank of the river. Thad had never come here before, even as a kid. He was blown away by the beautiful view of the city skyline.
“This is nice,” he said.
“I love this park. So does Duchess.” She bumped him with her elbow. “My plans were to take the dogs at Barkingham Palace for walks here if I’d bought the Bywater House.”
“The other one is directly across from a park, though, right?”
She sighed. “I’m not getting that house, Thad. I can’t afford it.”
“I told you not to count yourself out.”
“I don’t even want to talk about it. It depresses me. What about you?” she asked. “What’s going on?”
After that kiss and this nice stroll, he hated the thought of polluting their time together with the news he’d found out.But that was the reason he’d asked her to join him in the first place.
Thad started from the beginning, with Nadia sending him the DNA test kit, then told her about the emails from the woman in Alabama.
“I thought it was a scam,” Thad said. “I’ve been playing along, waiting for her to make her pitch for money, until the last email, when she sent an actual picture.”
“What was it?”
