“And she never told you the truth?” Cooper asks.
“No. Not until I found out on my own.” I rub my hands over my knees. “She said it was to protect me.”
He doesn’t interrupt.
“We moved a lot. She worked two jobs for most of my childhood. She wasn’t living easy off some secret payout. We struggled.” I glance down. “I know she did what she thought she had to do.”
The loft suddenly feels smaller. It’s almost suffocating.
“I always told myself if he knew about me, maybe things would’ve been different. Maybe he would’ve wanted to be in my life. Maybe we could’ve had… a relationship or something.”
Cooper’s expression changes just slightly. He already knows where this is headed.
“But he did know,” I say. “He always knew.”
The words don’t hit softer the second time.
“And he still chose to stay away.”
I swallow.
“Part of me almost wishes I never found out. He wanted me to stay a secret. Like I didn’t exist. And now…” I let out a slowbreath. “Now everyone knows. And it still doesn’t change the fact that he never wanted me.”
There’s a quiet beat.
“Brinley, any man who looks at you and decides he doesn’t want you in his life is an idiot. He doesn’t deserve to even know you, let alone claim he had anything to do with bringing you into this world. Not if he couldn’t stand up and be your father.”
Tears fill my eyes. I nod in agreement as the first tear breaks and slides down my cheek.
“I didn’t tell her at first because I knew she’d discourage me from coming. I hadn’t told her since because, well, I guess I’m kind of mad at her. And I don’t know if I even have a right to be now.”
Cooper’s quiet for a second. “You do,” he says. “You’re allowed to feel that way.”
“She did what she thought was best,” I say. “But she decided my whole life without ever asking me what I wanted. She took away my right to know the truth.”
I let out a shaky breath as I finally meet his gaze.
“I don’t want to be the girl he paid to disappear,” I admit. “And I don’t want to be the scandal that ruins your season either.”
His eyes sharpen, his face falling.
“You’re not that,” he says quietly. “None of this is your fault. And I’m not going to let anyone treat you like a secret.”
I nod even though I’m not sure what I’m agreeing to.
“Stay on with me,” he says.
“I don’t want to go anywhere anyway.”
He shifts on his end, the screen tilting for a second before it steadies. I watch as he moves across the room and settles back onto the bed, propping himself against the headboard again. The lamp behind him casts a low light across his shoulders.
When he says, “Come here,” I laugh under my breath. “I am here.”
“I need you closer.”
I adjust the phone until my face fills the screen.
“Better. How are you feeling?” he asks quietly. “After earlier.”
