“You sent people from Synecta to my exhibition?” he asked. For most people, it wouldn’t have been an issue—but most people didn’t have a mother who operated as CEO of a staggeringly successful pharmaceutical business. What lengths had she gone to in order to make sure that he was set for life? If the collectors and investors who’d bought his work had only done so because his mother had arranged for it to happen, it would mean that Alex hadn’t arrived at all—that he’d never be able to stand on his own and make a living for himself. The independence he thought he’d achieved could very well be a lie perpetrated by his mother. “Did you send a buyer to act on your behalf, too? How long has this been goingon?”
“Alex, you’re jumping to conclusions.” Samantha didn’t budge, and her expression didn’t change. Business professional. Alex’s heart ached. He’d really thought he was on to something—that maybe someday, he could make a living doing what he loved. If she’d been behind his success, he’d be back at square one, the same talentless, pathetic kid that his ex had once made funof.
Samantha continued, unruffled. “I knew you were excited for this event, so I made mention of it at work. I didn’t send teams of people to crowd the exhibition, and I didn’t send abuyer.”
Clarissa, wide-eyed, watched from behind the rim of her mug of coffee. She sippedthoughtfully.
“How many people did you ‘mention’ it to?” Alexdemanded.
Samantha held his gaze. “I mentioned it briefly to my core critical team heads—six people intotal.”
“Mentioned ithow?” Alex detested that he had to interrogate his mother, but he knew that if he didn’t ask the right questions, he wouldn’t getanswers.
“I said that the exhibition would be a good enrichment opportunity for employees looking to round out their STEM backgrounds. That’sall.”
“And you didn’t hire a buyer?” Alex asked a secondtime.
Samantha returned his gaze, unyielding. “I didn’t hire, contact, contract, or otherwise do business with a buyer. Whatever sales you made were yourown.”
Alex didn’t think she was lying. He settled back onto the arm of the chair and came down from his sudden anger. Was it an early sign of hormonal changes? He thought it was a little early to be feeling the effects of his pregnancy, but he couldn’t rule itout.
“Thank you for telling me,” he said after a pause. “Since you were truthful, I’ll be truthful, too. I did meet a man at my exhibition, and he does work for you. I came here today to make sure you knew the truth before any rumors made it back toyou.”
“Rumors?” Clarissa leaned forward. “What’s goingon?”
Alex looked between his mothers. Clarissa’s eyes were lit up with curiosity while Samantha maintainedprofessionalism.
He took a breath to prepare himself, then spoke. “Nothing is going on, other than that he makes me feel like I’m important… like I’m actually worth something.” The script had been thrown out of the window, and Alex couldn’t bring himself to care. The jolt of anger he’d felt over his potential failure had opened up a fissure inside of him, and the intensity of it made him want to cry. For all of the times that Jason had told him that he was worth nothing, and he’d believed it, Laurence was there to pick him up and remind him that Jason was wrong. In the few short weeks they’d known each other, Alex felt better than he had in years. “He’s kind, and gentle, and honest. He takes care of me when I’m at my worst, and he takes the time to understand me, even when I can’t understandmyself.”
The purple was back, but with it came blue, and green, and yellow. Alex’s pulse rushed in his ears, his heart a flighty little thing that only Laurence could pindown.
Love.
He’d told Laurence that he loved him, and Laurence had said it back. When he’d told Laurence about the pregnancy, he hadn’t run, and he hadn’t demanded that Alex take care of their little mistake. He’d been warm, and understanding, andwonderful.
Tears beaded in the corners of Alex’s eyes. He brushed themaway.
“There are differences between us… big differences. But when we’re together, I don’t notice them. He makes me feel like I don’t have to be so alone anymore, and I like to think that I make him feel like he’s been given a secondchance.”
“Second chance?” This time, it was Clarissa who spoke. Her tone was surprisingly curt. “Alex, don’t tell me you’re dating Jasonagain.”
“No.” Alex laughed. “Never. I know that there was a time when I was all about him, but I’m past that now. I’m not going back thereagain.”
“Then who is it?” Samantha asked. “And why is it so important that you tell us all thisnow?”
“His name is Laurence Gwynn,” Alex said. He braced himself for the worst. “And I’m pregnant with hischild.”
31
Laurence
The timeon the dashboard radio read 10:21 AM. Alex had been with his parents for twenty minutes, and so far, Laurence hadn’t heard a thing. He checked his phone again, just to be sure he hadn’t missed a message, then leaned back against the headrest and gazed out the window. The houses along the street were large and well-maintained. It was too early in the year for gardens, but the groundwork was laid out house to house, and the shrubbery was pruned and orderly. Laurence lived in a neighborhood like it, albeit in a cheaper part of thecity.
Still, he knew the Harper family could afford better, and he wondered why they’d settled on a place like this when they had the world at their fingertips. For Alex, most likely. Laurence rested his chin on his palm and watched a squirrel scurry along a narrow tree branch. The branch bowed, and the squirrel used the momentum to launch itself through the air and snag another branch a tree over. Its tiny front claws dug into the wood, and its nimble back legs kicked up and hooked into bark. Secured, it righted itself and continued on itsway.
Resourceful.Spry.
Laurence bit his bottom lip. He went to check his phone again only for it to startringing.
