by Sienna Parks
“What type of ring are you looking for? Princess cut, round, cushion, oval, radiant…”
“I’ll stop you there. That was all Greek to me. I want a big, beautiful diamond ring for the girl I love. I’ll know it when I see it.” She sighs with a wistful look in her eyes. Maybe I should have gone with the smug asshole who thought his precious store was too good for the likes of me.
“Come this way, I’ll show you some of our classic styles. How much are you looking to spend?”
“Whatever it takes.”
After hours of pouring over every shape, size, and setting they have, I find the perfect ring to ask Savannah for forever.
“This one.”
“Excellent choice. Do you need it sized?”
“Her fingers are slim, petite… like yours. Can you try it on for me?” She looks at me as if I’ve lost my damn mind. Who proposes without knowing their girlfriend’s ring size? A guy who jumps on a plane without having an address or any idea if she’ll even want to see him—that’s who! It’s a perfect fit. “It’ll take it.”
She sets about packaging it up with tissue and wrapping paper, bows, and a gift bag.
I don’t need any frou-frou crap. I just want the ring. Waiting for her to get through all that stuff would feel like an eternity. From the look on her face, I’m the first man to refuse the full works. Savannah doesn’t need all that. I just need a box in my pocket and a yes from her lips.
When I’ve settled the balance and had a coronary at the total, I stride out with renewed determination. I find a hotel and ask them to find me listings for Savannah Adams in Chicago. Surprisingly, there turns out to be four. After a long shower and shave, I sit with my laptop and look up each of the addresses. I can eliminate two of these listings based on little snippets of information I’ve gleaned from Savannah through late-night conversations—that leaves two.
I don’t want to call and alert her to my presence, so I decide to visit both addresses and pray for the best. It’s not as romantic to call and say, I stalked you all the way here, can I come over? I figure my chances of success are greatly increased if I’m standing at her door. She can’t turn me away, and even if she wanted to, our chemistry is too strong to deny. It’s a physical tether when we share the same space.
The first apartment is a dump. I can’t imagine Savannah living here, and I hope she doesn’t. The elevator is broken, and the stairwell reeks of urine. The only way I can see her here is if she’s been living a double life as a hooker, and considering she was a virgin when we slept together, I think that’s highly unlikely.
My hands are shaking as I form a fist and knock on the door of 12B. I simultaneously want it to be her, and pray that it’s not. If she lives behind this door, then her life is way more complicated than I ever thought possible. It would also point out a glaring issue between her and me—if she’d rather come back to this hellhole instead of staying with me in Kingsbury Falls, then that would confirm my worst fears. I’m hopelessly stuck, head over heels, high on being in love with her.
“Well, hello, cowboy. What can I do for you?” My stomach drops with my sigh of relief.
“I’m sorry to have bothered you, ma’am. I got the wrong address.”
“Lucky me.” How can two people share the same name and be so incredibly different? This girl is the opposite of my Savannah—trashy, haggard, and jaded by life. I reiterate my apology before taking my leave and heading for the stairs. With every step, I’m getting closer to my girl. She has to be at this next address. I want to hold her in my arms and feel her heartbeat against my chest.
I need my girl back.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. My heart soars when I see her name flashing across the display. She has no idea I’m in Chicago.
SAVANNAH
My dad doesn’t know I’m back in Chicago. If I told him, then I’d have my answer—and if it’s the wrong answer, my hopes and dreams are not only destroyed, but the very foundation of my morality will be left in ruins. So, I’m taking the coward’s way out. I’m letting myself believe for a little while longer that I’m not a sick human being.
The lab said it would take up to twelve weeks to get the DNA results back. Three months of not knowing—of being away from Jax. It’s the worst kind of torture. The only bright spot is that I get twelve weeks of hope—Schrödinger’s Cat. Every day I don’t get that call is a day I plan on going back to Kingsbury Falls and telling Jax everything I’ve been keeping from him.
It’s been six weeks since I left. The longest month and a half of my life. In the beginning, my phone beeped every day with fresh evidence of my mistakes.
Monday
Jax: I love you, darlin’.
Tuesday
Jax: Thinking of you.
Wednesday
Jax: Hope you’re okay.
Thursday
Jax: I miss the sound of your voice.
Friday
Jax: I can’t wait to feel your body underneath mine again.
Most days I replied, and sometimes I called to hear his voice, but as time went on, it got harder and harder to know he’s waiting for me oblivious to the guillotine hanging over our heads.
Our conversations are getting shorter and less frequent as I tread water waiting for the call that will decide my future. I grab my phone and dial his number, and my heartbeat quickens at the sound of his voice.
“Hey, darlin’. How are you?”
“I’ve been better.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I miss your arms around me. I left a part of myself in Kingsbury Falls… with you.”
“We’ll be together sooner than you think. I promise everything will work out.” As if the universe was listening to our conversation, my phone begins to beep. I stare at the screen frozen to the spot—the lab is calling. I thought I was ready, but suddenly it feels too soon.
“I have to go. I have an incoming call.”
“Wait…”
“Goodbye, Jax.”
They said it could be up to twelve weeks. I need six more weeks. I’m not ready, so I let it go to voicemail. I need a minute after hearing Jackson’s voice which was so full of hope. Getting these results is the most important moment of my life, and it fills me with a cold, dark dread. What Jax and I have is something amazing—I can’t stand the thought of it becoming something abhorrent.
I stare at the little voicemail icon for the best part of an hour before I pluck up the courage to listen to the message.
This is a message from Pryor Lab Corp. for Miss Adams. Your test results are back. Please call us at your earliest convenience.
The cheerful woman makes it seem less terrifying as if her jovial mood is somehow linked to the results. In reality, she has no idea what I want to hear—she’s just doing her job. I hit call back and wait as the Ring! Ring! Ring! heralds the countdown to the truth.
“Hello, Pryor Lab Corp., Brenda speaking. How can I help you?”
“Hi. This is Savannah Adams calling for my results.”
“Oh yes, Miss Adams. I have them here.” I confirm my date of birth and anxiously wait while she places me on hold for a few minutes to deal with a patient. “Miss Adams?”
“Yes, I’m still here.” Every moment with Jackson flashes through my mind—every kiss, caress, and tender word.
“The samples you provided did not show markers that indicate any familial relationship.”
“What? What does that mean?”
“These two people are not family members.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, ma’am. The testing is 99.99% accurate.”
“Oh my God! Thank you so much. You don’t know what this means to me. Thank you.”
“Have a nice day, Miss Adams.”
“You, too!” I hang up the phone and drop to my knees. My whole body is shaking as tears of joy fill my eyes. I thank every god I can think of—Jax and I aren’t related in any way. I can’t quite believe it came back negative. I’m overjoyed an
d overwhelmed. I’ve spent six weeks tormented by the possibility that I unwittingly fell in love with my half-brother and berating myself for ever setting foot in Kingsbury Falls. I’ve cursed my parents for living a lie. I haven’t been able to look at myself in the mirror because I knew, no matter what the test revealed, it wouldn’t change the fact that I will love Jackson McKinney with the deepest part of myself until I take my last breath.
My tears are accompanied by hysterical cries—a release of all the pain and fear I’ve been holding inside. I’m finally free to return to Kingsbury Falls—to Jax. I’m free to love him with wild abandon and never let go. I grab my phone and hit speed dial.
“Hey, darlin’. Miss me already?”
“I’m coming back.”
“What? When?”
“As soon as I can.”
“What changed? You sound like you’ve been crying.”
“It’s such a long story, and I will explain everything to you, but I need to feel your arms holding me tight. I just need to visit my dad before I leave.” Then it dawns on me—my dad. My dad—if Jax and me aren’t related, and Mrs. Hawthorne was certain that the picture of my dad was Jeb McKinney—then he can only be a father to one of us. Either she’s wrong, which would be an astronomical coincidence, or my father isn’t who he says he is.
“You’ve just made my day… my year, but there’s something I need to tell you.” His voice cuts through the chaos.
“He’s been lying to me. All this time.”
“Back up. Who?”
“My father.”
“What has he been lying about?”
“About… being my father. I have to go. I need to talk to him… now.” The gravity of my epiphany hits me like a tsunami.
“Savannah! Savannah! I’m…” Dazed and confused, Jackson fades into the distance as I grab my keys, drop my phone in my purse, and head out the door.
“Good afternoon, Miss Adams. So nice to see you again. Your father is in a meeting right now. Is he expecting you?” Her superficial pleasantries irk me. His secretary is the stereotypical young, pretty, doe-eyed airhead who believes it will enhance her career if she spreads her legs for the boss—vapid, self-serving, and delusional. She’s been fucking my dad since before my mom died.
“No, and I don’t care if he’s in there with God himself. I need to talk to him, now.”
“I’ll step in and let him know you’re here.”
“You do that!” I spit the words at her. If he doesn’t get his ass out here to talk to me in the next five minutes, then I’m marching in there with a room full of executives. Why should I respect his privacy? He and my mom had zero respect for me. How can you lie to someone about the fundamental facts of who they are and where they came from?
“I’m sorry, Miss Adams. He can’t leave at present. If you want to come back in an hour, he’ll make time for you.”
“He’ll make time for me? That would be a first! Don’t worry, I’ll see myself in.” I brush past her toward the boardroom.
“You can’t go in there!”
“Watch me!” I burst through the door with a room full of stuffy old men turning to stare at me, but I don’t care. We could have done this without an audience, but as usual, he puts business above all else.
“Savannah, I’m a little busy here, darling.” The way he says it makes me sick to my stomach. Such a stark contrast to hearing the term of endearment fall from Jax’s lips.
“I need to talk to you, now.”
“Whatever it is, it can wait an hour.” He moves to usher me from the room, but I don’t budge. I refuse to be a dirty little secret any longer.
“No… it can’t. We need to discuss Jeb McKinney. You know him, right… Dad?” His demeanor spins on a dime. He grips my arm and pulls me toward the door.
“Meeting’s finished.” The trumped-up suits protest, but my dad doesn’t even acknowledge them. For the first time in my life, I have his undivided attention. Everyone we pass stops to stare, his face etched with a fury I’ve never witnessed before. In all honesty, he’s been indifferent to me my entire life. His fingers are digging into my arm.
“You’re hurting me.” He tightens his grip turning to face me as we enter the privacy of his office.
“I warned you to leave it alone. Poking around in the past is trouble, but you couldn’t do as you were told.” He paces the floor muttering under his breath.
“Who the hell are you?”
“Why have you been looking into my background? I’m your father for God’s sake.”
“Are you? Look at me and tell me the truth. Are you my father?”
“Why would you even ask me that? Savannah, I’ve been here since the day you were born.” He can’t look me in the eye—telling me everything I need to know.
“You didn’t answer the question.” I pull some pictures from my purse and throw them on his desk. “You bear a striking resemblance to Jeb McKinney. He has a son. I met him.” He turns away with arrogant disgust.
“I never wanted him. His mother tricked me into marrying her. There was no love there. She knew I was in love with your mother, and she hated me for it.” I didn’t think he would admit it so easily.
“Jackson is your son.” He runs his fingers through the graying hair at his temples—sighing as he slumps into his chair.
“Yes. When your mother and I left Kingsbury Falls together, we didn’t look back… well, I didn’t.”
“And where does that leave me?”
“You’re my daughter. It doesn’t change anything between us.”
“Wow! Lying just comes so easily to you, doesn’t it? I met Jackson. In fact, I spent a lot of time with him. I fucked him over and over again, and it felt so damn good.”
“Enough! You’re a whore just like your mother.” My palm connects with his cheek and burns with a satisfying sting.
“Don’t you dare call me a whore. You know nothing about me… you never have.”
“I’ve given you everything you’ve ever needed.”
“You’ve lied to me since the day I was born. I’m gonna ask you again… are you my father?”
“No! Your mother couldn’t let sleeping dogs lie either. We were going through a rough patch, and she decided to go snooping around in her old life. She slept with her ex-husband before he came to his senses and drop-kicked her out of town. She came back with her tail between her legs… and you in her belly.” I stumble to the couch on the far side of the room. My head is spinning.
“Did she tell him about me?”
“No. I told her if she ever saw him again, I’d send her back to the life of small-town drudgery she despised. I changed my name, and we assumed a whole new identity—one your father wouldn’t be able to trace should he get wind of your existence.”
When I look into his eyes, I see none of the warmth and love that emanates from his son. There is no resemblance between him and Jax. They are opposites in every way. The man before me has no remorse for what he’s done to Jax or me.
“Do you have any idea what I’ve been through these past six weeks? I thought I’d fallen in love with my brother, and I’d given myself to him body and soul. Do you understand how twisted that is? Your lies almost ruined my life.”
“You ruined my life. I left that boy behind because I didn’t want to be a father, and then I get stuck raising another man’s kid. I loved your mother.”
“You had a funny way of showing it. You couldn’t keep your dick in your pants when she was alive.” His frustration turns to anger.
“She created the monster you see before you. I was faithful to her until she let another man spill his seed inside her. She was my wife at the time… sworn to love me and forsake all others. After you were born, every time I looked at you I was reminded of her betrayal. I wanted her to suffer the way I had.”
“You disgust me. You don’t deserve a son like Jackson McKinney. He’s ten times the man you could ever be.”
“Funny… I hear he’ll sink his dick int
o anything that moves.” I can’t listen to his vitriol for another second. Bile rises in the back of my throat at his bitterness oozing from every pore. I don’t recognize this man. He was never a loving, attentive father, and I knew he had flaws, but he hid this disdain behind a mask of stoicism. I grab my purse and head for the door.
“Don’t ever contact me again.”
“Go ahead, sweetheart. I’ll happily stop funding you. I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner.”
“You’re a cruel-hearted bastard. I don’t need your money.” I slam the door on my way out, my hands shaking, and the adrenaline draining from my body. I hold my head high as I walk through the office knowing full well that everyone heard our heated exchange. Their stares are a mix of shock and sympathy. I’ve known some of these people my entire life, and as the doors to the elevator close, I realize there is nothing left for me here. My life is in Kingsbury Falls, and so is my family.
I’m relieved to find that dear old dad hasn’t made me his top priority, as usual. I’m able to empty my bank accounts and cash in my shares before he gets a chance to freeze them. As much as I want to cut ties with him, he put me in this position, and I’m not about to cut off my nose to spite my face and end up destitute. I need enough to get me back to Kingsbury Falls and keep a roof over my head until I decide what to do next. It’s time to come clean to everyone and let the chips fall where they may.
When I get back to my apartment, all I need to do is pack a bag, book a flight, and I’ll be in Texas by tomorrow night. Now I need to figure out how I’m going to explain all of this. As I wait for the elevator to reach my floor, I rake through my purse until I find my phone. With my mind made up and nothing keeping me from Jax, I pull up his number and press call.
“Are you okay?”
“Hi, cowboy.”
“Seriously? You hung up on me hours ago, and I’ve been going out of my mind with worry! Where are you?
“I’m just in the elevator going up to my apartment. I’m sorry about earlier. I had loose ends to tie up, but I’ll be back tomorrow night. I love you, Jax, and nothing is ever going to keep us apart again. I promise.”
