That was a problem. But one for another time.
She squinted slightly as she removed the spoon from her mouth and set it in the bowl. “Maddox?”
“Hi.”
“Is something wrong? Was there an issue with the Parker—”
“No, this isn’t about work.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Oh. Okay.”
“Can I come in?”
She glanced over her shoulder, and I realized I had no idea if she lived alone. If she was in a relationship. I felt bad about that, but since I’d only found out she existed twenty-four hours ago and who she was to me six, I guessed I shouldn’t be too hard on myself.
“Um, yeah, it’s a little messy.”
I walked in and had to step over several piles of clothes.
“I haven’t really had a chance to unpack totally.”
The apartment was a loft style studio with a full bed in one corner. A kitchenette in the other corner. And a table with two chairs and a couch with a bean bag beside it that was the living area. There was exposed brick on one wall and opposite that was a wall of windows that faced out to the bay. There were high ceilings that were painted black with exposed ventilation which made the area feel even larger. The space was probably three times the size of my first studio, which had been less than three hundred square feet. The building itself was old, but the space she lived in was renovated. The appliances and finishes were all high end and it had a very cozy vibe.
“This is a nice place.”
“Thanks!” She beamed. “When I decided to move to the city, the only requirement was that I had a view of the water. This was the first apartment I looked at and I fell in love.”
I nodded, suddenly feeling unsure of my decision to just show up like this. Now that I was face to face with Lina, the situation seemed a lot less black and white. Maybe I should have let her come to me with the discovery instead of forcing the issue.
“Do you want to sit down?” She asked as she moved a blanket making space on the sofa.
“Sure. Thanks.” I lowered down and she plopped on the oversized bean bag and folded her legs into a crisscross applesauce position, which was Hannah’s favorite way to sit. I wasn’t sure if I was trying to make connections between Lina’s behavior and appearance with Hannah and Peyton or if they were really there. This whole thing had been such a mindfuck.
“I’m not really sure how to say this. Um…” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. I glanced down at my hands as I folded them together. I should have given more thought as to how I was going to broach this conversation. I wasn’t sure what my opening should be. This was one of the most important conversations I’d ever had in my life and I didn’t want to fuck it up.
“You know that you’re my birth father, don’t you?”
My head lifted, surprised and relieved at her bluntness. “Yes. I do.”
She stared at me for a second before asking, “Are you mad?”
“Mad? Why would I be mad?”
“Because I sort of, you know, infiltrated your company just so I could meet you.” She shifted in her chair and bit her bottom lip.
“I’mhappythat you came to the company. And I just want you to know that I had no idea that you even existed until last night. Remember the ex I told you about during the lunch?”
“Is she my birth mom?”
“She is,” I confirmed. “I went to talk to her last night, like you suggested, and she told me about you.”
“What did she say?” she asked nervously.
I wasn’t sure if this was my story to tell and I was starting to think maybe I should have told Peyton about my discovery before coming here. But it was too late now. I was in this.
“I’m sure she’ll want to tell you in her own words, but it wasn’t her choice to give you up for adoption. She didn’t want to do that. She wanted to keep you. She never agreed to anything. Never signed anything. They were living in Germany and she begged her parents to allow her to move back to the States with her grandmother and raise you. Her father, your grandfather, was a pretty powerful man and very controlling. He forbade it, took her passport away, and forced her to be homeschooled because he didn’t want anyone to know that his teenage daughter was pregnant. When she went into labor, six weeks early, he took her to a hospital where none of the nurses or doctors spoke English. She thought they were giving her something for her pain and she woke up and she’d had an emergency C-section. She never even got to see you. Hold you. Anything.”
“That’s awful.” Lina shook her head in disbelief. “Is she…okay?”
