“…must be a mistake…”
Elliot turns to Ava. “Can you say something here? Tell her she’s wrong? This is stupid.”
I stare at her, and she drops her gaze. “Faye’s…right,” she says. “What she said… It’s true.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” My question is barely audible, but she hears it.
“For the same reason I left. Your family thought I was a gold digger…or worse.”
“And afterwards…?”
“There wasn’t a right time.”
“No right time.” I jump to my feet, my hands digging into my hair. “No right time? Everyone out except Ava.”
“Lucas—”
“Not now, Elizabeth!” Then I finally turn and take in the openly incredulous expressions on everyone’s faces. Well…not totally incredulous. There’s pity as well.
Fuck this. I won’t be pitied.
“Better yet, stay and enjoy the damned food!” I snarl. I grab Ava’s wrist and start to drag her away.
Ray gets up, looking like he’s going to do something.
“Don’t get in my way,” I say.
“Ray, it’s fine,” Ava says. “Just give us time to talk. Please.” She turns to me. “Let’s go.”
I haul her upstairs.
Should’ve known better than to think I could avoid something like this. Happiness never lasts.
As much as I despise my mother, I can’t help but wonder if she saw something that nobody else did when she called me “unworthy.” What else could explain…this absolute clusterfuck that my life has become?
I find an empty room on the second floor, pull her inside and slam the door closed. Ava’s hands are shaking, and I squash an instinctive need to comfort her.
“Tell me. Everything.”
“Faye’s right. Mia is yours.”
“Then why didn’t you say something?”
“Lucas, I was going to. The day you were rushed to the hospital…I’d just found out and I was going to tell you that night. But then I met your family…which was a shock. One, you’d kept them hidden from me, and two, Blake accused me of being a parasite and swore he’d destroy me if I didn’t stay away from you.”
I smack an open palm against my chest. “But you were carrying my baby! Mine!”
“Yes. Exactly. Mia is the daughter of a fantastically wealthy man from a fantastically wealthy family. And do you know what I learned about rich people growing up? It’s that they can get away with anything. Things that would get a normal person in a heap of trouble… You guys get away with it because you have money and influence. When I got home and looked you up, I knew I’d never win against your family.”
“I’d never have let anything happen to you.”
“Yes, but we didn’t know each other as well back then. We’d never talked about our families. And I didn’t know about Faye until I googled you.”
The reminder of Faye makes me hesitate. “But later, when we reconnected…you could’ve told me.”
“I could have, but I didn’t know how you’d react. Not to mention, I couldn’t seem to figure out a good time to bring it up.”
“There were plenty of times.”