When he looked at me this time, his expression was sober, not an ounce of amusement in his eyes.
“I learned about your existence three days ago, Laikyn.” He leaned back in his chair. “When Creed told me, I think he expected me to be angry. And I was.”
“Of course you were. Long lost sister looking to take your money.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t even want your—”
“I was angry because I felt like I’d been cheated,” he continued, talking right over me. “Cheated out of twenty-two years of knowing you.”
I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. I hadn’t expected that.
“I don’t have any siblings. Growing up, I was an only child. My mother married a man she claimed she loved. He had a daughter. Emily. I wasn’t around much, so I didn’t know her well. I encountered her at family functions, but it wasn’t until she was an adult that I even started paying attention.”
I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to elaborate.
“Emily’s now my wife.”
“You married your stepsister?” I blurted, and yes, that was a bit of shocked incredulity in my tone.
He chuckled. “She’s no longer my stepsister. And she hasn’t been for a while. My mother and her father divorced years ago.”
I wasn’t sure that made it any better, but I decided not to offer my opinion. I doubted he cared.
“But my point is, I was never close to my mother. She’s somewhat of a…” He canted his head, and a smile formed. “A manipulative bitch.”
I huffed a laugh. “I’ve got one of those.”
His smile brightened. “I think it’s safe to say our father had a type.”
“Sounds like it.” I took a sip of my juice. “Based on my calculations, your father … Jeremiah … he cheated on your mother with mine.”
“In a sense, that’s probably true. But my father never married my mother. He knew she was after his money.”
“So why’d he stay with her?”
“Because of me.”
Oh.
I dropped my gaze. “At least he wanted one of us.”
“I did some digging,” Knox continued. “My father did a good job of hiding your existence, but not for reasons you might think. At least if he’s to be believed.”
He produced an envelope from his jacket pocket and passed it to me.
“What’s this?”
“A letter from Jeremiah. It’s addressed to you. His lawyer’s been holding onto it. His instructions were to give it to you when you turned twenty-five unless you married before then. Then he was to give it to you after you turned twenty-two and had been married for ninety days.”
I didn’t pick up the envelope. I didn’t want to read it.
“He left one for me, too,” Knox added. “Explaining your existence and his reasons for doing what he did.” He exhaled. “I don’t agree with how he handled it because I would’ve preferred the chance to know you growing up, but I understandwhyhe did it.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Why what?”
“Why’d he do it?”
Knox nodded toward the letter. “If he doesn’t explain it to you in there, you can ask me again, and I’ll tell you. But for now, I’d prefer you heard it from him.”
