It hurts to think about what my mother must have gone through.
It’s difficult to reconcile that painful truth with the story this man told Lana about my conception. At the same time, it doesn’t make sense that he’d come looking for me if my birth was the result of a crime.
I don’t have anything he might want, and I’m not even special like my mother. I’m just a Beta.
“Did he say if there’s a reason why he wants to see me?”
“He said he just wants the chance to get to know his daughter.” Lana sounds apologetic as she goes on, “I can ask him to come back another time, or I can tell him you’re not interested. All you need to do is say the word.”
“I don’t know,” I admit, torn between wanting to hear about my mother from someone who knew her, even briefly, and the fear of finding out my father is as awful as I first suspected.
I already lost my mom before I could get the chance to know her.
I’m not sure I’m ready to lose my dad, too.
But if I don’t meet him at all, I’ll never know if he was someone I could have had a relationship with.
“I can tell him you’ll ask me to contact …”
“I think I want to meet him,” I blurt.
I don’t know if it’s a smart move.
I only know I’ll regret it if I let the chance slip through my fingers.
“Are you sure?” Lana asks.
I take a deep breath. “I’m sure.”
Chapter Forty-One
Robin
I’m a little shaky by the time I round the corner into the reception hall. Taking the elevator would have been quicker, but I needed the walking time to mentally prepare.
I’m about to meet one of my parents for the first time at the age of twenty-six.
It’s a huge deal, and it’s not something I ever thought would happen.
With my mother dying when I was young, and Colleen telling me she had no idea who my father was, I thought I was going to live my entire life without parents.
Now, my father has sought me out and I’m only a few steps away from being in the same room as him. It’s kind of surreal. I’m not sure I’m ready for this.
Stopping outside Lana’s office door, I chew on my bottom lip.
It’s my last chance to turn around and back out.
Glancing out into the reception area, I catch Erika’s eye behind the front desk.
The cheerful Omega waves at me. “Hey, Robin.”
I wave back a little more awkwardly. “Hi, Erika.”
I probably should have asked her to let Lana know I was here, but I was too preoccupied to think about what the proper procedure might be.
Now, I feel like a dumbass.
Raising my fist, I knock on the door anyway.
